Meperidine potency relative to morphine?

Meperidine potency relative to morphine?

• A. It is equally potent as morphine
• B. It is 1/10th as potent as morphine
• C. It is 2x more potent than morphine
• D. It has no analgesic potency compared to morphine

Answer: (B)

Meperidine and morphine are both mu-opioid receptor agonists, but meperidine is less potent. On a mg-for-mg basis, meperidine provides roughly one-tenth the analgesic effect of morphine. That means you’d need about ten times more meperidine than morphine to achieve the same pain relief, although the exact dose can vary with the route of administration and patient factors. This is why the correct statement describes meperidine as about one-tenth as potent as morphine. Keep in mind that equianalgesic dosing also depends on onset, duration, and other drug-specific effects, such as normeperidine accumulation with repeated dosing.

Meperidine and morphine are both mu-opioid receptor agonists, but meperidine is less potent. On a mg-for-mg basis, meperidine provides roughly one-tenth the analgesic effect of morphine. That means you’d need about ten times more meperidine than morphine to achieve the same pain relief, although the exact dose can vary with the route of administration and patient factors. This is why the correct statement describes meperidine as about one-tenth as potent as morphine. Keep in mind that equianalgesic dosing also depends on onset, duration, and other drug-specific effects, such as normeperidine accumulation with repeated dosing.