Meperidine has the potential to develop into a habit, especially over time. Follow the meperidine directions exactly. Do not take it in larger amounts, more frequently, or otherwise differently than prescribed by your doctor. Discuss your pain management options, treatment duration, and goals with your healthcare provider while you are using meperidine. Inform your doctor if you or any family members regularly consume significant amounts of alcohol, use illicit substances, have ever experienced an overdose, have abused prescription medications, or currently suffer from depression or another mental disorder. If you currently have or have ever had any of these conditions, you are more likely to abuse meperidine. If you suspect an opioid addiction, consult your doctor right away and ask for advice. You can also contact the SAMHSA National Helpline by calling 1-800-662-HELP, which is operated by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Breathing issues from meperidine may be severe or even fatal, particularly in the first 24 to 72 hours of treatment and whenever the dose is raised. Throughout your therapy, your doctor will keep a close eye on you. If you have asthma or slow breathing, let your doctor know. Most likely, your doctor will advise against taking meperidine. A head injury, a brain tumour, or any condition that raises the pressure inside of your skull should also be disclosed to your doctor. Lung ailments including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a group of illnesses that affect the lungs and airways, should also be mentioned. The likelihood that you will experience breathing issues may be increased if you are an older adult, weak, or undernourished as a result of a sickness. Get emergency medical care if you encounter any of the following symptoms, or call your doctor right away: sluggish breathing, protracted breath gaps, or shortness of breath.

While receiving meperidine treatment, taking certain drugs may raise your chance of experiencing significant or life-threatening respiratory issues, drowsiness, or coma. Inform your physician if you are now taking or intend to take any of the following drugs: some antifungal drugs, such as voriconazole (Vfend), itraconazole (Onmel, Sporanox), and ketoconazole; benzodiazepines such triazolam (Halcion), lorazepam (Ativan), oxazepam (Restoril), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), clonazepam (Klonopin), estazolam (Xanax), flurazepam (Klonopin), and flurazepam (Valium); erythromycin (Erytab, Erythrocin), Carbatrol (Carbatrol, Epitol, Tegretol, Teril), and Carbamazepine; medications for mental illness, nausea, or pain; muscle relaxants; phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek); some HIV medications, such as indinavir (Crixivan), nelfinavir (Viracept), and ritonavir (Norvir, in Kaletra); rifampin, sedatives, tranquillizers, or sleeping pills (Rifadin, Rimactane, in Rifamate). Your doctor will closely monitor you and may need to adjust the dosage of your drugs. Call your doctor right away or go to the emergency room if you take meperidine together with any of these drugs and experience any of the following symptoms: Unusual lightheadedness, drowsiness, breathing that is sluggish or difficult, or inability to respond. If you are unable to seek treatment on your own, make sure your carer or family members are aware of any symptoms that may be dangerous so they can contact the doctor or emergency services.

You run a higher chance of developing these severe, perhaps fatal adverse effects while receiving treatment with meperidine if you consume alcohol, use prescription or over-the-counter drugs that do, or use illicit substances. During your treatment, refrain from drinking alcohol, taking alcohol-containing prescription or over-the-counter medications, or using illegal substances.

Do not share your medication with anybody else. Other individuals who take your drug, particularly youngsters, could be harmed or even killed by meperidine.

If you are pregnant or want to become pregnant, let your doctor know. Regular meperidine use during pregnancy increases the risk of your unborn child developing potentially fatal withdrawal symptoms. If your infant exhibits any of the following symptoms, contact your doctor straight away: irritability, hyperactivity, disturbed sleep, high-pitched crying, excessive shaking of a body part, vomiting, diarrhoea, or failure to gain weight.

The patient information sheet (Medication Guide) from the manufacturer will be provided to you by your doctor or chemist when you start taking meperidine and each time you fill a prescription. If you have any questions, carefully read the information and ask your doctor or chemist. The Medication Guide is also available on the manufacturer’s website or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website.

You should discuss the dangers of taking meperidine with your doctor.

Meperidine is used to treat pain ranging from moderate to severe. Meperidine is a member of the group of drugs known as opiate (narcotic) analgesics. It functions by altering how the nerve system and brain react to pain.

Meperidine is available as a liquid (syrup) and tablet for oral use. For pain, it is often given every three to four hours with or without food. Ask your doctor or chemist to explain any instructions on your prescription label that you are unsure about following.

Do not chew, break, or crush the meperidine tablets if you are taking them; instead, consume them whole. After placing each tablet in your mouth, immediately swallow it.

Use a dosage-measuring spoon or cup, not a common household spoon, to measure the appropriate volume of liquid for each dose if you are taking meperidine syrup. Take your medication with a half-glass of water, then ingest the concoction. The mouth may get numb if you consume meperidine syrup undiluted.

Throughout your treatment, your doctor will probably change the dosage of meperidine. If you have any pain or adverse effects while taking this medicine, be sure to let your doctor know. This will make it easier for your doctor to determine your ideal dose.

Do not stop taking meperidine if you have been taking it for more than a few weeks without first consulting your doctor. Your dose will likely be gradually reduced by your doctor. You can suffer withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking meperidine abruptly. Restlessness, watery eyes, stuffy nose, yawning, chills, sweating, muscle pain, irritability, anxiousness, stomach discomfort, upset stomach, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, rapid breathing, rapid heartbeat, and back pain are just a few withdrawal symptoms.

Ask your doctor or chemist for more details if you believe this drug should be used for something else.

Before taking meperidine,

• If you have an allergy to meperidine, any other drugs, or any of the substances in meperidine tablets or syrup, let your doctor and pharmacist know right away. For a list of the ingredients, ask your doctor or chemist.
• Inform your doctor and chemist about any vitamins, nutritional supplements, herbal items, and prescription and over-the-counter medicines you are now taking or intend to take. Any of the following should be mentioned: drugs for vomiting and seizures; acyclovir (Zovirax); butorphanol; cimetidine (Tagamet); some migraine drugs, including almotriptan (Axert), eletriptan (Relpax), frovatriptan (Frova), naratriptan (Amerge), rizatriptan (Maxalt), and zolmitriptan (Zomig); 5-HT3 receptor antagonists as alosetron (Lotronex), dolasetron (Anzemet), granisetron (Kytril), ondansetron (Zofran, Zuplenz), or palonosetron (Aloxi); the antipsychotic drug mirtazapine (Remeron); selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which include paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem, Selfemra), citalopram (Celexa), fluvoxamine (Luvox), and sertraline (Zoloft); serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), such as milnacipran (Savella), desvenlafaxine (Effexor), duloxetine (Cymbalta), and desvenlafaxine (Pristiq, Khedezla); and tricyclic antidepressants such desipramine, clomipramine (Anafranil), amitriptyline, amoxapine (Norpramin), nortriptyline (Pamelor), protriptyline (Vivactil), doxepin (Silenor, Zonalon), imipramine (Tofranil), and trimipramine (Surmontil). Also let your doctor or chemist know if you’ve recently stopped taking any of the following medicines: methylene blue, isocarboxazid (Marplan), linezolid (Zyvox), phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl), and tranylcypromine. These monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors include isocarboxazid, phenelzine, and selegiline (Parnate). Your physician might need to adjust the dosage of your drugs or keep a close eye on you for side effects.
• Inform your doctor if you have or have ever had paralytic ileus or any of the disorders listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING section (condition in which digested food does not move through the intestines). You might be advised by your doctor not to take meperidine.
• Inform your physician if you have or have ever had pheochromocytoma, difficulties urinating, abnormal heartbeat, seizures, stomach issues, thyroid, pancreas, gallbladder, liver, renal, or lung illness.
• If you are breastfeeding, let your doctor know.
• You should be aware that both men and women who use this medicine may have decreased fertility. The dangers of using meperidine should be discussed with your doctor.
• If you are 65 years of age or older, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of taking meperidine with your doctor. Meperidine is typically not advised for usage in older adults since it is less reliable and less efficient than alternative drugs that can be used to treat the same disease.
• You should let your doctor or dentist know if you are taking meperidine if you are undergoing surgery, including dental surgery.
• You need to be aware that meperidine might make you feel sleepy. Prior to understanding how this drug affects you, avoid using machinery or driving a car.
• You should be aware that if you stand up too rapidly from a supine position while taking meperidine, you could have dizziness, lightheadedness, and fainting. When you initially start using meperidine, this happens more frequently. Get out of bed gradually, resting your feet on the floor for a few minutes before standing up, to avoid this issue.

Keep eating normally unless your doctor instructs you otherwise.

Typically, this drug is given as needed. Take the missing dose as soon as you remember it if your physician has instructed you to take meperidine on a regular basis. If the next dose is soon due, skip the missed one and carry on with your regular dosing plan. To make up for a missing dose, do not take a second one.

Side effects from meperidine are possible. If any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away, let your doctor know right once:

• Lightheadedness
• Dizziness
• Weakness
• Headache
• Excessive calm
• Mood changes
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Stomach cramps or agony
• Constipation
• Dry mouth
• Flushing
• Sweating
• Alterations to vision

Some side effects can be serious. The following symptoms are uncommon, but if you experience any of them or those listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING section, call your doctor immediately:

• Agitation, hallucinations (hearing voices or seeing things that are not there), disorientation, fever, sweating, shivering, extremely stiff or twitching muscles, loss of coordination, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhoea
• Nausea, vomiting, weight loss, anorexia, or lightheadedness
• Failure to achieve or maintain erection
• Irregular periods of time
• Less sexual arousal
• Sluggish or challenging breathing
• Shaking hands in an uncontrollable manner
• Seizures
• Alterations in heartbeat
• Having trouble urinating
• Fainting
• Rash
• Hives

Further negative effects of meperidine could exist. If you experience any strange issues while taking this medicine, contact your doctor right away.

You or your doctor can submit a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting programme online or by phone if you have a serious side event (1-800-332-1088).

Keep this medication tightly closed in the original container and out of the reach of children. Keep it away from excessive heat and moisture at room temperature (not in the bathroom). Any medication that has expired or is no longer needed must be disposed of right away via a medicine take-back programme. If there is no take-back programme available to you locally or that you can quickly access, flush any obsolete or unnecessary meperidine tablets or solution down the toilet. See your chemist for advice on how to properly dispose of your medications.

Although many containers (such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers) are not child-resistant and are simple for young children to open, it is crucial to keep all medications out of sight and out of reach of children. Always lock safety caps and promptly stash medication up and away from young children where it is out of their sight and reach to prevent poisoning. http://www.upandaway.org

Call the poison control hotline at 1-800-222-1222 in the event of an overdose. Moreover, information can be found online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help. Call 911 right once if the person has collapsed, experienced a seizure, is having difficulty breathing, or cannot be roused.

You should speak with your doctor about keeping naloxone, a life-saving drug, on hand while taking meperidine (e.g., home, office). Naloxone is used to undo an overdose’s potentially fatal consequences. To treat harmful symptoms brought on by excessive levels of opiates in the blood, it functions by inhibiting the effects of opiates. If you live with young children or someone who has abused prescription or illicit drugs, your doctor could also advise you to get naloxone. Make sure you, your family, your caretakers, and anyone else who spends time with you are aware of the signs of an overdose, how to administer naloxone, and what to do until emergency assistance arrives. You and your family members will be shown how to use the medication by your doctor or chemist. For the directions, speak to your chemist or go to the manufacturer’s website. If you start to experience overdose symptoms, a friend or family member should administer the first dose of naloxone, contact 911 right away, and stay by your side while keeping a careful eye on you until emergency medical assistance comes. After receiving naloxone, your symptoms can come back a short while later. The person should administer you another dose of naloxone if your symptoms come back. If symptoms reappear before receiving medical attention, more doses may be given every 2 to 3 minutes.

Overdose signs could include the following:

• Weak or sluggish breathing
• Having trouble breathing
• Extreme slumber
• Not able to speak or awaken
• Slack, flabby muscles
• Clammy, frigid skin
• Sluggish heartbeat
• Nausea
• Fuzzy vision
• Dizziness
• Fainting

Keep all of your doctor’s appointments.

Inform your doctor and the lab staff that you are taking meperidine prior to any laboratory test (particularly those involving methylene blue).

No one else should take your medication. Giving this drug to anyone else is against the law. Any queries you may have regarding prescription refills should be directed to your chemist.

You should keep a written record of every medication you take, including any over-the-counter (OTC) items, prescription drugs, and dietary supplements like vitamins and minerals. This list should be brought with you whenever you see a doctor or are admitted to the hospital. You should always have this information with you in case of emergencies.