Abstract: Using meperidine abusers as subjects for this study, we detected in hair meperidine and its metabolites normeperidine, N - OCH3 - meperidine and N - AC meperidine. The content of meperidine and normeperidine of 60 abusers were 103 ± 13ong/mg and 117 ± 143ng/mg respectively. Meperidine was stably present in hair for at least 20 months. Normependine level decreased from hair root to tip. The seginental analysis of hair revealed that there were correlations between the drug abuse history andthe distribution of drug along the hair shaft, and betweenthe dose of meperidine and its content presented in hair.

Key words: hair, segmental analysis, meperidine, normeperidine, metabolites, Drug abuse