Morphine Abuse
Q) What are the symptoms of Overdose?
A)
- cold clammy skin
- flaccid muscles
- fluid in the lungs
- lowered blood pressure
- "pinpoint" or dilated pupils
- sleepiness
- stupor
- coma
- slowed breathing
- slow pulse rate
Q) What is Morphine addiction?
A) Morphine is highly addictive. Tolerance (the need for higher and higher doses to maintain the same effect) and physical and psychological dependence develop quickly. Withdrawal from morphine causes nausea, tearing, yawning, chills, and sweating lasting up to three days. Morphine crosses the placental barrier, and babies born to morphine-using mothers go through withdrawal.
Addictive
drugs activate the brain’s reward systems. The promise
of reward is very intense, causing the individual to crave the
drug and to focus his or her activities around taking the drug.
The ability of addictive drugs to strongly activate brain reward
mechanisms and their ability to chemically alter the normal
functioning of these systems can produce an addiction. Drugs
also reduce a person’s level of consciousness, harming
the ability to think or be fully aware of present surroundings.
Q) What are possible drug interactions when using Morphine?
A)
- Alcohol
- Certain analgesics such as Talwin, Nubain, Stadol, and Buprenex
- Drugs that control vomiting, such as Compazine and Tigan
- Drugs classified as MAO inhibitors, such as the antidepressants Nardil and Parnate
- Major tranquilizers such as Thorazine and Haldol
- Muscle relaxants such as Flexeril and Valium
- Sedatives such as Dalmane and Halcion
- Tranquilizers such as Librium and Xanax
- Water pills such as Diuril and Lasix
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