title: Measurement of meperidine and normeperidine in human breast milk by selected ion monitoring.
abstract: A technique is described for extraction and quantitation of meperidine and normeperidine from breast milk by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Both compounds were measured in breast milk from parturients who received the drug for postpartum pain relief. The technique is sensitive to 1 ng ml-1 and standard curves were linear at 1.5-2000 ng ml-1. Levels in breast milk samples were 36.2-314 ng ml-1 and 0-333 ng ml-1 for meperidine and normeperidine, respectively. Preliminary results suggest that postpartum pain medication with meperidine results in considerable levels of both meperidine and its active metabolite, normeperidine, in breast milk.
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D008614:Meperidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis*; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D008614:Meperidine; C002752:normeperidine