Morphine

1. Morphine By: Carlos Danger and Carlos Ranger

2. Morphine Uses • Morphine is widely considered the best analgesic used for relieving cases of intense pain and suffering to any area of the body. • Morphine is used in many medical fashions to treat severe pain for both short term or long term/chronic cases. However in long-term use the chance of becoming addicted is much higher and dosage must be monitored correctly. • It can also be used for shortness of breath in some cases. If taken in low-doses it has been proven to help reduce breathlessness.

3. How Does it Work??? • Morphine acts in several ways as an opioid pain reliever, meaning it targets the opioid receptors located in our brains. It works in our central nervous system (CNS) as it reduces the perception of pain and the emotional response we have to it. • The opioid receptor are located on the surface of our nerve cells so when the drug binds to the receptors, it sets off a set of reactions that take place in the cell, which eventually cause the cell membrane to be less excitable. It acts on the nerve cells so that we do not have the same pain response as we would normally have.

4. Side Effects • There are many side effects that come from taking morphine, and they can vary from minor to severe depending on the circumstance. They can also be physical or psychological side effects. • One frequent side effect is constipation. This occurs because there are morphine (opioid) receptors in the gut and bowel area that can be acted on by the drug. Morphine will slow down the response times of these organs, which causes the constipation. • Other side effects that are common are more mental side effects such as addiction to morphine, withdrawal from it, and tolerance to it over long periods of time consuming it. • Some other more rare physical side effects can include stomach pain, blurred or skewed vision, tingling feelings and heartbeat and blood pressure issues.

5. How We Use It • Morphine is administered in several different ways depending on the circumstance and dosage. • It is most often administered by intravenous injection in places like hospitals. It is usually used before, during or after surgery as part of a solution that is injected into the patient’s bloodstream. • Typically when a patient has left the hospital or care of professionals, morphine will be prescribed as a pill. There may be immediate release pills that are for short-term relief, or progressive release pills that are used for longer periods of time as the medicine slowly releases in the body.

6. Natural Source • Morphine is found in nature actually, and is not entirely a synthetic drug. • It is found as the main opiate found in opium, which can be extracted from the seedpods of a PapaverSomniferumpoppy. • Morphine was the first active opiate that was found in opium, as it is the most abundant. There are however, almost 50 other opiates and different secretions found in the opium all with various effects on humans or no effects on humans.

7. Mor-Phine Please • The chemical formula of morphine is, • C17H19NO3 • The street price of morphine ranges from 50 • Cents to a dollar per mg while the pharmacy price is higher • But ranges from country to country and pharmacy to pharmacy. • There are also many street names for morphine such as : Duramorph, M, Miss Emma, Monkey, Roxanol and white stuff.

8. Addiction/Withdrawal • Morphine is one of the most addictive drugs in the world in which tolerance is achieved very quickly making the drug very dangerous. • Here are a list of common side effects: • Depression or irritability • Anxiety • Constipation or diarrhea • Trouble sleeping or insomnia • Abdominal pain including cramps • Memory loss • Tremors or seizures • Vision problems including involuntary movement of the eyeball • Rash, hives and/or itching • Headache • High or low blood pressure

9. Addiction/ Withdrawal • Here is a list of over dose side effects: • Fluid in the lungs • Cold, clammy skin • Flaccid muscles • Stupor • Slow breathing • Slow heart rate • Coma • Withdrawal from morphine cause many symptoms as well over a period that can last as long as a week in severe cases. • Withdrawal begins around twelve hours from the last dose. • 2. (Day 1-2) Withdrawal starts with aches and muscle pains that can be excruciatingly painful. It is followed by anxiety, insomnia, sweats, diarrhea, loss of appetite and “cold” like symptoms.

10. Withdrawal 3. (Day 3-5) The worst of the pain is over however there is still more symptoms. Loss of appetite is still a symptom however the diarrhea is over because of this. Other symptoms include : Goosebumps, shivers, abdominal cramping  and vomiting . 4. (Day 6-7) The symptoms are pretty much over. Loss of appetite, nausea and anxiety are still present. It is advised to begin doing physical activity.

11. Random Facts That May Be Considered Fun • A baby born by a mother who uses morphine goes through withdrawal. • Heroin was once used as a way to wean people off of morphine. • Morphine, Morphine, what made you so mean?You never used to do me like you do.Where's that sweet gal I once knew?-Gillian Welch, My Morphine • During the American Civil War over 400,000 people became addicted to morphine and was soon known as, the soldier’s disease • The inventor of Coca Cola was addicted to morphine.