Potent reduction of basal acid output produced by meperidine.

Meperidine is a potent narcotic related chemically and pharmacologically to morphine and atropine. To examine its gastric antisecretory activity a study designed to test the effect of meperidine on basal acid secretion was carried out: 100 mg of meperidine given intramuscularly reduced basal acid output (BAO) by 66.3% at 1 hr (P less than 0.001), 64.9% at 2 hr (P less than 0.001), and 44.9% at 3 hr (P = 0.005). This degree of reduction of BAO by this dose of meperidine did not differ from that produced by 30 mg of propantheline intramuscularly. These results demonstrate that meperidine in standard classical doses is a potent inhibitor of BAO in man.