FDA-filed SPL labeling · retrieved through openFDA

Meperidine

Meperidine is a strong opioid pain reliever used for severe pain, as well as before and during surgery and during labor.

Brand name Demerol
Drug classes ⓘ Full Opioid Agonists
Rx Schedule CII Forms 3 Routes Intramuscular; Intravenous; Subcutaneous · Oral · Intramuscular, Intravenous, Subcutaneous
Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Reviewed by Last reviewed Jul 10, 2026
🧬 Where this information comes from Click to expand

The clinical label records used on this page are FDA-filed Structured Product Labeling (SPL) retrieved through openFDA. We identified 2 clinical label sets within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, strengths, and NDC product-record counts are built separately from matching FDA National Drug Code Directory records. The linked DailyMed document is a representative official source for verification, not the page’s only clinical source. View the linked label on DailyMed →

At a glance
Linked label effectiveJul 20, 2026
Clinical labels in scope ⓘ2
AvailabilityRx
Earliest approval/marketing year ⓘ1942
FDA-listed product records ⓘ51
Boxed warningYes
How we combine label and product data →
Other forms & routes:
Injection
⭐ Meperidine at a glance The quick version — the full detail is in the Patient Information Guide below.
💊
HelloPharmacist Editorial Team Bottom Line
Meperidine is a powerful opioid reserved for serious pain when nothing else is adequate — it works well for that purpose, but it carries real and serious risks including breathing problems, addiction, and dangerous drug interactions. It's meant for short-term use; extended use builds up a toxic byproduct that can cause seizures. Always use it exactly as directed by your care team, and never combine it with alcohol, sedatives, or MAO inhibitors.
How we write & review this content — our editorial policy →
⚠️ FDA Boxed Warning — the FDA’s strongest safety alert ▾

Meperidine carries the FDA's most serious warning — a boxed warning — about several life-threatening risks:Breathing can slow or stop. This can happen at any dose, but is most dangerous when starting treatment or increasing the dose. Signs include very slow or shallow breathing or not being able to stay awake.Mixing with other sedatives is extremely dangerous. Combining meperidine with benzodiazepines (like Xanax or Valium), alcohol, or other central nervous system depressants can cause unconsciousness, stopped breathing, and death.MAO inhibitors can cause fatal reactions. Do not take meperidine if you have used an MAO inhibitor in the past 14 days. The combination can cause coma, dangerously low blood pressure, and death.Pregnancy risk: Using meperidine long-term during pregnancy can cause the newborn to go through opioid withdrawal, which can be life-threatening if not treated quickly.Certain drug interactions can cause a fatal overdose — particularly medications that affect CYP3A4 enzymes in the liver. Always tell every provider all the medications you take.

Read the full warning on DailyMed →

📖 Meperidine: Patient Information Guide

A plain-language walkthrough of Meperidine — what it treats, how it works, how it’s taken, side effects, warnings and interactions. Tap any section to expand it.

🎯What it's used for▾

Meperidine injection is used in specific medical situations where strong opioid pain relief is needed:

  • Severe pain that hasn't responded to other treatments
  • Preoperative medication — to help patients relax before surgery
  • Support of anesthesia during surgical procedures
  • Labor and delivery pain (obstetrical analgesia)
⚙️How it works▾

Meperidine is an opioid agonist — it activates opioid receptors in the brain and central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), much the way morphine does. This activation blocks the perception of pain and produces sedation (calming/drowsiness). It also affects smooth muscle throughout the body, which is why it can cause constipation and other physical effects beyond just pain relief.

💊How it's taken▾

Meperidine is given as an injection — either into muscle or under the skin — by a trained healthcare provider. It is not a self-administered medication at home.

  • For pain relief, it is typically given every 3 to 4 hours as needed
  • Before surgery, it is given 30 to 90 minutes ahead of time
  • During labor, it can be repeated every 1 to 3 hours as needed

Your care team will set the right timing and amount for your individual situation. It is not intended for long-term daily use.

🤒Side effects — in detail▾

The most common side effects with meperidine include:

  • Lightheadedness or dizziness
  • Drowsiness or sedation
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Sweating
  • Constipation
  • Dry mouth
  • Flushing of the face

Serious reactions that need immediate medical attention include stopped or very slow breathing, seizures, severe confusion or hallucinations, and signs of serotonin syndrome such as high fever, agitation, or rapid heart rate. Do not ignore these — get help right away.

⚠️Warnings & precautions▾
  • Respiratory depression (breathing slowing or stopping) is the most dangerous risk — it can be life-threatening, especially at the start of treatment or after a dose change.
  • Addiction, dependence, and misuse are real risks even when meperidine is used exactly as prescribed. It is a Schedule II controlled substance.
  • Normeperidine buildup from extended use can cause tremors, muscle twitching, and seizures — this is why meperidine is not meant for long-term use.
  • Mixing with alcohol or sedatives dramatically raises the risk of coma and death.
  • Serotonin syndrome — a potentially fatal condition — can occur if meperidine is combined with certain antidepressants or other serotonergic drugs.
  • Head injury or high intracranial pressure (pressure inside the skull): meperidine can worsen these conditions and should be used very carefully or avoided.
  • Neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome: babies born to mothers who used meperidine long-term may experience serious withdrawal symptoms at birth.
🔀What it interacts with▾

Meperidine interacts with several medications — some combinations are outright dangerous:

  • MAO inhibitors (phenelzine, tranylcypromine, linezolid) — absolutely contraindicated; can cause coma, dangerously low blood pressure, and death; must be stopped at least 14 days before using meperidine
  • Benzodiazepines and CNS depressants (Xanax, Valium, sleep aids) — dangerous sedation and breathing suppression
  • Alcohol — adds to sedation and raises risk of breathing problems
  • CYP3A4 inhibitors (certain antifungals, some antibiotics, HIV medications like ritonavir) — raise meperidine blood levels, increasing overdose risk
  • CYP3A4 inducers (like phenytoin) — change the way meperidine breaks down and may raise levels of normeperidine, the toxic byproduct
  • Serotonergic drugs (certain antidepressants, triptans for migraines) — risk of serotonin syndrome
  • Acyclovir and cimetidine — can increase meperidine or normeperidine levels in the blood

This is not a complete list of interactions. Always talk with your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.

📋Before taking it▾
  • Taking MAO inhibitors or took them in the last 14 days — this combination is contraindicated (not allowed)
  • Significant breathing problems or severe asthma — meperidine can worsen respiratory depression
  • Known allergy or hypersensitivity to meperidine
  • Bowel obstruction or paralytic ileus (blocked intestines) — contraindicated
  • History of substance use disorder or addiction — risk is higher
  • Pregnant women — long-term use can harm the fetus and cause newborn withdrawal; use during labor may cause breathing problems in the newborn
  • Older adults — meperidine stays in the body longer; start cautiously and monitor closely
  • Liver or kidney impairment — meperidine and its byproduct are cleared more slowly, raising the risk of buildup and toxicity
  • Head injury, brain tumor, or increased intracranial pressure — meperidine can mask symptoms and worsen these conditions
  • Circulatory shock or very low blood pressure — meperidine should be avoided in these situations
🚑If you take too much▾

Too much meperidine can cause breathing to slow dramatically or stop, extreme sleepiness progressing to unconsciousness, limpness, pinpoint (very small) pupils, cold clammy skin, and in severe cases, cardiac arrest and death. Buildup of normeperidine — the breakdown product — can cause the opposite: agitation, tremors, muscle twitching, enlarged pupils, and seizures.

If overdose is suspected, call 911 immediately. A reversal agent called naloxone can counteract meperidine's effects, but medical monitoring is still needed because meperidine may last longer than the reversal agent.

📡Pharmacodynamics — effects in the body▾

Meperidine slows breathing by directly suppressing the brain centers that control it. It causes the pupils to constrict (become very small) — pinpoint pupils are a known sign of opioid overdose. It also slows movement through the digestive tract, which leads to constipation and can cause spasms in the bile ducts. On the cardiovascular side, it widens blood vessels (vasodilation), which can cause blood pressure to drop, especially when standing up quickly. With extended use, it can disrupt hormonal systems, potentially affecting sex hormones and leading to issues such as low sex drive or irregular periods.

🔬Pharmacokinetics — how your body processes it▾

Meperidine is broken down (metabolized) mainly in the liver by enzymes called CYP3A4 and CYP2B6 into a byproduct called normeperidine. Meperidine itself clears from the body in about 3 to 8 hours in healthy people, but normeperidine lingers much longer — around 20 hours on average — which is why it can accumulate with repeated dosing. Both meperidine and normeperidine are cleared through the kidneys. In people with liver disease or in older adults, meperidine is processed more slowly, meaning the drug and its byproduct stay in the body longer and are more likely to build up to harmful levels. Certain other medications (like ritonavir, acyclovir, or phenytoin) can also significantly change how meperidine is processed.

📦How to store it▾

Store at 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F), excursions permitted between 15°C to 30°C (59°F to 86°F).

📄 Written from Meperidine’s FDA-approved label information, summarized in plain language with AI, and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Every point is grounded in that labeling — nothing is invented. How we use AI →

155

Supplements & herbs that interact with Meperidine

155 supplements and herbal products have documented interactions with Meperidine in the licensed clinical database we use. Most are manageable — but your pharmacist should know about everything you take, including vitamins and herbals.

Severity mix
  • Major · 8
  • Moderate · 124
  • Minor · 23
1,4-BUTANEDIOL Major ACTIVATED CHARCOAL Major BEER Major GAMMA-HYDROXYBUTYRATE (GHB) Major KAVA Major L-TRYPTOPHAN Major LITHIUM Major WINE Major +147 more
Every supplement checked against Meperidine — ranked by severity The full interaction hub: 8 major · 124 moderate · 23 minor · every one linked to its full report. Check Meperidine against your exact supplements

Educational information from a licensed clinical database (Natural Medicines) — see our data sources & update cadence. Not medical advice: an interaction being documented does not mean it will happen to you; do not start or stop medications or supplements without professional guidance.

🩺 Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Quick, plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most about Meperidine — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.

Why was I given meperidine instead of another pain medication? ▾
Meperidine is a strong opioid used for severe pain when other options haven't worked well enough or can't be used. It's also commonly given before surgery to help you relax or during labor for pain relief. Your care team chose it because it fits your specific situation — it's not a first-choice pain reliever for minor pain.
Is it safe to drink alcohol while receiving meperidine? ▾
No — please avoid alcohol entirely. Combining alcohol with meperidine can dangerously slow your breathing, cause extreme sedation, and in serious cases lead to coma or death. This applies to any sedating substance, including sleep aids or anti-anxiety medications. Always tell your care team everything you take.
What side effects should I just expect, versus what should I call for help about? ▾
Dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, sweating, and constipation are common and usually manageable — lying down can help if you feel lightheaded. But if your breathing becomes very slow or shallow, you can't stay awake, you have muscle twitching or a seizure, or you feel extremely confused or agitated, that needs emergency attention right away. Don't wait to see if it passes.
Can I take meperidine if I'm also on an antidepressant? ▾
It depends on which one. Some antidepressants — especially MAO inhibitors like phenelzine or tranylcypromine — absolutely cannot be combined with meperidine; the interaction can be fatal. Even stopping an MAO inhibitor isn't enough; you need to wait at least 14 days before meperidine is safe. Other antidepressants that affect serotonin can also cause a dangerous reaction called serotonin syndrome. Always give your full medication list to your care team before receiving meperidine.
I'm pregnant — is meperidine safe for my baby? ▾
Using meperidine occasionally during labor (as it is commonly used) is different from using it for weeks or months. Long-term use during pregnancy can cause your newborn to go through opioid withdrawal after birth — a condition called neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome — which can be serious. If you're pregnant, your care team will weigh the risks carefully and make sure the right support is in place at delivery.
Why did I hear that meperidine isn't supposed to be used for a long time? ▾
That's a good question — meperidine is generally not recommended for extended use because of a byproduct it leaves behind in your body called normeperidine. Unlike meperidine itself, normeperidine hangs around for about 20 hours and can build up over time, causing tremors, muscle twitching, and even seizures. That's why it's mainly used for short-term situations like surgery or labor, not for ongoing chronic pain.
Is Meperidine available over the counter? ▾
Meperidine is dispensed by prescription according to its FDA labeling, so it isn't sold over the counter. Your prescriber and pharmacist will determine if it's appropriate for you.
Is Meperidine a controlled substance? ▾
Yes — Meperidine is a federally controlled substance (Schedule II) in the United States, so how it is prescribed, refilled and dispensed is regulated by the DEA.
When was Meperidine first available? ▾
Meperidine has been available in the United States since at least 1942, based on FDA approval history (Drugs@FDA) and product marketing records.
Who makes Meperidine? ▾
Meperidine is supplied by 12 manufacturers listed in the FDA NDC Directory, including Hospira, Inc., Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., Epic Pharma, Llc.

💬 Answers drafted from Meperidine’s FDA-approved label information, summarized in plain language with AI, and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Grounded in that labeling — nothing is made up. How we use AI →

🧰 Keep exploring

📊Meperidine supplement interactions155 checked — ranked by severity 🌿Drug & Supplement CheckerMeperidine vs. vitamins & herbs 💬Ask a PharmacistFree answer, usually < 24h 🔎NDC & pricing lookupFind Meperidine NDCs & costs 🅰️Browse Drugs A–ZLook up any medication

💊 How Meperidine comes

Meperidine is available in 3 forms. Different forms and brands can have different approved uses, doses, schedules, and directions. Follow the instructions for your exact product, and do not switch forms without guidance from your prescriber or pharmacist.

Injection

Into a muscle · Into a vein · Under the skin
Brands Demerol
Available strengths 4 strengths
25 mg/mL 50 mg/mL 75 mg/mL 100 mg/mL
30 FDA-listed product records ⓘ

Tablet

By mouth
Brands Demerol
Available strengths 2 strengths
50 mg 100 mg
11 FDA-listed product records ⓘ

Oral solution

By mouth
Available strengths 1 strength
50 mg/5 mL
3 FDA-listed product records ⓘ

📊 Meperidine across the U.S. market

How Meperidine appears in the FDA’s National Drug Code Directory — including its dosage forms, strengths, brand names, manufacturers, and FDA-listed product records. These are directory records, not sales or prescription volume.

3
Dose forms ⓘ
12
Manufacturers
2
Brand names
51
FDA-listed product records ⓘ
1942
First marketed ⓘ

FDA-listed product records by dose form (tablet variants merged) — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.

Also listed with the FDA, not a patient dose form: Powder (7) — bulk drug substance sold to compounders/manufacturers and multi-item kits. These aren’t counted in the dose-form total above.

Hospira, Inc.41%
Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.22%
Epic Pharma, Llc12%
Validus Pharmaceuticals LLC8%
Curia New York, Inc.4%
Genus Lifesciences Inc.2%
Other makers12%

Share of FDA-listed product records by manufacturer — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.

📈 How widely Meperidine is used

A general measure of how commonly Meperidine is prescribed, based on Medicaid — one of the largest public drug programs. The figure below is prescriptions filled in Q1–Q4 2025, summed across every form and brand of the drug.

Think of this as a proxy for how widely Meperidine is used, drawn from freely available public data. Medicaid is just one program — these numbers don’t include Medicare, other government coverage, or commercial and cash-pay prescriptions, so real-world use is higher than what’s shown here.

9,802
Medicaid prescriptions filled (Q1–Q4 2025)
$450,392 gross Medicaid reimbursement (before mandatory rebates — net cost is lower)

How commonly is Meperidine prescribed? Of the 1,596 medications we measure, Meperidine ranks #939 by Medicaid prescriptions — more than 41% of them.

Where Meperidine ranks among the drugs we measure · Q1–Q4 2025 · neighbors ±5
Total prescriptions — #939 of 1,596
#934 Bepotastine Ophthalmic 10,088 Rx #935 Belatacept Injection 10,001 Rx #936 Naloxone Injection 9,967 Rx #937 Pentosan Polysulfate 9,962 Rx #938 Cefixime 9,945 Rx #939 Meperidine 9,802 Rx #940 Enzalutamide 9,669 Rx #941 Ethambutol 9,534 Rx #942 Potassium Chloride / S... 9,393 Rx #943 Vincristine Injection 9,198 Rx #944 Calcium, Magnesium, Po... 9,091 Rx

Utilization by Meperidine product

Pick a product to see its own Medicaid numbers. Each chip is one clinical product — a specific strength & dosage form as defined by RxNorm — with brand-name and generic versions combined.

The 10 mg/mL oral solution is the most-dispensed Meperidine product — about 39% of these Medicaid prescriptions.

meperidine hydrochloride 10 MG/ML Oral Solution Most dispensed

3,841 Medicaid prescriptions (Q1–Q4 2025) 39% of Meperidine prescriptions shown $33,316 gross reimbursement (before rebates) ≈ $8.67 per prescription (gross)

Summed across the 1 of 1 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 861479

1 ML meperidine hydrochloride 25 MG/ML Injection

3,140 Medicaid prescriptions (Q1–Q4 2025) 32% of Meperidine prescriptions shown $250,682 gross reimbursement (before rebates) ≈ $80 per prescription (gross)

Summed across the 1 of 3 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 861476

1 ML meperidine hydrochloride 25 MG/ML Cartridge

1,353 Medicaid prescriptions (Q1–Q4 2025) 14% of Meperidine prescriptions shown $99,815 gross reimbursement (before rebates) ≈ $74 per prescription (gross)

Summed across the 1 of 2 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 861494

1 ML meperidine hydrochloride 50 MG/ML Injection

1,091 Medicaid prescriptions (Q1–Q4 2025) 11% of Meperidine prescriptions shown $27,559 gross reimbursement (before rebates) ≈ $25 per prescription (gross)

Summed across the 1 of 3 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 1665697

1 ML meperidine hydrochloride 100 MG/ML Injection

318 Medicaid prescriptions (Q1–Q4 2025) 3% of Meperidine prescriptions shown $38,290 gross reimbursement (before rebates) ≈ $120 per prescription (gross)

Summed across the 1 of 2 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 1665685

1 ML meperidine hydrochloride 50 MG/ML Cartridge

46 Medicaid prescriptions (Q1–Q4 2025) <1% of Meperidine prescriptions shown $552 gross reimbursement (before rebates) ≈ $12 per prescription (gross)

Summed across the 1 of 2 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 861473

1 ML meperidine hydrochloride 100 MG/ML Cartridge

13 Medicaid prescriptions (Q1–Q4 2025) <1% of Meperidine prescriptions shown $178 gross reimbursement (before rebates) ≈ $14 per prescription (gross)

Summed across the 1 of 2 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 861493

Shares are of the Medicaid prescriptions shown here. Product grouping follows RxNorm (the National Library of Medicine’s drug terminology), so “one product” means one strength & dosage form regardless of manufacturer. Dollar figures are gross Medicaid reimbursement before mandatory rebates — rebates (often large, especially for brand-name drugs) are confidential, so actual net cost to Medicaid is lower than shown.

Source: Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data (CMS), aggregated by generic ingredient — summed across every NDC (all brands, strengths, salt forms and dosage forms) of Meperidine, and across all states and both fee-for-service and managed-care claims. A general popularity signal; it excludes Medicare, commercial insurance and cash prescriptions, so it is not total U.S. use. Based on the 7 of 15 listed Meperidine NDCs with Medicaid activity.

🔍 Compare Meperidine products

A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Meperidine — across manufacturers, strengths, and dosage forms, grouped by form with each product’s manufacturer and how the FDA approved it. The same medicine may be made and packaged by different companies, so a single drug can have many directory entries. (It’s also why a refill can look different — a new shape, color, or box — even though it contains the same medication.)

Showing 51 of 51 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 51 Meperidine NDCs →

RxNorm Concept Web — From Ingredient to Every Form and Strength

This page starts with one ingredient concept (IN). The branches below show its dose-form concepts (SCDF), then the available clinical drug and strength concepts (SCD). Combination products remain separate concepts with their own pages.

Ingredient (IN) Meperidine RxCUI 6754 6 dose forms · 16 strengths
  2. Dose form (SCDF) Injectable Solution RxCUI 372764 In current FDA listings
    Clinical drug / strength (SCD) hydrochloride 10 MG/ML RxCUI 861447 hydrochloride 100 MG/ML RxCUI 861459 hydrochloride 50 MG/ML RxCUI 861463
  4. Dose form (SCDF) Oral Solution RxCUI 608008 In current FDA listings
    Clinical drug / strength (SCD) hydrochloride 10 MG/ML RxCUI 861479

Look up RxCUI 6754 in the RxCUI Atlas →

RxNorm is the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s normalized drug vocabulary. Its concept hierarchy can include forms that are not currently marketed; the status on each branch compares that concept with current FDA listings. RxCUIs identify vocabulary concepts, not individual packages or manufacturers.

🏷️ Sold under these brand names

Demerol

🏭 Manufacturers & labelers

Hospira, Inc. 21 Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. 11 Epic Pharma, Llc 6 Validus Pharmaceuticals LLC 4 Curia New York, Inc. 2 Genus Lifesciences Inc. 1 Medisca Inc. 1 Pharma Source Direct, Inc. 1 Professional Compounding Centers of America dba PCCA 1 SpecGx LLC 1 Spectrum Laboratory Products, Inc. 1 West-Ward Pharmaceuticals Corp. 1

RxNorm drug class

Meperidine belongs to the Opioid Agonist class.

Pharmacologic class Opioid Agonist
Drug family (ATC) Phenylpiperidine derivatives
How it works Full Opioid Agonists

Classified by RxNorm RxClass — the U.S. National Library of Medicine's standardized drug-classification service (Established Pharmacologic Class from the FDA, the ATC drug family from the WHO, and mechanism of action). Reference only, not medical advice.

🔬 Where this comes from

Core label, product, RxNorm, safety, and utilization data on this page come from the sources identified below. AI-written, editorial, and licensed sections are labeled separately.

📄
FDA-filed drug labels (SPL) Uses, dosing, warnings & side effects from SPL records retrieved through openFDA; the linked representative set can be verified on DailyMed. ✓ Linked label effective Jul 20, 2026
🏭
Forms, brands & labelersAggregated from ingredient-matched FDA National Drug Code Directory product records for Meperidine.
📈
Real-world reportsThe FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), served through openFDA.
🚨
Recalls & shortagesopenFDA drug-enforcement reports and the FDA drug-shortage database.
🧾 Clinical label set — FDA-filed SPL labels retained for Meperidine after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching
Clinical labels in scope
2
NDC products indexed
51
Distinct labelers/manufacturers represented
12
Linked representative label ⓘ
Hospira, Inc.
Linked label effective
Jul 20, 2026
Composite sections available
25
Linked SPL Set ID
b31d1308-28c3-43f4-e0a6-2f3ed76b8975
Linked SPL Document ID
b6935f73-7b93-496d-871b-de6f9b379649
Open the linked representative label on DailyMed ↗

How we combine label and product data

HelloPharmacist combines public FDA and NLM records; we don’t author the underlying clinical facts. We identified 2 FDA-filed SPL label sets within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. The representative label is the starting point for the displayed reference monograph; the 12 largest stored in-scope SPL records, which may include that representative, are compared section by section, and the longest available version of each section is retained. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, product-listed strengths, and product-record counts are aggregated separately from ingredient-matched FDA NDC Directory records; package records listed above are associated with the linked SPL; and the normalized concept hierarchy comes from NLM RxNorm.

For canonical ingredient pages, bounded product-attributed indication and administration excerpts may be added to the AI evidence, and the generator is instructed to preserve available product, brand, route, and form qualifiers instead of treating one label as universal. Where a section is identified as AI-written, its plain-language text is generated from bounded label evidence. New draft drug pages remain in the admin review queue before first publication. Hospira, Inc. is the representative DailyMed label linked for verification and dates; it is not the sole source used for the page.

This is general education, not medical advice — always consult your doctor or pharmacist about your medications and any medical condition. For the exact wording of the linked representative label, view that label on DailyMed; some displayed composite sections may come from other in-scope SPL labels. Learn how we use AI and our data sources & update cadence.