Subjective, behavioral and physiological responses to intravenous meperidine in healthy volunteers.
Meperidine is a mu opiate agonist that is frequently used to treat pain. We examined in healthy volunteers (N = 10) the effects of intravenous meperidine (0, 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/kg) on mood and psychomotor performance. A randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover design was used in which subjects were injected with meperidine or saline in a double-blind fashion. Subjects completed several subjective effects questionnaires commonly used in abuse liability testing studies before drug injection and at periodic intervals for up to 5 h after drug injection. Subjects also completed several psychomotor tests. Meperidine produced a constellation of subjective effects in a dose-related fashion, including increases in ratings of "sedated," "coasting or spaced out" and "feel drug effect" ratings. Many of the drug's subjective effects persisted up to 4 or 5 h after administration of the 1.0 mg/kg dose. Drug liking ratings assessed on a visual analog scale were increased after meperidine injection in about half of the subjects (P = 0.09). Eye-hand coordination was affected slightly by meperidine but other indices of psychomotor functioning were unaffected. Miosis increased in a dose-related fashion. Other physiological parameters, such as vital signs, were not affected by meperidine. We conclude that meperidine in healthy volunteers has robust and long-lasting effects on mood, but may have weaker effects on psychomotor performance.
Zacny
J P
JP
Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, Illinois 60637.
Lichtor
J L
JL
Binstock
W
W
Coalson
D W
DW
Cutter
T
T
Flemming
D C
DC
Glosten
B
B
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects*; D001519:Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008614:Meperidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects; D011680:Pupil / Q000187:drug effects
D008614:Meperidine