Demerol is known by this brand name or the generic meperidine hydrochloride. It is part of a group of drugs considered to be narcotic pain relievers. Similar to morphine, Demerol is used to treat moderate-to-severe pain. As an opiate agonist, Demerol is a Schedule II controlled substance as it has a high abuse liability. On the street, this drug is known as Demmie(s).
Demerol is a white crystalline substance that is readily soluble in water. It has a neutral reaction and a slightly bitter taste. It is available in both tablet and liquid form to be taken orally. It can also be administered by injection into a large muscle or through intravenous methods. When it is abused, it is taken orally, injected or snorted.
Abuses of Demerol
Demerol is manufactured by Sanofi-Synthelabo, Inc. and despite its similarities to morphine and other related opiates, it is structurally distinct. Demerol alters the perception of pain in the spinal cord and CNS, but offers no effect on nerve endings. Demerol does trigger the brain’s pleasure centers while blocking the pain, intensifying its ability to generate addiction.
As Demerol is an opiate drug, patients and other users can quickly build a tolerance for the drug and require more to achieve the same effect. Signs of dependency and abuse include a strong desire or need to continue taking more of the medicine; a need to increase the dose to maintain the effects of the medicine; and withdrawal symptoms occurring after the patient stops taking the medication.
Effects of Demerol
The effects of this drug are felt 10 to 15 minutes after it is ingested and will typically last anywhere from two to four hours. While the effects are similar to that of morphine, Demerol offers sedation, respiratory depression and euphoria that are less intense than morphine.
When taking Demerol, patients can often experience lightheadedness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and sweating; although weakness, headache, agitation, tremor, uncoordinated muscle movements, severe convulsions, transient hallucinations, disorientation, visual disturbances, dry mouth, constipation, flushing of the face and other skin rashes can also occur.
Withdrawal of Demerol
Continuous or prolonged use of Demerol can create a physical dependence on or tolerance of the drug. If Demerol is stopped abruptly, patients with a physical dependence – and even those taking it regularly for medical reasons – can experience intense symptoms of withdrawal.
Withdrawal symptoms associated with Demerol use can occur four to five hours after the last dose and can include, but are not limited to:
• severe anxiety
• insomnia
• profuse sweating
• muscle spasms
• chills
• shivering
• tremors
Treatment of Demerol Addiction
It is imperative that Demerol users taper off the medication slowly under the care of a board-certified physician and board-certified addiction psychiatrist. To ensure the individual rids their body of the drug completely and has a better chance of staying off the drug in the future, entering a detox center for 24/7 treatment is highly recommended.
Many quality centers recommend a comfortable detox using withdrawal medications as highly effective for those suffering a Demerol addiction. A quality treatment center will do a full physical on a patient and have a board-certified addiction psychiatrist determine the right medications for comfortable detox.
This method is used to correct the chemical imbalances in the individual suffering with a Demerol addiction and should be combined with psychological evaluations and other medical care to address cravings for the drug. As Demerol does trigger pleasure centers in the brain, cravings can be intense. When this approach is made the priority, the center is able to identify the reason for the addiction and treat the whole person.