Morphine doesn't do anything for me....

[Coldemort]

I've been given liquid morphine for short term pain relief after surgery. And..... nothing. Paracetamol is doing a better job of pain relief. I'm not even getting the much anticipated nice wooziness.

Is morphine immunity a thing? I've been googling and although theres lots about building up tolerance I cant find anything regarding it just not doing anything.

Interesting topic, I’ve often wondered about this myself. I’ve been given morphine a couple of times in hospital settings (suspected appendicitis) and it barely took the edge off the pain and I didn’t feel high or anything like that at all and wondered if it was just me or some type of generic disposition.

Gas and air on the other hand got me so high I would have a third baby to get another hour or so on the stuff. I didn’t find out what I was having with either of my kids and when my youngest was born the midwife handed her to me so I could see if she was a boy or girl. I was so high by then that I had no idea what I was looking at, my husband had to tell me!

I'm also autistic and have increased resistance to anaesthetic- though that's supposed to be linked to my EDS rather than my autism (though again, those two things seem to be linked)

That's interesting. He does not have EDS but his anaesthetist definitely was of the opinion that it was the result of his autism and apparently, it's not uncommon at all.

Interesting. Especially re OP's high pain threshold. I am similar. I had morphine and then diclofenac for both cs's. Worked a treat!

A family member experiences absolutely no effect with opioids either. And it takes about five times as much anaesthetic at the dentist. They were on oramorph and tramadol post-op, and remained in abject pain throughout their recovery.

Codine is a pro drug. When metabolised, it becomes morphine.. if you don't have the right enzymes, it won't work.. if you have too much enzyme, may work too much.

I've had morphine in various forms and it does absolutely fuck all for me.

When I had appendicitis, after a few goes on morphine they tried a paracetamol drip. I didn't think that would do anything but it was very very effective.

All it does for me is make me violently sick followed by an all over itching.
I'm not a redhead.

Like Gruntbaby, I need shed loads of anaesthesia at the dentist. It just seems to bounce off me.

OP raises a v interesting question on how they relieve pain effectively for end of life care for people who are resistant to morphine? Is there an alternative, or do they use much higher doses?

I hate the thought of people not being made comfortable

10mg oral is a small dose.

We give 30mg oral post op.

OP raises a v interesting question on how they relieve pain effectively for end of life care for people who are resistant to morphine? Is there an alternative, or do they use much higher doses?

They can use ketamine in such cases. My daughter had cancer and morphine worked the first couple of times but then started to have little effect and it this point they introduced ketamine which had analgesic effect for her. It can be used in conjunction with morphine as well.

Morphine and Paracetamol together work miracles! I have had 2 hip replacements due to arthritis. When I was writhing in pain on my morphine drip the nurse told me i could have Paracetamol also via drip. I was like? A few minutes later. Ahhh! Bliss. It is one of those combinations that just works

DD2 has EDS and it causes her almost constant pain. Opioids don't help much and make her feel terrible but cannabis does work so she uses that instead. I'm totally in favour of her using cannabis to relieve her pain, her mother is in two minds.

@TheChosenTwo and @BeyondFlubeInclusionaryRF

I have had severe back problems over the past years or so...when it goes in to spasm it needs a good dose of diazepam along with analgesics and anti inflammatories...but it is almost impossible to get diazepam these days. I have a small stash from a spasm I had in 2010 that I had to use recently. Clearly, if I have some from 2910 I am not addicted but they just won't give it anymore. It is frustrating.

I've just had a hemicolectomy. I hate morphine. When I wake up, I don't recognise where I am. Once I thought the ceiling was covered in my bedroom carpet, so the room was upside down - this was in hospital. Then, every time I closed my eyes, I had a photographic afterimage of whatever I'd been looking at. If I'd been reading, it was so clear, I could read the page again. If I'd been looking at the wall, I'd see the wall - but if I stared at it, it turned into a tree with tropical birds, hopping from branch to branch.

After previous abdominal surgery in a different hospital, they only used paracetamol and ibuprofen - and it was all that I needed. They worked much better for me than morphine as analgesics. I don't think it deadened the pain, just made me hallucinate and a bit paranoid. I thought the night-shift were taking it in turns to go off and have a kip and fiddling my oxygen sats. Still not sure about that.

If I have to have more surgery, I'm going to ask for a consult with an expert. I can't go through all that again. I thought I was losing my mind.

I didn't realise that morphine didn't work on some people-I really thought it was just me until I read this thread!
I was in hospital a few years ago for gallstones, they gave me tramadol-it didn't work, morphine didn't work-they kept upping the dosage and then eventually started paracetamol drip along side It.
My god the worst pain I have ever experienced and would not wish on my worst enemy.
I told by the doctors, if my pain got any worse, they would put me in a medically induced coma. Still to this day, Im convinced that couldn't have actually been a serious option!

Me too! I had a really painful surgery recently and they gave me Tramadol & morphine by drip - the first time I've had either. The tramadol was pleasant and seemed to work well with the paracetamol. The morphine felt horrible going in, like anaesthetic, and although it made me a bit drowsy I think I fought it because it felt odd. Did nothing for pain relief really. I refused it after my caesarean a few weeks ago.

I agree that paracetamol by drip is surprisingly good! A doctor told me that opiates work differently to paracetamol et al because they don't affect the actual pain, only your perception of the pain. So I guess if you're resistant then any pain relief will be modest.

I once represented a defendant who was a morphine addict (described as this by doctor and various local hospitals) ‘drug seeking’ etc. We had a long hearing to exclude a confession which he said was made in a period of withdrawing and requiring morphine for a condition (and therefore unreliable and inadmissible at trial). Called medical expert evidence on both sides. This was my first understanding of morphine and other opiate ‘resistance’/reduced effectiveness and genetic links.

What a shame op - my experience of morphine has been frighteningly wonderful - 9 or 19 scale pain disappeared and was replaced with euphoric high. I understood in that moment a little of my opiate addicted clients situation and it made me extremely wary of opiate use other than when absolutely necessary.

Hope you find some other pain relief. Support.

Redeyetonowheregood - I found doctors post above you solved it in the end!

Opiates do not work on me. Tramadol just gives me nightmares and oramorph and IV morphine do absolutely nothing. This became apparent when I came round from open gallbladder surgery and I was given the maximum dose of morphine (anaethestist said I was in danger of respiratory arrest if I had any more). I was given ketamine instead, which worked for pain but gave me quite unpleasant hallucinations and memory loss. Subsequently, I am terrified of ever needing surgery requiring pain relief.

Can I ask then, is there a link between the opiate 'high' and good pain relief?

Because I don't get that high feeling. I get a horrible dopey feeling and no pain relief at all.
As in - it doesn't touch the sides.

Not necessarily Dont...I get high/weird side effects with Tramadol but it doesn’t give me much in the way of pain relief!

Thanks. I didn't think so.
Until this thread I had no idea opioids didn't work on some peoe

I may be asking a question that has already been answered: I’ve had tramadol and it did nothing for the pain but gave me horrendous nightmares / hallucinations etc. Oramorph, however, works brilliantly. How is this possible?

Tramadol has an SNRI element as well, it could be that you didnt get on with Down