Two medicines, side by side
Meperidine vs morphine
Meperidine and morphine are both labeled for pain. Drugs@FDA records approvals of meperidine since 1942 and of morphine since 1984. Pharmacies paid $0.157 per mL (Meperidine 50 mg/5 mL solution) and $0.226 per morphine sulfate ir 15 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. 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.”; Morphine, “Morphine is a full opioid agonist is relatively selective for the mu-opioid receptor, although it can bind to other opioid receptors at higher doses.”
Check it at the source: the meperidine FDA label on DailyMed (effective November 29, 2025); the morphine FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 13, 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 morphine record
Morphine (Duramorph) · label of July 13, 2026
ADDICTION, ABUSE, AND MISUSE; RISK EVALUATION AND MITIGATION STRATEGY (REMS); LIFE-THREATENING RESPIRATORY DEPRESSION; ACCIDENTAL INGESTION; NEONATAL OPIOID WITHDRAWAL SYNDROME; and RISKS FROM CONCOMITANT USE WITH BENZODIAZEPINES OR OTHER CNS DEPRESSANTS Addiction, Abuse, and Misuse Morphine sulfate exposes patients and other users to the risks of opioid addiction, abuse, and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death.
Used for
From the label: indicationsMorphine sulfate extended-release tablets are indicated for the management of pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- September 18, 1984
- Generic labelers
- 22 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.226 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- In shortage
- Recalls
- 66
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Meperidine label of November 29, 2025, Morphine label of July 13, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do meperidine and morphine 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.”; Morphine, “Morphine is a full opioid agonist is relatively selective for the mu-opioid receptor, although it can bind to 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.”; Morphine, “Excretion The elimination of morphine occurs primarily as renal excretion of M3G and its effective half-life after …”
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: meperidine since 1972; morphine since 1986 (Drugs@FDA).
| Meperidine | Morphine | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Morphine is a full opioid agonist is relatively selective for the mu-opioid receptor, although it can bind to other opioid receptors at higher doses. The principal therapeutic action of morphine is analgesia. |
| Half-life (label) | Elimination The elimination half-life is 3 to 8 hours in healthy volunteers. | Excretion The elimination of morphine occurs primarily as renal excretion of M3G and its effective half-life after intravenous administration is normally 2 to 4 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | November 10, 1942 | September 18, 1984 |
| First generic approved | April 26, 1972 | October 7, 1986 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 3 labelers | 22 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.157 per mL (Meperidine 50 mg/5 mL solution) | $0.226 per tablet (Morphine sulfate ir 15 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -2% | -12% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | Listed; available | In shortage |
| Recalls recorded | 0 | 66 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 9,161 | 120,591 |
| 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 …
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to meperidine
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions