Signs of Morphine Addiction

If you are wondering if your friend or family member is addicted to morphine, there are certain signs and symptoms to look for. They will exhibit a constant and compulsive craving to use morphine and may say that they “need it” to function. They are preoccupied with obtaining more of the drug and will sometimes go to desperate measures to get more. There are many physical signs of morphine addiction, including:

• Slurred speech
• Blurred vision and involuntary movement of the eyeballs
• Sweating and chills
• Dizziness, drowsiness, light-headedness
• Rash, hives, itching
• Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain
• Seizures
• Memory loss
• Insomnia
• Loss of appetite

The emotional signs of morphine addiction include:

• Anxiety
• Depressed or irritable mood
• Exaggerated sense of well-being
• Abnormal thinking
• Agitation
• Apprehension
• Hallucinations

Having an Intervention

People addicted to drugs such as morphine may find it very difficult to admit to themselves and others that they have an addiction. Or, they may realize that there is a problem but just cannot bring themselves to get help. They usually will have no idea about the amount of damage the addiction is causing their lives and their relationships. The purpose of an intervention is to help addicts see the physical and mental destruction that addiction creates and to persuade them to seek help. Intervention is the most effective technique to help an addicted person. The goal of an intervention is to empower addicts to find a breakthrough in their seemingly hopeless situation.

Here are some helpful tips for having an intervention:

• Stay calm
• Avoid labeling the person an “addict”
• Cite specific negative instances that occurred due to the substance abuse
• Stick to what you know firsthand, avoid hearsay
• Explain how the person’s behavior has affected you
• Be supportive and hopeful about change
• Be prepared for denial and resistance

If your friend or family member is addicted to morphine, please do not turn a blind eye to the situation. Intervention could truly be a matter of life and death. Studies show that 92% of addicts who experience an intervention go to treatment and receive help for their addiction.

Treatment for Morphine Addiction

Morphine addiction treatment will use services such as 12-Step meetings, programs that teach about the nature of addiction, and behavioral therapy that enables the addict to develop new coping and life skills. At a quality rehab facility that treats both the physical and psychological effects of addiction, individuals are much more likely to be successful in recovery. Treatment centers should provide a safe and structured environment for drug abusers, where they will be surrounded by a knowledgeable staff to counsel them in overcoming their unique challenges.

Morphine Intervention Help

If you are thinking of holding an intervention, please call our toll free number for tips or more information on morphine addiction treatment. We want to partner with you to find the best recovery solutions for your loved one. Our trained counselors are available 24 hours a day to give support and assistance in this process. Recovery is within reach. Call today.

And because morphine begins with the letter “m,” Miss Emma or Aunt Emma has become a common slang for morphine due to the “em” sound of the name.

Other slang names for morphine include:

• Mister blue
• Morpho
• Dreamer
• God’s drug

Effects of Morphine on the Mind

Morphine is a painkiller, but as a derivative of the opium poppy, it has many effects on the mind. One particular effect is the absence of pain and sometimes a heightened sense of pleasure.

There are many reasons why morphine is a controlled substance. For one, it has many dangerous side effects. Some of these side effects include:

• The slowing of heartbeat
• Difficulty in breathing
• Severe headache and dizziness
• Seizures
• Convulsions

More about Morphine

Morphine is a naturally occurring substance in the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum. It is a potent narcotic analgesic, and its primary clinical use is in the management of moderately severe and severe pain. After heroin, morphine has the greatest dependence liability of the narcotic analgesics in common use.

Morphine has had a long history of usage as a painkiller. Since it was first isolated in Germany in 1803, it has been used medically to treat various illnesses, particularly for pain relief and for controlling opium addiction. Today, the drug is available in many generic forms and can be bought from a pharmacist with a prescription. It is also used in hospitals as a means to manage pain.

Morphine is infrequently encountered in the North American street drug culture. However, mainly because of its availability in hospitals, there have been several documented cases of morphine dependence among health professionals.

The relative availability of morphine has made it one of the more commonly abused drugs in some parts of the world. If a user does not get it through illicit means, he or she can take a few tablets from a friend who uses it for medication. It can also be easy for a person to steal a few tablets from a member of his or her household who happens to be taking medicine based on morphine to manage an illness.

Prescribed Morphine

Often when people think about prescribed medication, they assume their physician is knowledgeable about the drug, its side effects, dosage recommendations and contraindications. They also assume that the physician has thoroughly reviewed the patient’s medical condition, other prescribed medication usage and overall ability to tolerate a medication. Under these assumptions, a patient may accept the doctor’s recommendation and prescription without reservation.

While most physicians are extremely effective diagnosticians and professional, knowledgeable, and compassionate caregivers, there is no way that they can be conversant on every prescribed medication that the pharmaceutical industry produces. Therefore, they rely on pharmaceutical guides when selecting and dosing a medication, as well as the experience of their other patients’ results with the medication.

That strategy is effective but not when a person starts abusing the medication by doing one or several of the following:

• Increasing the prescribed dosage to get the results they want
• Mixing drugs
• Doctor/pharmacy shopping
• Obtaining the prescription through illegal means

If you or someone you now is presenting any of these behaviors, you need to seek help for this abusive and addictive behavior.

Morphine Addiction Variables

Most often a person is prescribed morphine to treat extreme pain. People, who have experienced this pain because of an event that might cause the pain to persist for a relatively short period of time, should give consideration to weaning from the prescribed medication almost from the onset of its usage. Realizing that the patient’s focus is exclusively on relieving the pain, this is when a family member or a friend can play a key role.

Making sure that the person is only taking the prescribed amount is key in helping that person eventually wean off the medication. Pain is not just a physical condition; it also brings about emotional, psychological and mental concerns. Being aware of all aspects of the patient’s state of being is also very helpful because you can seek assistance to treat these other conditions that are often associated with pain.

Addiction to morphine occurs primarily because of tolerance or physical dependency. By monitoring the morphine consumption, you can assist the patient not to become tolerant. If you notice that the prescribed dosage is not giving the person the same benefit it once did, seek professional help from the physician to determine if there is a solution other than increasing the dosage.

Physical dependency most often occurs if a person is taken off the medication too quickly, which is why a weaning process is recommended.

While scientists and medical professionals hold morphine as the standard for the effective relief of pain, the patient and her/his support system need to be diligent so that morphine addiction can be avoided.

Morphine Help

If you or someone you know has access to morphine and is abusing it beyond the medically prescribed reason, please contact our toll free number at (877) 259-5633. We are available 24 hours a day to answer your questions on morphine addiction and treatment.

History of Morphine (Opium Poppy)

Morphine was discovered by Freidrich Wilhelm Adam Serturner (1783-1841), an obscure, uneducated, 21-year-old pharmacist’s assistant with little equipment but loads of curiosity.

Serturner wondered about the medicinal properties of opium, which was widely used by 18th-century physicians. In a series of experiments, performed in his spare time and published in 1806, he managed to isolate an organic alkaloid compound from the resinous gum secreted by the opium poppy.

Serturner found that opium with the alkaloid removed had no effect on animals, but the alkaloid itself had 10 times the power of processed opium. He named that substance morphine, after Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams, for its tendency to cause sleep.

He spent several years experimenting with morphine, often on himself, learning its therapeutic effects as well as its considerable dangers. Although his work was initially ignored, he recognized its significance, and as he predicted, chemists and physicians soon grew interested in his discoveries. Serturner’s crystallization of morphine was the first isolation of a natural plant alkaloid. It sparked the study of alkaloid chemistry and hastened the emergence of the modern pharmaceutical industry.

Morphine as Pain Relief

In 1818, French physician Francois Magendie published a paper that described how morphine brought pain relief and much-needed sleep to an ailing young girl. This stimulated widespread medical interest. By the mid-1820s morphine was widely available in Western Europe in standardized doses from several sources, including the Darmstadt chemical company started by Heinrich Emanuel Merck.

In 1853, the hypodermic needle was developed and the use of morphine became more widespread. From its earliest application, it was used as a form of pain relief and that is still how it is meant to be used today. Since then, various delivery systems for morphine have been developed, including epidural injection and pumps that allow patient-controlled analgesia.

Although morphine was originally touted as a cure for many maladies, even for alcohol and opium addiction, by the 1870s physicians had become increasingly aware of its own addictive properties. Many new pain relievers have been synthesized since the crystallization of morphine from opium almost 200 years ago. “Morphine remains the standard against which all new medications for postoperative pain relief are compared,” notes Jonathan Moss, MD, PhD, professor of anesthesia and critical care at the University of Chicago.

Morphine in America

In December 1914, the United States Congress passed the Harrison Narcotics Act which called for control of each phase of the preparation and distribution of medicinal opium, morphine, heroin, cocaine, and any new derivative that could be shown to have similar properties. It made illegal the possession of these controlled substances. The restrictions in the Harrison Act were most recently redefined by the Federal Controlled Substances Act of 1970. The act lists opium and its derivatives and all parts of the plant except the seed as a Schedule II Controlled Substance.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says morphine is the standard against which other analgesics are measured. As with many other narcotic pain relievers, the increase of morphine use in the United States has increased dramatically in the last several years. According to the DEA, there has been a three-fold increase in the number of morphine products available in the U.S. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says many opiates, including morphine, can cause physical and psychological addiction with prolonged use. Users may also develop a tolerance to pain medication, causing them to take more and more to achieve the same effect.

Morphine Help

If you or someone you know has become addicted to the pain relief powers of morphine please contact our toll free number at (877) 259-5633. We can also help with information you may need on symptoms and effects of morphine use.

• A decreases hunger
• Inhibiting the cough reflex
• Producing constipation
• Reducing the sex drive
• In women it may interfere with the menstrual cycle

Morphine’s euphoric effects can be highly addictive. Tolerance (the need for higher and higher doses to maintain the same effect) and physical and psychological dependence develop quickly.

Morphine Hazards

The major hazards of morphine, as with other narcotic analgesics, are respiratory depression and, to a lesser degree, circulatory depression, respiratory arrest, shock, and cardiac arrest. These particularly coincide with an overdose.
The most frequently observed adverse reactions include sedation, lightheadedness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and sweating. These effects seem to be more prominent in ambulatory patients and in those who are not experiencing severe pain. Some adverse reactions in ambulatory patients may be alleviated if the patient lies down.
Other possible adverse reactions include:

• Central Nervous System – euphoria, dysphoria, weakness, headache, agitation, tremor, uncoordinated muscle movements, visual disturbances, transient hallucinations and disorientation
• Gastrointestinal – constipation, biliary tract spasm
• Cardiovascular – tachycardia, bradycardia, palpitation, faintness, syncope, and orthostatic hypotension
• Genitourinary – oliguria and urinary retention; an antidiuretic effect has been reported
• Allergic – Allergic reactions to opiates occur infrequently; pruritus, urticaria, and other skin rashes are most common. Rarely, anaphylactoid reactions have been reported following intravenous administration.
• Other – Opiate-induced histamine release may be responsible for the flushing of the face, sweating, and pruritus often seen with these drugs. Wheals and urticaria at the site of injection are probably related to histamine release. Local tissue irritation, pain and induration have been reported following repeated subcutaneous injection. Morphine, like other opioids, may alter temperature regulation in susceptible individuals and will depress the cough reflex.

Morphine Addiction

Another one of morphine’s effects is addiction, and morphine is highly addictive. Just because it is legally approved for use doesn’t mean the drug can’t be addictive and just as dangerous as illegal drugs when used improperly. Tolerance (the need for higher and higher doses to maintain the same effect) and physical and psychological addiction to morphine develop quickly.

Addictive drugs, such as morphine activate the brain’s reward systems. The promise of reward is very intense, causing the individual to crave morphine and to focus his or her activities around the taking of morphine. The ability of morphine to strongly activate brain reward mechanisms and its ability to chemically alter the normal functioning of these systems can produce a morphine addiction. Morphine also reduces a person’s level of consciousness, harming the ability to think or be fully aware of present surroundings. It is important to know the warning signs of prescription (morphine) abuse in order to avoid addiction.

Warning Signs of Prescription Drug Abuse

• Is the user taking more medication than prescribed?
• Are they using the medication for something other than its intended purpose?
• Are they unable to stop using the medication once the original need for the drug has passed?
• Do they experience intense cravings for the drug?
• Are they moody and irritable?
• Do they lie about the amount of medication they’re taking and/or manipulate doctors and others to get more?
• Are they requesting or obtaining refills before they’re needed (a sign they’re unwilling to go without the drug for any period of time)?
• Are they illegally purchasing pain medication?

Where Morphine Comes From

Morphine is a powerful narcotic agent with strong analgesic action and other significant effects on the central nervous system. It is dangerously addicting. Morphine is a naturally occurring member of a large chemical class of compounds called alkaloids. Morphine is highly effective in relieving pain.

The name, which derives from Morpheus, the mythological son of sleep and god of dreams, was coined in 1805 by German apothecary Adolf Serturner (1783-1841) to designate the main alkaloid in opium. Opium comes from the poppy plant.

Morphine Help

Because many who become addicted to prescription drugs start using them for valid reasons, admission an addiction can be particularly difficult. But if the warning signs above indicate they have become dependent, getting professional help is crucial. Please call our toll free number at (877) 259-5633 if you or someone you know is in need of morphine treatment.

Morphine Dependency

Similar to heroin, morphine is a highly dependent drug. Often, morphine addictions happen accidentally by those who have been prescribed morphine by their doctors. When used for a prolonged amount of time, the body becomes used to the amount of drugs administered. When this happens, the user has to take more to receive the initial effects. This is a dangerous thing to do because when a user stops taking the medication, withdrawal symptoms will occur. When taking this drug, the patient needs to do exactly as the doctor says to stay clear of addiction. It is important to talk to your doctor before coming off of morphine to ensure that withdrawal symptoms do not occur.

Morphine Detox

The safest way to detox from morphine is to go to a rehab facility and be in the care of professionals who deal with addictions (addictionologists). They will be able to successfully step a user through the detox process with lessened withdrawal effects.

It is especially important for those addicted to morphine to go to a facility for the detox process since morphine is an opiate drug. It is mentally and physically addictive. Without executing the process properly, the user is at a high rate of relapse. However, under the careful care of a professional staff, the user is equipped with strategies to overcome the addiction. After the detox process is completed, there are several addiction treatment programs.

For many users, the addiction goes beyond the physical aspect. It mentally affects the users as well. If you became addicted because morphine really was prescribed to you, it is important to go to a specialized treatment or therapy to learn other ways to take care of your painful symptoms without becoming addicted to your prescribed medication.

Morphine Withdrawal

Like many other drugs, the effects of morphine withdrawal are difficult to go through by yourself. It is important to consult a professional in order to stay safe. Do not stop taking morphine all at once; the symptoms will greatly lessen if you reduce your intake gradually. Since morphine is such a powerful analgesic, withdrawal symptoms can begin as soon as four to six hours after the last dose. Withdrawal is much safer and more manageable when at a rehab facility. Some of the earlier effects are:

• Insomnia
• Watery eyes
• Diarrhea
• Sweating
• Cravings
• Dysphoria

As the time between doses increases, the symptoms worsen:

• Irritability
• Severe headaches
• Body aches
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Stomach pains
• Tremors
• Increased cravings

Morphine Help

If you or a loved one is addicted to morphine, it is important to seek help. Morphine is a highly dependent drug. Once addicted, the effects are devastating. Many lose their jobs, dreams and ambitions. But, there is hope. If you are interested in receiving information on morphine rehab or detox, please call our toll free number at (877) 259-5633.

The use of prescription pain relievers without a doctor’s prescription only for the experience or the feeling it causes is often called “nonmedical” use. Morphine use is considered abuse when people use this narcotic, and others, to seek feelings of well-being apart from the narcotic’s pain-relief applications.

When people use morphine exclusively to control pain, it is unlikely that they become addicted or dependent on them. A patient is given a dosage of opioids strong enough to reduce their awareness of pain but not normally potent enough to produce a euphoric state.

Prescription Painkiller Abuse Statistics

The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) report that after marijuana, nonmedical use of painkillers is the second most common form of illicit drug use in the United States. According to SAMHSA, 21 percent of people age 12 and older (5.2 million individuals) reported using prescription pain relievers non-medically in 2007. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency suggests that the number of people abusing any prescription drugs is even higher at 7 million individuals.

SAMHSA’s Drug Abuse Warning Network reported that approximately 324,000 emergency department visits in 2006 involved the nonmedical use of pain relievers (this includes both prescription and over-the-counter pain medications). According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there were an estimated 90,232 emergency department visits related to narcotic analgesic abuse in 2001.

Symptoms of Morphine Abuse (Overdose)

Many morphine users do not expect to become abusers or addicts, but morphine is an extremely addictive drug. Other factors that may increase the likelihood of a morphine user becoming an addict are:

• Mixing drugs – Some people seeking an increased effect of morphine may take other drugs that are intended to have the same effect on the body. Referred to as poly-drug use, this practice is the leading cause for fatal overdoses.
• Quality – Morphine abusers frequently seek to obtain morphine from sources other than their primary physician. However, the quality of the morphine that can be obtained illegally is a high risk factor that contributes to overdose.
• Using alone – If a morphine abuser enters into an overdose state, the chance of death is significantly increased because no one was available to intervene in a timely manner.

There are several symptoms to look for if morphine is being abused. The symptoms to look out for include:

• Analgesia (feeling no pain)
• Sedation
• Euphoria
• Respiratory depression (shallow breathing)
• Small pupils, bloodshot eyes
• Nausea and vomiting
• Itching skin, flushed skin
• Constipation
• Slurred speech
• Confusion, poor judgment
• Needle marks on the skin

People who use narcotics or other drugs of abuse and are interested in quitting should contact their doctor or local hospital for information on how to get involved with a detoxification and addiction recovery program.

• Any person suspected of narcotic overdose requires immediate medical attention and must be taken to a hospital’s emergency department.
• The main physical signs of narcotic overdose are small pupils and respiratory depression (shallow breathing) that can lead to decreased oxygen in the blood, coma and death.

Morphine Overdose Treatment

Time is the most critical factor if you are assisting a person who is experiencing a morphine overdose. If a person has lost consciousness, or if their fingernails and lips have turned blue/purple, immediately call for help.

If those most obvious symptoms are not displayed, check for the following symptoms that are also clear indicators that an overdose is occurring:

• Physical signs – a limp unresponsive body, a pale or clammy face
• Respiratory signs – slow, shallow, or erratic breathing; slow or erratic heartbeat

Some overdose signs that are frequently misinterpreted or overlooked include:

• Choking
• Vomiting

Recommendations from emergency medical personnel regarding how to assist a person who is experience a morphine overdose are quite specific.

• Do not induce vomiting
• Give mouth-to-mouth if a person has stopped breathing

Getting a person the most comprehensive support as quickly as possible is critical, so emergency medical professionals suggest that in addition to knowing the patient’s age and weight, you should learn as much about the overdose situation as possible, including:

• The name of the product (ingredients and strengths if known)
• The time it was swallowed
• The amount swallowed
• If the medication was prescribed for the patient

The prognosis of surviving a morphine overdose are dependent on so many variables that providing the emergency medical team with as much information as possible, as quickly as possible greatly increases survival rates.

Morphine Help

Please call our toll free number at (877) 259-5633 if you know someone suffering from morphine addiction.