Medication-info.com Search Menu

MS Contin (Morphine sulfate): Uses, Side Effects and Dosage

Updated:
Facts
Status:
Prescription (Rx) Controlled substance Schedule II Boxed warning
Strength:
15 mg, 30 mg, 60 mg
Other brand names:
Drug class:
Active ingredient:
Similar drugs:

Source: FDA drug labeling via NLM DailyMed · About this document

Patient information: uses, side effects, how to take - MS Contin

MS CONTIN is:

  • A strong prescription pain medicine that contains an opioid (narcotic) that is used to manage severe and persistent pain that required an extended treatment period with a daily opioid pain medicine, when other pain medicines do not treat your pain well enough or you cannot tolerate them.
  • A long-acting (extended-release) opioid pain medicine that can put you at risk for overdose and death. Even if you take your dose correctly as prescribed you are at risk for opioid addiction, abuse, and misuse that can lead to death.
  • Not to be taken on an "as needed" basis.

Important information about MS CONTIN:

  • Get emergency help or call 911 right away if you take too much MS CONTIN (overdose). When you first start taking MS CONTIN, when your dose is changed, or if you take too much (overdose), serious or life-threatening breathing problems that can lead to death may occur. Ask your healthcare provider about medicines like naloxone or nalmefene that can be used in an emergency to reverse an opioid overdose.
  • Taking MS CONTIN with other opioid medicines, benzodiazepines, gabapentinoids (gabapentin or pregabalin), alcohol, or other central nervous system depressants (including street drugs) can cause severe drowsiness, decreased awareness, breathing problems, coma, and death.
  • Never give anyone else your MS CONTIN. They could die from taking it. Selling or giving away MS CONTIN is against the law.
  • Store MS CONTIN securely, out of sight and reach of children, and in a location not accessible by others, including visitors to the home.

Do not take MS CONTIN if you have:

  • severe asthma, trouble breathing, or other lung problems.
  • a bowel blockage or have narrowing of the stomach or intestines.

Before taking MS CONTIN, tell your healthcare provider if you have a history of:

  • head injury, seizures
  • problems urinating
  • liver, kidney, thyroid problems
  • pancreas or gallbladder problems
  • abuse of street or prescription drugs, alcohol addiction, opioid overdose, or mental health problems.

Tell your healthcare provider if you are:

  • Noticing your pain getting worse. If your pain gets worse after you take MS CONTIN, do not take more of MS CONTIN without first talking to your healthcare provider. Talk to your healthcare provider if the pain you have increases, if you feel more sensitive to pain, or if you have new pain after taking MS CONTIN.
  • Pregnant or planning to become pregnant. Use of MS CONTIN for an extended period of time during pregnancy can cause withdrawal symptoms in your newborn baby that could be life- threatening if not recognized and treated.
  • Breastfeeding. Not recommended during treatment with MS CONTIN. It may harm your baby.
  • Living in a household where there are small children or someone who has abused street or prescription drugs.
  • Taking prescription or over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements. Taking MS CONTIN with certain other medicines can cause serious side effects.

When taking MS CONTIN:

  • Do not change your dose. Take MS CONTIN exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider. Use the lowest dose possible for the shortest duration.
  • Take your prescribed dose every 8 to 12 hours, as directed by your healthcare provider. Do not take more than your prescribed dose. If you miss a dose, take your next dose at the usual time.
  • Swallow MS CONTIN whole. Do not cut, break, chew, crush, dissolve, snort, or inject MS CONTIN because this may cause you to overdose and die.
  • Call your healthcare provider if the dose you are taking does not control your pain.
  • Do not stop taking MS CONTIN without talking to your healthcare provider.

  • Dispose of expired, unwanted, or unused MS CONTIN by promptly flushing down the

    toilet, if a drug take-back option is not readily available. Visit www.fda.gov/drugdisposal for additional information on disposal of unused medicines.

While taking MS CONTIN DO NOT:

  • Drive or operate heavy machinery, until you know how MS CONTIN affects you. MS CONTIN can make you sleepy, dizzy, or lightheaded.
  • Drink alcohol or use prescription or over-the-counter medicines that contain alcohol. Using products containing alcohol during treatment with MS CONTIN may cause you to overdose and die.

The possible side effects of MS CONTIN are:

  • Constipation, nausea, sleepiness, vomiting, tiredness, headache, dizziness, abdominal pain. Call your healthcare provider if you have any of these symptoms and they are severe.

Get emergency medical help or call 911 right away if you have:

  • trouble breathing, shortness of breath, fast heartbeat, chest pain, swelling of your face, tongue, or throat, extreme drowsiness, light-headedness when changing positions, feeling faint, agitation, high body temperature, trouble walking, stiff muscles, or mental changes such as confusion.

These are not all the possible side effects of MS CONTIN. Call your healthcare provider for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. For more information, go to dailymed.nlm.nih.gov.

Manufactured by: Knoa Pharma LLC, Stamford, CT 06901-3431, www.knoapharma.com or call 1-888-726-7535.

Marketed by: Rhodes Pharmaceuticals LLC, Wilson, NC 27893 US, http://rhodespharma.com, or call 1-888-873-5329.

About this document

Source: FDA drug labeling via NLM DailyMed · Application number: NDA 019516 · View the label on DailyMed

Revision date stated in the text: May 2026

Found a mistake? Write to us via the contact page.

The information on this site does not replace the advice of a doctor or pharmacist.

Drug information for MS Contin

Rx or OTC
Prescription (Rx), Controlled substance?
  • This drug is available only with a prescription from a licensed healthcare provider.
  • This drug is a controlled substance under the federal Controlled Substances Act.
  • Rx
Controlled substance Schedule IISchedule II: high potential for abuse; abuse may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.
Boxed warning Yes – this drug has a boxed warning (also called a black box warning), the strongest warning of the FDA.
Drug class Opioid Agonist
Active ingredient Morphine sulfate
Dosage form Tablet, film coated, extended release
Route Oral
Marketing status listed in the FDA NDC Directory
Company (applicant) KNOA PHARMA
FDA approval NDA 019516New Drug Application (NDA) Approved May 29, 1987
Reference listed drug This is the reference listed drug (RLD) that generics are compared with.
Therapeutic equivalence (TE) code ABCodes starting with A mean the FDA rates the drug therapeutically equivalent to its reference drug (Orange Book).
Generics Morphine Extended-Release with the same TE code
Manufacturers 1 labelers list this drug on DailyMed
Packages (NDC)
Package
15 mg – 100 in 1 bottle, plastic NDC 42858-515-01
30 mg – 100 in 1 bottle, plastic NDC 42858-631-01
60 mg – 100 in 1 bottle, plastic NDC 42858-760-01

Source: FDA drug labeling via NLM DailyMed, data as of October 31, 2026. FDA data (DailyMed, Orange Book, Drug Shortages, enforcement reports). Not a substitute for the advice of a doctor or pharmacist.