The Morphine Myth

Morphine has become one of the most fundamental drugs used with most Hospices....but like Hospice itself, I come across many patients, families, and even medical staff afraid or even refuse to use it because" it will cause death". The fact is, that Morphine if used properly, is a wonderful medication with a variety of uses. First and foremost, Morphine is an opiate that works wonderfully to ease moderate to severe pain, especially with end of life patients. It is also highly beneficial for COPD patients and patients with any respiratory distress. Morphine reduces anxiety and may alleviate the body's response to high CO2 (hypercapnia) and low O2 (hypoxemia) that contribute to shortness of breath....in other words, Morphine dilates airways and relieves the "smothering, can't breathe" feeling that the many end of life patients experience, not matter what their diagnosis. I am constantly educating families and nurses about the benefits of Morphine and that if given properly, it does not hasten death, but alleviates the pain and suffering that does not need to occur. Yes, Morphine can depress the respiratory system...I always tell patients that Morpine will slow respirations but, by that I mean, a normal person's respirations are 12-18 breaths per minute and if given a correct doseage of Morphine, it may slow it to 8 bpm...this is not enough to cause someone's death. I think many times people associate Morphine with "causing death" simply because at the end of life, Morphine is needed to ease pain and shortness of breath. It is a good drug that has given hospice patients the peace and relief they need