Morphine is naturally occurring

substance of the juice in the unripe seedpods

of the opium poppy.

It is a potent narcotic analgesic, and its primary clinical

use is for moderately severe and severe pain.
After heroin, morphine has the greatest dependence liability
of the narcotic analgesics in common use.
 "M”
Morph
Miss Emma
 It is legally available only in the

form of water-soluble salts, such as

Morphine sulfate and

Morphine hydrochloride. Morphine is

taken orally, injected or inhaled, or taken

through rectal suppositories.

 In 1805, morphine was first isolated from opium by a
German pharmacist F.W.A. Serturner, who named the drug
“morphium” after Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams.

From Morpheus to Morphine

 The use of injectable morphine during the American Civil War is believed to
be the onset of widespread addiction to injectable opiates.
 It was also used as a surgical anesthetic.
 Morphine addiction was called the “soldiers disease” as more than 400,000
wounded soldiers were sent home with morphine for relief of pain.
“As concern grew about widespread narcotic addiction, the
government began to consider taking action. In 1906, the Pure
Food and Drug Act was passed, requiring certain products be
labeled accordingly. Following the passage of this Act,
Americans became more educated on the dangers of morphine
and opium. It would be almost ten more years until the use of
any opiate-derivative for anything but medicinal purposes was
forbidden.”
 Morphine is so effective because it acts directly at
pain-modulating receptors in the nervous system, termed
opioid receptors. The receptors respond to natural
compounds built by our bodies to control the level
of pain experienced at different times.
One site where morphine acts is in the reward center of the
brain – the area that makes eating and other essential
processes feel pleasurable. The brain responds to morphine
by building more components for the G protein signaling
system.
Although morphine
remains the most effective
drug for pain relief, it is
far from perfect.
Morphine’s
pharmacological effect is
on the nervous system and
the gastrointestinal tract.
Morphine is highly
addictive and tolerance
and physical and
psychological dependence
develop quickly.
Besides relieving pain,
morphine also relieves fear
and anxiety and inhibits the
cough reflex. Some of the
physiological effects of
morphine include depressed
heart rate, respiratory
depression, nausea and
vomiting, severe
constipation, flushing of the
face and neck, cramping,
sweating, pupils fixed and
constricted, diminished
reflexes, and decrease in
hunger.
 Psychologically, morphine produces a feeling of well-being,
euphoria, relaxation, drowsiness, sedation, disconnectedness,
self-absorption, mental clouding and delirium.

Other side effects include blurred vision, reduces the sex drive,
and in women, it may interfere with the menstrual cycle.