Which opioid has a half-life of about 2-5 hours?

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Multiple Choice

Which opioid has a half-life of about 2-5 hours?

Half-life shows how long a drug continues to have an effect and helps predict dosing intervals. Among these options, the opioid that fits the 2–5 hour range most consistently is meperidine, whose elimination half-life is about 3–4 hours. The other two non-opioids are not opioids (diazepam is a benzodiazepine with a much longer half-life due to active metabolites, and flumazenil is a short-acting benzodiazepine receptor antagonist), and morphine, while also an opioid, typically has a shorter half-life around 2–3 hours. So meperidine best matches the stated window.

Half-life shows how long a drug continues to have an effect and helps predict dosing intervals. Among these options, the opioid that fits the 2–5 hour range most consistently is meperidine, whose elimination half-life is about 3–4 hours. The other two non-opioids are not opioids (diazepam is a benzodiazepine with a much longer half-life due to active metabolites, and flumazenil is a short-acting benzodiazepine receptor antagonist), and morphine, while also an opioid, typically has a shorter half-life around 2–3 hours. So meperidine best matches the stated window.

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