Patient/caregiver was educated on precautions to be exercised while taking morphine as follows:
- Morphine use, while exerting depressive effect on the brain and central nervous system, carries the risk of depressing the vasomotor center in the brain that helps with regulating blood pressure and normal body homeostasis. Depression of this center can lead to hypotension, low heart rate, episodes of confusion and dizziness, thus increasing the risk for fall and accidents. Extreme cases can lead to profound sedation and coma. Lowered heart rate with morphine use carries the risk of causing and/or aggravating altered cardiac rhythm, leading to severe debility and death. Morphine should be administered with extreme caution in individuals with history of hypotension and bradycardia, as the risk for these side-effects can increase significantly with intake of morphine. Observe compliance with every day blood pressure and heart rate readings. Closely follow for episodes of chest pain, slow/rapid ineffective heartbeat, palpitations, dizziness, and exacerbated shortness of breath and report these findings immediately to your physician, to facilitate an appropriate change in your plan of care.
- Do not take morphine with alcohol. Both alcohol and morphine can cause dizziness and depress the respirations. When taken together, their effects on the brain and respirations can get added up and lead to severe dizziness and respiratory depression and can even be fatal. Also, this can increase your risk of liver damage, as morphine with alcohol is a dangerous combination for the liver.
