What are the side effects of morphine?
Feb 14, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Bai Hongmei
Introduction
The side effects of morphine include addiction, cardiovascular reactions, respiratory depression, gastrointestinal discomfort, and central nervous system symptoms. Morphine can cause various side effects, which may be life-threatening. Therefore, when using morphine, it is essential to strictly follow medical instructions, closely monitor the patient's physical condition, and be prepared with necessary emergency measures.
Under normal circumstances, morphine is an alkaloid extracted from poppy, appearing as a white crystalline powder with a bitter taste and toxic properties. Side effects of morphine include addiction, cardiovascular system reactions, respiratory system depression, gastrointestinal discomfort, and central nervous system symptoms. A detailed analysis is as follows:
1. Addiction
Morphine has strong addictive properties, and long-term use can easily lead to dependency. Once discontinued, patients may experience withdrawal symptoms such as tearing, runny nose, sweating, dilated pupils, elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, and elevated body temperature.
2. Cardiovascular System Reaction
Because morphine dilates peripheral blood vessels and inhibits myocardial contractility, it may cause adverse cardiovascular reactions, including bradycardia, hypotension, arrhythmia, and hypertension.
3. Respiratory System Depression
Morphine significantly depresses the respiratory system and may cause bronchospasm, laryngospasm, decreased respiratory rate, and reduced tidal volume. In severe cases, it can even lead to respiratory arrest and life-threatening conditions.
4. Gastrointestinal Discomfort
As morphine reduces gastrointestinal motility and affects the central nervous system's defecation reflex, it may cause adverse gastrointestinal reactions such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, and biliary spasm.
5. Central Nervous System Symptoms
Morphine acts on the central nervous system and may cause adverse symptoms such as blurred vision, dizziness, euphoria, and irritability. Long-term or excessive use of morphine may also impair cerebral cortical function, leading to reduced attention span, impaired thinking ability, memory loss, and even psychiatric symptoms such as delirium and hallucinations.
Morphine has various side effects that can potentially endanger patients' lives. Therefore, when using morphine, it is essential to strictly follow medical instructions, closely monitor the patient's physical condition, and be prepared with necessary emergency measures.
