The Partnership for a Drug-Free American describes morphine as an opiate derived from the poppy plant. Morphine helps with pain, and patients take it as needed in the form of a short-acting medication or once a day in extended-release medications. Morphine can be habit forming for some people.
Mechanism
As an opioid, morphine binds to opioid receptors, which the Partnership for a Drug-Free America explains exist in the brain, gastrointestinal tract and spinal cord. When morphine acts on these receptors, it dulls the patient's perception of pain. Morphine also causes feelings of relaxation and euphoria, which can help patients with severe pain cope.
Medical Effects
While morphine is used mainly to relieve pain, Kristi Monson, PharmD and Arthur Schoenstadt, MD, authors of the eMedTV article “Morphine Effects,” note that when patients use morphine as prescribed by their doctors, they experience mental effects that can improve their medical conditions. For example, morphine can reduce anxiety and cause drowsiness and a change in mood. Some people may experience euphoria, in which they feel happier than normal, while other people experience unpleasant feelings called dysphoria.
Even in medical purposes, morphine can cause negative effects. For example, patients can have decreased breathing and a slowing of the digestive tract, causing patients to take longer to use the bathroom. Morphine can cause itching in some patients. People who use morphine can also develop a physical dependency on the drug.
Side Effects
Whether a person uses morphine for medical or recreational purposes, the drug causes side effects. Monson and Schoenstadt point out that users may feel ill, with side effects include nausea, vomiting and dizziness. Morphine users may sweat more than usual or become constipated. Drugs.com adds that other side effects include shallow breathing, memory problems and clammy skin.
Effects from an Overdose
If a person takes too much morphine, she can overdose. Signs of a morphine overdose include extreme drowsiness and fainting. The drug can affect users' eyes, causing pinpoint pupils. Users may become confused, which affects thinking and memory. Drugs.com points out that cessation of breathing and weak pulse can occur.
Considerations
One effect morphine has on the body, whether the person takes it for a medical condition or to get high, is physical dependence. As a person continues to use the drug, he builds up a tolerance which means that to get the same effect as before he needs to take more of the drug. When a person becomes dependent on a drug, his body begins to need the drug to function. If the person stops taking morphine after becoming physical dependent, he can have withdrawal symptoms.
Member Comments