Hello Everyone,
I realize that this is a question for my health care proffesionals, but when asked I don’t ever seem to get a straight forward answer. I had 3 major back surgeries and lucky me, I get to have massive chronic pain for the rest of my life. Because of this I take 60mg of morphine everyday along with a few percocets for breakthru pain. What is the long term effects of taking morphine every day for years and years. Right now I have been taking it for 8 years and since I am 44 I figure I have atleast another 30 years of being on it. I do realize that the effect of the drugs will decrease as I become tolerant, but what about damage to organs etc…
Second question. I play poker a few times a month and miss being able to have a beer or two with the guys during the game. I mentioned this to my doctor and he told me that as long as there was a few hours between having a few drinks and taking the morphine (usually taken at night) that it would be okay. I had 3 beers over the course of about an hour and a half and amazingly didn’t get a buzz, nota, nothing. I found this strange as I hadn’t had a drink in about 7 years. I figured one or two beers would have me about passing out. I figure it is due to the fact that the morphine use has made me immune to the effects of alcohol. I also am immune to novicane, I have to be put out to have dental work done. I am assuming that this is also due to the morphine use.
I recall reading a study about this, they did at Johns Hopkins University on use of opiates for long term chronic pain control. And it seemed to indicate that tolerance wasn’t necessarily built up when used for pain. This was in the mid 90s, but you might want to Google around or contact Johns Hopkins site to see if you can get any info on it.
I’ve been on Tramadol for years due to spondylothesis in my lower back. I don’t get a buzz from alcohol easily, and oddly enough, I don’t like to drink much anymore because the Tramadol gives me a feeling of “well-being”. When I do drink too much, I pay for it dearly… and for about 5 days after. However… I’ve had many mysterious health issues in the past year, and I think it’s probably due to the painkiller. Weird hormonal/menstrual cycles, migraines, PVC’s (which I’m now on beta blockers for), strange bouts of anxiety/depression, some short term memory loss, lightheaded, and a few little others. I want to get off of it, but it’s a long hard road…
I would think that after 8 years you are seeing the results of the morphine, which I think the medical world would not want to admit can be negligible. I believe, (and this is just my opinion) that there are people out there who can live just fine on opiates. The problem is that the only way to live daily on opiates is in cases like yours, which is legal and supports my belief, or to be an addict, which is illegal and defies my belief. And for the most part because of addiction, public perception is opiates = bad.
I say that having broken my leg now three times, and having regular kidney stones, I am very familiar with Percocets. I find I can get to pain relief levels without incapacity and stay there with ease.
But I am pretty sure this is a battle or an opinion I am not likely to win.
From everything I’ve heard, morphine (and really all the narcotics) are really safe - until you OD on them. In other words, they don’t really do any damage. Taking too much obviously has the risk of making you stop breathing. And of course they’re constipating as all get out.
And of course if you take too many Percocets - those have acetominophen (Tylenol) unless I’ve got them mixed up with another product - and taking too much Tylenol can wreck your liver.
Thanks for all of the responses. Please understand that when I mentioned the beer, I was not in anyway trying to get drunk. I just missed having a “beer with the guys”, I was surprised that I felt no effects from it although I hadn’t had a drink in years. The same with the novacain. Just figured it had something to do with the morphine use.
Also, I have never and I mean never had any kind of “buzz” from the Percocets or Morphine. I always find it strange when people make a big deal out of percocets or someother pain killer saying it makes them loopy. I just don’t get it.
Anyways, thanks for the replies. It looks like my pain management isn’t going to kill me1
Often, if you have sufficient pain, the drugs work on that and don’t get you high. And, of course, you may be one of those who just doesn’t really get high on them.
I have been on morphine for the past 5 years due to 2 back surgeries of my own, the last of which caused permanent inoperable damage. I have taken 6 pills of 60mg extended release morphine sulfate daily for those 5 years. Like you i have had no adverse side effects besides constipation and a high tolerance for anasthesia and other narcotics. Occasionally the medication will make me feel hot or cold for short periods of time. My doctor says there should not be any adverse effects to any organs or other long term hazards. I do not drink alcohol very often at all, but when i have i have not noticed myself getting buzzed any quicker than before i was on the morphine, if anything it seems i have more tolerance than before but i have not gotten “drunk” since being on the medication for fear of combining the alcohol and morphine.
The big plus for me in taking the morphine is that it relieves the pain and does not cloud my mind at all like it does on hydrocodone or oxycodone. I do not get any “high” feeling at all on morphine. The drawback is that sometimes i forget to take my scheduled 120mg dose every 8 hours and after 10 to 14 hours the pain comes back in a hurry and since the medication is extended release it takes around another hour for the meds to kick in and relieve the pain.