Morphine drug abuse

Drug abuse and dependence In recommended doses, diphenoxylate has not produced addiction and is devoid of morphine-like subjective effects. At high doses, it exhibits codeine-like subjective effects therefore, addiction to diphenoxylate is possible. A subtherapeutic dose of atropine may discourage deliberate abuse. 

CNS side effects include confusion, anxiety, lethargy, nausea and vomiting. GIT related effect is constipation. Other side effects are urinary retention, dry mouth, miosis, dysphoria, hypotension, skin rash, itching and urticaria. Tolerance, drug dependence and drug abuse are the main drawbacks of morphine. 

Kometsky, Conan, and Christine Duvauchclle. 1994. "Dopamine, a Common Substrate for the Rewarding Effects of Brain Stimulation Reward, Cocaine, and Morphine." National Institute on Drug Abuse Research Monograph Series 145 19-39. 

Greenwald, M. and Stitzer, M., Butorphanol agonist effects and acute physical dependence in opioid abusers comparison with morphine, Drug Alcohol Depend., 53, 17, 1998. 

In the U.S. opioid abuse was accentuated by the unrestricted availability of opium until the early years of the 20th century and by the influx of opium-smoking immigrants from the East. In addition, the invention of the hypodermic needle led to the parenteral use of morphine and to a more severe variety of compulsive drug abuse. 

In 1980, Klug reported a method to detect morphine in head hair of drug abusers by TLC. He dissolved the hair in sodium hydroxide and hydrolyzed the solution with HCL. He extracted the solution with amyl alcohol and separated the components by TLC. Detection and quantitation were made by fluorimetry. The findings were between traces and 4 ng/mg. A HPTLC method was used to determine morphine in human hair. From 20 to 200 mg of hair were washed four times with water to remove surface contamination. Then the hair was incubated in sodium hydroxide and subsequently in HCL at 80°C in both cases. After SPE (type "Extrelut 3"/Merck) the solution was dansylated, analyzed by HPTLC (methanol (MeOH)/ammonia 99 1), and quantitated by densitometry. 

Morphine is used as an analgesic for acute and severe pain, as a sedative, as an antitussive, and for treatment of dyspnea in left ventricular failure and acute pulmonary edema. It is DEA Class II and has high drug abuse potential. 

Short-acting potent—used as part of balanced anesthesia Similar to morphine, but longer duration of action used in drug abuse programs... 

Karch, S.B. Individual narcotic agents Morphine. In The Pathology of Drug Abuse. Boca Raton, FL CRC Press, 1993. pp. 251-259. 

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