There are many myths about painkillers, especially strong painkillers such as morphine. These can often cause fears and worries and may lead to pain not being controlled. It can be helpful to know some of the facts about painkilling drugs when you are starting to take them.

Many people believe that they should put off using painkillers for as long as possible, and that they should only get help when the pain is becoming unbearable. This can mean that people are in unnecessary pain and can make the pain more difficult to control. There are many effective painkillers for all types of pain and there is no reason to suffer unnecessarily.

Painkillers don’t become less effective if you take them for a long time. There is no need to 'save' them until you are very ill or your pain is severe – you can start to use them whenever you have pain. Some people stay on the same dose of painkillers for many months.

When you are taking painkillers always be sure to take them regularly as prescribed by your doctor. The aim is to make sure that the pain control is constant. Don't wait for pain to come back before taking your painkiller or you may be in pain unnecessarily while the painkiller is absorbed and starts to work.

The dose of painkiller you are taking should be enough to control pain right through until the next dose. It is important to let the doctors and nurses know if your pain starts to come back before the next dose is due. A more effective dose or a different drug can be used if this is the case. It sometimes takes time and care to get things exactly right.

If you have severe pain you may be given a strong painkiller, such as morphine, straight away. This does not mean that the cancer is more serious, just that the pain is severe.

Morphine is a commonly used painkiller, as the dose can easily be adjusted as necessary if the pain gets better or worse. Being started on morphine doesn’t mean you will always need to take it. If your pain improves, you can sometimes be prescribed a milder painkiller and can stop taking morphine.

You may be given other medicines such as anti-inflammatory drugs, antidepressants, anti-epileptics (drugs usually used to prevent fits or seizures) and muscle relaxants to take with your painkillers. These medicines will also help to control your pain, but in a different way from your painkillers.

Many people with cancer who are prescribed morphine ask if they will get addicted to it or if they will become confused and unable to look after themselves. This is very unlikely to happen. People who become addicted to drugs usually initially choose to take them, and then keep taking them because they have a psychological need (not a physical need) to do so. This is very different to someone who is in physical pain and needs to keep taking the drug to keep their pain under control.

The dose you take will be carefully tailored to your own special needs and will only have to be increased if your pain gets worse. Many people stay on the same dose of morphine for many months.

There is no limit to how long you can take morphine or other painkillers for. It is quite safe to take them for as long as you need to, if it is helping your pain.

Unlike many other drugs there is no single standard dose for morphine. The right dose is the one that controls your pain, and this varies from person to person.

If morphine or other painkillers are taken as prescribed, you will not overdose. There is no maximum dose for strong opioid painkillers. However, suddenly increasing the dose is dangerous, so never increase the dose or take extra doses without first talking to your doctor.