The Procedures to Buy Morphine in South Africa

Can I take Morphine without Doctor’s Prescription?

• Morphine is an opioid prescribed for strong pain when other pain-relief medicines have been ineffective or cannot be used.
• If you take morphine regularly, stopping suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms.
• Always take morphine exactly as prescribed by your doctor.
• If your pain is not well controlled by morphine, or you have any unexpected side effects, see your doctor.

What is Morphine Used For?

The benefits of being able to take morphine orally are many. It avoids additional pain and complications from injection like inflammation and infection. It’s easier to intake for patients who—emaciated by cancer or other diseases—have no safe or accessible injection sites on their bodies. It also helps to avoid gaps in pain relief caused by the length of time between home visits by nurses: Morphine is only effective for about four to six hours, but nurses usually can only visit twice a day.

What are the possible side effects of taking morphine?

All opioids, including morphine, can have side effects that include life-threatening breathing problems. The risk of these is higher:

• when first taking morphine
• after a dosage increase
• if you are older
• if you have an existing lung problem

Other side effects of morphine are similar to those of other opioids, and include:

• bradycardia (slow heart rate)
• drowsiness
• low blood pressure
• nausea, vomiting
• dilated or ‘pin-point’ pupils
• slow, shallow breathing