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?

What is the "true self" anyway? Everyone is a mixture of good and bad thoughts, what matters is how they actually behave (when they're not out of their mind on drugs of course!)

After my DF came out of surgery and high as a kite on morphine, anesthetic and other stuff he was convinced he was in a TV show and everyone were actors and/or aliens. It's very common that people become aggressive or think they see things or reality isn't reality. It will pass.

When I came around from anesthetic I was in tears and I couldn't quite understand anyone which made me more upset.

Your friend's brain was just trying to reboot.

😂 people can't even tell the truth when sober, what chances do they have while high on morphine ???

I'm assuming she said something unflattering towards you or somebody you commiserate with ?

if you think this was her true self, do as she said and fuck off

friends like you aren’t worth having

gosh if I behaved this way whilst on strong pain relief my family would tell me but it would be a joke as it would be with my friend.. remember that time you told me to fuck off, I’d reply with something like shame you didn’t and we’d all have a giggle

my family and friends would not make my darkest hour about them but I guess that’s because you can choose who have in your life and this quality you have would not be one I’d choose

PoV from an anaesthetist... it sounds like she may have a touch of postoperative delirium, which is relatively common after major surgery and due to a combo of medication and the physiological response to the stress of surgery. What she needs, rather than judgy friends, is time, sympathy and patience. It's pretty common for patients to remember how they've behaved whilst unwell and to be absolutely mortified without needing the additional burden of 'friends' reminding them just how unpleasant they were. HTH.

I have been in hospital on a morphine pump and this was definitely not my experience. I mostly just wanted to nap.

BUT I saw a lot of people come and go on the ward in my time there and you would be amazed at the number of them that were detoxing from alcohol while also being treated for some traumatic injury or recovering from surgery for something seemingly unrelated. It was a fairly high dependency ward and I was right next to the nurses desk where they sat and monitored us, so I overheard a lot.

People who are detoxing (recovering alcoholic here) often lash out exactly as you describe, can have hallucinations, etc and it may not be something that’s obviously until they are post-op as most people will lie about their alcohol consumption in pre-op assessment. Obviously, that is not saying this is the case with your friend, but it’s a possibility. Anyway, I wouldn’t assume anything she said she meant. She clearly wasn’t feeling herself regardless of the cause.

this

Still no effects
I’m a redhead so maybe that’s why? I wake up very quickly from general anaesthetic, my last one was 5 hours

Thanks for all the messages.

I accept how i have come across.
I wont say a word and will get over myself.

Empathy is needed here. Her family doesn't want to unnecessarily upset her, nor should you.

Family member told her mum that she should be put in a zoo for people to look at because she's nothing but an ugly animal.
She is a lovely woman lucky her mum new this was just a reaction to the drugs.
I also new a social worker that told the staff in hospital about the sex she had the night before she came in in great detail.
Her husband couldn't breathe for laughing.
She was so embarrassed when she had to go back for a check up.
And a team work that that went in to great detail about fixing her sons bike for his 3rd birthday.

My DD was completely paranoid, truely completely deranged. Angry, rude, accusing nurses if spying & theft…
They thought it was hugely funny they were used to certain drugs sending patients off on a trip to outer space
I bought them lots of goodies to make it up to them.
when DD left she apologized !

Every one is different and what is she on i guarantee you there are mumsnetters on here having regular codeine / tramadol/ MST for chronic pain. If she is post.op and is like this is it an acute infection

It’s nothing to do with you being a redhead. It’s simply a case of different drugs affecting different people in different ways. That’s normal. Some people get angry and confused on certain drugs, some don’t.

I, for example, was absolutely fine on morphine and have never had a bad reaction to a general anaesthetic.

By contrast, both of them make my poor mum extremely sick physically and morphine not only made her throw up constantly for 24 hours but also made her incredibly scared and anxious (she’s usually the least scared/anxious person ever!).

It’s like any other drug - some people get a ton of side effects, some don’t.

How do you know it’s nothing to do with being a redhead?

health.clevelandclinic.org/why-do-redheads-need-more-anesthesia

My dh woke up from surgery like a man possesed effing and blinding pulling at all his wires trying to get up and out of bed, they had to hold him down. I was in shock. It was not him at all rarely swears or behaves like that, once morphine and drugs wore off he was back to his normal self. I have been told my aunt reacts the exact same way and she is the sweetest gentles person you would ever meet

I was thinking this exact thing.

‘A very good friend of mine just underwent massive serious surgery’

give her a break then! Why would you feel the need to tell her to make her feel bad?

You visit a very sick friend who is in pain and yet you make it about yourself and your feelings. Grow up.

Redhead issues with anaesthetic and opiates are pretty well known! I always get asked by anaesthetist if my hair is natural. Usually prefer GA to local as I can’t be numbed properly
I get drugs affect people differently but it is a well known thing - I can take diazepam, morphine, dihydrocodeine, naproxen and paracetamol and none of it does anything at all