by Holly Norgard
Ever wonder why on your favorite medical TV show the patient is clearly in pain but the doctor says the dreaded words that he is already ‘maxed out’ on his morphine? While morphine is a type of chemical endorphin (a natural, opiate-like neurotransmitter linked to pain control and pleasure), it can end up harming a patient if too high a level is given (Myers, 2007). (In House, Dr. Gregory House actually gives a patient a prescription for more pain medication after he is maxed out, but that most likely has to do with the fact he simply wanted to get the patient’s father out of the room).
So what’s the big deal- why is only a certain level of morphine acceptable? Well, the fact is that the body has its own natural chemicals to lessen pain- the endorphins mentioned above. If too many artificial opiates enter a person’s body, then it’s possible the brain will stop producing its own natural opiates. (Of course, if a person had constant access to drugs such as morphine and heroin, which side affects include a “euphoric feeling” (http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov), this lack of natural opiates wouldn’t be so upsetting, but of course in reality, this just isn’t the case). To put it in other words, the body becomes jealous and hurt if its natural chemicals are replaced by artificial ones, so it thinks its production is no longer needed. Thus, for heroin addicts in withdraw who have succeeded in suppressing their body’s opiates, the discomfort they feel lasts until the body can start producing its own opiates again.
Hopefully your doctor- unlike Doctor House- will not administer more pain medication than your body can handle or else you may experience the same side effects heroin addicts in withdraw do: restlessness, muscle and bone pain, and vomiting- just to name a few. And besides, it just wouldn’t be nice to your endorphins.
Reference
Myers, D. G. (2007) Psychology in Modules (8th ed.). New York: Worth.
Besides stopping the brain from producing its own natural opiates (endorphins), another side effect of the use of morphine as a painkiller is that it causes the patient to become overly dependent on it, requiring increasing amounts of them for pain relief.
Recently, scientists have achieved a breakthrough in discovering the cause of morphine dependency. (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080128152320.htm) In a nutshell, receptors on the surface of neurons regulate the intake of endorphin, naturally withdrawing from the cell surface (endocytosis); however, when these neurons encounter morphine, the vital control mechanism is missing and the receptors do not withdraw. This leads to the nervous system becoming more tolerant of the drug morphine. They tested using genetically modified mice, whose receptors have been altered to undergo endocytosis despite encountering morphine, and found that this particular cellular change blocks the body’s tendency to become tolerant of morphine.
Perhaps, with further development, there will be a way of eliminating the withdrawal symptoms that heroin addicts have due to their dependency on the drug.
Comment by Charmaine Chong — February 6, 2008 @ 6:57 pm
There is no doubt that an excess of morphine is highly dangerous. Morphine provides outside relief, binding to cell receptors, convincing the body that the production of natural opiates is no longer necessary. Morphine addicts face withdrawal symptoms that will not stop until morphine is out of their system and their body can begin producing its own natural opiates again. But what about those in critical condition or dying from a terminal disease? Would it be more humane to expose them to an excess of morphine and the addictive affects that come with it, or would it be better to let them suffer a painful death? Around the world people with, for example, cancer and AIDS suffer from severe, relentless pain. In Africa, a doctor commented that he witnessed a patient in so much pain that the patient threw himself in front of a truck to meet his death.
Comment by Samantha Jones — February 7, 2008 @ 6:14 pm
Other than the fact that I watch more Heroes than House, I find it interesting how the body sometimes stops certain functions when an environmental stimuli, such as drugs, is introduced to the body. But why would the body inhibit it’s production of endorphins? Is it because the signals more drugs such as heroine or morphine are stronger? And what happens to people who do not produce adequate amounts of endorphin, or too much? Do they have different “tolerance” to drugs such as morphine or heroine? One thing I got out of the article is that the brain, or body in general, is a sensative mechanism: stress one tiny part and the entire organism reacts. I guess there is a difference between a natural high and getting high (in the brain at least).
Comment by Peter Muhn — February 11, 2008 @ 9:39 am
After reading this post, I was intrigued to find out exactly how morphine effects your body to develop an addiction.
Morphine overdoses are dangerous because the drug is highly addictive. Tolerance develops quickly, and the body requires ever-increasing amounts of the drug to achieve the euphoric sense of bliss it can bring. The brain’s reward system is a powerful motivator, and addicts begin to structure their lives around their next high. Morphine’s ability to strongly activate brain reward mechanisms and its ability to chemically alter the normal functioning of these systems can produce an addiction.
Comment by Tom McCarrick — February 12, 2008 @ 1:44 am
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, now is an ideal time to consider how the influence of neurotransmitters within the human body might affect the formation and duration of romantic attachments. As it turns out, feelings of affection may indicate a chemical addiction similar to that faced by Doctor House’s morphine-dependant patient. According to authors Garrett and Grisham, of a text-based “Interactive Biochemistry Web Site” sponsored by Harcourt College Publishers, “initial feelings of attraction are heavily associated with the b-phenylethylamine (PEA) noripinephrine,” while sustained romantic interest (monogamy) may be attributable to the reception of the endorphins vasopressin and oxytocin in some mammals (http://www2.iq.ufrj.br/~joab/redePG/noticias/quimica-do-amor.html). Garrett and Grisham suggest that those who quickly “rebound” following relational break-ups are responding to real physical cravings. “Rebound” relationships, therefore, can be viewed as periods of relapse into chemical dependency.
Comment by Psych 105 Student — February 12, 2008 @ 2:09 am
Researchers at the University of California-San Francisco have discovered a possible way to stop patients from developing morphine dependencies—hopefully eliminating the major side-effect of the popular painkiller. By genetically modifying mice, researchers were able to reduce the mice’s tolerance to morphine, thereby decreasing the chances that the mice will become dependent on it.
Basically, the genetic modification helps the mice regulate the diffusion of endorphins and morphine molecules across their neurotransmitter membranes. When the mice are able to regulate their morphine intake, the development of tolerance slows. However, humans and mice without this ability develop tolerance fairly quickly. As an individual’s tolerance increases, he or she requires increased levels of morphine and oftentimes become dependent on the painkiller.
These researchers hope that a drug can be developed that will replicate the effects of the genetic modification in the mice to impede the development of morphine dependency in humans. Therefore, morphine will be able to remain a popular painkiller and possibly be used for long-term painkilling treatment.
References:
University of California – San Francisco (2008, January 29). Morphine Dependency Blocked By Single Genetic Change. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 7, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2008/01/080128152320.htm
Comment by Brian Ruocco — March 7, 2008 @ 10:36 pm
I’m sorry, but what exactly is the point of your post, Holly? Is it to educate on the effects and dangers of drugs? Obviously not, since you cite the White House anti-drug propaganda as your only source. Is it, then, to praise the TV-doctor House? It seems not, for you judge him for over-prescribing an opiate agonist (read: morphine).
So what was the point of this little article, to warn one against doctors who prescribe the medicine one needs?
No offense, lady, but before you make judgments, don’t you think you should know what it is you’re judging?
Comment by guy — February 3, 2009 @ 9:15 pm