Morphine and Tiredness: What Users Say

• Big...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 3, 2013

Morphine for Pain "I experienced a slipped disc years ago, and after a few injections, I was still in pain. I was then treated with physical therapy, tramadol, OxyContin, and finally morphine. The MS Contin was a godsend! I take 2 60mg MS Contins a day, with 4 15mg instant release for breakthrough pain. Although I only get 8-9 hours of relief from a 12-hour pill, I feel 3 times a day for MS Contin would keep my levels more steady. But my doctor is reluctant to increase it. Sometimes I feel a little tired, but the quality of my life has improved dramatically without the high drugged feeling and mood swings of other opiates."

• Jew...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 17, 2014

Morphine for Chronic Pain "Morphine Sulfate ER 15 mg. I have been using this for approximately 6 months. I find that many of the side effects listed have become apparent to me. I do experience shakiness, constipation, elevated liver enzymes, difficulty urinating, uncontrollable sleepiness, blurred vision, sensitivity to bright lights at nighttime, including some indoor lighting. In addition, I suffer from stomach pain, feel lethargic at times, memory loss, lack of desire to socialize, depression, and other minor events that I did not have prior to taking morphine."

• Aur...
• May 14, 2017

Morphine for Pain "I am retired, but still read and do many other activities. I was taking MS Contin 30 mg 3x and Oxycodone IR 10 mg 4x per day. I stopped reading and crocheting. I stopped watching my favorite programs. I never knew when I was going to fall asleep. I became hostile, angry, depressed, paranoid, and had substantial memory loss. I stopped talking to people and was tired all the time. I didn't connect it to my pain medication because I have numerous chronic illnesses. Last year, my doctor suggested a change to OxyContin, but I was afraid. A month ago, I started taking Oxycodone IR 10 mg four times a day and Xtampza 18 mg three times per day. I wish I had done it sooner. I have eaten a good meal with the Xtampza, but I am awake, and my real personality is back. My energy is up."

• Per...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 29, 2022

Morphine for Chronic Pain "I take 15 mg four times a day of immediate-release morphine. The doctor tried several pain medications, but morphine is the only one that worked for me. I always felt like I was almost there in controlling my pain, but not quite. When the doctor put me on morphine, I couldn't believe how much better I felt, and I'm not tired or groggy at all. I can function really well, and I'm so thankful that my pain management doctor put me on morphine. I did want to mention one thing: it seems to start wearing off about 3 hours after you take your immediate-release pill. So sometimes you have to take another pill a little bit earlier, but the doctor said that would be OK as long as I don't go over the amount of pills I'm allotted for the day."

• Anonymous
• March 1, 2011

Morphine for Pain "MS Contin was good at relieving pain, not as strong as Oxycontin, which I was used to. They are different, and I read in a 2007 Physician's Desk Reference guide that they are 45-55% or more absorbed by the human body, where Oxycodone was 60-85% absorbed in the human body. Also, it made me more tired than Oxycodone. Secondly, though both medications made me tired, it seemed like the MS Contin made me more tired and lethargic than Oxycontin."

• Anonymous
• March 1, 2011

Morphine for Pain "MS Contin was good at relieving pain, not as strong as Oxycontin, which I was used to. They are different, and I read in a 2007 Physician's Desk Reference guide that they are 45-55% or more absorbed by the human body, where Oxycodone was 60-85% absorbed in the human body. Also, it made me more tired than Oxycodone. Secondly, though both medications made me tired, it seemed like the MS Contin made me more tired and lethargic than Oxycontin."

• Pil...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 27, 2018

For Pain "I've tried almost everything, and a low dose of morphine pills and injectables was only slightly better than a sugar pill. 4 mg IV and 15 mg in a pill every 4 hrs wasn't useless, but after a few years, I couldn't tell if I hadn't taken it without the withdrawal cramps, yawns, and teary eyes. Fentanyl patches were like 20x stronger, and I thought better until I wore it in a dry sauna. Good thing I wasn't alone, or I might not be alive. I find a little soma, Valium, and methadone to be best. I just make sure I don't take the other 2 within a couple hrs of the methadone. When it gets worse or flares up, a couple Perc 5s with Tylenol help almost as much as a massage and stretches. For sprains, it's all about ibuprofen and heat and ice for me. Jacuzzi baths and stretching help more than pills seem to most often. Methadone I know has possibly the worst detox, though."

• Day...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 2, 2015

Morphine for Chronic Pain "I took this before when I had open heart. Worked very well. Now I have just finished my fifth hip surgery and the Vic's five a day don't help much. This 15 mg makes me really tired."