First impressions of the use of meptazinol in general practice.

Meptazinol which is a potent opiate antagonist analgesic has been assessed by the oral route at a dose of 200 mg 3-6 hourly. The analgesic profile shows a significant fall in pain score by 2 hours which was the earliest recording time. Satisfactory pain relief was maintained during 3 days of treatment. The side-effect profile was of a low order and there was no adverse effect on haematological and biochemical screens.