Using Marijuana While Taking Morphine: What You Need to Know

You can still use marijuana if you take morphine, but you should talk to your doctor first and get your MMJ card, which grants you legal access to consume medical marijuana in your state. Morphine is a strong analgesic (pain reliever) that is used to treat both acute and chronic pain. Morphine and other prescription opioids are very effective, but they also have a high risk of addiction and abuse.

An increasing body of research suggests that medical cannabis can alleviate other chronic pain symptoms and lessen an individual’s reliance on opioids for pain relief. 

What Is Morphine?

One naturally occurring opiate that can be found in the resin of opium poppies is morphine. Since its isolation in the early 1800s, it has been utilized as a pain reliever. It reduces the perception, intensity, and emotional reaction to pain by binding to opioid receptors in the central nervous system.

Morphine is used to treat both cancer and chronic non-cancerous pain. It can be administered intravenously, orally, by inhalation, or by other means. It is only accessible with a doctor’s prescription.

Opiates vs. Opioids

Opiates such as morphine, opium, and codeine are naturally derived from plant material. Synthetic drugs that bind to opioid receptors include oxycontin, heroin, and fentanyl. These drugs are known as opioids. Opioids and opiates both have a higher potential for addiction. The widespread misuse of opioids has resulted in a public health emergency known as the opioid epidemic.

How It Works and Its Uses

One of the best treatments for both acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) pain is morphine. It can be used to treat a variety of pain conditions, such as tissue damage (nociceptive pain) and nerve pain (neuropathic pain).

It is a typical form of treatment for:

• Cancer treatment
• Palliative care
• Post-operative care
• Birth

Morphine interacts with a variety of opioid receptors in the brain, including the delta-opioid receptor (DOR), the kappa-opioid receptor (KOR), and the mu-opioid receptor (MOR). Morphine binds to these receptors and prevents nociceptive signals—those brought on by injury or physical damage—from returning to the brain.

Morphine’s most typical side effects include:

• Analgesia (reduction of pain)
• Sedation (which can cause anything from fatigue and reduced irritability to unconsciousness and calmness)
• Euphoria (extreme happiness and elation)
• Physical reliance

The effects of oral morphine tablets typically take half an hour to become apparent. After 60 minutes, morphine’s serum concentrations reach their peak, and it can relieve pain for four to six hours. While slow-release tablets can take longer to start working, each dose can last up to 12 or 24 hours.

The Benefits and Risks of Combining Cannabis with Morphine

Although morphine is a potent analgesic, it is also highly addictive and frequently abused, much like other opiates and opioids. Because of this, it is best to avoid using morphine for chronic pain over an extended period of time. But for a lot of people, it’s the only practical way to maintain their quality of life and manage their pain.

The Benefits

Morbidity and mortality rates are higher in people with opioid use disorders. A growing body of research indicates that long-term opioid users may benefit from cannabis use by becoming less dependent on morphine and requiring lower doses of opioids. It’s common to refer to this effect as “opioid-sparing.”

As an analgesic, cannabis affects endogenous opioid receptors, the inflammatory response, and nociceptive pain perception.

According to observational studies conducted in the United States, Colorado’s legalization of recreational cannabis coincided with a decline in the state’s use of prescription drugs and mortality from opioid overdoses. When combined with medicinal cannabis, a recent systematic review on the treatment of chronic pain other than cancer revealed a 64%–75% decrease in opioid dosage.

Moreover, morphine and cannabis together may help reduce the following chronic pain symptoms:

• Insomnia
• Nausea
• Muscle discomfort or spasms
• Inflammation

Enhancing these variables could aid in lowering the high stress levels frequently observed in people with chronic pain, thereby enhancing quality of life.

The Risks

When cannabis is combined with some medications, negative effects may occur. This is due to the interaction between cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). These enzymes, which are mostly located in the liver, aid in the body’s metabolism of prescription medications, such as opiates.

UGT2B7 is an enzyme that morphine needs in order to change into its more active form. Since CBD is known to inhibit this enzyme, morphine’s analgesic effect may be diminished by lowering blood levels of active metabolites.

This theory, however, is not well supported by the data, and some studies suggest that the opposite effect actually occurs. According to one study, using morphine and cannabis together enhances analgesic qualities without raising opioid metabolite levels. This suggests that there may be another mechanism underlying the synergistic effects of morphine and cannabis.

The use of medicinal cannabis is not without risk. People who use morphine and cannabis together should think about the following:

• Cannabis will affect the ability to operate heavy machinery and drive.
• Both analgesic and psychoactive effects are present in THC. Individuals who have a family history of mental illnesses might not benefit from medical marijuana.
• Cannabis use may affect one’s memory and focus.

Cannabis may intensify the sedative effects of morphine and raise the risk of overdosing. On the other hand, medical marijuana might also lessen dependency on morphine and the quantity required to take it.

What to Do If You Need to Use Both Cannabis and Morphine

Fortunately, there is little evidence that using medicinal marijuana affects how morphine and other opioids are metabolized, making the combination of these two therapies relatively safe. To lower the risk of oversedation and potential overdose, it is advisable to taper morphine if you are also taking medical cannabis.

If you are on morphine and would like to start using cannabis, you need to discuss this with your doctor. Numerous medications and cannabis can interact negatively and affect how they are metabolized. You will also need to gradually reduce your morphine dosage in order to prevent experiencing symptoms of opioid withdrawal, such as nausea, insomnia, diarrhea, and more. You should never stop taking morphine without first talking to your doctor.

The recommended method of consuming medical cannabis (instead of smoking it) is oral ingestion through products like oil drops or alcohol-based tinctures for the following reasons:

• Typically expressed as mg/mL, the dosage information for commercially prepared products is more precise.
• The risk of respiratory damage from vaping or smoking is reduced.
• When cannabis is swallowed, its effects linger longer than when it is inhaled. When taken orally, you should experience relief for five to eight hours, as opposed to two to three hours when inhaled.
• Patients can eliminate the intoxicating ingredient THC from their daily routines by using isolated CBD.

Depending on which symptom you want to treat, you should include a different kind of cannabinoid. Since CBD is non-intoxicating and safe to use during the day, it may help lessen pain caused by inflammation. THC-containing medicinal marijuana frequently makes users feel sleepy and drowsy. Patients who take cannabis products high in THC in the evening will sleep better and avoid the negative effects of daytime drowsiness.

It’s crucial to start low and go gradually when incorporating medicinal cannabis into your daily routine. CBD dosages are generally advised to start at 5–10 mg once or twice daily. You can take 2.5 mg of THC at night to help you fall asleep. THC dosages can be titrated up by one to 2.5 mg every two to three days until an effective dose is reached. You should always consult with an MMJ doctor before starting to consume marijuana for any medical purposes. 

Wrapping Up

Patients can treat both acute and chronic pain with the help of morphine, a powerful analgesic medication. This medication is a potentially dangerous narcotic because, although it is effective, it also has addictive qualities. According to clinical research, medical cannabis may be used in conjunction with a regular morphine treatment regimen to enhance analgesic effects and lower the amount of morphine needed.

Although there isn’t much proof that cannabis and morphine interact negatively, it’s still important to talk to your doctor before starting any new medication because cannabis does interact with a lot of other medications. When taken orally, whole-plant extracts or isolated cannabinoids are the safest and most efficient form of medicinal cannabis for pain relief.