Pethidine is a strong opioid pain-relief medicine. It was once widely used in Australia for pain caused by a range of different conditions, but its use is decreasing because safer opioid medicines are now available.

LOOKING FOR A MEDICINE? — See this list of medicines that contain pethidine to find out more about a specific medication.

What is pethidine used for?

Pethidine is no longer commonly prescribed, and its use is discouraged. This is because it has a higher risk of side effects than other opioids.

Sometimes, pethidine is still used to help relieve labour pain during childbirth. In recent years, pethidine has been used less often in labour wards, as morphine has been shown to give longer-lasting pain relief with fewer side effects.

How does pethidine work?

Pethidine works to reduce feelings of pain by interrupting the way nerves signal pain between the brain and the body.

What are the possible side effects of taking pethidine?

All medicines, including pethidine, can have side effects.

Like all opioid medicines, pethidine can cause life-threatening breathing difficulties. The risk of these is higher:

• when you first take pethidine

• after a dosage increase

• if you are older

• if you have an existing lung problem

The side effects of pethidine increase with repeated doses, and so the medicine is not often used to treat pain.

Repeated dosing, especially in people with poor kidney function, can also lead to nerve conditions such as tremors, muscle twitching and seizures.

Other side effects are similar to other opioids, and include:

• constipation

• headache or dizziness

• fatigue or drowsiness (especially soon after taking a dose)

• loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting

If you experience any of these side effects or other unwanted effects after taking pethidine, see your doctor. If your doctor is not available and you need urgent help, visit your nearest pharmacy.

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What are the risks associated with pethidine?

Pethidine is an opioid medicine and can cause life-threatening breathing problems.

Pethidine may make it difficult for you to drive or operate heavy machinery. If you have recently started taking an opioid medicine or changed dosage, you may be at higher risk of having an accident.

WORRIED ABOUT YOUR OPIOID USE? — The Opioid Risk Indicator can help you find out if you may be developing a problem.

If you have kidney problems or your kidney function is impaired, your doctor will need to adjust your dosage of pethidine.

There are other factors that may limit your use of pethidine — for example, if you drink alcohol or take other medicines that can cause drowsiness.

Your doctor is the best person to advise you on whether pethidine is the right medicine for you, how much you need and how long to take it for.

Opioid dependence

Like all opioid medicines, if you take pethidine there is a risk you may become dependent on this medicine, even if you take it for a short time only. Your doctor will monitor how you use pethidine to reduce your risk of harm, including through misuse, abuse and addiction.

You can also develop tolerance when you take pethidine. This means you may need to take larger amounts of the opioid to get the same effect. As the dosage increases, so does the risk of side effects.

If you take pethidine regularly and stop taking pethidine suddenly, you may experience withdrawal symptoms.

This is why doctors don’t usually prescribe pethidine for chronic (long term) pain.