Intravenous (IV) morphine requirement for immediate postoperative pain control depends upon the complex interplay of patient history, wound severity, environment, and genetics. Even for relatively uniform stimulus intensity, such as that associated with tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T&A), there can be marked individual variability in response to morphine. Some patients are refractory to standard doses and need increased amounts. Others are sensitive, require less drug to attain acceptable pain levels, and/or experience unwanted side effects that limit dosing. A significant number must be switched to different analgesics altogether. Despite the long clinical history of morphine as a postoperative analgesic, researchers have only begun to examine the origins of response variability.