What is Morphine ?

If you don't work in the medical field or if you haven't undergone a medical procedure, you may only know morphine from what you've seen on TV shows like Grey's Anatomy. Morphine is made from poppy and is used in medicine as a powerful pain reliever.

Morphine is usually only used for situations where a patient has severe pain. Why the hesitation? Well, morphine can have some serious side effects and is highly addictive. Like the Civil War example above, morphine has a history of being abused since it was first invented.

How Does Morphine Work?

When you take morphine, it first has to make its way into your bloodstream. From there, it crosses the blood-brain barrier so it can attach itself to the opioid receptors in your brain. These receptors make you feel an intense euphoria and work to help your body block out pain.

As you continue to use morphine, your body becomes accustomed to that euphoric feeling and builds up a tolerance. As the effects of morphine wear off, you end up having to take more and more to get the same effect. While morphine is a Schedule II drug in the U.S. and has a variety of medical uses, it's still considered a dangerous drug that can lead to addiction.