Educational Opiate Conversion Calculator (MME)
This tool estimates daily morphine milligram equivalents (MME/day) from common oral opioids and can show a raw, mathematical comparison to another oral opioid.
Excluded on purpose: methadone and transdermal fentanyl (complex/nonlinear conversion and specialist-only workflows).
What this opiate conversion calculator does
This page helps you convert a daily opioid regimen into an approximate MME/day. MME is a normalization method that puts different opioid strengths on the same scale so clinicians can quickly assess relative opioid exposure.
Higher total MME/day can correlate with increased overdose risk at a population level. That does not mean a specific person is “safe” or “unsafe” based on one number alone, but it does make MME useful for medication reviews, handoffs, and quality checks.
How to use the calculator
Step-by-step
- Select the current oral opioid.
- Enter the mg per dose.
- Enter how many times it is taken in 24 hours.
- Click Calculate to see daily dose and estimated MME/day.
- Optionally pick a comparison opioid to view a raw equianalgesic daily estimate.
The optional comparison is purely mathematical and does not account for incomplete cross-tolerance, age, kidney/liver disease, sedation risk, interacting medications, sleep apnea, or opioid use disorder risk.
Reference factors used in this tool (oral only)
- Morphine: 1.0
- Hydrocodone: 1.0
- Oxycodone: 1.5
- Hydromorphone: 4.0
- Oxymorphone: 3.0
- Codeine: 0.15
- Tramadol: 0.1
- Tapentadol: 0.4
These values are commonly used in educational materials, but institutions may use slightly different tables or workflows. Always defer to local policy and specialist guidance.
Why conversion is not the same as prescribing
Clinical context changes everything
A raw opioid equivalence value is not a final dose recommendation. Safe prescribing requires individualized assessment and often dose reduction from theoretical equivalents. Rotation decisions should include treatment goals, non-opioid options, and close follow-up.
Important risk considerations
- Concurrent benzodiazepines, alcohol, or sedating medications
- Renal/hepatic impairment and advanced age
- Respiratory disease and sleep-disordered breathing
- History of overdose, substance use disorder, or unstable housing
- Rapid dose escalation without reassessment
Common mistakes this page can help you avoid
- Forgetting to total all daily doses before comparing strength.
- Mixing immediate-release and extended-release schedules incorrectly.
- Assuming equal “mg” means equal analgesic effect across opioids.
- Treating equianalgesic numbers as direct prescribing orders.
Bottom line
Use this opiate conversion calculator as a quick educational checkpoint for opioid exposure, not as a treatment directive. If you are a patient, do not change your medication based on this page—talk with your prescriber. If you are a clinician, verify with institutional protocols, account for patient-specific risk, and monitor closely after any change.