Morphine: A powerful pain reliever for severe pain

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Morphine is a medication that is used to relieve pain that is long-lasting or short-lived. There are different types of morphine, but it's important to consult with your doctor to avoid unwanted side effects.

1. Morphine – Painkiller

Morphine is a pain reliever used to treat severe pain, such as after surgery or serious injury, or possibly cancer or heart attack pain. It is also used for the relief of other long-term pain during the period when weaker painkillers are no longer working. Morphine is available by prescription only, they come in the form of capsules that dissolve in water or liquid to be swallowed and as an injection or suppository. Injectable morphine is usually only given in a hospital.

2. The main ingredient of morphine

Morphine relieves pain by blocking pain signals traveling along nerves to the brain. The most common side effects of morphine are constipation, feeling sick, and drowsiness. People using morphine can become addicted, but this is very rarely used for pain relief and has been regularly reviewed by a doctor.
Ideally, you should not drink alcohol while taking morphine, as it is more likely to have side effects such as feeling drowsy. Morphine is also known by the brand names MST, Zomorph, Sevredol, Morphgesic, MXL, or Oramorph.

3. Who should not use morphine for?

Morphine can be given to children and adults of all ages. However, infants, young children, and the elderly are more likely to experience side effects when using them. Because morphine is not suitable for some people. Therefore, if your doctor intends to use morphine during your treatment, tell him or her if you have any of the following: A history of allergic reactions to morphine or any other medications. have any other problems in the past, have trouble breathing, have lung problems, are addicted to alcohol, have a medical condition that causes seizures, a head injury, a low thyroid gland, have problems with your adrenal glands, kidneys, liver, or prostate gland , low blood pressure, muscle weakness. Morphine is not recommended for women during pregnancy, so tell your doctor before taking morphine if you are trying to get pregnant, are already pregnant or if you are breast-feeding.

4. When should morphine be taken?

It is important to take morphine exactly as your doctor has prescribed. Take morphine right after a meal or snack so you don't feel tired.
4.1 Different types of morphine Morphine is a tablet (fast acting), these contain 10mg, 20mg or 50mg. Morphine tablets (slow acting), these contain 5mg, 10mg, 15mg, 30mg, 60mg, 100mg or 200mg. Morphine capsules (slow acting), they contain 10mg, 30mg, 60mg, 90mg, 120mg, 150mg or 200mg Morphine granules (which you mix in water to make drinks), these come in packs containing 30mg, 60mg , 100mg or 200mg. Liquid morphine, which contains 10mg of morphine in a 5ml spoonful or 20mg of morphine in 1ml of liquid Morphine rectal suppositories contain 10mg of morphine injectable (usually given to the hospital) Morphine rectal suppositories are useful if you cannot be used in tablet or liquid form.
Morphine liquid, suppositories, injections, and some fast-acting capsule forms of morphine. They are used for short-term pain. Rapid-acting morphine is also often used to detect an appropriate therapeutic dose.
Morphine granules and some slow-release morphine tablets and capsules. This means that morphine is gradually released into your body over 12 or 24 hours. This type of morphine takes longer to start working but lasts longer. Therefore, it is used for long-term pain relief. You can sometimes take both rapid-acting and slow-acting morphine to control long-term pain and sudden flare-ups.
4.2 Dosage and for how long? Morphine is taken in different doses for each person. The dose will depend on the severity of the pain, previous response to pain medication, and any side effects experienced.

The extent of use depends on the type of morphine that has been prescribed. You can choose to take morphine at any time of the day, but try to take it at the same time each day and in the same dose. For example, if you take morphine twice a day and have your first dose at 8 am, take your second dose at 8 pm. Rapid-acting morphine tablets and capsules are usually taken 4 to 6 times a day, slow-acting morphine tablets and capsules are usually taken 1 to 2 times a day, and liquid morphine is usually taken 4 to 4 times a day. 6 times a day, morphine suppository usually 4 to 6 times a day, morphine Accordingly, you should not break, crush, chew, or suck on morphine tablets or slow-release capsules. If you do, the slow-release system won't work and the entire dose can enter your body in one go. This can cause a potentially fatal overdose.
4.3 Increase and decrease the dose of morphine Normally, you start taking morphine at a low dose and are gradually increased until your pain is well controlled. Once your pain is under control, talk to your doctor about switching to slow-acting morphine. As this can cut down on the number of doses you have to take each day. When you stop taking morphine, your dose will gradually decrease, especially if you have been taking it for a long time.
4.4 How long will Morphien take? Depending on why you are taking morphine, you may only need to take it for a short time. For example, if you have pain after an injury or surgery, you may only need to take morphine for a few days or weeks. You may need to take it longer if you have long-term pain such as back pain.
4.5 What to do when you miss a dose? This will depend on the type of morphine you are taking. If you forget to take a dose, ask your pharmacist or doctor for advice on what to do. Do not take 2 doses at the same time to make up for a missed dose. If you often forget doses, setting an alarm to remind you is a good solution. You can also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to remember to take your medicine.
4.6 Treatment of an overdose Taking too much morphine can be dangerous. If you have accidentally overdosed, you may feel very drowsy or dizzy, you may also find it difficult to breathe. In severe cases, you may lose consciousness and may need emergency treatment in a hospital. The amount of morphine that can lead to an overdose varies from person to person
4.7 What happens when morphine is stopped? If you need to take morphine for a long time, your body may become tolerant to it. This is usually not a big deal, but you can have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking it suddenly. If you plan to stop taking morphine, talk to your doctor first so that you can gradually reduce your dose to avoid unpleasant symptoms.
If you stop taking morphine suddenly, it can cause unpleasant symptoms such as: feeling agitated, feeling nervous shaking, sweating.

5. Taking morphine with other pain relievers

It is safe to take morphine with paracetamol, ibuprofen or aspirin. However, you should not take pain relievers containing codeine along with morphine, because they can also cause side effects.
Some daily pain relievers that you can buy at the pharmacy without a prescription from your doctor are medicines that contain codeine, a drug similar to morphine. Pain relievers containing codeine from pharmacies include co-codamol, Nurofen Plus, and Solpadeine.

6. Side effects of morphine

Like all drugs, morphine can cause side effects in some people, but in some cases no side effects. The higher the dose of morphine, the more likely it is to have side effects.
6.1 Common side effects with morphine The incidence of common side effects is about 1 in 100 people. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have side effects such as: constipation, feeling nauseous or vomiting, feeling drowsy or tired, dizziness, feeling confused, headache, itching or rash.
6.2. Serious side effects from taking morphine Serious side effects such as: difficulty breathing or shallow breathing, stiff muscles, feeling dizzy, fatigue and loss of energy, these could be signs of a seizure.

7. How to deal with side effects?

Constipation: If you are constipated, try to eat more fiber-rich foods like fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Drink plenty of water or other non-alcoholic liquid every day. If possible, do some gentle exercise. You should ask your doctor to prevent or treat constipation caused by morphine if symptoms do not go away. Feeling tired (vomiting): Take morphine after a meal or snack to reduce feelings of fatigue. This side effect usually goes away after a few days. You should talk to your doctor about taking medication if fatigue continues for longer. Feeling sleepy, tired, or dizzy: These side effects should go away within a week or two as your body gets used to morphine. Unconsciousness: Talk to your doctor if you feel unwell, the dose may need to be adjusted. Headache: You need to rest and drink plenty of fluids, do not drink alcohol while taking morphine as this can make the headache worse. Usually, the headache will usually go away after the first week of taking morphine. Therefore, you need to talk to your doctor if headaches persist for more than a week or are severe. Itching or rash: In this case you can take an antihistamine. Check with your pharmacist to see which is right for you. If symptoms don't go away or get worse, talk to your doctor as you may need to try a different pain reliever. Do not take any other medicines to treat the side effects of morphine without first talking to your pharmacist or doctor. Morphine is not recommended for use during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. During early pregnancy, it will cause some problems for the unborn baby. If you take morphine late in pregnancy, there is a risk that your baby may develop withdrawal symptoms or become addicted to morphine. For some pregnant women with severe pain, morphine may be the best option, but to avoid side effects, you should talk to your doctor before taking it. Morphine is generally not recommended if the mother is breastfeeding. Small amounts of morphine pass into breast milk and can cause breathing problems in a baby.
Morphine is an effective opioid drug used to treat moderate to severe short and long term pain. The treatment with morphine needs to be agreed and consulted by the doctor to avoid the risks and have instructions for timely handling in bad situations.
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Reference source: nhs.uk