Question
QUESTION: Hello -- If one has advanced cancer but may still have months left to live, is there medicine to help control the pain but allow the person to function mentally (i.e. without being confused or overly tired)?

Thanks,

Rachel

ANSWER: Hi Rachel and thanks for writing,

Morphine is the most common narcotic analgesic used with terminally ill cancer patients. The thing with any narcotic analgesic is that when used at appropriate dosages for the level of pain it will effectively relieve the pain and not cause the person to feel "stoned" or confused and sedated). Of course they may feel woozy the first 72 hours, but that should subside as long as you take the medication as directed.

I hope this answers your question.

Happy New Year,
Margot


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Margot,

Thank you for your response. Do you know why my mother was stoned (so to speak) and out of it, then? She was on a morphine drip, set at around 10 mg (or ml??) when she died. She also stopped eating.

Thanks,

Rachel

Answer
Hi again Rachel,

It's really hard for me to guess what was going on as I am not familiar with her medical history. I can tell you however that there are many separate processes going on at the same time hen a body is shutting down prior to death; these include electrolyte imbalances that can cause confusion, drowsiness and even delirium. As the person eats & drinks less and the major organs (liver & kidneys) stop functioning normally, this adds to similar symptoms - of course medications can cause similar responses so you can appreciate why it's impossible for me to isolate a single cause for the symptoms you witnessed.

I'm sorry I can't answer this question for you,

All my best,
Margot