What is "methyldesorphine"

n. An opiate analgesic with high potential for abuse.

Methyldesorphine is an opioid analgesic. First synthesized in Germany in 1940 and patented in the USA in 1952, it has a high potential for abuse as with any potent opioid agonist, and is sometimes found along with desomorphine as a component of the home-made opioid mixture known as "Krokodil" used in Russia and the neighboring former Soviet republics. It is approximately 15 times more potent than morphine as an analgesic but if the 6-7 bond is saturated, the β isomer is some 50 times more potent than morphine.

Methyldesorphine is listed as a Schedule I Narcotic controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act 1970 in the United States with a DEA ACSCN of 9302 and zero annual aggregate manufacturing quota. The free base conversion ratio of the hydrochloride is 0.89.