What Do Morphine Pills Look Like?

Morphine pills come in a wide variety of different shapes, sizes, colors, imprints, and strengths. 

While morphine is often administered in injection form in medical settings, it can also be prescribed in immediate-release, controlled-release, or extended-release tablet or capsule forms under both brand names and generic labels.

And because the drug has a short half-life of only two to three hours in most patients, long-acting extended-release formulations have been developed.

What Do Morphine Pills Look Like?

Common morphine pills (listed with strength, physical characteristics, and imprint) include the following:

MS Contin (Controlled Release)

• 15 mg, blue round tablets, M15 / PF
• 30 mg, purple round tablets, M30 / PF
• 60 mg, orange round tablets, M60 / PF
• 100 mg, gray round tablets, 100 / PF
• 200 mg, green capsule-shaped tablets, M200 / PF

Kadian (Extended-Release)

• 10 mg, gray capsule, Kadian 10 mg
• 20 mg, yellow capsule, Kadian 20 mg
• 30 mg, purple capsule, Kadian 30 mg
• 40 mg, purple/yellow capsule, Kadian 40 mg
• 50 mg, blue capsule, Kadian 50 mg
• 60 mg, pink capsule, Kadian 60 mg
• 80 mg, tan capsule, Kadian 80 mg
• 100 mg, cyan capsule, Kadian 100 mg
• 200 mg, brown capsule, Kadian 200 mg

MorphaBond ER (Extended-Release)

• 15 mg, blue round tablets, IDT M15
• 30 mg, purple round tablets, IDT M30
• 60 mg, orange round tablets, IDT M60
• 100 mg, gray round tablets, IDT M100

Oramorph SR (Sustained Release, Discontinued)

• 15 mg, white round tablets, 54 782 / 15
• 30 mg, white round tablets, 54 409 / 30
• 60 mg, white round tablets, 54 933 / 60
• 100 mg, white round tablets, 54 862 / 100

Avinza (Extended-Release, Discontinued)

• 30 mg, yellow/white capsules, AVINZA 30mg / 505
• 45 mg, light blue/white capsules, AVINZA 45mg / 509
• 60 mg, dark blue/white capsules, AVINZA 60mg / 506
• 90 mg, red/white capsules, AVINZA 60mg / 507
• 120 mg, blue/white capsules, AVINZA 120mg / 508

Arymo ER (Extended-Release, Discontinued)

• 15 mg, dark blue capsule-shaped tablet, EGLT 15
• 30 mg, purple capsule-shaped tablet, EGLT 30
• 60 mg, purple capsule-shaped tablet, EGLT 60

Generic Formulations

Morphine sulfate tablets are also produced generically in a wide variety of different forms, including:

• 15, 30, 60, and 100 mg round extended-release colored tablets, imprinted with ABG (Watson Pharmaceuticals)
• 15, 30, 60, 100, and 200 mg extended-release colored tablets, imprinted with E652, E653, E655, E658, and E659 (Endo Pharmaceuticals)
• 20, 30, 60, and 100 mg extended-release colored capsules, imprinted with UPSHER-SMITH and other information (Upsher-Smith Laboratories)
• 15, 30, 60, 100, and 200 mg extended-release colored tablets, imprinted with n15, n30, n60, n100, and n200 (Zydus Pharmaceuticals)
• 15, 30 mg, extended-release colored round tablets marked RD70 and RD71 (Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc.)
• 15, 30 mg, immediate-Release brown round and capsule-shaped bisected tablet, imprinted with ETH / 15 and ETHEX 30 (Ethex Corporation)

Note that this is not an exhaustive list of all possible morphine capsules or tablets, and additional morphine formulations, including suppositories, injections, and oral solutions, are also available.

About Morphine

Use of morphine is reserved for situations in which a healthcare provider believes that the benefits of the pain medication outweigh its risks, and they will attempt to use the lowest dose of morphine required to control moderate to severe pain.

This is typically 15 or 30 mg every three hours for opioid-naive patients taking immediate-release formulations, with dosage increasing as needed due to tolerance or pain severity.

Morphine Drug Class

Morphine is a natural opiate, opioid, and narcotic prescription drug classified as a Schedule II controlled substance with a high risk for drug abuse, physical dependence, and addiction.

It is comparable with other opioid analgesics including hydromorphone, oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, fentanyl, and heroin, though these substances vary significantly in potency and preferred application.

Side Effects Of Morphine

Morphine acts on opioid receptors in the central nervous system, changing how the body responds to pain, relieving stress and anxiety, and slowing CNS activity at lower doses, and stimulating a potent and highly addictive euphoria at higher doses.

Other side effects of this medication include:

• constipation
• drowsiness or sleepiness
• low blood pressure
• stomach pain and cramps
• dry mouth
• headache
• nervousness
• mood changes
• small pupils
• difficulty urinating or pain when urinating

Other uncommon but serious side effects, including overdose may also occur.

Morphine Overdose & Withdrawal

Extreme sedation, agitation, confusion, cold and clammy skin, blue-tinted lips and fingertips, pinpoint pupils, and breathing problems (respiratory depression) are all signs of opioid overdose, a life-threatening medical emergency. 

If you suspect an overdose has occurred, administer naloxone (Narcan) and summon immediate medical attention.

Prolonged use of morphine may also lead to physical dependence and uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms when the drug is eventually discontinued.

Treating Morphine Addiction

If you or a loved one live with morphine addiction, our inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment programs can help.

At Ark Behavioral Health, participants can access compassionate care from licensed healthcare providers with treatment options that include:

• medical detoxification
• medication-assisted treatment
• cognitive behavioral therapy
• alternative therapies
• aftercare support

To learn more about Ark Behavioral Health and our treatment services, please contact us today.