| Parent |
Dextromethorphan |
| Chemical Formula |
C₁₇H₂₃NO · C₄H₆O₆ |
| Molecular Weight |
407.46 |
| Information |
Dextrorphan is a major, psychoactive metabolite of dextromethorphan. Dextromethorphan is the active ingredient in many over-the-counter cold and cough medicines and is abused for its hallucinogenic effects, similar in nature to ketamine and phencyclidine (PCP).
While dextrorphan is not a recognized metabolite of any other drug, it is an enantiomer (or optical isomer) of levorphanol. Enantiomers are chemicals that share a formula and molecular mass but exist as structural mirror images of one another (left- or right-handed). Because of their similarities, LC-MS/MS confirmation may identify dextrorphan as levorphanol or vice versa, and so the presence of dextrorphan should be evaluated carefully alongside the patient’s history of dextromethorphan use |
