How Long Does Morphine Stay in Your System? Using Morphine Safely

– How Long Does Morphine Stay in Your System? –

How Long Does Morphine Stay in Your System? If you are wondering how long an opioid drug would stay in your body, then read on. In this article, you will get a full overview of morphine and how to use it responsibly.

How Long Does Morphine Stay in Your System?

What is Morphine?

Morphine is an opioid drug used to relieve moderate to severe pain that can’t be controlled by other painkillers or chronic pain that lasts more than a few days.

Your doctor might prescribe morphine following an injury or a major surgery. They may prescribe it to treat other types of severe pain, like cancer pain or pain following a heart attack.

Morphine goes by the following brand names:

  • Kadian
  • MS Contin
  • Oramorph SR
  • Zomorph
  • Morphgesic
  • Arymo ER
  • MorphaBond ER
  • MXL
  • Sevredol
  • Roxanol

Brief Overview of Morphine

Morphine is derived from the poppy plant. It works by blocking pain signals from reaching your brain. It can be administered as an intravenous injection or taken orally (by mouth) as a tablet, capsule, or liquid. It’s also available in the following forms:

  • rectal suppository
  • subcutaneously
  • intranasally
  • epidural
  • inhaled via a nebulizer

Since morphine works in the pleasure centers of the brain, it has a high potential for misuse and addiction. For this reason, it’s classified as a federally controlled substance (C-II).

If you were prescribed morphine for your pain, it’s important to understand how long the effects of the drug will last in your body. It’s also important to know how to avoid withdrawal symptoms if you decide to stop taking them.

How long does it take to feel the effects of morphine?

The amount of morphine needed for pain relief varies widely between people. It’s influenced by factors such as:

  • previous opioid use
  • age (the elderly may have a higher sensitivity to morphine)
  • general medical condition

When taken by mouth, you’ll likely start feeling the effects of morphine within 30 to 60 minutes. According to the product label, morphine reaches peak concentrations in the bloodstream roughly 60 minutes after you take it orally.

If morphine is injected intravenously, you’ll likely begin feeling the effects more quickly. Extended-release formulations may take longer to reach peak concentration in the bloodstream.

Typically, your doctor will start you on a low dose and then increase the dose slowly until your pain is well-controlled.

People who’ve never taken an opioid before usually won’t need as much morphine in order to experience relief from their pain.

How long does it take for the effects of morphine to wear off?

You’ll likely stop “feeling” the pain relief of morphine in four to six hours. This is why your doctor may have you take a single tablet of morphine by mouth every four to six hours while you’re in pain.

If your doctor prescribes you an extended-release formulation, the effects will last for eight to 12 hours. Extended-release brands include:

  • MS Contin
  • Arymo ER
  • Kadian ER
  • MorphaBond ER

Opioid Half-Life

Even though you’ll stop feeling the effects of morphine after a few hours, morphine will stay in your system for longer than that.

One way to find out how long a drug will last in the body is to measure its half-life. The half-life is the time it takes for half of the drug to be eliminated from the body.

Morphine has an average half-life of two to four hours. It takes between two and four hours to eliminate half of the dose of morphine. The half-life fluctuates from person to person. This is because everyone metabolizes medications differently.

It takes several half-lives to fully eliminate a drug from the body. For most people, morphine will fully clear the blood in 12 hours. However, morphine can still be detected in the saliva, urine, or hair for a longer period of time.

According to American Addiction Centers, morphine can be detected in:

  • urine for up to three days after the last dose is taken
  • saliva for up to four days after the last dose is taken
  • hair for up to 90 days after the last dose is taken

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Factors that influence how long Morphine Stay in Your System

Factors that influence how long Morphine Stay in Your System

A number of factors can influence the time it takes for morphine to clear the body system. These include:

  • age
  • weight
  • body fat content
  • metabolism
  • liver and kidney function
  • how long you’ve been taking morphine
  • if you’ve taken any type of opioid before
  • dosage
  • any medical condition you have
  • other medications you’re taking
  • alcohol

The effects of morphine are increased if you consume alcohol. It’ll take longer to clear morphine from your body. Combining alcohol with morphine can also lead to dangerous side effects, including the possibility of a fatal overdose.

Withdrawal symptoms

You shouldn’t stop taking morphine abruptly without consulting your doctor because of the possibility of having withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms occur when the body has become dependent on a drug. Dependence on morphine usually doesn’t occur until after several weeks of consistently taking the drug.

Dependence is different from addiction. In drug dependence, the body has become used to the presence of a drug, so if you stop taking that drug suddenly, you’ll experience predictable symptoms known as withdrawal.

Withdrawal symptoms include:

  • restlessness
  • irritability
  • yawning
  • lacrimation (abnormal or excessive secretion of tears)
  • sweating
  • anxiety
  • muscle spasms or twitching
  • back pain
  • diarrhea
  • widened pupils
  • inability to sleep (insomnia)
  • muscle cramps
  • vomiting
  • sweating
  • fast breathing
  • fast heartbeat
  • high blood pressure

Your doctor may want you to reduce the dosage over time to prevent withdrawal. This is called tapering. If you’ve been taking morphine for more than a couple weeks, it’s recommended that the dose is decreased gradually while your doctor monitors you carefully for the signs and symptoms of withdrawal.

Conclusion

Never take more than your prescribed dose of morphine, even if you feel that the medication isn’t working well. It’s possible to overdose on morphine. An overdose can be fatal. Seek emergency medical care if you experience any of the following symptoms of a morphine overdose:

  • slow, shallow breathing
  • flaccid muscles
  • cold and clammy skin
  • constricted pupils
  • unresponsiveness
  • extreme sleepiness
  • slow heart rate (bradycardia)
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • coma

Morphine is considered a powerful painkiller, and it’s highly addictive. Opioids such as morphine have led to many deaths due to overdose. It’s important to only take your prescribed dose of morphine and to do it under your doctor’s supervision.

If you decide to stop taking morphine, speak with your doctor. You may need to taper the dose in order to avoid having withdrawal symptoms.

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