Morphine - What Kind of Drug Is It?
What Kind of Drug Is It?
Morphine is a natural product of the opium poppy plant. Of the many mind-altering compounds in the opium poppy, morphine is the strongest. The drug has many important medical uses, all having to do with pain control. It is never used to treat emotional or psychological problems.
For many people recovering from painful surgery—and for even more people facing the daily agony of end-stage cancer—morphine can dramatically improve their quality of life. The drug, called an opiateAny drug derived from the opium poppy or synthetically produced to mimic the effects of the opium poppy; opiates tend to decrease restlessness, bring on sleep, and relieve pain., has been used for pain relief for many years, in many different cultures worldwide.
When prescribed for a patient by a physician, morphine can help speed recovery from operations, ease the pain and trauma of childbirth, and give dying people relief from incurable pain. When used illegally as a recreational drug solely to get high, morphine is highly addictive with many unpleasant side effects. When purchased on the street, it is usually found in the form of heroin, a substance that turns to morphine in the brain. (An entry on heroin is available in this encyclopedia.)
Whether used legally or illegally, morphine is a very dangerous drug. Overdoses can cause fatal breathing problems. Even those who use it for pain relief can develop a dependence or physical need for the drug. Doctors tend to be very conservative when they prescribe it for pain because they are aware of its risks and drawbacks. Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, patients' rights groups have urged the medical community to use morphine more freely to control pain. They believe that patients in severe pain would be more likely to contemplate or commit suicide if they were unable to use the drug.
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