Morphine is a drug used to relieve severe pain and to treat several other medical problems. Some people use morphine because it makes them feel happier. In the United States, federal laws prohibit the use of this drug except when prescribed by a physician.
People who use morphine regularly may in time become addicted to it. If they stop their usual dose, they will feel ill for several days unless they take medicine for this withdrawal sickness. Withdrawal sickness may include abdominal cramps, back pains, chills, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and weakness.
Morphine makes severe pain bearable and moderate pain disappear. The drug also stops coughing and diarrhea, checks bleeding, and may help bring sleep. Doctors give patients morphine only if other medicines fail. Besides being addictive, morphine interferes with breathing and heart action and may cause vomiting.
Small doses of morphine leave the mind fairly clear. Larger doses cloud the mind and make the user feel extremely lazy. Most morphine users feel little hunger, anger, sadness, or worry, and their sex drive is greatly reduced. Most people with mental or social problems feel happy after using morphine, even though their problems have not really been solved.
Some people can recover from morphine addiction fairly easily with medical help. But someone with many problems—mental, physical, or social—may find recovery more challenging. Personal counseling, controlled living situations, and such medicines as methadone may help addicts solve their problems and stop taking morphine (see Drug misuse; Methadone).
Morphine is made from opium, and heroin is manufactured from morphine. These three drugs have similar effects. However, heroin is the strongest and opium is the least powerful. See Heroin; Opium.
