“Does morphine have any serious side effects?”
I was given morphine at the hospital for some severe pain after a car accident, but now the area where the morphine was injected in is red and inflamed. Could this be a side effect from the morphine?
2 Answers
Morphine per se doesn't have any serious side effects in appropriate dosage but you seem to have developed thrombophlebitis which is inflammation of the vein, not necessarily due to morphine but due to injury of the vein due to the injection. treatment is ice and NSAIDS.
Yes, morphine can have multiple side effects. What you are describing is likely an infection of the injection site from your morphine. I would recommend seeing your primary care ASAP or go to urgent care for an evaluation. You may need an antibiotic. Typical morphine side effects include fatigue, constipation, nausea, and the worst being respiratory distress. If you have an allergy to morphine, it would usually present as a systemic allergy and not localized to the injection site.
