Patient/caregiver was educated on the side-effects of using Morphine as follows:
General allergic reactions
- Morphine use can result in general allergic reactions, such as, skin rashes, hives, and itching.
- Some patients can present with symptoms of severe allergic and anaphylactic response with morphine, such as, difficulty breathing, swelling of face, lips, throat, and tongue, with consequent difficulty breathing. Seek emergency medical help for such findings, especially with difficulty breathing, for any appropriate measures to be considered.
Respiratory side-effects
- Morphine use, while exerting depressive effect on the brain and central nervous system, can also cause depression of the respiratory center in the brain. This induces slowing down of respirations and the breathing pattern can become irregular. This can result in reduced gas exchange with elevated carbon-di-oxide and reduced oxygen levels in the body. Low oxygen levels in the body with elevated carbon-di-oxide levels can contribute to altered levels of consciousness, sedation, severely compromised endurance and exercise tolerance, extreme fatigue, and development of seizures.
