Levels of intractable cough in patients with long-term, treatment-resistant chronic cough have been found to be reduced by slow-release morphine.

Such were the findings of an eight-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to test the use of slow-release morphine sulfate versus a placebo on chronic cough.

Morphine, derived from opium, is used in medicine as an analgesic, light anesthetic or a sedative. Although opiates have been long advocated for the suppression of cough, there are few trial data to support this recommendation. In fact, prior to this research, the use of opiates in intractable chronic cough had never been studied.

Clinical data will appear in the second issue for February 2007 of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (published by the American Thoracic Society).

The optimum dose in the suppression of chronic cough lies between 5 and 10 mg of morphine sulphate twice daily - reduction of cough level was found at 40% -making low-dose morphine sulfate a credible therapeutic option for patients with chronic cough who already failed other specific treatments.

Find more details from the full report.

[article abstract]

[Photo Credit: Cary Academy]