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Adrienne Dellwo

FDA Approves Pain Drug for Opiate-Tolerant Patients

By , About.com GuideFebruary 4, 2010

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NEWSBRIEF: The FDA has approved morphine sulfate oral solution for people who are opioid-tolerant and have moderate-to-severe acute or chronic pain. It'll be available in doses of 100 mg per 5 mL or 20 mg per 1 mL.

This is the first time this drug has been available at this dosage. Morphine sulfate has been available and commonly used for years, but this is the first time this concentration has been approved for this specific use.

The approval is part of the FDA's Unapproved Drugs Initiative, which aims to test drugs that are frequently prescribed off-label and make sure they meet FDA safety standards, and then approve them so doctors have better guidelines for giving them to patients.

People who take opiate pain relievers long term can develop a tolerance, which makes them need more of the drug in order to get pain relief.

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Comments
February 5, 2010 at 3:43 pm
(1) Chris says:

Interesting. I would love to see how effective this is for Fibro sufferers.

February 13, 2010 at 11:06 am
(2) Cindy says:

Works Great, if your stomach can tolerate the dosage.

February 26, 2010 at 9:29 pm
(3) Dennis says:

I already take MS Contin 100mil in pill form. I have already developed some tolerance for it (been taking it for over 5 years) so maybe this would be better (?)

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