

Morphine and other strong painkillers can even be taken for a long time. Morphine and other opioids are very safe and effective when prescribed and taken correctly. Some people worry that having morphine can make them die more quickly. Common worries about opioidsĪ lot of people worry about taking morphine or other opioids. They may be able to change the dose, try different medicines or help you to manage side effects. Don't stop taking your medicines suddenly or change the dose without talking to them. If you have side effects, talk to your doctor or nurse. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about specific side effects for your medicines. They can cause other side effects as well. We have listed some of the common side effects for each medicine in the table above. You might have one or more side effects, or you might not have any at all.

These are effects a drug has that are not what they're meant to do. Side effectsĪll medicines can cause side effects. This blocks the pain messages travelling from your spinal cord to your brain.īoth of these treatments are usually provided in hospital by specialist doctors and nurses. Spinal therapy is when medicines are injected into the fluid around your spinal cord. This stops them from detecting pain and sending messages to your brain, meaning you don't feel pain in that part of your body. Nerve blocks are when pain medicines, steroids or local anaesthetic (numbing medicine) are injected in your nerves. An anaesthetist might be able give you a nerve block or medicine into your spine. They are doctors who specialise in treating pain. Palliative care doctors work closely with anaesthetists. If your pain cannot be controlled by medicines, there are other options. They are different names for the same medicine. For example, ibuprofen is the generic name and Nurofen® and Brufen® are trade names. In the table above we have included the generic name for the drug is first with some of the common trade names in brackets. This helps to keep the pain under control between doses. It is better to take painkillers as often as your doctor prescribed, even if you're not experiencing pain at the time. Some people think they should wait until the pain is really bad before taking any painkillers. If your pain medicines are not listed here, ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist for more information. These are all signs of taking too much opioid. If you feel extremely drowsy, have jerking movements or find it hard to breath, contact your doctor or nurse.They can be taken for the first few days. Anti-emetic (anti-sickness) medicines can stop this. Nausea and vomiting. This usually wears off after a few days.Constipation – this can be eased by laxatives (which help someone go to the toilet).It's often used to treat breakthrough pain. Oramorph (oral morphine) is swallowed as a liquid.
Pain medicine take as needed skin#
