Doctor: The Use Of Morphine In Medicine Doesn't Cause Addiction

UNSPLASH ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - Consultant of Pediatric Hemato-oncology Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, dr. Anky Tri Rini Kusumaning E, Sp.A(K) said the use of morphine in the treatment of pain, including in cancer patients, will not cause addiction.

"There is a myth whether using morphine will be addictive or addictive. If morphine is used for treatment there is no addiction," said the member of IDAI Jaya in a nursing zoominar entitled "The Role of Nurses in the Paradigm of Child Cancer Services" followed by Antara, Saturday, February 19.

According to Anky, doctors or nurses must ensure the right dose and schedule of drug administration to patients. A reassessment needs to be done both in terms of quantity and schedule of administration if the patient later asks for an additional dose of the drug.

"If he (the patient) still asks for more, the dose means it's not right, we have to review whether the first part is correct or the dose we gave is correct or not. So maybe we haven't given it right," he said.

The use of morphine in palliative care is needed to help relieve the patient's pain.

"In terms of pain, we already have a schedule every four hours. If it's not time for him (the patient) to have pain, we give him pain again, the pain is reduced. At the appointed hour we give it again. If it's addiction, it's not (like that)," said Anky.

"We have to know the amount every four hours we get (dose). The amount must be calculated and the side effects we have to see. If the child tends to sleep, he has drunk too much morphine, so it is no longer a therapy," he added.

Anky suggested the nurse and the patient's family to fill out some kind of scheduled form including the hours of drug administration to the patient and evaluate it every day.

Then, when it is decided to stop the drug, it should be done gradually in order to avoid the appearance of withdrawal symptoms which are characterized by a series of physical and psychological symptoms or withdrawal.

"If you want to stop, don't stop suddenly. This will cause withdrawal. Stop it gradually by one third or 50 percent. If it's suitable, we will change the conversion to MST (morphine oral immediate)," said Anky.

Regarding the halalness of morphine, he said he had met with parties from the Indonesian Ulema Council. As a result, there is agreement that morphine derived from plants and used as medicine, is halal.

"We from the pain team at Dharmais Hospital had a chance to meet with the MUI, if morphine comes from plants and as a medicine, it is halal," concluded Angky.