Morphine myths: sedation, tolerance, addiction.

Morphine and other strong opioids are still, more than 180 years after the syntheses of morphine, not adequately used in clinical practice and many patients suffer unnecessarily severe pain in consequence. Governments limit morphine usage by legal restrictions. The underuse of morphine and its restriction in many countries is mostly due to prejudice and myths which clinical experience does not show to be true. Morphine is a very safe drug, correctly prescribed in chronic pain therapy, the only severe side effect being constipation.