Or you may have it through a central line, a portacath or a PICC line. Your doctor or specialist nurse will help you choose the type and dose that best controls your pain. It depends on the pain you have and the amount of drug you need to control it. You may feel drowsy when you first start taking morphine or if the dose is increased. If the drowsiness lasts more than a couple of days talk to your doctor or nurse.
We haven't listed all the side effects. It is very unlikely that you will have all of these side effects, but you might have some of them at the same time. How often and how severe the side effects are can vary from person to person.
They also depend on what other treatment you are having. For example, your side effects could be worse if you are also having other drugs or radiotherapy. Your doctor or nurse will go through the possible side effects. They will monitor you closely during treatment and check how you are at your appointments. Contact your advice line as soon as possible if:. You might have one or more of them. They include:. Constipation is easier to sort out if you treat it early. Drink plenty of fluids and eat as much fresh fruit and vegetables as you can.
Try to take gentle exercise, such as walking. Tell your doctor or nurse if you are constipated for more than 3 days. They can prescribe a laxative. Cancer drugs can interact with some other medicines and herbal products.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist about any medicines you are taking. This includes vitamins, herbal supplements and over the counter remedies. It is not known whether this treatment affects fertility in people. It may need to be re-introduced if the morphine dose is increased. In the past, morphine was often associated with drug addiction. But taking morphine for pain will not make you an addict. Commonly, people worry when their dose of morphine increases. But the increase is usually because the disease is changing and you need more to manage the pain.
Because it is used for persistent pain you should not stop taking morphine suddenly without discussing this with your doctor or nurse. Some people find they get a bit sleepy with morphine. Once again, this is a sign of your body adjusting to the drug and should ease after a few days. There are other possible side effects — very rarely some people will see things hallucinations. This may mean the dose is a little high. Occasionally some people will develop an itch.
Morphine is unusual in that there is no maximum dose. If it is taken for pain as prescribed, the dose can be increased gradually to match your pain. Many people find that once they are settled on a stable dose of morphine they can actually do more than they used to because the pain is much less. Tell your doctor promptly about any side effects, their severity and when they occur. Your doctor may be able to alleviate them by changing the dose or the medicine. Pain medicines will not stop your health care team or you from monitoring the progress of your illness because there are other signs and symptoms of progression that will be present.
Some people only tell their doctor about their pain when it gets really bad. However, it is usually easier to manage pain in its early stages and that provides a good start to ongoing management requirements and gives the practitioner historical information about your pain.
Breakthrough pain is pain that occurs while on slow release pain management. This is a normal part of living with your illness and you may find that your pain occurs at predictable times of the day ie having a shower, going out in the car, in the earlier hours of the morning.
Your practitioner will provide you with a suitable medication for intermittent dosing that you can use pre-emptively or at the time of the pain occurring. It is essential you keep a diary of this use to be reviewed by your practitioner to make sure your plan is still meeting your needs as an individual. There may be times when you want additional information from one of the many organisations that provide help to patients and their families. Palliative Care Australia Inc. PCA can direct you to your state or territory palliative care association.
The PCA website also has useful information about palliative care, a directory of palliative care services, and other resources for patients and carers. T 02 office hours W Palliative Care Australia. The pharmacists at Medicines Line can answer your questions about medicines for the cost of a local call.
Remember to tell them that your medicines are being prescribed for palliation. T W www. Disclaimer: PCA advises the information in this brochure is not clinical advice. Your health care decisions are best made in consultation with your practitioner. PCA provides these links for information purpose only.
It is not responsible for the content of these websites. Find a service provider Register your service. Home » Resources » Facts about morphine and other opioid medicines in palliative care Print this page Facts about morphine and other opioid medicines in palliative care Download — Facts about morphine and other opioid medicines in palliative care updated February What is this brochure about? What is palliative care? What is pain?
Then rinse your mouth with a little water and swallow the water to be sure that you have swallowed all the medication. Do not mix the beads into any other food. Do not save mixtures of medication and applesauce for later. If you are taking the extended-release tablets Arymo ER , swallow them one at a time with plenty of water. Swallow the extended-release tablets right after putting it in your mouth.
Do not presoak, wet, or lick the extended-release tablets before you put them in your mouth. Your doctor may start you on a low dose of morphine and gradually increase your dose until your pain is controlled. Your doctor may adjust your dose at any time during your treatment if your pain is not controlled. If you feel that your pain is not controlled, call your doctor. Do not change the dose of your medication without talking to your doctor.
Do not stop taking morphine without talking to your doctor. Your doctor may decrease your dose gradually. If you suddenly stop taking morphine, you may experience withdrawal symptoms such as restlessness; teary eyes; runny nose; yawning; irritability; anxiety; sweating; difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep; chills; back, muscle, or joint pain; nausea; vomiting; loss of appetite; diarrhea; stomach cramps; weakness; fast heartbeat; or fast breathing. This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
If you are taking morphine tablets or liquid, your doctor will probably tell you to take the medication as needed. If you have been told to take scheduled doses of the tablets or liquid or if you are taking an extended-release product, take the missed dose as soon as you remember it, and do not take the next dose at your regularly scheduled time. Instead, allow the same amount of time that you usually allow between doses before taking your next dose.
If you remember when it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one. Morphine may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while you are taking this medication.
Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture not in the bathroom. You must immediately dispose of any medication that is outdated or no longer needed through a medicine take-back program.
If you do not have a take-back program nearby or one that you can access promptly, flush any morphine extended-release tablets, extended-release capsules, and liquid that are outdated or no longer needed down the toilet so that others will not take them.
Talk to your pharmacist about the proper disposal of your medication. It is important to keep all medication out of sight and reach of children as many containers such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers are not child-resistant and young children can open them easily.
To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location — one that is up and away and out of their sight and reach. In case of overdose, call the poison control helpline at If the victim has collapsed, had a seizure, has trouble breathing, or can't be awakened, immediately call emergency services at While taking morphine, you should talk to your doctor about having a rescue medication called naloxone readily available e.
Naloxone is used to reverse the life-threatening effects of an overdose. It works by blocking the effects of opiates to relieve dangerous symptoms caused by high levels of opiates in the blood. Your doctor may also prescribe you naloxone if you are living in a household where there are small children or someone who has abused street or prescription drugs.
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