Drug
Morphine (PF)
Pronounced
"MOR-feen"
Uses
This medication is used to help relieve severe ongoing pain (such as due to cancer). Morphine belongs to a class of drugs known as opioid analgesics. It works in the brain to change how your body feels and responds to pain.
The higher strengths of this drug (100 or 200 milligrams per capsule) should be used only if you have been regularly taking moderate to large amounts of an opioid pain medication. These strengths may cause overdose (even death) if taken by a person who has not been regularly taking opioids.
Do not use the controlled-release form of morphine to relieve pain that is mild or that will go away in a few days. This medication is not for occasional ("as needed") use.
Warning
Morphine has a risk for abuse and addiction, which can lead to overdose and death. Morphine may also cause severe, possibly fatal, breathing problems. To lower your risk, your doctor should have you take the smallest dose of morphine that works, and take it for the shortest possible time. See also How to Use section for more information about addiction.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you should have naloxone available to treat opioid overdose. Teach your family or household members about the signs of an opioid overdose and how to treat it.
The risk for severe breathing problems is higher when you start this medication and after a dose increase, or if you take the wrong dose/strength. Taking this medication with alcohol or other drugs that can cause drowsiness or breathing problems may cause very serious side effects, including death. Be sure you know how to take morphine and what other drugs you should avoid taking with it. See also Drug Interactions section. Get medical help right away if any of these very serious side effects occur: slow/shallow breathing, unusual lightheadedness, severe drowsiness/dizziness, difficulty waking up.
Do not break, crush, chew, or dissolve this medication. Taking broken, crushed, chewed, or dissolved forms of controlled-release morphine could cause a fatal overdose.
Keep this medicine in a safe place to prevent theft, misuse, or abuse. If someone accidentally swallows this drug, get medical help right away.
Before using this medication, women of childbearing age should talk with their doctor(s) about the risks and benefits. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or if you plan to become pregnant. During pregnancy, this medication should be used only when clearly needed. It may slightly increase the risk of birth defects if used during the first two months of pregnancy. Also, using it for a long time or in high doses near the expected delivery date may harm the unborn baby. To lessen the risk, take the smallest effective dose for the shortest possible time. Babies born to mothers who use this drug for a long time may develop severe (possibly fatal) withdrawal symptoms. Tell the doctor right away if you notice any symptoms in your newborn baby such as crying that doesn't stop, slow/shallow breathing, irritability, shaking, vomiting, diarrhea, poor feeding, or difficulty gaining weight.
How to Use This Medication
See also Warning section.
Read the Patient Information Leaflet if available from your pharmacist before you start taking morphine and each time you get a refill. If you have any questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Take this medication on a regular schedule as directed by your doctor, not as needed for sudden (breakthrough) pain. Take this drug with or without food, usually 2 or 3 times daily (every 8 or 12 hours). If you have nausea, it may help to take this drug with food. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about other ways to decrease nausea (such as lying down for 1 to 2 hours with as little head movement as possible). If nausea lasts, see your doctor.
Swallow the capsules whole. Do not break, crush, chew, or dissolve the capsule. Doing so can release all of the drug at once, increasing the risk of morphine overdose.
Adults who have trouble swallowing the capsule may open the capsule and mix the contents in liquid or sprinkle on a spoonful of soft food (such as applesauce). Swallow all of the drug/food mixture right away without chewing. Then rinse your mouth and swallow the rinse liquid to make sure that you have swallowed all of the dose. Do not chew the mixture or prepare a supply in advance. Do not give this medication to a child this way, since they might chew the mixture and overdose. For children who have trouble swallowing the capsule, ask the doctor about using a different form of morphine instead.
The dosage is based on your medical condition and response to treatment. Do not increase your dose, take the medication more often, or take it for a longer time than prescribed. Properly stop the medication when so directed.
Before you start taking this medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist if you should stop or change how you use your other opioid medication(s). Other pain relievers (such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen) may also be prescribed. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about using morphine safely with other drugs.
Suddenly stopping this medication may cause withdrawal, especially if you have used it for a long time or in high doses. To prevent withdrawal, your doctor may lower your dose slowly. Tell your doctor or pharmacist right away if you have any withdrawal symptoms such as restlessness, mental/mood changes (including anxiety, trouble sleeping, thoughts of suicide), watering eyes, runny nose, nausea, diarrhea, sweating, muscle aches, or sudden changes in behavior.
When this medication is used for a long time, it may not work as well. Talk with your doctor if this medication stops working well.
Though it helps many people, this medication may sometimes cause addiction. This risk may be higher if you have a mental/mood disorder or a substance use disorder (such as overuse of or addiction to drugs/alcohol). Take this medication exactly as prescribed to lower the risk of addiction. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more details.
Tell your doctor if your pain does not get better or if it gets worse, or if you have any new pain.