What About The Use Of Morphine

Question

Originally asked by Community Member hal

What About The Use Of Morphine

Answer

My mother-in-law kept ripping out her oxygen tubes, and they put her on a low dose of morphine to help her breathing. It was great, and didn’t seem to cause any harm.

Morphine is used for pain control, of course, in larger doses, and can be addictive, but if someone is at the stage where that is all that work, why would that matter?

If someone is in the dying process, does it cause them to lose a few days of “life.” Likely. But if they are dying anyway, is agonizing pain a better choice? The only thing that relieved my mother’s pain, as she was dying, was morphine. And it still took her heart days to quit. Her body had already begun the journey before the morphine. So, I don’t believe it limited her days on earth, but if it did, they would have been more like days in hell. So, I’m okay with it.

Carol

You should know Answers to your question are meant to provide general health information but should not replace medical advice you receive from a doctor. No answers should be viewed as a diagnosis or recommended treatment for a condition.

Answered by: Carol Bradley Bursack