The U.S. National Library of Medicine says that when Friedrich Serturner managed to extract morphine from the opium plant in 1817, he thought it might help to treat opium addiction. Morphine, it turned out, was far more addictive than opium. It became the only serious medicine that could help soldiers of the American Civil War through surgery and to cope with the pain of their wounds. Because of the battlefield success of morphine, other opiates such as codeine, oxycodone and hydrocodone were developed. Today, morphine, marketed under several brand names including Avinza, still finds many applications in the treatment of severe pain.
Constipation and Diarrhea
Apart from the potential for abuse and addiction, Avinza only produces common non-serious side effects such as disturbances in the person's intestines. The medication can cause a temporary hardening of the stools while in the intestines, which makes expelling them difficult or impossible during the first period of Avinza use, the National Institutes of Health report. On the opposite end, the medicine can cause a loosening of stools, making increased, urgent bowel movements necessary. In most cases, constipation and diarrhea should pass as the person's body acclimates to Avinza. If they do not end, or if they feel severe, the Institutes recommend consulting a doctor.
Euphoria
One of the reasons Avinza can become addictive, euphoria, can occur usually at the outset of treatment with the drug, says Drugs.com. This unreal sense of feeling good typically passes as the person becomes accustomed to the medication, that may lead the user to seek a continuation of the sensation, which requires more of the drug. Tolerance to morphine builds up, which requires more doses to feed the addiction. However, in most cases, the effect will fade on its own.
Drowsiness
Narcotics such as Avinza directly affect the central nervous system and suppress it, which causes the pain to decrease or go away. At the same time, the person may feel abnormally drowsy, even with a great deal of rest. This side effect, categorized as non-serious and common, generally ends without medical help as the person's body becomes acclimated to Avinza, MayoClinic.com indicates.
Nausea and Vomiting
Avinza, like many other kinds of drugs, can disturb the upper portion of the digestive system upon initial use of the medicine. This can result in queasiness and vomiting, Drugs.com indicates. These problems, the organization notes, should send the person to the doctor for help if they continue or annoy the person too much. The National Institutes of Health state that Avinza also may cause a loss of appetite and a loss of weight, but that these common side effects generally do not occur as severe problems and they go away without help for most people.
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