Opioids Why does morphine make me so angry and annoyed?

[bluecollartweeker]

I was in a good mood on oxycontin half an hour ago, but when the morphine took effect, i only got twice as itchy, pupils like pin holes, and pissed about everything. This happens to me almost every time i take morphine but since i only rarely use opioids i keep forgetting about it, codeine does the same, which is obvious, its a prodrug to morphine. But why doesnt oxycodone or vicodin do the same? Im pissed the fuck off over basically nothing.

 

[bluecollartweeker]

If someone knows how to treat the side effect of anger on opioids, im very interested in the neurology behind the behavioural effects of opioids, and auditory perception, music i normally love and i guess all music just sounds bad when im on opioids. Is this common, i know its not just me who has these negative experiences repeatedly.

 

[Jen X]

Everyone reacts to different drugs differently so it's hard to say what will work besides the obvious, don't use morphine.

 

[kongoman]

Lots of people get angry opioids. I think its called opioid rage. It happens to me with methadone and heroin. Never took morphine

 

[pixies+]

I would think it would be difficult (impossible?) to ‘treat’.. other than what @JenX said.
But I’d be curious to know why this happens to some people as well… though thankfully I’m not one of them

 

[deficiT]

Opioid anger and rage is definitely a real thing. I can certainly feel a little more snappier than usual but I'm usually not, pissed off or anything.

Morphine and codeine have more of an effect on histamine, which explains the itching and side effects. This is common for many. Maybe that has something to do with how it effects your mood? Sounds like you just respond a little differently to natural opiates than synthetic opioids

 

[JackARoe]

I for sure had this too. in fact, I know I’ve told the story. I’ll say it one more time. I was in drug counseling many many years ago and I asked the counselor why do I get so annoyed when I’m doing what I like to do? He looked right at me and he said because that’s your peaceful time and anything that burst that bubble is gonna doubly irritate you. And honestly, all those years that’s stuck in my head. My drug counselor died of an overdose, and that was the end of any counseling for me. Crazy story.

 

[Psycho_Logic]

This effects usually happened to me when I took a bit too much for being active and not enough to lay around in (semi)nod state. Had similar reactions to oxycodone and methadone but if the dose is properly adjusted for chronic pain issues this negative effects go away in a week or two...at least for me.

 

[negrogesic]

It almost always happens when the opioid is wearing off.

There's a couple probable reasons. Opioids induce dopamine release on onset, and as it wears off dopamine levels rapidly decrease. Opioids also surpress norepinephrine release, which begins to rebound when it starts wearing off. The net effect can be a bitchy irritabile state.

 

[JackARoe]

Maybe we really are all just a bunch of cranky bastards.

 

[Psycho_Logic]

It almost always happens when the opioid is wearing off.

There's a couple probable reasons. Opioids induce dopamine release on onset, and as it wears off dopamine levels rapidly decrease. Opioids also surpress norepinephrine release, which begins to rebound when it starts wearing off. The net effect can be a bitchy irritabile state.

For me it was within the first 30 minutes of onset of morphine. As I always used MS Continus this went in first third of duration of effects. With oxycodone it was probably due to the factors you layed out plus as my tolerance went up the frustration of oxy "not working" would add to thids feeling. But the most notorious opioid that had this effects on me was tapentadol. Which makes sense as tapentadol has very pronounced NRI effects and it was useful only in a situation when I dosed it hour or so before bed and the dose was heavy. If I had to talk to other people from my family I stayed far away from tapentadol as it made me unable to coherently talk and very agitated. But if I dosed heavily and went to bed I was pain free and other than slight hallucinations/seeing colorful patterns in a dreamlike state the opioid effects were very pleasant. It also depends is the person in pain or looking for a recreational opioid and other meditations taken. Tapentadol, for me didn't nix well with pregabalin but the prescribed benzos made it much more worthwhile. Strange opioid...like being on a low mashroom dose that are just breaking through with strong body opioid high. It just never suited me. And then there is set and setting plus the difference between how people react to same substance to the personal body make up. Nowadays I am prescribed morphine for multiple very painful conditions and I am no longer having any issues. But thats just me...


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[WellTram]

I had worst opioid rage when i was relatively new to opioids and taking tramadol. For me it was like speed and once i was winning argument between me (high on opioids) and my brother(dobre). He couldn't win the argument so he was just angry...this was example of being capable of being quite good in arguments while on opioids...next, opioid rage...too on tramadol, basically caused by any external thing that somebody do or said...IT will dissapear as most of effects...but i am very nice to everybody on dihydrocodeine, morphine, hydromorphone...this "morphinoid' opiates/opioids...Oxy is strange one for me, sometimes i doubt potency of oxycodone because dihydrocodeine 60mg ER is almost as good in everything for me as oxy 20mg ER....but no Rage on oxy....

 

[Keif' Richards]

Opioids are fairly well known for this side effect. They used to call it "Opiate Rage" back in my day. I definitely am more easily annoyed when I'm under the influence of Opiates. There is the trope of the Heroin user being upset at the person ruining his high. Anyway, it's not an uncommon thing.

As far as "treatment" goes, there really isn't anything that I would recommend aside from not taking Opiates. Of course you could take other drugs in an attempt to even out whatever it is that you're feeling, but that is not a practical/rational solution to your problem. You've just gotta take deep breaths, count to 10 and try to be less grouchy. If it's a serious problem that is affecting your life, then I would say stop using Morphine.