chlorpromazine vs meperidine
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Side-by-side comparison of chlorpromazine and meperidine. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
minor Known Drug Interaction
Intravenous hydrocortisone or prednisolone have been used to treat severe reactions, with the addition of intravenous chlorpromazine in those cases exhibiting hypertension and hyperpyrexia.
Thorazine
Demerol
Chlorpromazine is a medicine that belongs to a class of drugs called phenothiazine antipsychotics. It can help manage symptoms of certain mental disorders by affecting chemical messengers in the brain.
Meperidine is a strong pain medicine. It is used to treat severe, acute pain when other pain medicines are not strong enough.
Chlorpromazine can treat psychotic disorders like schizophrenia. It can also control nausea and vomiting. Additionally, it can help with restlessness before surgery, acute intermittent porphyria, tetanus, manic episodes of bipolar disorder, and intractable hiccups. In children, it can treat severe behavioral problems and hyperactivity.
Meperidine is used to manage acute pain that is severe enough to need an opioid pain medicine. It is for use when other treatments do not work well enough. Meperidine should not be used for chronic, long-lasting pain. Taking meperidine for a long time may increase the risk of seizures.
Chlorpromazine works by changing the effect of certain natural chemicals in the brain. It blocks dopamine receptors, which helps to reduce psychotic symptoms. It also affects other neurotransmitters, such as histamine and acetylcholine.
Meperidine is an opioid agonist. It works by binding to receptors in the brain and spinal cord. This reduces the feeling of pain.
- • Drowsiness
- • Lightheadedness
- • Dizziness
- • Sleepiness
- • Nausea
- • Vomiting
- Toxicity To Various Agents 425
- Overdose 345
- Drug Interaction 321
- Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome 280
- Nausea 272
- Drug Hypersensitivity 3,249
- Pain 1,248
- Nausea 1,132
- Hyperhidrosis 821
- Rash 775
Antipsychotic medicines like chlorpromazine can increase the risk of death in elderly patients who have dementia-related psychosis. Chlorpromazine is not approved for treating this condition.
Meperidine has a boxed warning. This means it has serious risks. These risks include: Medication errors that can cause overdose, addiction, abuse, and misuse, life-threatening respiratory depression, accidental ingestion (especially by children) can cause a fatal overdose, dangerous effects when taken with benzodiazepines or other CNS depressants, and neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome. Make sure you read the Medication Guide.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if chlorpromazine will harm your unborn baby. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking this medicine during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Taking meperidine for a long time during pregnancy can cause withdrawal symptoms in the newborn. Meperidine is not recommended during or right before labor because it can cause breathing problems in the baby.
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How to Read This chlorpromazine vs meperidine Comparison
chlorpromazine is classified in the Typical Antipsychotic (Phenothiazine) drug class, while meperidine sits within the Opioid Analgesic class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, chlorpromazine has 1,643 submissions while meperidine has 7,225. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known minor interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to chlorpromazine is used to help manage high blood pressure and high body temperature that can occur during a severe reaction to meperidine.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot represent individual circumstances. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This registry does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions for chlorpromazine or meperidine.
Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.