MORPHINE: SIDE EFFECTS-DRIVING, NARCOSIS
There is considerable variation in these effects between individual patients. The common side effects in practice are constipation, sedation and nausea.
Driving-Morphine therapy need not necessarily be a contraindication to driving a car. Many patients with advanced cancer are too weak or ill to consider driving, but for others the ability to drive a car constitutes an important part of their personal and social lives. Patients on a stable dose of morphine, without other medical contraindications to driving, may be capable of driving safely. They should be encouraged to assess their ability before venturing on to the open road by having a 'test drive1 in quiet surroundings, with someone else in the car, to check they are sufficiently strong and alert, and can react quickly enough, to control the vehicle safely. Patients with advanced cancer who are able to drive safely despite taking morphine should nevertheless be advised to avoid heavy traffic and long journeys.
Narcosis-Severe sedation or narcosis, with loss of consciousness and respiratory depression, can occur if the dose prescribed is too large or if the patient takes an intentional overdose; the latter is likely to be more severe. The risk factors for narcosis are the same as listed above for sedation.
The minimum effective dose of naloxone should be used, the aim being to improve respiratory function without reversing analgesia.
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Pain Relief/Muscle Relaxers