[neilep (OP)]

Dear Morphinologists,

See these Morphine tabs ?

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They don't look so hot to me !!



I've recently heard that Morphine either warms the blood or makes you feel like ewe have warm blood !!.....Is there any truth to this ?...and if so...why so ?


Thanks

hugs and shmishes

neil
xxxxxxx

[chris]

Hello Neil

I think you are referring to the warm sensation that patients and addicts experience (initially) when morphine is administered.

Part of the high craved by addicts is the intensely pleasurable rush and a deeply relaxed, soft, cushioned and warm feeling as the drug goes into circulation. This is not because body temperature suddenly changes but instead is down to the drug altering the way the nervous system interprets and processes sensory information.

Opioids mimic and exploit the body's own natural painkilling chemicals callled endorphins. These are wired up to relax you after exercise, to enable you to ignore pain when it makes the difference between life and death, and even to let you die quietly and painlessly.

But when you take morphine you are essentialy supercharging these neurological circuits, so their effects are exaggerated, including the warm feeling.

Unfortunately other side effects are also exaggerated meaning that most drug users vomit when they use heroin (chemically similar to morphine), and also become chronically constipated; at last until such time as they can't get a fix at which point they develop profuse diarrhoea.

What a sophisticated and sexy habit they have...

[JimBob]

Nigel - I mean Neil - I have never experienced this sensation. Part of having no ankles remaining and walking on the bones as they broke after being frozen in place when in coma, has come a tad bit of pain. I have never felt "warm" as a result of morphine I have taken for this pain, not even when I was taking 60 mg every 4 hours for many long years until I learned enough mind control to ignore most of the pain.   

when pain enters the equation, most of the textbook stuff about opioids goes out the window. And there are many different opioids. Heroin in never administered as heroin. Other opiod derivatives are used instead. Morphine is used if a strong opiate is needed and if this doesn't work, then diamorphine, oxycodone or Fentanyl is used. For very bad pain hydromorphone is given. Fentanyl doesn't phase me. No pain relief. It is just a difference in body chemistry among patients.

This illustrates another item to consider about opiods - each person reacts differently to the same drug. Thee are no hard and fast rules.

I am waiting for the next generation of pain killers to be improved. The one that has, to the best of my understanding, had the most work done an possibly the best results is the pain killer derived from gastropod venom. Cone shell toxin. It is administered by way of a constant blood-level pump, exactly like ones used insulin delivery to sever diabetics. The emotional side-effects from this are what are scaring me off of trying this at present. A person being treated by my doctor was on it and felt wonderful physically but decided to discontinued because of the emotional problems the drug cause - she didn't elaborate. It is available here in the US but on a limited basis. I believe it is less limited in Europe.

See http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/772/

[Make it Lady]

Strong painkillers always make me jump, especially in my sleep. This is not so good when sudden movement induces more pain, so I'd like to add why does this happen?

[JimBob]

Prialt is the name of the drug approved for patient use here in the US - it isn't in trial stage - it is available at a pharmacy.

I does have a black box warning - "This drug should not be use if there is a prior history of psychosis."

[JimBob]

Strong painkillers always make me jump, especially in my sleep. This is not so good when sudden movement induces more pain, so I'd like to add why does this happen?

I would suspect it is because of the short-circuiting of the nervous system. Not all reactions need go through all the way to the brain. There are - especially when the central nervous system is suppressed - ganglia that will take over reaction function. I am now tottering along on my cane and taking a drug called Tramadol here in the states - as effective as morphine but not as mind-numbing - so I have less leg thrashing at night as Tramadol works differently than other opioids. I wake up and the bed clothes are not all over the place.

[chris]

Heroin in never administered as heroin. Other opiod derivatives are used instead. Morphine is used if a strong opiate is needed and if this doesn't work, then diamorphine, is used

Jim Bob - diamorphine IS heroin! It's acetylated morphine which is deacetylated in the body to morphine, which is the functional molecule.

You may not be experiencing the warm sensation because, as a seasoned user, you have habituated (tolerised) to many of the effects.

Chris

[another_someone]

Had previously heard about the cone shell toxin, but had not realised that it was so well advanced.

On the other hand, I do think there may be a mistype in the article:

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/772/

These creatures developed just after the death of the dinosaurs and in the 500 million years since

[another_someone]

You may not be experiencing the warm sensation because, as a seasoned user, you have habituated (tolerised) to many of the effects.

Thankfully, I have not has cause to find out from personal experience; but I have heard from other users of opiates that the emotional side effects (the highs, etc.) are not apparent when used to counteract pain, because the effects of the pain itself offsets any emotional high from the opiate.

[JimBob]

Had previously heard about the cone shell toxin, but had not realised that it was so well advanced.

On the other hand, I do think there may be a mistype in the article:

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/772/

These creatures developed just after the death of the dinosaurs and in the 500 million years since

There is an extra zero in there - 50 million is more like it.

[JimBob]

You may not be experiencing the warm sensation because, as a seasoned user, you have habituated (tolerised) to many of the effects.

Thankfully, I have not has cause to find out from personal experience; but I have heard from other users of opiates that the emotional side effects (the highs, etc.) are not apparent when used to counteract pain, because the effects of the pain itself offsets any emotional high from the opiate.

Yes, that is what Chris just said in what you quoted.

[Karen W.]

Hello Neil

I think you are referring to the warm sensation that patients and addicts experience (initially) when morphine is administered.

Part of the high craved by addicts is the intensely pleasurable rush and a deeply relaxed, soft, cushioned and warm feeling as the drug goes into circulation. This is not because body temperature suddenly changes but instead is down to the drug altering the way the nervous system interprets and processes sensory information.

Opioids mimic and exploit the body's own natural painkilling chemicals callled endorphins. These are wired up to relax you after exercise, to enable you to ignore pain when it makes the difference between life and death, and even to let you die quietly and painlessly.

But when you take morphine you are essentialy supercharging these neurological circuits, so their effects are exaggerated, including the warm feeling.

Unfortunately other side effects are also exaggerated meaning that most drug users vomit when they use heroin (chemically similar to morphine), and also become chronically constipated; at last until such time as they can't get a fix at which point they develop profuse diarrhoea.

What a sophisticated and sexy habit they have...

OOOH Yuck that sounds terrible...  I have trouble with many painkillers as I am not used to using them  especially any stronger then an Inuoprophen.. 6oo mg.


My mom was on liquid morphine for quite awhile when she was dying.. pretty strong stuff.. but really helped her stay comfortable while in such extreme pain with the cancer!