Diamorphine for pain relief
Name: Diamorphine for pain relief
- Diamorphine for pain relief tablet
- Diamorphine for pain relief injection
- Diamorphine for pain relief used to treat
About diamorphine
| Type of medicine | Strong opioid painkiller |
| Used for | Severe pain |
| Also called | Diacetylmorphine (in US) |
| Available as | Injection, tablets and nasal spray (Ayendi® Nasal Spray) |
Strong opioids (sometimes called opiates) are medicines used to treat severe pain. Diamorphine is a type of strong opioid. It is used in particular to treat pain after a surgical operation and pain caused by cancer. It may also be used following a heart attack, or for breathlessness caused by fluid in the lungs. It works on your nervous system and brain to reduce the amount of pain you feel.
Diamorphine is usually given as an injection. Tablets of diamorphine are available but rarely prescribed. This is because other strong opioids (such as morphine) are preferred as they are absorbed better by your body when taken by mouth.
A nasal spray called Ayendi® is available to treat severe pain in children. It is only given by a doctor or nurse in an emergency in hospital. A nasal spray is used because it is quicker to set up and less distressing than an injection.