In January 2012 I injured my breastbone, or sternum, in a skiing accident in the Queyras natural park in the French Alps. I fell heavily on my side while moving at speed and several days later developed such severe pain in the centre of my chest that I was unable to sleep. I had to constantly seek positions – standing, leaning forward – just to take the edge off the pain. I waited a couple of days before seeking medical help, thinking that the pain might resolve naturally, but exhausted after a couple of almost entirely sleepless nights and constant pain I went along to the local doctor’s surgery. Since skiing accidents easily cause fractures, I wondered if I had actually fractured the sternum.
My doctor examined me and asked several questions about the skiing accident. How fast was I going when I hit the snow? Where did I take the impact of the accident? Did I feel injured straight away? Was it painful straight away? Did my torso and/or shoulders twist as I fell? He pressed on the tip of my sternum which caused an immediate searing pain. He then sent me for X-rays and, although the sternum was unbroken, the consultant diagnosed injury to the tip of the sternum and explained that it would take several weeks to heal. During that time, he told me I would need powerful pain relief. Injury to the sternum is well known to be very painful and the breastbone takes weeks to heal itself. If the sternum is fractured, it can usually heal itself over time unless of course the fracture is complex or the bone is shattered.
He prescribed poudre d’opium – powdered opium – to be taken in capsules 5 times a day. He prescribed a two week supply, telling me to consult my doctor if I needed further pain relief at the end of that period. The powdered opium contains anhydrous morphine, a strong opioid analgesic with euphoric effects when taken in large amounts. Since dosage and tolerance largely depend on the weight of an individual, it is easy to overdose on the drug and overdose can easily kill a patient or drug abuser.
Anhydrous Morphine also has the drawback that it impedes the functioning of the intestines. Use of the drug draws water out of the intestines, leading to consipation which can become severe.
The painkiller can also induce several unpleasant side effects: dizziness, somnolence, blurred vision, a feeling of nausea, vomiting, shaking, mood swings and an unusually rapid heart rate. Occasionally, patients or drug users taking anhydrous morphine will suffer an allergic reaction. In that case, they’re likely to develop an itchy rash, swelling, severe dizziness and breathing difficulties.
Anhydrous Morphine is also well known to be highly addictive. Both physical and psychological dependence can develop over a short period of treatment or abuse. The initial painkilling or euphoric effect will lessen rapidly with use, tempting patients or abusers to take ever greater amounts of the drug.
Once addicted, an addict will struggle with difficult symptoms when trying to give up. Those include severe depression and anxiety, sweating, nausea, cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, muscle spasms, mood swings, feelings of doom and insomnia. Cravings for the drug can be irresistible. Curing addiction to anhydrous morphine is best dealt with by doctors specialising in addiction and withdrawal. They will attempt to have the addict steadily reduce the doses he or she is taking and substitute an approved withdrawal medication to offest the worst of the withdrawal symptoms.
Having said all that – anhydrous morphine, used with caution and under medical supervision, is an invaluable analgesic. I was first given morphine as a painkiller years ago when suffering from meningitis. There could hardly be a greater contrast than the intensity of the pain and the almost immediate pain relief given by the injection. For several days I was spared the pain of the illness and inflammation as doctors got me through the worst of it on a cloud of medical morphine. When pain is unbearable, as in injury or severe illness such as cancer, opium products are invaluable.
Long-term use of the drug, even under medical supervision, will certainly lead to addiction. But controlled and short-term use carries little risk unless a patient has a particularly addictive personality. In that case, he or she may develop a psychological addiction in a short space of time.
I started my course of pain relief as soon as I possibly could. Tolerating the drug well, I experienced no unpleasant side-effects. Neither is there a sense of euphoria – apart from the pleasure of being pain free. I have experienced drowsiness and have decided not to drive while taking the medication. It’s also recommended that you don’t drink alcohol while taking anhydrous morphine. That’s not an absolute rule but the effects of alcohol will be enhanced so you certainly don’t want to take morphine, have a couple of glasses of wine and then drive anywhere. One of the great benefits of taking morphine as a painkiller for severe pain is that you can get a good night’s sleep once again. Since sleep is restorative and curative for the body, that effect in itself will have a strong effect on your health and well-being. If your body is trying to repair itself after injury or recover from a painful illness, sleep in essential. The analgesic effect of anhydrous morphine means your pain will be suppressed and you will get the sleep your body needs.
Sources:
http://www.drugs.com/ppa/opium-tincture-paregoric.html
http://www.morphineaddiction.com/m-side-effects.htm
