Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

can someone explain "half life"

Just when I think I'm almost free and clear here (almost 5 days) I keep hearing " beware of the half life". I was taking 120mg of morphine a day-
thanks!
6 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
511524 tn?1266349934
every drug has a half-life its the point in time where exactly half of the substance has left your bloodstream. So for morphine its about 2-3 hours, so when you take it the effects usually last around 6 hours unless its extended release then its near 12 hours. Other opioids like methadone or suboxone have longer half lifes. Suboxones is 37 hours and mehtadone is between 24-36 hours, everyone is a little different. hope that helped..best of luck
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thanks guys! I think I get it now. So I totally screwed up by taking the 4 suboxone that I had to try to help me with the w/d of the morphine. Damn! But those 4 I took were the first in months. Do u think just 4 would make me feel w/d days later? I feel crappy again today. But a little better than yesterday. I guess that's how this works right?
I swear once I get through this, I never want to see another pain pill again!
The doc that was giving me the suboxone had no idea I wasn't taking them and was back on the morphine- so she called to see why I hadn't had a refill. I knew when I was done with that last morphine I would use the 4 sub I had stashed and then be DONE with it all so I told her I didn't need anymore and that I was done. She was thrilled of course.haha (little did she know)
But if I knew about this half life I would have just thrown them out and gone c/t with the morph. Oh well what's done is done. 5 DAYS DOWN!
Helpful - 0
401095 tn?1351391770
good analogy above..but morphine does not have a half-life as long as sub nor methadone
The half life has not a whole lot to do with wd other than onset...a drug with a long half life will take a bit longer before wd sets in...a drug with a short half-life//say hdro///will be felt almost as soon as the next dose is due..for instance if u take hydro every 3 hours   u will notice at 5 hours sumpin does not feel right..by the next day u feel like sh1t....with sub it may take 2-3 days before u feel bad..sub has a very long half-life and the reason people take it daily//or often even twice daily/is more to complete the habit of taking sumpin vs really needing it to escape wd

dont focus too much on technicalities..focus on ur plan to stay clean..no 2 peeps are alike....so half-life doesnt mean that much other than a guideline..a reference point

be safe and keep posting
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
The concept of half life refers to the fact that these medications, much like the decay of radiation, do not fade away when leaving your system in a linear fashion. For example, suboxone has a half life of 37.5 hours so when you stop taking it it takes 37.5 hours for half of it to leave your system. After another 37.5 hours half of that remaining amount is still left, so you have one-fourth of the original amount left. After another 37.5 hours you have one-eighth of the original amount. There is a logical conundrum here. If you can only get half way to the finish line with each step you will never make it to the finish line. In the real world however that is taken care of by the fact that molecules are not divisible. I think this is interesting but the only part of this that is relevant to someone getting off dope is that drugs with a long half life - like suboxone and methadone -  take longer to get off your receptors and because of that are associated with longer more severe withdrawals. I don't know the exact half life of morphine but it is relatively short compared to the others I mentioned. I know this is more of an answer than you bargained for but c'mon, you learned something right?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
It will get better. I was taking 60 mg of hydrocodone, 180 mg of morphine, 6 mg of dilauded and 80 mg fentanyl patches by 10 in the morning most days. Keep your head up. You can do this.
Helpful - 0
198154 tn?1337787265
theres no half life after 5 days
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Addiction: Substance Abuse Community

Top Addiction Answerers
495284 tn?1333894042
City of Dominatrix, MN
Avatar universal
phoenix, AZ
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Is treating glaucoma with marijuana all hype, or can hemp actually help?
If you think marijuana has no ill effects on your health, this article from Missouri Medicine may make you think again.
Julia Aharonov, DO, reveals the quickest way to beat drug withdrawal.
Tricks to help you quit for good.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.