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Levomethorphan



Levomethorphan
Systematic (IUPAC) name
 ?
Identifiers
CAS number 125-68-8
ATC code R05DA09
PubChem 5486607
DrugBank APRD00655
Chemical data
Formula C18H25NO 
Mol. mass 271.397 g/mol
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability  ?
Metabolism  ?
Half life 3-6 hours
Excretion  ?
Therapeutic considerations
Pregnancy cat.

?

Legal status

Schedule II

Routes  ?

Levomethorphan is the l-stereoisomer of methorphan. The effects of the two isomers are quite different. Dextromethorphan is an antitussive on low doses and a dissociative on much higher doses, whereas levomethorphan is an opioid analgesic. Levomethorphan has effects similar to levorphanol but is less potent as it must be demethylated to the active form by liver enzymes before becoming active.


Appearance in Fiction

In the Kay Scarpetta crime novel Body of Evidence, levomethorphan is used by a terminal cancer patient for relief of chronic pain. Eventually, she takes a fatal overdose (while Dr Scarpetta, coincidentally, is a guest in her house). Scarpetta, who is unfamiliar with this rarely-used drug, consults the decedent's doctors at the Johns Hopkins University oncology clinic and learns that it is regularly used for a few long-term, trusted patients.

 
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Levomethorphan". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.
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