Morphine Equivalent Dose (MME) Calculator

Determines the total daily MME to help with prescribing opioid dosage.

Refer to the text below the tool for more information about the usage of MMEs in opioid prescription to prevent overdose risk.

Morphine equivalent dosing is employed to determine a patient’s cumulative intake of any opioids over 24 hours, in an attempt to avoid the higher dosages of opioids that are associated with higher risk of overdose and mortality.

MME range	Comparative risk (Dunn et al.)	Annual overdose rate
1 to <20 MME/day	Reference	0.20%
20 to <50 MME/day	2x higher risk of overdose	Data not available
50 to <100 MME/day	3.7x higher risk of overdose	0.70%
≥100 MME/day	8.9x higher risk of overdose	1.80%

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Steps on how to print your input & results:

1. Fill in the calculator/tool with your values and/or your answer choices and press Calculate.

2. Then you can click on the Print button to open a PDF in a separate window with the inputs and results. You can further save the PDF or print it.

Please note that once you have closed the PDF you need to click on the Calculate button before you try opening it again, otherwise the input and/or results may not appear in the pdf.

Morphine Milligram Equivalents

Tracking MMEs helps minimize the potential for prescription drug abuse/misuse.

MME is determined by using an equivalency factor to calculate a dose of morphine that is equivalent to the ordered opioid.

Opioid	MME Conversion factor	Common dosages
Codeine	0.15	15mg, 30mg, 60mg
FentaNYL patch (Duragesic) 12.5 mcg/hr 25 mcg/hr 50 mcg/hr 75 mcg/hr 87.5 mcg/hr 100 mcg/hr	2.4	12.5 mcg/hr, 25 mcg/hr, 50 mcg/hr, 75 mcg/hr, 87.5 mcg/hr, 100 mcg/hr
FentaNYL buccal or tablets	0.13	100 mcg, 200 mcg, 300 mcg, 400 mcg, 600 mcg, 800 mcg
HYDROcodone (Vicodin, Norco, Lortab)	1	2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 1 mg/mL, 0.5 mg/mL, 0.667 mg/mL
HYDROmorphone (Dilaudid)	4	2 mg, 4 mg, 8 mg, 12 mg, 16 mg, 32 mg, 1 mg/mL
Methadone	4 (for 1-20 mg/day)	5 mg, 10 mg, 40 mg
	8 (for 21-40 mg/day)
	10 (for 41-60 mg/day)
	12 (for >60mg/day)
Morphine	1	10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg, 45 mg, 50 mg, 60 mg, 70 mg, 75 mg, 80 mg, 90 mg, 100 mg, 120 mg, 130 mg, 150 mg, 200 mg
OxyCODONE (OxyCONTIN, Roxicodone)	1.5	5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg, 30 mg, 40 mg, 60 mg, 80 mg, 1 mg/mL, 20 mg/mL
OxyMORphone	3	5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg, 30 mg, 40 mg, 1 mg/mL
Tapentadol	0.4	-
TraMADol (Ultram)	0.1	-
Buprenorphine	10	-

According to the CDC guidelines, opioids should be prescribed at the lowest effective dose and calculations re-checked. Also, concurrent opioid and benzodiazepine prescribing should be avoided as it increases overdose risk. Do not use in pediatric patients, to avoid unpredictable rates of absorption and risk of overdose.

CDC also recommends extra precautions when increasing to 50 MME or more per day. Please note this calculator is NOT a substitute for clinical judgment and should be used for information purpose only.

The table below summarizes risk of overdose in relation to the daily morphine equivalent dose.

MME range	Comparative risk (Dunn et al.)	Annual overdose rate
1 to <20 MME/day	Reference	0.20%
20 to <50 MME/day	2x higher risk of overdose	Data not available
50 to <100 MME/day	3.7x higher risk of overdose	0.70%
≥100 MME/day	8.9x higher risk of overdose	1.80%

References

Original reference

Von Korff M, Saunders K, et al. De facto long-term opioid therapy for noncancer pain. Clin J Pain. 2008; 24(6):521-7.

Dunn KM, Saunders KW, Rutter CM, et al. Opioid prescriptions for chronic pain and overdose: a cohort study. Ann Intern Med. 2010; 152(2):85-92.

Other references

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC grand rounds: prescription drug overdoses - a U.S. epidemic. 2012; 61(01):10-13.

Specialty: Pharmacology

Article By: Denise Nedea

Published On: October 29, 2020 · 12:00 AM

Last Checked: October 29, 2020