Tolerance to the Effect of Morphine on Intestinal Transit

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Abstract
The repeated or chronic injection of a narcotic analgesic, exemplified by morphine, often results in the phenomena of tolerance and physical dependence. In regard to the gastrointestinal tract, the response to repeated administration of morphine are not clear. Tolerance to the effects of morphine on intestinal contractions in vitro appears to develop. An attempt was made to assess quantitatively whether acute injections of morphine affect intestinal transit in unanesthetized rats, and to determine whether prior treatment of the rats with repeated injections of morphine produces tolerance to the observed effects. The effects on intestinal transit normally produced by an acute dose of morphine were markedly diminished or lost. Chronic morphine treatment decreases the responses of the intestine to acute doses of morphine in situ and in vitro.

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