Fentanyl vs. Morphine: What’s the Difference?
Opioids have been used for thousands of years, with 8,000-year-old Sumerian clay tablets showing the earliest prescriptions of opium use by humans. Opium was called “Hul Gil,” meaning the “joy plant,” thousands of years ago. However, things have changed quite a bit over the centuries, and modern-day opioid usage involves understanding things like fentanyl compared to morphine and how withdrawal treatment at fentanyl detox centers has become a crucial part of addiction treatment.
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Table of Contents
What Are Fentanyl and Morphine Used for?
To start understanding fentanyl compared to morphine, it’s important to understand the similarities and differences between these two opioids, as well as how they’re used in medicine today. While they’re in the same class of drugs, fentanyl is much more potent – an estimated 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine.
- Morphine is most often prescribed to manage post-surgical pain or help patients manage pain while they’re in the hospital.
- Fentanyl is prescribed for severe, chronic pain. It can also be used as a sedative or in addition to an anesthetic for surgical procedures.
Both reduce pain, and both are highly addictive. Illicit fentanyl, which is illegally manufactured with no oversight, has become quite common on the black market in recent years. It can be easily and cheaply made, making it much more available than highly controlled medications like morphine. In addition, drug dealers often add it to other substances, such as methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin, as a cheap way of boosting the power and effects of drugs they’re selling.
While some people intentionally abuse this powerful opioid, such as by partaking in the dangers of snorting fentanyl, more often than not, they’re not even trying to take this substance. The problem is that people often have no idea that they’re taking fentanyl. Just a tiny amount of this drug can be a life-threatening amount, and many people who overdose on fentanyl didn’t know they were taking this drug as well.
How Do Fentanyl and Morphine Work in the Body?
When considering fentanyl compared to morphine, there are many examples of just how similar these two drugs are. Both work the same way in the body. Here’s a quick look at what they do:
- Both opioids bind to opioid receptors, especially the mu opioid receptor, which plays a critical part in pain relief, slowed breathing, and euphoria. This receptor, when activated, can quickly lead to a self-fulfilling cycle of physical and emotional dependence and addiction.
- Fentanyl and morphine block pain signals from reaching the brain, which reduces how the person feels pain.
- Both drugs also interact with areas of the brain that control emotions and the feeling of reward. This interaction is what causes euphoria and addictive potential in the people who use these drugs.
- These two opioids also depress the user’s central nervous system, which slows down messages between the body and brain. This can cause slowed breathing, slower heart rate, drowsiness, fatigue, confusion, and sedation.
- Users of either drug will also experience a higher amount of dopamine release. This is because the drugs activate certain brain receptors that affect dopamine, which can make users feel pleasure and a rewarding effect that can easily become addictive.
- Both fentanyl and morphine can easily lead to dependence and addiction after repeated use. If someone tries to quit the drug, they’ll experience distressing withdrawal symptoms and intense cravings to retake the drug.
There are some significant differences between the two opioids as well, mainly that fentanyl is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. That’s why the vast majority of fatal opioid overdoses today are caused by or at least partially caused by fentanyl.
What Are the Side Effects of Fentanyl and Morphine?
There are many side effects of opioids, ranging from minor to severe.
Fentanyl side effects can include:
- Sedation
- Confusion
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Nausea or vomiting
- Urinary retention
- Constricted pupils
- Slowed breathing
Morphine side effects can include:
- Decreased hunger
- Inhibited coughing reflex
- Nausea and vomiting
- Constipation
- Drowsiness
- Dry mouth
- Mood changes
In addition to these possible side effects, both morphine and fentanyl have a high potential for abuse, misuse, and addiction, and people who have been taking these drugs for a while and try to quit suddenly will quickly experience withdrawal symptoms that can be uncomfortable and upsetting.
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Can Both Fentanyl and Morphine Be Abused?
When thinking about fentanyl compared to morphine, it’s important to realize just how much more potent one is than the other. Understanding the signs of fentanyl overdose and how easily it can be hidden in other drugs to cheaply boost their effects are important ways of knowing what’s causing the surging opioid crisis and why fentanyl is a major part of this problem.
Still, that difference in potency doesn’t mean the other is safe, and it’s crucial to accept that both fentanyl and morphine can easily be abused. Any type of opioid can cause calming, euphoric feelings and a surge in dopamine levels, and these pleasurable feelings can quickly become addictive. This is why opioids have become one of the most commonly abused substances today, and why it can be so hard for people who are addicted to quit, especially if they try to do it on their own.
Fentanyl is particularly dangerous in this way because it’s so powerful. People can quickly lose control of their fentanyl use, and their brains change to motivate them to continue seeking out more of the drug, even if it’s causing serious harm to their physical and mental health. High doses of any kind of opioid can cause breathing problems and a slowed heart rate, and that can lead to death.
Addiction to fentanyl, morphine, or other opioids can happen quite quickly, and people who are hooked can experience extremely distressing withdrawal symptoms that drive them to relapse. However, this addiction is a chronic disease that can be treated successfully with therapy, coping skills training, medication-assisted treatment, and other interventions at a drug rehab facility in California.
Key Takeaways on Fentanyl Compared to Morphine
- Fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic opioid that has become widely available on the illicit drug market.
- Morphine is a prescription opioid that is most often used to manage post-surgical pain or help patients manage pain while they’re in the hospital.
- Fentanyl compared to morphine share a lot of similarities, such as both being opioids, both relieving pain, and both having a high potential for misuse or addiction.
- Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.
- Because it’s cheap, powerful, and easy to make, fentanyl has become a frequently added drug to other illegal drugs like meth, cocaine, and heroin.
Fentanyl and morphine are both dangerous drugs when abused, and both can quickly lead to overpowering opioid addiction. The good news is that effective treatments are available to help people get through withdrawal symptoms and learn how to live a healthy, happy life after breaking the chains of addiction. In California, Resurgence Behavioral Health operates a drug rehab facility that offers comprehensive treatment for opioid addiction. Call us at 855-458-0050 today to learn how we can help you or your loved one start to get better today.
Resources
- United States Drug Enforcement Administration – Fentanyl
- United States Drug Enforcement Administration – Morphine
- National Institute on Drug Abuse – Fentanyl
- Mayo Clinic – What Are Opioids and Why Are They Dangerous?
