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Was Recovering From Alcoholic Hepatitis Before Worsening Into Hepatic Encephalopathy. Is Morphine Responsible?
Posted on
Mon, 30 Sep 2013
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Mon, 30 Sep 2013
Answered on
Wed, 23 Oct 2013
Last reviewed on
Question : My son is in the hospital recovering from swollen legs and stomach, he was doing better..Then his ammonia levels went up so high he is incoherent with hepatic encepelopathy. They gave him small amounts of morphine every 4 hours. Could that be the reason his ammonia levels went up..
Brief Answer:
Morphine could be responsible.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Welcome to Healthcare Magic!
I understand that your son was recovering from alcoholic hepatitis before worsening again and going into hepatic encephalopathy. You want to know if morphine could have been responsible for the worsening.
Morphine is not contraindicated for use in people with severe hepatic impairment. However, the dosage needs to be adjusted and the dosage interval should be increased as morphine is metabolized in the liver. Hepatic impairment can lead to accumulation of morphine in the body by reducing its metabolism.
For people with good hepatic function and who are not used to taking morphine regularly, the usual dose for pain relief is 5 to 15 mg orally every 3 to 4 hours. The patient should be observed for development of sedation and if so, the next dose is withheld. For people with hepatic damage, the dose has to be reduced, the dosing interval increased to around double the usual interval and the patient has to be closely monitored for sedation. If this was not done, it is possible that morphine could have been responsible for his worsening.
Hope this answers your query.
Best wishes.
Dr Preeti Parakh
MD Psychiatry
Morphine could be responsible.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Welcome to Healthcare Magic!
I understand that your son was recovering from alcoholic hepatitis before worsening again and going into hepatic encephalopathy. You want to know if morphine could have been responsible for the worsening.
Morphine is not contraindicated for use in people with severe hepatic impairment. However, the dosage needs to be adjusted and the dosage interval should be increased as morphine is metabolized in the liver. Hepatic impairment can lead to accumulation of morphine in the body by reducing its metabolism.
For people with good hepatic function and who are not used to taking morphine regularly, the usual dose for pain relief is 5 to 15 mg orally every 3 to 4 hours. The patient should be observed for development of sedation and if so, the next dose is withheld. For people with hepatic damage, the dose has to be reduced, the dosing interval increased to around double the usual interval and the patient has to be closely monitored for sedation. If this was not done, it is possible that morphine could have been responsible for his worsening.
Hope this answers your query.
Best wishes.
Dr Preeti Parakh
MD Psychiatry
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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