Let's take a minute to talk about your medication.

This is morphine. It is an opioid pain medicine. It treats moderate to severe pain. It starts working after 15 minutes, but full effects take about an hour.

You should take morphine EXACTLY as your doctor tells you to. Call your doctor if your dose does not control your pain.

Common side effects include nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Constipation can also occur. You may want to ask your doctor if you should take a laxative to avoid this. Other common side effects include having a headache and feeling tired or dizzy. You should wait until you know how it affects you before you do activities that require you to be alert, like driving. It's a good idea to stand up slowly to avoid becoming light-headed. If you have any of these symptoms and they are severe, you should call your doctor.

As with any medicine, more serious side effects can occur. With morphine, these include breathing problems, severe drowsiness, confusion and more. These symptoms need emergency medical help. To help keep this medicine safe for you, you should use the lowest dose for the shortest time possible.

Morphine can have severe drug interactions. You should check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking ANY other medicines. You should never take other opioids or benzodiazepines, and never drink alcohol.

This medicine is controlled by federal law. It can put you at risk for addiction, abuse, misuse, overdose, and death. It can be dangerous to others, so store it in a safe place. After you stop taking it you should dispose of it properly. Ask your pharmacist about proper disposal options in your area or go to the FDA.gov website for more information. 

Morphine can be harmful to babies. Women must talk to their doctors before taking this medicine during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

For best results with morphine, it is very important to read the Medication Guide for full information.