Morphine mental effects

The other mental effects of morphine take place at the arousal centers of the brain, in the brainstem, to produce a sleepiness and relaxation. However, some patients experience restlessness instead of drowsiness, with increased limb movement rather than relaxation. Confusion and slurred speech almost always accompany morphine at higher doses. Meanwhile, the so-called pinpoint pupils of opiate overdose are created by morphine s action on the iris, resulting in blurred vision and impaired ability to see in the dark. 

Nalorphine in doses of 5 mg produces side effects that are comparable to those produced by 10 mg of morphine, unaccompanied by any significant analgesic effect. In higher doses, however, particularly in postoperative pain, it exerts analgesic action comparable to that of morphine without the addictive properties of the latter. However, it induces disturbing mental effects and other unpleasant side effects that preclude its use as an analgesic. 

Many drugsbromides, morphine, cocaine, hashish, marijuana, mescaline, scopolamine, di-isopropyl fluorophosphate, ACTH, pervitin, sodium amytal, lysergic acid, reserpine and chlorpromazine are known to have marked effects on the mental processes of the individuals who receive them. These effects are varied and cannot be discussed here. Suffice it to say that some drugs produce symptoms which resemble those observed in mental disease others work in the opposite direction. There can be no doubt that enzyme systems are... 

Metopon (methyldihydromorphinone) manifests the properties of tolerance and liability to addiction, but it is about twice as effective as an analgesic, and its duration of action is equal to that of morphine. Tolerance to metopon and physical dependence on the drug develop more slowly than in the case of morphine. In therapeutic doses, it produces little or no respiratory depression and still less mental dullness. Metopon thus possesses many advantages over morphine but is no longer available commercially. 

Morphine, by a central action, impairs sympathetic vascular reflexes (causing veno- and arteriolar dilatation) and stimulates the vagal centre (bradycardia) it also releases histamine (vasodilatation). These effects are ordinarily unimportant, but they can be beneficial in acute left ventricular failure, relieving mental distress by tranquillising, cardiac distress by reduction of sympathetic drive and preload (by venodilatation), and respiratory distress by rendering the centre insensitive to afferent stimuli from the congested lungs. 

Early studies in our laboratory confirmed the analgesic activity of nalorphine in man and we estimated that nalorphine was approximately as potent an analgesic as morphine on a milligram basis (5). We also confirmed that nalorphine produced other effects remarkably similar to those of morphine, including sedation, nausea, vomiting, mental clouding, and respiratory depres-... 

I he seeds of the oriental poppy contain morphine. Morphine is a narcotic that has a variety of effects on the body and the brain, including drowsiness, euphoria, mental confusion, and chronic constipation. Although morphine was first isolated in 1805, not until the 1850s and the advent of the hypodermic was it effectively used as a painkiller. During the American Civil War, morphine was used extensively to reheve the pain of wounds and amputations. It was at this time that the addictive properties were noticed. By the end of the Civil War, over 100,000 soldiers were addicted to morphine. 

UNTOWARD EFFECTS AND PRECAUTIONS Morphine and related opioids produce a wide spectrum of unwanted effects, including respiratory depression, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, mental clouding, dysphoria, pruritus, constipation, increased pressure in the biliary tract, urinary retention, hypotension, and rarely dehiium. Increased sensitivity to pain after analgesia has worn off also may occur. 

Metopon has an advantage over morphine in that it is regularly as effective by mouth as when administered subcutaneously. When given orally, metopon induces less sedation and less mental confusion and is not as nauseating as morphine. 

Tolerance development and physical and mental dependence are among the most well-known of the undesirable effects of morphine. Tolerance development refers to the phenomenon that prolonged medication to attain a particular effect requires higher and higher doses. For morphine, such dose escalations amount to a 10- or 20-fold increase. 

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