Dimepheptanol

Dimepheptanol (Racemethadol) is an opioid analgesic that is an analogue of methadone.

Dimepheptanol is a mixture of two isomers, α-methadol and β-methadol. These are also available separately, and this drug has three separate entries in many national and international lists of illegal drugs, which refer to the racemic mixture dimepheptanol, and the two optical isomers. Each of these isomers is itself a mixture of two isomers, and so there are in fact four isomers of dimepheptanol in total; levo-α-methadol, dextro-α-methadol, levo-β-methadol and dextro-β-methadol.



The isomer levo-α-methadol is the active metabolite of the long-acting opioid substitute drug Levomethadyl Acetate, and has been much more widely used than β-methadol or the racemic mix dimepheptanol.

Dimepheptanol has similar effects to other opioids, and produces analgesia, sedation and euphoria. Side effects can include itching, nausea and potentially serious respiratory depression which can be life-threatening.