Two medicines, side by side
Meperidine vs hydrocodone
Meperidine and hydrocodone are both labeled for pain. Drugs@FDA records approvals of meperidine since 1942 and of hydrocodone since 2013. Pharmacies paid $0.157 per mL (Meperidine 50 mg/5 mL solution) and $7.95 per hydrocodone ER 15 mg capsule (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. Hydrocodone's other strengths are brand-only: $13.31 per Hysingla ER 20 mg tablet. How each works, in its label's words: Meperidine, “Meperidine is an opioid agonist with multiple actions qualitatively similar to those of morphine; the most prominent of these involve the central nervous system and organs composed of smooth muscle.”; Hydrocodone, “Hydrocodone is a full opioid agonist with relative selectivity for the mu-opioid receptor, although it can interact with other opioid receptors at higher doses.”
Check it at the source: the meperidine FDA label on DailyMed (effective November 29, 2025); the hydrocodone FDA label on DailyMed (effective May 29, 2026).
Highlights of the meperidine record
Meperidine (Demerol) · label of November 29, 2025
SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING RISKS FROM USE OF MEPERIDINE HYDROCHLORIDE TABLETS Addiction, Abuse, and Misuse Because the use of Meperidine hydrochloride tablets exposes patients and other users to the risks of opioid addiction, abuse, and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death, assess each patient’s risk prior to prescribing and reassess all patients regularly for the development of these behaviors and conditions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ].
Used for
From the label: indicationsMeperidine hydrochloride tablets are indicated for the management of acute pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic and for which alternative treatments are inadequate. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- November 10, 1942
- Generic labelers
- 3 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.157 per mL
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- Listed; available
- Recalls
- 0
Highlights of the hydrocodone record
Hydrocodone (Hysingla) · label of May 29, 2026
SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING RISKS FROM USE OF HYSINGLA ER Addiction, Abuse, and Misuse Because the use of HYSINGLA ER exposes patients and other users to the risks of opioid addiction, abuse, and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death, assess each patient's risk prior to prescribing and reassess all patients regularly for the development of these behaviors and conditions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ].
Used for
From the label: indicationsHYSINGLA ER is indicated for the management of severe and persistent pain that requires an opioid analgesic and that cannot be adequately treated with alternative options, including immediate-release opioids. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- October 25, 2013
- Generic labelers
- 1 labeler
- Pharmacy cost
- $7.95 per capsule
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 0
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Meperidine label of November 29, 2025, Hydrocodone label of May 29, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do meperidine and hydrocodone differ on the record?
How each works, in its label's words: Meperidine, “Meperidine is an opioid agonist with multiple actions qualitatively similar to those of morphine; the most prominent of these involve the central nervous system and organs composed of smooth muscle.”; Hydrocodone, “Hydrocodone is a full opioid agonist with relative selectivity for the mu-opioid receptor, although it can interact with other opioid receptors at higher doses.”
Both are in FDA's class opioid agonists.
Half-life, in each label's words: Meperidine, “Elimination The elimination half-life is 3 to 8 hours in healthy volunteers.”; Hydrocodone, “The mean terminal half-life (t 1/2 ) was similar for all HYSINGLA ER dose strengths ranging from 7 to 9 hours.”
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: meperidine since 1972; hydrocodone since 2020 (Drugs@FDA).
| Meperidine | Hydrocodone | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Pain | Pain |
| Pharmacologic class | Opioid Agonist | Opioid Agonist |
| How it works (label) | Meperidine is an opioid agonist with multiple actions qualitatively similar to those of morphine; the most prominent of these involve the central nervous system and organs composed of smooth muscle. | Hydrocodone is a full opioid agonist with relative selectivity for the mu-opioid receptor, although it can interact with other opioid receptors at higher doses. The principal therapeutic action of hydrocodone is analgesia. |
| Half-life (label) | Elimination The elimination half-life is 3 to 8 hours in healthy volunteers. | The mean terminal half-life (t 1/2 ) was similar for all HYSINGLA ER dose strengths ranging from 7 to 9 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | November 10, 1942 | October 25, 2013 |
| First generic approved | April 26, 1972 | January 21, 2020 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 3 labelers | 1 labeler |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.157 per mL (Meperidine 50 mg/5 mL solution) | $7.95 per capsule (Hydrocodone ER 15 mg capsule) |
| 12-month price change | -2% | +34% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | Listed; available | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 0 | 0 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 9,161 | 43,191 |
| DEA schedule | CII | CII |
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages and recalls, FAERS via openFDA (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What do the labels say about using others of their kind?
Meperidine label, warnings and precautionsRisks from Concomitant Use with Benzodiazepines or Other CNS Depressants Profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death may result from the concomitant use of meperidine hydrochloride tablets with benzodiazepines and/or other CNS depressants, including alcohol (e.g., non-benzodiazepine sedatives/hypnotics, anxiolytics, tranquilizers, muscle relaxants, general anesthetics, antipsychotics, gabapentinoids …
Hydrocodone label, warnings and precautionsUse with Benzodiazepines or Other CNS Depressants Profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death may result from the concomitant use of HYSINGLA ER with benzodiazepines and/or other CNS depressants, including alcohol (e.g., non-benzodiazepine sedatives/hypnotics, anxiolytics, tranquilizers, muscle relaxants, general anesthetics, antipsychotics, gabapentinoids [gabapentin or pregabalin], and other …
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to meperidine
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions