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Have Degenerative Disc Disease In Cervical Spine. Have Diarrhea, Nose Bleed, Grogginess, Taken Diclofenac, Morphine And Paracetamol

Posted on Wed, 3 Oct 2012

Question: Hi, i have degnerative disc disease in my cervical spine and I'm awaiting results of a recent Mri scan on my lumbar spine due to severe pain there. I have 3 bulging discs in my neck. I get awful shoulder, back and neck spasms which in turn give me a bad headache that i can only shake off over 2-3 days with 5mg valium tablets. I take 10 mg morphine twice a day, 50 mg of diclafenac 3 x day and paracetamol 3-4 times a day. I usually feel less pain by walking and generally keeping moving but for about 3 weeks i feel weak, groggy and light headed. My neck is pulsing with pain and i can feel a dull headache all the time. On Sunday i decided to stop the morphine as i thought that may be causing some of the symptoms as well as giving me stomach cramps and severe constipation. I felt no let up in the groggyness etc so today I've stopped the diclafenac, i now have diarrhea and my nose has been bleeding and generally feel very unwell. I'm a 34 yr old female,

Answered by Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (4 hours later)

Hi

Thanks for the query

The symptoms you perceive after stopping morphine are all due to the 'Withdrawal effect'.

Morphine is an opioid analgesic which has to be tapered off slowly under strict medical supervision. It should never be stopped at once. If done so, then the symptoms of withdrawal will surface. The common withdrawal symptoms are restlessness, watery eyes, muscle pain, nasal stuffiness, anxiety, abdominal (stomach) cramps, insomnia, diarrhea, high blood pressure, nasal bleed, etc.

I would suggest you to consult your doctor at the earliest and get treated. Also, drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated. Please do continue with diclofenac as it helps in relieving pain to a certain extent.

Hope I have answered the query; I will be available for the follow-up queries.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (4 hours later)

I have pretty much had all the effects you describe, i couldn't see my g.p today and i just don't feel well enough to go to a walk in centre. i haven't restarted the morphine as i don't want to experience anything like this all over again. Am i going to suffer any really serious complications by doing this?. I've only been on the morphine for 3 months, i had no idea it would take hold like it has. Thanks

Answered by Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (11 hours later)

Hi

Thanks for writing back

The withdrawal effects might not be serious in your case, because you were on a very low dose of morphine, and for a period of just three months only. But, the symptoms can persist for a couple of weeks till your body gets adjusted to the withdrawal. Please do not restart the medicine without consulting your doctor as it needs a complete examination before restarting morphine.

Secondly, drink plenty of water and fresh fruit juice (avoid citrus fruits) to keep yourself hydrated and energetic. Consult your doctor at the earliest.

Wish you good health.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar