Study shows benefit of morphine in chronic cough

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Slow-release morphine is found to reduce level of treatment-resistant chronic cough.
Chronic cough is a hard-to-treat condition which often has a profoundly negative impact on quality of life. Now researchers at the University of Hull, England, reveal that relief may come from an unexpected source - the opiate painkiller morphine.

They looked at the effect of slow-release morphine in a group of people with chronic cough. Participants were assigned either to the morphine for eight weeks or to placebo. They swapped over after four weeks. Those on the morphine reported an average 40 per cent reduction in their daily cough score. Experimentation with the dose suggested that five to 10 milligrams of morphine per day is optimum. The cough suppressant action of morphine is well known, but there have been few clinical trials to support its use. This study suggests that slow release morphine could be a good option for those with chronic cough, especially if they have failed to respond to other treatments.

Source
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine February 2007

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