Morphine (Epidural)

Morphine epidural injection is used to ease pain after a major surgery. It is given just before surgery or during a cesarean section right after the baby's umbilical cord is clamped.

Morphine is part of a group of medicines known as narcotic analgesics (pain medicines). It works on the central nervous system (CNS) to relieve pain.

This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription and will be given by or under the immediate supervision of your doctor.

It is important for your doctor to check your progress after you receive this medicine. This is to ensure that the medicine is working properly and to allow your doctor to look for any unwanted effects.

This medicine will increase the effects of alcohol and other CNS depressants (medicines that can make you drowsy or less alert). Some examples of CNS depressants include antihistamines or medicines for allergies or colds; sedatives, tranquilizers, or sleeping medicines; other prescription pain medicines or narcotics; medicines for seizures or barbiturates; muscle relaxants; or anesthetics, including some dental anesthetics. Check with your doctor before taking any of the medicines listed above after you receive this medicine.

Dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting may happen when you get up suddenly from lying down or sitting. Getting up slowly may help reduce this issue. Also, lying down for a while may help relieve the dizziness or lightheadedness.

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the beneficial it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this drug, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Inform your physician if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medication or any other drugs. As well inform your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of morphine epidural injection in the pediatric population. Use of morphine epidural injection is not advised in children.

Geriatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific issues that would limit the usefulness of morphine epidural injection in the elderly. Nevertheless, elderly patients are more likely to have age-related heart, stomach, or lung issues, which may require caution and an adjustment in the dose for patients receiving morphine epidural injection.

Breast Feeding

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant chance when using this medicine during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks prior to taking this medicine while breastfeeding.

Interactions with Medicines

Although certain drugs should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your clinician may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are receiving this drug, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are using any of the drugs listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this drug with any of the following drugs is not recommended. Your clinician may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medications you take.

• Nalmefene
• Naltrexone
• Safinamide
• Samidorphan

Using this medication with any of the following medications is usually not advised, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your clinician may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

• Acepromazine
• Alfentanil
• Almotriptan
• Alprazolam
• Alvimopan
• Amineptine
• Amiodarone
• Amitriptyline
• Amitriptylinoxide
• Amobarbital
• Amoxapine
• Amphetamine
• Anileridine
• Aripiprazole
• Asenapine
• Azithromycin
• Baclofen
• Benperidol
• Benzhydrocodone
• Benzphetamine
• Bromazepam
• Bromopride
• Brompheniramine
• Buspirone
• Butabarbital
• Calcium Oxybate
• Cannabidiol
• Cannabis
• Captopril
• Carbamazepine
• Carbinoxamine
• Carisoprodol
• Carphenazine
• Carvedilol
• Cetirizine
• Chloral Hydrate
• Chlordiazepoxide
• Chlorpheniramine
• Chlorpromazine
• Chlorzoxazone
• Cimetidine
• Citalopram
• Clarithromycin
• Clobazam
• Clomipramine
• Clonazepam
• Clopidogrel
• Clorazepate
• Clozapine
• Cobicistat
• Cocaine
• Codeine
• Conivaptan
• Cyclobenzaprine
• Cyclosporine
• Daridorexant
• Desipramine
• Desmopressin
• Desvenlafaxine
• Dexmedetomidine
• Dextroamphetamine
• Dextromethorphan
• Diazepam
• Dibenzepin
• Dichloralphenazone
• Difenoxin
• Dihydrocodeine
• Diltiazem
• Diphenhydramine
• Diphenoxylate
• Dolasetron
• Doxepin
• Doxorubicin
• Doxorubicin Hydrochloride Liposome
• Doxylamine
• Dronedarone
• Droperidol
• Duloxetine
• Eletriptan
• Enflurane
• Erythromycin
• Escitalopram
• Esketamine
• Estazolam
• Eszopiclone
• Ethchlorvynol
• Ethopropazine
• Ethylmorphine
• Felodipine
• Fenfluramine
• Fentanyl
• Flibanserin
• Fluoxetine
• Fluphenazine
• Flurazepam
• Fluspirilene
• Fluvoxamine
• Fospropofol
• Frovatriptan
• Furazolidone
• Gabapentin
• Gabapentin Enacarbil
• Gepirone
• Granisetron
• Halazepam
• Haloperidol
• Halothane
• Hexobarbital
• Hydrocodone
• Hydromorphone
• Hydroxytryptophan
• Hydroxyzine
• Imipramine
• Iproniazid
• Isocarboxazid
• Isoflurane
• Itraconazole
• Ivacaftor
• Ketamine
• Ketobemidone
• Ketoconazole
• Lacosamide
• Lasmiditan
• Lemborexant
• Levocetirizine
• Levomilnacipran
• Levorphanol
• Linezolid
• Lisdexamfetamine
• Lithium
• Lofepramine
• Lofexidine
• Lopinavir
• Lorazepam
• Lorcaserin
• Loxapine
• Magnesium Oxybate
• Meclizine
• Melitracen
• Melperone
• Meperidine
• Mephobarbital
• Meprobamate
• Mesoridazine
• Metaxalone
• Methadone
• Methamphetamine
• Methdilazine
• Methocarbamol
• Methohexital
• Methotrimeprazine
• Methylene Blue
• Methylnaltrexone
• Metoclopramide
• Midazolam
• Milnacipran
• Mirtazapine
• Moclobemide
• Molindone
• Moricizine
• Nalorphine
• Naloxone
• Naratriptan
• Nefazodone
• Nialamide
• Nicomorphine
• Nilotinib
• Nitrazepam
• Nitrous Oxide
• Nortriptyline
• Olanzapine
• Ondansetron
• Opipramol
• Opium
• Opium Alkaloids
• Orphenadrine
• Oxazepam
• Oxycodone
• Oxymorphone
• Ozanimod
• Palonosetron
• Papaveretum
• Paregoric
• Paroxetine
• Pentobarbital
• Perampanel
• Perazine
• Periciazine
• Perphenazine
• Phenelzine
• Phenobarbital
• Pimozide
• Piperacetazine
• Pipotiazine
• Piritramide
• Potassium Oxybate
• Prazepam
• Pregabalin
• Primidone
• Procarbazine
• Prochlorperazine
• Promazine
• Promethazine
• Propofol
• Protriptyline
• Quazepam
• Quercetin
• Quetiapine
• Quinidine
• Ramelteon
• Ranolazine
• Rasagiline
• Remifentanil
• Remimazolam
• Remoxipride
• Ritonavir
• Rizatriptan
• Ropeginterferon Alfa-2b-njft
• Scopolamine
• Secobarbital
• Selegiline
• Sertindole
• Sertraline
• Sibutramine
• Simeprevir
• Sodium Oxybate
• St John's Wort
• Sufentanil
• Sulpiride
• Sumatriptan
• Sunitinib
• Suvorexant
• Tapentadol
• Telaprevir
• Temazepam
• Thiethylperazine
• Thiopental
• Thiopropazate
• Thioridazine
• Tianeptine
• Ticagrelor
• Tilidine
• Tizanidine
• Tocophersolan
• Tolonium Chloride
• Topiramate
• Tramadol
• Tranylcypromine
• Triazolam
• Trifluoperazine
• Trifluperidol
• Triflupromazine
• Trimeprazine
• Trimipramine
• Tryptophan
• Venlafaxine
• Verapamil
• Vilazodone
• Vortioxetine
• Zaleplon
• Ziprasidone
• Zolmitriptan
• Zolpidem
• Zopiclone
• Zotepine
• Zuranolone

Using this medication with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain adverse effects, but using both drugs may be the best therapy for you. If both drugs are prescribed together, your physician may change the dose or how frequently you use one or both of the drugs.

• Chloroprocaine
• Epinephrine
• Esmolol
• Lidocaine
• Rifampin
• Somatostatin
• Yohimbine

Interactions with Food/Tobacco/Alcohol

Certain drugs should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain drugs may as well cause interactions to occur. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medication with any of the following is usually not recommended, but may be unavoidable in some cases. If used together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use this drug, or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco.

• Ethanol

Other Medical Problems

The presence of other medical issues may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you inform your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Asthma, severe or
• Head injury, suspected or known or
• Increased pressure in the head or
• Paralytic ileus (intestine stops working and may be blocked) or
• Respiratory depression (extremely slow breathing) or
• Shock (severe condition with extremely little blood flow in the body)—Should not be used in patients with these conditions.

• Breathing issues, severe (e.g., hypoxia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD) or
• Enlarged prostate (BPH, prostatic hypertrophy) or
• Heart disease or
• Issues with passing urine—Use with caution. May raise risk for more severe adverse effects.

• Gallbladder disease or
• Hypotension (low blood pressure) or
• Sleep apnea syndrome (breathing issues during sleep) or
• Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) or
• Seizures, history of—Use with caution. May make these conditions worse.

Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Not all of these side effects may happen, but if they do, you may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor or nurse right away if you notice any of the following side effects:

More common

• Blurred vision
• confusion
• decrease in the frequency of urination
• decrease in urine volume
• difficulty in passing urine (dribbling)
• dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness when getting up suddenly from a lying or sitting position
• drowsiness
• fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse
• painful urination
• pale skin
• shortness of breath
• sweating
• unusual tiredness or weakness

Less common

• Abdominal or stomach cramps or pain
• bloating
• constipation
• convulsions
• diarrhea
• difficult or labored breathing
• dry mouth
• increased thirst
• irregular, fast, slow, or shallow breathing
• loss of appetite
• mood changes
• muscle pain or cramps
• pale or blue lips, fingernails, or skin
• restlessness
• shakiness
• sleepiness
• slow to respond
• slurred speech
• tightness in the chest
• unconsciousness
• vomiting
• wheezing

Incidence not known

• Bluish lips or skin
• disorientation
• hallucinations
• lethargy
• low blood pressure or pulse
• severe drowsiness
• slowing of the heartbeat
• unresponsiveness
• very slow breathing

Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Your health care professional may also provide ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

More common

• Bloated or full feeling
• excess air or gas in the stomach or intestines
• fever
• headache
• nausea
• passing gas
• skin itching
• sleeplessness
• trouble sleeping
• troubled breathing with exertion
• unable to sleep
• unusual bleeding or bruising

Less common

• Back pain
• burning, crawling, itching, numbness, prickling, "pins and needles", or tingling feelings
• chest pain or discomfort
• fear or nervousness
• feeling unusually cold
• lower abdominal or stomach pain or pressure
• pounding in the ears
• pressure in the stomach
• shivering
• slow or irregular heartbeat
• swelling of the abdominal or stomach area

Incidence not known

• Not alert
• trouble with coordination

Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You can report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

In the U.S.

• DepoDur

Chemical Class: Opioid

A nurse or other trained health professional will give you this medicine in a hospital. This medicine is given through a needle or catheter in your back (epidural).