MORPHINE

(MOR feen) Brand: AVINza, Kadian, MS Contin, MSIR, Oramorph SR

What is the most significant information I must know about morphine?

• You may not be able to take this medication unless you are already being treated with a similar opioid pain medication and your body is tolerant to it. Conversation with your doctor if you are not certain you are opioid-tolerant.

• Morphine may be habit-forming and should be used only by the face for whom it was prescribed. Hold the medicine in a secure seat where others can't get to it.

• Do not drink alcohol while you are using morphine. Dangerous side effects or death can occur when alcohol is combined with morphine. Check your food and medication labels to be certain these commodity do not contain alcohol.

• Never take morphine in larger amounts, or for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label. Speak your doctor if the medication seems to stop working as well in relieving your pain.

• Do not stop using morphine suddenly after long-term use, or you could have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Ask your doctor how to avoid withdrawal symptoms when you stop using morphine.

What is morphine?

• Morphine is an opioid pain medicine. An opioid is sometimes called a narcotic.

• Morphine is used to treat temperate to severe pain. Short-acting morphine is taken as needed for pain. Extended-release morphine is for use when around-the-clock pain relief is needed.

• Morphine is not for treating pain just after surgery unless you were already taking morphine till the surgery.

• Morphine may also be used for purposes not listed in this medicine guide.

What must I discuss with my healthcare provider till using morphine?

• Do not use this medication if you have ever had an allergic reaction to a narcotic medication (examples include methadone, morphine, Oxycontin, Darvocet, Percocet, Vicodin, Lortab, and much others), or to a narcotic cough medication that contains codeine, hydrocodone, or dihydrocodeine.

• You must also not take morphine if you are having an asthma onslaught, or if you have a bowel obstruction called paralytic ileus.

• Do not use morphine if you have used an MAO inhibitor such as furazolidone (Furoxone), isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), or tranylcypromine (Parnate) in the recent 14 days. A dangerous drug interaction could occur, leading to serious side effects.

• To create certain you can safely take morphine, speak your doctor if you have any of these another conditions:

· a blockage in your digestive tract (stomach or intestines);

· asthma, COPD, sleep apnea, or another breathing disorders;

· liver or kidney disease;

· underactive thyroid;

· curvature of the spine;

· a history of head injury or brain tumor;

· epilepsy or another seizure disorder;

· low blood pressure;

· gallbladder disease;

· Addison's malady or another adrenal gland disorders;

· enlarged prostate, urination problems;

· mental diseases; or

· a history of drug or alcohol addiction.

• Morphine may be habit forming and must be used only by the face for whom it was predesigned. Never share morphine with other face, especially somebody with a history of drug abuse or addiction. Hold the medicine in a seat where others can't get to it.

• You may not be able to take morphine unless you are already being treated with a similar opioid pain medication and your body is tolerant to it. Conversation with your doctor if you are not certain you are opioid-tolerant.

• FDA pregnancy category C. It is not known whether morphine will harm an unborn child. Morphine may reason addiction or withdrawal symptoms in a newborn if the mother takes the medicine during pregnancy. Speak your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant while using morphine.

• Morphine can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing child. Do not use this medicine without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

• Older adults and those who are ill or debilitated may be more likely to have serious side effects.

How must I use morphine?

• Take exactly as predesigned. Never take morphine in larger amounts, or for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label. Speak your doctor if the medication seems to stop working as well in relieving your pain.

• Do not crush, chew, or interrupt an extended-release tablet. Swallow the pill intact. It will release medication slowly in the body. Breaking the pill would reason too many of the drug to be released at one time.

• To create swallowing easier, you may open the extended-release capsule and sprinkle the medication into a spoonful of applesauce. Swallow this mixture right away without chewing. Do not save the mixture for later use. Discard the empty capsule.

• Measure liquid medication with a particular dose-measuring spoon or medication cup, not with a regular table spoon. If you do not have a dose-measuring device, ask your pharmacist for one.

• Do not stop using morphine suddenly, or you could have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Conversation to your doctor about how to avoid withdrawal symptoms when stopping the medicine. You may need to use smaller and smaller till you stop the medicine completely.

• Store at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and light.

• Hold track of the amount of medication used from every new bottle. Morphine is a drug of abuse and you must be aware if anyone is using your medication improperly or without a prescription.

• Always check your bottle to create certain you have received the correct pills (same brand and type) of medication predesigned by your doctor. Ask the pharmacist if you have any questions about the medication you receive at the pharmacy.

• After you have stopped using this medicine, flush any unused pills down the toilet. Throw away any unused liquid morphine that is older than 90 days.

What happens if I miss a dose?

• Since morphine is sometimes used as needed, you may not be on a dosing schedule. If you are using the medicine regularly, take the missed doze as soon as you remember. If it is nearly time for the following doze, skip the missed doze and wait before your following regularly scheduled doze. Do not use extra medication to create up the missed dose.

• Extended-release morphine is not for use on an as-needed basis for pain.

What happens if I overdose?

• Search abnormal medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. An overdose of morphine can be fatal.

• Overdose symptoms may include extreme drowsiness, pinpoint pupils, confusion, cool and clammy skin, weak pulse, shallow breathing, fainting, or breathing that stops.

What must I avoid while using morphine?

• Do not drink alcohol while you are taking this medicine. Dangerous side effects or death can occur when alcohol is combined with morphine. Check your food and medication labels to be certain these commodity do not contain alcohol.

• This medicine may impair your thinking or reactions. Avoid driving or operating machinery before you know how morphine will affect you.

What are the possible side effects of morphine?

• Get abnormal medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your person, lips, tongue, or throat.

• Call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:

· shallow breathing, slow heartbeat;

· stiff muscles, seizure (convulsions);

· cool, clammy skin;

· confusion, unusual thoughts or behavior;

· severe weakness, feeling like you might pass out;

· trouble swallowing;

· urinating smaller than normal or not at all;

· pale skin, feeling light-headed or short of breath, rapid heart course, trouble concentrating; or

· light bruising, unusual bleeding (nose, mouth, vagina, or rectum), purple or red pinpoint spots under your skin.

• Smaller serious side effects may include:

· weight loss;

· constipation, diarrhea;

· nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, loss of appetite;

· flushing (warmth, redness, or tingly feeling);

· headache, dizziness, spinning sensation;

· memory problems; or

· sleep problems (insomnia), strange dreams.

• This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may message side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What another drugs will affect morphine?

• Do not take morphine with any another narcotic pain medications, antidepressants, sedatives, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, or another medicines that can create you sleepy or slow your breathing. Dangerous side effects may result.

• Speak your doctor about all another medicines you use, especially:

· cimetidine (Tagamet);

· buprenorphine (Buprenex, Subutex);

· butorphanol (Stadol);

· nalbuphine (Nubain);

· pentazocine (Talwin); or

· a diuretic (water pill).

• This list is not complete and another drugs may interact with morphine. Speak your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal commodity. Do not start a new medicine without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

• Your pharmacist can provide more information about morphine.

Remember, hold this and all another medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medicine only for the indication prescribed.

Disclaim: Each effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses external of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way must be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safety, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the help of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.