Despite the misgivings that exist among the general population, morphine and its derivatives are powerful analgesics that are very useful for different types of pain, as Dr. Marcos Lama Gay, a family doctor at the Center, explains in this video. of Health of Isaba (Navarra) and member of the Board of Directors of the Navarre Society of Palliative Care (PALIAN).
In it, this specialist refers to two false beliefs about morphine: what creates addiction and that your employment is indicated only in terminally ill patients. “Morphine and its derivatives do not create addiction if used correctly. During the treatment you must make dose adjustmentsquite frequently throughout the process, to effectively control the pain, and always under the indication of the doctor or nurse”says Dr Lama, noting also that “It is not true that they are only used in terminal patients, since these drugs they are very good analgesics for cancer and chronic painsuch as bone pain caused by osteoarthritis”.
In this video, which is part of a health education campaign being carried out by the in collaboration with various scientific societies, Dr. Lama also talks about the side effects of morphine and its derivatives, which are mainly three: constipation, nausea and vomiting, and drowsiness. Most are transitory and, when required, drugs are used to alleviate them.
“To avoid the constipation, morphine always has to be accompanied by laxatives that provide water to the intestine; the nausea and vomiting they are less frequent and can also be alleviated with drugs (Primperán); and the drowsiness It is a transitory sensation and, in cases where it is more accentuated, it can also be counteracted with medication”. It also stresses that morphine and its derivatives, as is commonly believed among the population, and also among professionals, “they are not drugs that are used as sedatives, they are indicated for manage pain and shortness of breath”.
Finally, Dr. Marcos Lama Gay addresses the different types of pain and how each of them can be controlled. “There are three types of pain: somatic (there is a good chance that it can be controlled), neuropathic (It is produced by damage to the nervous system and is more difficult to control one hundred percent), and a third type of pain that combine the two above. We have to be honest and tell our patients with neuropathic pain that we are going to try to reduce it so that it becomes a nuisance, but that we will not be able to eliminate it completely”.