7 years of the MST Continus^® use in chronic pain

Only for the last dozen years has the treatment of cancer pain improved. This connected with developing standards of the chronic cancer pain treatment In 1986 the World Health Organisation (WHO) introduced cancer pain controlled programme called the three-step ladder. It is based on careful titration upward of the doses on each step of the ladder. When pain is no longer controlled, the treatment is switched to the higher level.
Morphine is the first line opioid of the third step. Since 1981 it has been available as a slow release oral form (morphine sulphate tablets) – MST Continus^®, which gives pain relieve for 12 hours.
Morphine is rarely used as a monoanalgesic. It is more often is combined with the so-called adjuvants (antidepressants, anticonvulsants and others). At the beginning of therapy, morphine can produce some unpleasant side effects like nausea, vomiting, sedation, and constipation. Most of them are transient. In the case of renal and liver problems the daily dose should be decreased.
Morphine is a drug of choice for cancer pain treatment in children. Well selected non-cancer patients can also benefit from morphine treatment.