The Adverse Effects Of Morphine In The Medical World

There is no question that the alarming rate of deaths related to opioid overdose needs to be addressed in this county, but the way to solve the problem seems to remain a trial and error approach at this point. A patient is injured, undergoes surgery, experiences normal wear and tear

Quote "If we could sniff or swallow something that would, for five or six hours each day, abolish our solitude as individuals, atone us with our fellows in a glowing exaltation of affection and make life in all its aspects seem not only worth living, but divinely beautiful and significant, and

Morphine: Preventative Pain Control I. Introduction Narcotic analgesics, especially morphine are underused for pain control with in the medical field. This underuse is because medical professionals, including doctors, fear patient addiction, side effects and possible lose of their licenses. These fears deny adequate healing and a better quality of life to those who would benefit from a more effective use of these drugs, as done in hospice care.

Milwaukee is currently facing an epidemic. This epidemic is the usage of opioids. Every year, the death toll grows from opioids usage. Opioid overdoses are America's leading killer. People are becoming more and more addicted to them and it is causing the user to overdose on the drugs. There are many types of opioids with different usages. This causes short and long term effects which can later lead the body to experience withdrawal from the drugs.

Fun fact, in the UK, some hospitals use diamorphine, a generic name of heroin to prescribed as a strong pain medication in patients suffering from myocardial infarction, post-surgical pain, and chronic pain, including end-stage cancer and other terminal illnesses. It is still given over there, instead of using Morphine, because

On the other hand, despite the medical benefits mentioned above, morphine is an addictive drug which a number of individuals in the current society misuse or abuse it for recreational purpose. These addiction and dependency could be caused by genetics, environment but most importantly, the change in brain and chemical structure. Like other opioids, morphine addiction could be inherited from previous generations and therefore, the ones who had relatives that is a current or past morphine

As we see the further progression of the opioid epidemic within the United States, pharmacists become the frontlines to recognizing and providing care for these patients. It is however difficult to provide care for a patient when even the professionals within the medical community have an associated stigma attached to the use of these drugs. Patients who have a need for these painkillers recognize this stigma, and by doing so decide to avoid consulting their doctors and do not seek the care which they need. They do this to avoid the discriminatory treatment they receive both within and on the outside of the healthcare system, and to avoid the legal repercussions associated with the misuse and abuse of these products1. It is therefore the pharmacists' job to avoid the stigmatization of these people and respect those who use these treatments for legitimate medical purposes.

Preventing Opioid Overdoses Through Early Detection Early Detection: Opioid addiction is a condition that is preventable as well as one which individuals display several noticeable risk factors before the actual addiction prognosis to the point of causing death. There is a strong correlation between the early misuse of prescription opioids, which are prescribed for non-cancer pain management, and the development of a dependence on such opioids. Early detection of risk factors such as the misuse of opioids that are prescribed will help indicate that a patient is developing an addiction.1 Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare providers must closely monitor patients and the rate at which opioids are consumed as well as refilled.

Do opioids have only harmful effects or they provide medical help in human as well?

For thousands of years, opiates have been used in the treatment of pain. Opium is believed to have been discovered 6000 BC, and since then, it has had a huge impact on both medicine and the recreations of those seeking euphoria. More recent than the ancient discovery of natural opium are the derivatives of opium, such as the alkaloids morphine, codeine, and thebaine. From these alkaloids, semi-synthetic opiates can by synthesized, such as hydrocodone, and oxycodone. Synthetic opioids are also quite prevalent, which include fentanyl and tramadol. Opium can also be processed into heroin, a morphine derivative. As advancements were made in science and engineering to allow for a wider distribution and usage of opiates, the problems of dependence and overdose also increased drastically. According to Hart and Ksir (2013, p. 302), the invention of the hypodermic needle for intravenous administration of morphine and other drugs allowed for a much faster and more potent dose of the drug. With this increased potency came an increase in the possibility of a recreational intravenous user to overdose. Hart also mentions that some of the wars surrounding the era of the synthesis of morphine may have contributed to the rise of morphine, seeing as a medic soldier’s motto was always “first provide relief” (2013). This relief-driven attitude and extensive use of opioid analgesics in medicine during the time, in addition to the large amount of patent medicines and remedies on the market may

In 2014, more people died from drug overdoses then in any other year on record. A substantial amount of deaths were due to drug overdose on opioids, according to the CDC. (2015:64). In 1901, surgeon Racoviceanu-Pitesti published his first report on opioids for intrathecal anesthesia. In 1979, a report on the use of morphine as a treatment for pain was made, by Behar and his colleagues. Epidural and spinal opioids are today part of a routine regimen for intra- and postoperative anesthesia, according to Fisher (2003:683). Historically opioids have been used as painkillers, however the potential for misuse is huge; when these are used repeatedly, it increases the risk of developing an addiction. The use of illegal opiate drugs such as heroin

In the United States, opioids have become a major component in healthcare because they are an exceptional method of relieving pain. For those who are recovering from a recent inpatient surgery or those with cancer who are in a great deal of pain, it is a necessity. A known problem with opioids is that they are addictive, which leads to overuse of the medication by the patient. Opioids are also highly sought after as a street drug, this leads to patients exaggerating their pain level in order to receive more pills and selling their excess medication to others. Doctors will often prescribe opioids to patients who do not need such an aggressive form of pain relief, for example, people with arthritis or who have gone through a minor outpatient surgery. This can lead to a long-term use of these pain relieving drugs and possible addiction, which goes against the original purpose of opioids. In order to solve America’s dependence on opioids, medical professionals must go back to the original method of prescribing them, that is, only short-term use for people recovering from surgeries or in pain due to cancer, instead of a long-term solution for acute pain.

Opioid is the fastest addiction in Iowa. “These are not aspirin,” says Dale Woolery. You can’t mix these painkillers with any other pill or painkillers in fact. Opioid painkillers are 50 to 100 times stronger than any other painkiller, from prescription painkillers to illegal painkillers, which are a knockoff of Heroin. Opioid is in the class of most addicting and lethal pills.

So how do opioids work? Opioids attach themselves to specific proteins called opioid receptors. These opioid receptors are found throughout the body including the brain, spinal cord, and GI tract. When an opioid attaches to a receptor, it can reduce the perception of pain. Through this coupling with receptors, opioids

1. The loss of morphine, the night shift is taking more of the morphine, Patrick’s behavior, most patients on morphine are on PCA pumps and the increase patients morphine are not single injections.