Morphine Symptoms and Warning Signs

Morphine Info

• Morphine Addiction and Abuse
• Morphine Symptoms and Warning Signs
• Morphine Treatment and Rehab
• Morphine Withdrawal and Detox

Morphine is a pure opiate that can be found naturally in most animals and plants – notably the opium poppy. This drug is one of the most powerful painkillers, but also features potent habit-forming properties and dangerous health effects when abused.

The tendency to abuse morphine is very high, due to the sensations of pleasure and euphoria the drug induces, alongside pain relief. This is why most legitimate users become abusers after a prescription regimen. According to the WHO, about 15 million people abused opioids in 2014 and became dependent on these drugs, with most of them becoming addicted via a prescription.

Morphine is also abused recreationally. People often take the medication against medical advice as a means to get ‘high’, experience euphoria or to suppress their emotional problems.

Continued abuse of morphine is a path that leads to dangerous health effects and eventually, addiction. It’s important to spot this issue in time by looking out for the warning signs of abuse and contacting your doctor when you notice them.

Types of Morphine Brands

Morphine is marketed under several brand names, including:

How does Morphine affect the body?

Morphine travels to the brain via the bloodstream and the time it takes to get there depends on the method of ingestion. Snorting, smoking and injecting the drug fast-tracks the time it takes for Morphine to take hold.

When the drug reaches the brain, it binds itself to opioid receptors in the Central Nervous System and those found in other parts of the brain. In doing so, this inhibits certain neurons from sending pain signals to nerves in order to quell sensations of pain and discomfort. This action also leads to a backlog of dopamine in the brain, causing a state of heightened euphoria and elation in those that take the drug.

This pain-free and euphoric state makes morphine more desirable to people that take it under prescription, which naturally leads to abuse in recreational users. Over time, the initial dose of morphine will not induce the pain-relieving and pleasurable sensations it previously did, which will call for more of the drug to be taken.

If you continue to take Morphine incrementally, the drug will eventually hijack your brain’s reward system and cause your body to become reliant on it for normal function. Therefore, you’ll feel like you’re not normal whenever you don’t take Morphine as frequently (or at the quantity) you’ve become accustomed do. When this occurs, withdrawal symptoms will begin to manifest, which will compel you to use the drug at all costs.

Why does Morphine have the potential for abuse?

Morphine has a high potential for abuse, as a result of its interaction with the brain and the intense feelings of euphoria and pleasure it induces. When you take the drug according to prescription, you’ll find it difficult to discontinue use, lest the pain for which you initially took the drug returns.

For recreational users, taking morphine is a vehicle by which to elevate their mood and feel happy; as a result, they might consume as many morphine pills as they can – or even ingest the drug via other methods that make it act faster.

In both cases, your body will build up a tolerance to the effects of the drug once you’ve taken it for a while. Subsequently, you’ll increase your intake in order to experience its pain-relieving and sedative effects. This cycle will continue and ultimately lead to an ugly case of abuse or addiction if you don’t see a doctor.

Firstly, you’ll begin to realise that Morphine no longer has the effects it used to when taken at standard doses. This is when your body builds tolerance.

Another sign of abuse is the onset of withdrawal symptoms when you reduce your intake or completely stop taking the drug after a period of continuous use. These symptoms surface in the form of muscle pains, depression, anxiety, nausea, vomiting, and cravings for the drug. Withdrawal symptoms occur according to your level of abuse and general state of health.

Other warnings to look out for if you’re worried that you or a loved one may be abusing Morphine include:

The Dangers of Morphine Abuse

Morphine affects the brain in such a way that after a while, you’ll develop a habit of consuming it compulsively. This begins with tolerance all the way through to dependence, which can occur very quickly in the case of Morphine consumption. Recreational users are at a higher risk of addiction, because they consume the drug without initial medical supervision. Taking morphine according to the directions of a doctor will reduce your risk of addiction and dependence, though they can still occur via this means.

There are many related dangers of abusing Morphine for a long time and becoming addicted. One such danger is overdose, which can induce slowed breathing that in turn leads to coma and could even prove fatal. Other associated dangers of morphine abuse include:

Other dangers involved with Morphine abuse include: poor performance that could affect your career or academic aspirations; mood swings and emotional disturbances that could result in relationship problems; as well as fatigue and tiredness, which could prevent you from carrying out day to day activities. Being addicted to Morphine can also cause deep seated damage that affects other aspects of your social life, such as struggling to hold down a job, financial difficulties, incarceration (for possession of large amounts of a controlled substance), as well as issues with family and friends.

Recognising a Morphine Addiction

Sometimes, it can be difficult to spot a morphine addiction – especially when it’s someone else’s. This is because most addicts tend to live in denial and attempt to hide their physical symptoms. If they started taking the medication for medical purposes, it can be difficult to tell if they’re compulsively taking the drug or doing so to stave off pain. Here are some behaviours your loved one may exhibit when they’ve become addicted to Morphine:

‘Doctor shopping’ for multiple prescriptions

Morphine addiction and the brain

The brain naturally likes to repeat pleasurable events rather than relive painful sensations. As humans, we respond to these impulses. This is why we like to repeatedly engage in activities that we enjoy. Morphine offers a boon to people who suffer from pain as a result of medical conditions such as cancer, fibromyalgia, post-surgery, and even cases of kidney stones. However, users become too reliant on medication – especially when they find out it not only keeps their pain at bay, but also allows them to feel euphoric in the process.

The combination of these effects is one the main reasons people continue to take Morphine. However, there are related dangers when taking the drug without a modicum of control. If you abuse Morphine to the point of addiction, you’ll find that taking it becomes a necessity in order to stave off ugly withdrawal symptoms. Said withdrawal symptoms can cause complications if you don’t refrain from taking morphine whilst under medical supervision.

The presence of withdrawal shouldn’t confine you to use Morphine perpetually. Consequently, you could die from an overdose if you don’t stop abusing the drug.

Learn the Short-Term Side Effects of Morphine Abuse

Abusing morphine in the short-term does not preclude you from experiencing adverse side effects. While these will be relatively milder than the side-effects of long-term use, they can be excruciating and problematic as well, depending on the amount of Morphine taken and how the drug was administered. These short-term effects can manifest as early as 15-60 minutes post-intake and may span up to six hours.

Possible short-term side effects of Morphine abuse include:

Learn the Long-Term Morphine Abuse Side Effects

Side effects of abusing Morphine over a long period include:

Detox and Withdrawal from Morphine

Detox refers to a process whereby your body attempts to eliminate the toxic remnants of Morphine in your system when you refrain from taking the drug for a long period. This phase is accompanied by a series of withdrawal symptoms that serve as reactions, because your body is losing a substance it has grown to rely on. Detox can be a difficult process, but you can safely negotiate this phase via a medically assisted detox programme.

Treatment and Next Steps

Without treating your addiction to morphine, it’s possible you could relapse and start using it again after having abstained for a while. Treatment will equip you with skills that help overcome relapse triggers and cravings that could compel you to resume the addiction cycle. Contact a treatment centre or addiction helpline today once you notice any signs of morphine addiction.

FAQs

How long does treatment take?

Typically, rehab programmes last 30, 60 or 90 days, with the 90-day programme considered the gold standard of addiction treatment. However, the duration of treatment might be stretched or even shortened, depending on the level of your addiction, your general health, and the type of treatment programme you undergo.