Morphine induces delayed anorexia in rats

The delayed suppression of feeding caused by morphine was investigated in the rat. A single injection of morphine evoked a triphasic influence on feeding: a brief (1 h) severe anorexia was followed by hyperphagia (3 h) and a mild (20%) yet persistent (4-24 h) anorexia. This latter anorexic effect was at least partially naltrexone reversible, and the duration of this antagonism (8 h) was longer than that of naltrexone's anorexic effect (4 h). Delayed morphine anorexia cannot be ascribed to morphine's initial stuporific influence, and it was not dependent upon previous feeding or deprivation. It was not due to gastric distension. The specificity and significance of this anorexia is discussed.