Morphine
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Morphine belongs to the class of medications called narcotic analgesics (pain relievers). It is usually prescribed to treat moderate to severe pain.
The dried latex produced by the seed pod of the opium poppy, is known as poppy tears. It contains approximately 12 percent of the active ingredient. This latex can also be processed into heroin and other synthetic medical drugs or street drugs.
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Poppyseed pod with latex dripping.
Morphine comes in tablet form, capsules, granules that dissolve in water and drank, also as suppositories and injections. The tablets can be ground for snorting or injections.
The effects of the drug generally last for about 4 hours. Although some tablets and capsules have a slow-release action and can produce an effect for about 12 to 24 hours.
Increased tolerance to its effect is one of the reasons people get addicted to it. The body becomes accustomed (or tolerant) to a morphine dose so people taking some for a period of time may require increasing amounts to get the same effect. It has a high addictive potential and can be obtained illegally.
Street names for morphine include:
Here are a few of the side effects that it can produce:
Morphine can slow or stop breathing and is known to be habit-forming. Overdose or death can occur with its misuse. Since this drug crosses the placental barrier, taking it during pregnancy may cause life-threatening withdrawal symptoms in the newborn baby.
The minimum dose of 200 mg is lethal to the average person. In case of extreme physical sensitivity, 60 mg can cause permanent impairment, coma, or bring sudden death. Amounts of 2000–3000 mg per day can be tolerated by an individual who has a serious drug dependency.
These are some long-term side effects. Get to a hospital as soon as possible if you notice any of these symptoms:
Withdrawal from morphine can last up to three days and causes these effects;
Signs of overdose can quickly appear. What may seem to be the regular effects of the drug can turn rapidly into an overdose. Abuse of morphine with the combination of alcohol will increase and intensify its effects putting the person’s life at risk.
Here are the most common signs of overdose:
Source: wikipedia.org/