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levomethorphan

n. (context pharmaceutical drug English) A particular narcotic painkiller.

Wikipedia
Levomethorphan

Levomethorphan ( INN, BAN) is an opioid analgesic of the morphinan family that has never been marketed. It is the L- stereoisomer of racemethorphan (methorphan). The effects of the two isomers of the racemethorphan are quite different, with dextromethorphan (DXM) contrarily being an antitussive at low doses and a dissociative hallucinogen at much higher doses.

Levomethorphan is a prodrug to levorphanol, analogously to DXM acting as a prodrug to dextrorphan or codeine behaving as a prodrug to morphine. As such, levomethorphan has similar effects to levorphanol but is less potent as it must be demethylated to the active form by liver enzymes before being able to produce its effects. As a prodrug of levorphanol, levomethorphan functions as a potent agonist of all three of the opioid receptors, μ, κ (κ and κ but notably not κ), and δ, as an NMDA receptor antagonist, and as a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. Via activation of the KOR, levomethorphan can produce dysphoria and psychotomimetic effects such as dissociation and hallucinations.

Levomethorphan is listed under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961 and is regulated like morphine in most countries. In the United States it is a Schedule II Narcotic controlled substance with a DEA ACSCN of 9210 and 2014 annual aggregate manufacturing quota of 195 grammes, up from 6 grammes the year before. The salts in use are the tartrate (free base conversion ratio 0.644) and hydrobromide (0.958). At the current time, no levomethorphan pharmaceuticals are marketed in the United States.

Usage examples of "levomethorphan".

And the only difference between the two drugs as far as detection goes is that, when viewed through an optical rotatory device called a polarimeter, dextromethorphan rotates light to the right, and levomethorphan rotates light to the left.

The 1-isomer compound is levomethorphan, a potent narcotic about five times stronger than morphine.

So how much of this levomethorphan stuff would it take for Miss Harper to snuff herself?

Samples derived from Sterling Harper's gastric contents and blood showed she had ingested levomethorphan shortly before death, her level eight milligrams per liter of blood, which was too high to be either survivable or accidental.

He went on to explain that levomethorphan is a very effective pain reliever prescribed almost exclusively for people terminally ill with cancer.