MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Morphine overdose

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Morphine overdose

Contents of this page:
Definition Poisonous Ingredient Where Found Symptoms Home Care	Before Calling Emergency Poison Control What to Expect at the Emergency Room Outlook (Prognosis)

Definition

Morphine is a very strong painkiller. Morphine overdose occurs when a person intentionally or accidentally takes too much of the medicine.

Poisonous Ingredient

Morphine sulfate

Where Found

Morphine
M S Contin
Roxanol
Astramorph

Note: This list may not be all-inclusive.

Symptoms

Eyes, ears, nose, and throat
- Pinpoint pupils
Gastrointestinal system
- Spasms of the stomach or intestinal tract
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Constipation
Heart and blood vessels
- Weak pulse
- Low blood pressure
Nervous system
- Drowsiness
- Coma
- Possible seizures
Respiratory system
- Difficulty breathing
- Slow and labored breathing
- Shallow breathing
- No breathing temporarily
Skin
- Bluish-colored fingernails and lips

Home Care

Seek immediate medical help. DO NOT make a person throw up unless told to do so by Poison Control or a health care professional. Perform mouth-to-mouth breathing if the person stops breathing.

Before Calling Emergency

Determine the following information:

The patient's age, weight, and condition
The name of the product (ingredients and strengths if known)
The time it was swallowed
The amount swallowed
If the medication was prescribed for the patient

Poison Control

The National Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222) can be called from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.

This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the United States use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible.

See: National Poison Control center

What to Expect at the Emergency Room

The health care provider will measure and monitor the patient's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. Symptoms will be treated as appropriate. The health care team will closely monitor the person's breathing. The patient may receive:

Activated charcoal
Fluids by IV
Gastric lavage
Laxative
Medicine (antidote) to reverse the effect of the poison -- multiple doses may be needed

Outlook (Prognosis)

A large overdose can cause breathing to stop and death if the person does not get medical attention or an antidote right away.

Update Date: 4/19/2007

Updated by: Eric Perez, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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