Morphine symptoms

There were symptoms of shock lasting 2-3 hours in two women with advanced cancer who were given epidural buprenorphine 300 micrograms after becoming tolerant to epidural morphine (148). The buprenorphine was given 12 hours after the last dose of morphine. Symptoms started within 2 hours of administration and remitted spontaneously. 

Most of the time, the powerful analgesia suppHed by morphine and the other opioid analgesics is not needed. Rather, a mild analgesic, such as aspirin, the most commonly employed analgesic agent, can be used for the treatment of simple pain associated with headaches, minor muscle pain, mild trauma, arthritis, cold and flu symptoms, and fever. 

Transdermal patches are applied to the skin. The drug is mixed with the adhesive for the patch, and so it lies next to the skin. The skin can readily absorb many chemicals and so can absorb drugs such as nitroglycerin (for heart disease), morphine derivatives (for constant, severe pain), estrogen (for hormone replacement therapy), or nicotine (for easing symptoms that result when a patient stops smoking). 

Jasinski DR, PevnickJS, Griffith JD Human pharmacology and abuse potential of the analgesic buprenorphine. Arch Gen Psychiatry 35 501-516, 1978 Jasinski DR, Johnson RE, Kocher TR Clonidine in morphine withdrawal differential effects on signs and symptoms. Arch Gen Psychiatry 42 1063-1066, 1983... 

Tapering of opioids may be necessary once the painful situation has resolved in patients receiving doses greater than 160 mg/day of oral morphine (or the equivalent) or in those with prolonged opioid use. In these situations the dose should be reduced by 15% to 20% each day to avoid withdrawal symptoms. 

Matthes HWD, Maldonado R, Simonin et al. Loss of morphine-induced analgesia, reward effect and withdrawal symptoms in mice lacking the /i-opioid-receptor gene. Nature 1996 383 819-823. 

Andersen G, Christrup L, Sjogren P. Relationships among morphine metabolism, pain and side effects during long-term treatment an update. J Pain Symptom Manage 2003 25(1 ) 74—91. 

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... 

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