Lortabs and morphine are different. Both are in the opiate family but lortabs are a schedule three drug and morphine is a schedule two narcotic. Also morphine is usually used as a long term maintance drug usually prescribed every eight hours and lortabs are a breakthrough pain medication. I used to take morphine three times a day with the hydrocodone (lortab) As needed for breakthrough pain. That was how my doctor wrote the prescriptions. Now since the surgery I use the patches because I experience alot of nausea and vomiting but I just received a letter from my insurance company that they are no longer going to pay for them unless my doctor convinces them I really need them. I also received a letter from my insurance company today saying they do not pay for my soma, muscle relaxers, and that I need to take baclofen, which does not work for me, or zanaflex, which completely knocks me out. So I hope my doctor can persuade my insurance company to keep me on my current medication.