| n8simmons - 9/19/2015 13:06
Healthcare Questions for help with Farming questions... soo.... put on the other hat and here we go...
Palliative Care Drugs 101
Grimacing, Wincing, "non-verbal" are some of the only ways to tell if there is pain, quite frankly, care providers would rather "be safe than sorry" and give pain meds during end of life and know the patient doesn't have any pain, rather than to let someone suffer through the end and guess that they don't have pain
Morphine - Potent, inexpensive, doesn't need to be metabolized to work, GREAT for pain relief, respiratory depression is a side effect, given IV/IM or sublingual, liquid or oral tablets, anticholinergic (SLUDGE, slows down Salivation, Lacrimation, Urination, Defecation, and Gastric) end of life patients can "drown" in their saliva, not a good way to bow out
Ativan and Valium - Anxiolytic, inexpensive, helps to "relax", great for seizures that can occur with electrolyte imbalances or for when seizures onset from tumors
Atropine Eye drops given orally or Glycopyrrolate - helps with secretions, see above
Email is good if you have any other questions
I have been told ,from a person with lots of years, working in the elderly medical centers, that if the liver fails, then pain killers will not be metabolized so the pain will not be controlled . So, when in the last hours, when the patient can not get out of bed ,to get pills ,I think hospice does a great service ,, In my past, the wife, was the one here with mother ,not hospice |
Morphine for end of life
