Researchers studied pharmacokinetics of morphine in SCD using USCPACK software. Results showed that morphine clearance in SCD patients was 3-10 times higher than published estimates for the non-SCD population. SCD patients had correspondingly lower AUC and half-life of morphine.
The authors suggest an increased clearance of morphine in SCD patients may arise from increased hepatic and renal blood flow, and may cause their requirement of a higher dose and frequency of morphine to achieve optimal analgesia.
Read The Journal of Pain abstract on morphine for sickle cell disease patients.
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