Brain Volume Affected by Morphine Pills for Back Pain, Study Suggests

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Morphine pills are commonly used by people who experience lower back pain but, according to a new study, taking the drugs for that particular reason can bring changes to the brain's gray matter within a month.

The study was spearheaded by Dr. Joanne Lin of University of Alabama in Birmingham and colleagues, Reuters Health reported. The findings were published online on Dec. 26, 2015 in the journal Pain Medicine.

According to the study, prolonged exposure to morphine is known to produce brain matter changes in animals but not a lot of studies have been conducted in humans. Previous studies did show that using opioids for only a short period of time can also change human brain, and the latest study aims to dig deeper on the connection.

To come to their conclusion, researchers recruited 21 patients to be part of a 30-day experiment. The first group consisted of 11 patients, who took morphine pills daily, while the second group was composed of 10 participants taking placebo drugs.

It was noted in the study that patients had been experiencing chronic back pain for about an average of eight years. None of these patients were found to have a history of drug abuse.

The participants were then subjected to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to see the changes in their brain activity.

The experiment revealed that those in the first group had decreased gray matter volume by 3 percent, in areas of the brain responsible for emotions, cravings and pain response. The volume of gray matter increased in brain regions for memory and learning.

The study did not note significant changes in the placebo group.

The researchers concluded that the findings coincide with previous research suggesting that rapid changes take place in those particular brain regions even with only short-term use of opioids.

"Because we are seeing that opioids rapidly change the brain, our take-home message is that opioids should be reserved for cases when most other treatment options have failed," Lin said, according to Reuters Health.

Lin also told the outlet via email that more studies are needed to understand better how opioid really changes the brain matter and if those changes are harmful. Also, she warned that using the drug for chronic back pain should be done so with great caution as they are addictive and may possibly lead to drug abuse, overdose or, worse, death.

Meanwhile, the findings should not suggest to physicians that they should come up with new protocols on how to manage pain, Laura Stone, who is from McGill University in Montreal, told the news portal by email.

Stone, who was not involved in the study, added that there are other ways to manage chronic pain. However, she noted that, while morphine can be an excellent source of pain relief, "concerns about the negative consequences of long-term use must be balanced for each individual against the potential therapeutic benefits."