Dimepheptanol (

INN Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

; Amidol, Pangerin), also known as methadol or racemethadol, is a

synthetic Synthetic things are composed of multiple parts, often with the implication that they are artificial. In particular, 'synthetic' may refer to: Science * Synthetic chemical or compound, produced by the process of chemical synthesis * Synthetic o ...

opioid Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects. Medically they are primarily used for pain relief, including anesthesia. Other medical uses include suppression of diarrhea, replacement therapy for opioid us ...

analgesic An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic (American English), analgaesic (British English), pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used to achieve relief from pain (that is, analgesia or pain management). It ...

related to

methadone Methadone, sold under the brand names Dolophine and Methadose among others, is a synthetic opioid agonist used for chronic pain and also for opioid dependence. It is used to treat chronic pain, and it is also used to treat addiction to heroin ...

. It has similar effects to other opioids, including

analgesia Pain management is an aspect of medicine and health care involving relief of pain (pain relief, analgesia, pain control) in various dimensions, from acute and simple to chronic and challenging. Most physicians and other health professionals ...

sedation Sedation is the reduction of irritability or agitation by administration of sedative drugs, generally to facilitate a medical procedure or diagnostic procedure. Examples of drugs which can be used for sedation include isoflurane, diethyl ether, ...

and

euphoria Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and da ...

, as well as

side effect In medicine, a side effect is an effect, whether therapeutic or adverse, that is secondary to the one intended; although the term is predominantly employed to describe adverse effects, it can also apply to beneficial, but unintended, consequence ...

s like

itching Itch (also known as pruritus) is a sensation that causes the desire or reflex to scratch. Itch has resisted many attempts to be classified as any one type of sensory experience. Itch has many similarities to pain, and while both are unpleasan ...

nausea Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. While not painful, it can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the ...

and

respiratory depression Hypoventilation (also known as respiratory depression) occurs when ventilation is inadequate (''hypo'' meaning "below") to perform needed respiratory gas exchange. By definition it causes an increased concentration of carbon dioxide (hypercapnia ...

. Dimepheptanol is a mixture of two

isomer In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formulae – that is, same number of atoms of each element – but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. Isomerism is existence or possibility of isomers. Iso ...

alphamethadol Alphamethadol (INN), or α-methadol, also known as alfametadol, is a synthetic opioid analgesic. It is an isomer of dimepheptanol (methadol), the other being betamethadol (β-methadol). Alphamethadol is composed of two isomers itself, L-α-methad ...

(α-methadol) and

betamethadol Betamethadol (INN), or β-methadol, also known as betametadol, is a synthetic opioid analgesic. It is an isomer of dimepheptanol (methadol), the other being alphamethadol (α-methadol). Betamethadol is composed of two isomers itself, L-β-metha ...

(β-methadol). These are also available separately, and this drug has three separate entries in many national and international lists of illegal drugs, which refer to the racemic mixture dimepheptanol, and the two optical isomers. Each of these isomers is itself a mixture of two isomers, and so there are in fact four isomers of dimepheptanol in total; L-α-methadol, D-α-methadol, L-β-methadol and D-β-methadol. The isomer L-α-methadol is the

active metabolite An active metabolite is an active form of a drug after it has been processed by the body. Metabolites of drugs An active metabolite results when a drug is metabolized by the body into a modified form which continues to produce effects in the body ...

of the long-acting opioid substitute drug

levomethadyl acetate Levacetylmethadol (INN), levomethadyl acetate (USAN), OrLAAM (trade name) or levo-α-acetylmethadol (LAAM) is a synthetic opioid similar in structure to methadone. It has a long duration of action due to its active metabolites. Medical uses LAA ...

(LAAM), and has been used much more widely than β-methadol or the racemic mixture of dimepheptanol. Both in US Controlled Substances Act 1970 Schedule I, the two isomers both have annual manufacturing quotas of 2 grammes and the ACSCNs of 9605 for alphamethadol and 9609 for betamethadol.

References

Secondary alcohols Dimethylamino compounds Analgesics Mu-opioid receptor agonists Synthetic opioids {{analgesic-stub

See also

References