Morphine Overdose

Morphine is the quintessential pain relieving medication, the standard by which all other prescription painkillers are measured. Marketed under a number of brand names and generic names including Roxanol, Kadian, RMS, MS-Contin and more, you can find morphine in any form imaginable: immediate-release and sustained-release tablets or capsules, liquids for oral use or injection and suppositories. Morphine is often prescribed for acute pain but is more often seen in the treatment of chronic pain in extended-release form.

What are the Signs of a Morphine Overdose?

There are a number of signs and symptoms of morphine overdose. These include:

Dilated pupils
Overwhelming sleepiness
Low blood pressure
Slow heart rate
Soft breathing
Clammy skin
Blue-tinted fingernails, lips and/or skin
Stomach spasms
Muscle spasms
Unconsciousness or stupor state
Coma

The signs of morphine and any opiate overdose are alarming and can be deadly. If you think that you or someone you are with has taken too much morphine and are experiencing an overdose, call 911 medical emergency immediately.

How is a Morphine Overdose Treated?

When you call 911, the treatment for morphine overdose will begin in the field well before you reach the emergency room. If you are breathing, the paramedics will most likely administer naloxone to stop the morphine from binding to your opiate receptors and causing harm. If you are not breathing, they'll do CPR first and then administer naloxone. If it doesn't work within a few minutes, you will receive another shot of naloxone intramuscularly, in your thigh muscle or bicep. In the emergency room, you will most likely have your stomach pumped and/or receive a dose of activated charcoal or laxative to get the drug out of your body completely.

How Do I Avoid a Morphine Overdose?

You can try to avoid a morphine overdose by, first, communicating with your doctor. Make sure that he or she knows all of your health issues as well as the other medications, vitamins and supplements that you are taking. Next, you can take care to use your morphine prescription exactly as directed. Keep track of your dosing schedule so that you don't inadvertently double your dose. Lastly, don't drink alcohol while on this drug or take any other opioid-based medications. The combinations can be lethal.

Avoid a Morphine Overdose Through Morphine Addiction Treatment at Meditox

At Meditox, we don't think you should have to live in fear of your prescription. Medical pharmacology is here to help us, not do harm. By detoxing off of morphine, you eliminate the risk of overdose and save your body from developing other potentially life threatening conditions like liver failure, heart disease and cardiac arrest. With a Suboxone detox, our Meditox doctors can give you a second chance at living a life free from the haze of opiate addiction and the fear of a morphine overdose. Contact our calling center today for more information or to make an appointment.

If you feel that Meditox might be the right solution for you or your loved one, please call us for a toll-free and private consultation:

Additional Resources

WebMD.com: Morphine Overdose
RxList.com: Morphine Overdose

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August 11, 2006

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