Do people tell the truth when they are on morphine?

[Firefly45]

A very good friend of mine just underwent massive serious surgery. I went to see her a few days later (she asked for me).

A family member warned me she was not herself because of the morphine and the nurse also told me lots of people turn bad tempered with the morphine.

My friend was horrible! Swearing, rude, aggressive, rude to nurses and told me several times to fuck off. It was shocking and scary and very unpleasant. I left because I'm not being spoken to like that and also thought maybe me being there was making it worse.

Ive been texting family but not been back yet. Family said she is now much more normal but still very poorly and in pain. She isn't being nasty now.

Family said they don't want her to know how horrible she was being and she has no recollection of it.

I feel really offended and shocked and hurt and like was this her true self?

Ive seen and been with other loved ones and never seen anyone I love turn nasty like this.
I feel selfish feeling shaken up and hurt by her. I also want to tell her when she's better what happened but obviously family have now told me not to?

Anyone any experience like this?

My quiet, gentle uncle screamed at a nurse that he was going to come back with his 303 and blow her effing head off as he though she was a Soviet spy. First time anyone in our family had heard him raise his voice or swear.

My MIL refused to accept my DH was her son and kept calling the nurses and stage whispering that they needed to remove the imposter in the fat suit who was pretending to be her son.

You had an explanation rom the clinical staff.
You had an explanation from the family
You know this was a side-effect of the injury, anaesthetic and analgesia. It wasn't some spy movie 'truth drug'
Yet you still have made her trauma and the effect the treatment had upon her, about you
That's quite some feat, @Firefly45

My husband reacts badly to morphine and gets very agitated and aggressive and he's a very gentle person. Sedation drugs drive me loopy and I get super aggressive . It's just how the drug affects the person's brain , I wouldn't take it personally

OP. When I was given morphine in hospital, amongst other things I thought that DH had been replaced by someone else. The first time he came to visit me I apparently was far from polite. He soon learnt to introduce himself and tell me exactly who he was in relation to me because I would forget otherwise and then get verbally abusive towards him. I don't remember this.
Then there was also the tellytubby sex incident. As in I saw tellytubbies. In my hospital room. And in my addled state I thought I'd tell my mother about. In graphic detail. Again, I don't remember this.

Quite frankly it's a miracle she even remembered who you were. She is very unlikely to remember what she said to you and even if she does she'll almost certainly be completely horrified. If she's that dear a friend, don't make this all about you. Please listen to her family, move on from it and the next time you see her just say something like 'you weren't yourself from all the meds'

When I was on morphine I thought we was contestants on a tv game show and the nurses were part of the task.

OP, morphine changes people's perception of reality. Them swearing at you isn't the real them.

For goodness sake you were told by both the medical staff and her family that she wasn't herself due to the medication she is on and you've still turned it against her. Do you actually like your friend? Perhaps consider showing her some grace and being concerned about her rather than making it all about you?

Apparently I shouted at the nurse after I had major surgery. I have no recollection of doing it but I was mortified when I was told. Have some compassion.

Apparently after I woke up from being intubated the nurse asked me some questions to test my orientation, and I got super offended and said,

"I do know how to read you know, I have a PhD".

Absolutely mortifying. The nurse laughed out loud but I'm cringing right now remembering this. I have never, ever in my life said anything like this under normal circumstances.

You’re making it all about you.

This can be normal. She would be mortified I imagine.

It's not a truth serum. I thought I could fly when I was on morphine and I am not secretly Superman.

Of course not. They’re literally drugged out of their mind. My aunt told me that the doctor kept asking her for a blowie, she’s very prim and proper and I’m shocked she’d even heard the word

First thing I asked the recovery room nurse as I came round was did I swear? I didn’t try to hit anyone did I? I know how badly I’ve reacted to medication and sedation in the past.
Thankfully I hadn’t done either.

I’ve had every side effect from projectile vomiting to face swelling up like a pumpkin to seeing people in fancy dress walk across the room.

Just sending you a hug. Hope you got some sleep.

Post Operative Psychosis is an acute condition thought to be triggered by the anaesthetic and surgery, as well as morphine. It's actually very common.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16751164/

Thanks, got a couple of hours. Mums still with us, no longer communicating. Just wish this was over

Op the nurse had informed you lots of people turn bad tempered on Morphine and your still here asking about it! Wow! You sound incredibly over sensitive.Even if your friend was awful she wasn’t well.

This is not about u. U were upset yes. It was unintentional and sounds like involuntary on her part. Let it go and fo as family wishes

I was nursing over 40 years, I remember a nun, screaming that she had just given birth when I was taking her back to the ward following surgery.. she was swearing..it'd not your "real self", anaesthetic and drugs,do weird things to people.

I would question how much of a friend you are to this person if you're prepared to hold their lowest moment against them.
You should know her true self, it's the person you know. Do you really think she masks being nasty 24/7? You really don't think much of her in that case then do you?

I’m sorry I know I shouldn’t laugh but this made me absolutely howl!

It’s really normal and no you should definitely not hold your friend accountable for this, she genuinely couldn’t have helped it at all and is highly unlikely to remember.

Jeez you were told by her family and a medical professional the meds were making her act strangely. She was really unwell. I really think she deserves to be cut some slack and you cannot be holding her to account over it! Is there something else - did she somehow say something that really touched a nerve?

Oh, I remember years ago I had my gall bladder and appendix removed, I could see polar bears coming at me with their teeth bared dripping saliva and then my late father doing the same, common sense told me they weren't real, and a CS,my DD was climbing out of her cot, trying to suffocate me with a pillow. In both instances, I was pulling, trying to get away,it really hurt, after major surgery and I had drips and lines in all over the shop.The first was morphine the second just the anaesthetic.

Omg me too. Hilarious 😆

oh no worries, it's an excellent family story now haha 😂