What is morphine treatment?
It is a treatment that is performed to reduce moderate to severe pain. Morphine is only used to reduce pain that is so severe that it cannot be controlled by the use of other analgesic drugs. Morphine is a very strong treatment, from the opiate family, and is used to treat severe pain, to improve breathing and prevent choking, and to help control anxiety. Morphine belongs to the family of drugs called opioid analgesics, also called narcotics. It is an effective medication for providing comfort to terminally ill patients. It works by changing the way the brain and nervous system respond to pain.
Why is morphine treatment performed?
The main reason for the use of morphine is to distort the mind’s perception of pain. Morphine treatment is performed when the pain is so severe that no other treatment can stop the pain. When morphine settles in our body it causes several effects: it reduces the breathing rate and heart rate, as well as slowing down the functioning of the brain.
What does morphine treatment consist of?
This analgesic acts on the receptors responsible for administering pain to the nervous system: the opioid receptors. These react very well to natural compounds, such as endorphins, in this case, so morphine tries to resemble these compounds and blocks pain messages to the brain. When morphine reaches these receptors, the analgesic effect is transmitted through a cascade of G proteins, the most common method of cell signaling. These proteins increase conduction in potassium channels, decrease it in calcium channels and inhibit adenylate cyclase. All these changes mitigate pain.
It is used to change the mind’s perception of pain.
Preparation for morphine treatment
Before using morphine as a treatment you should know if you have any of the following conditions. If so, your doctor will perform a special control.
- Brain injury.
- Low blood pressure (hypotension).
- Chronic asthma.
- Increased intracranial pressure.
- History of drug dependence.
- Deficient thyroid secretion (hypothyroidism).
- Intestinal disorders such as severe intestinal inflammation.
- Rapid heart rhythm (supraventricular tachycardia).
- Gallbladder dysfunction.
- Prostatic hypertrophy or narrowing of the urethral duct (urethral stricture).
The abuse of morphine can cause dependence and tolerance to it. Similarly, sudden discontinuation of treatment if you are physically dependent on morphine can precipitate a withdrawal syndrome. Withdrawal symptoms may also occur after administration of an opioid antagonist (naloxone or naltrexone) or an agonist/antagonist (pentazocine). Your physician will be especially cautious when administering it to very young patients, elderly patients, very debilitated patients, or patients with renal or hepatic insufficiency, who may be more sensitive to the effects of morphine.
Post-procedure care
Although the use of morphine may cause side effects, it does not preclude its use or consumption. However, in all cases a specific diagnosis of the cause must be made. On the other hand, if you suffer from any of the following symptoms, inform your doctor.
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Lightheadedness
- Mood swings
On the other hand, there are other types of more serious side effects. If you have any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately or go to the emergency room.
- Seizures
- Slowed breathing
- Long pauses between breaths
- Difficulty breathing
- Agitation, hallucinations (seeing things or hearing voices that are not there), fever, sweating, confusion, fast heart rate, tremors, severe muscle spasms or stiffness, loss of coordination, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
- Nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite, weakness or dizziness
- Inability to achieve or maintain an erection
- Irregular menstruation
- Decreased sex drive
- Itching
- Rash
- Hives