Medication in Hospice; Comfort Medication

If morphine hastened death then my father should've been dead long ago because he was on morphine for years and years due to tremendous pain from injuries incurred from Vietnam. When he was placed in Hospice of course they continued it along with all the others in the care package. I will say that when it's time to use Atropine, use it. I didn't know and my nurse was a little late in telling me to start using it. The death rattle is a horrible sound. RIP papa.

Good information for those who have parents and loved ones in hospice. Thank you Julie.... Stay Gold!

Thanks!

Hello Nurse Julie. I was having lunch with a friend today who told me that when a patient goes into hospice with terminal cancer (or some other terminal illness) that ALL medications for diabetes, high blood pressure and other regular meds are stopped immediately. I didn’t think this was true. Can you help us understand this and let us know which of us is correct?

My son had the liquid morphine,and they gave him a few days,but they said the morphine would helo him ease into it ,but what does that mean ,ease into death,?

Thank you for explaining this to everyone. I was the family member who was chosen to give my Mom the morphine around the clock. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. Love your lipstick color too.

What's the difference between morphine and hydromorphone?

I guess i must be "confused". This combination of drugs would kill anyone. If you gave it to a perfectly healthy person it would kill them too. Morphine and Ativan have black box warnings saying they can kill you if given together. For example Heath Ledger accidentally died from such an opiate and benzo combo. Haloperidol also has a black box warning saying it can kill elderly people with dementia. Its an antipsychotic, basically a chemical lobotomy. So your top 3 drugs just happen to have black box warnings about killing people. Weird how you didn't mention that in your video.

I have actually heard family say that they don’t want “momma” on morphine because “momma get aDICTed”. Momma was the hospice pt. I believe in hospice.

Hey have a few questions for ya! 😊😊

How much morphine is given initially?

Is there a reason morphine is used over dilaudid or fentanyl?

I’m wondering what would be done in a situation like mine. I have been taking dilaudid for many years so I am not opiate naive as many people would be. I get so afraid about something happening to me where I can’t communicate and being severely under medicated and in pain.😢

I had a frustrating experience with dad's hospice nurses who wanted me to give him morphine & haldol when he wanted/needed them, but on the other hand they kept trying to push me to stick to a dosing schedule - which he didn't want.

My spouse has been taking morphine a long time, not been on hospice over a year, never should have, if if he needs it 3x day, plus due to some drooling at times, gotten rarer but is on atrpophine as needed. I'd love to sit down and talk with you. I feel like such a horrible person for advocating him, bern in a facility over 2 yrs. So much not explained and unless you're fully informed I feel like what questions do I need to ask without feeling like I'm stupid and have no say.

Just hearing this and reading some of the comments have been somewhat helpful to me. My mom passed Jan 6th in hospice. They had to give her some of these meds. The last few days were so hard to watch. As she didn’t recognize me or so it seemed. And she became combative, her arms moving around. And so forth. Broke my heart so bad. I often ask myself did I do something wrong, was there more I could have done to help her . I’ve lost my dad, husband ,grandson and sister. But to loose my mom has been a challenge.

Haloperidol is the only one I would not want. It's an antipsychotic. And antipsychotics have horrible side effects.

Thank you. I often worry that I might have been in the wrong for insisting my sister continue the pain meds when my mom was dying. She died from skin cancer amongst other cancers. She had very bad bed sores and a hole in her stomach/ side bigger then a persons fist. My sister stopped giving her meds when she stopped talking, eating and not aware or awake. My sister said, “she’s not awake/aware, so she can’t be in pain”. I threw a fit and got in a big argument. I said, “how do you know she isn’t in pain?” Anyway, I worry that maybe I hindered her death, or prevented her from seeing her “angels” and dying peaceful.

This was so informative!

I wish My Dad would've recieved these on HOSPICE. All they gave Him was Percocets PO tab and Valium tabs. It wasn't enough as Yiu could imagine 😢😢😢

Hospice is wonderful!! Thank you for this information, I think you really ease people's minds❤

I have experienced air hunger and if it can be avoided it is such a blessing. It is anxiety producing and ver tiring

My thought is why be in pain and discomfort if you don’t have to?

there will always be a demand for funeral directors and hospice nurses.

Can I just put an Ativan tablet under their mouths when they are dying. Does it not have to be crushed.

Morphine can Stop Your Breath if You Take or Give Too Much..A Mother Begged me to Give her the Full Bottle of Roxinol to Give to Her son, to End His Suffering from a Comatic State he was in From Mad Cow Disease. I felt so sorry for Her Having to Watch her 35 year old Son Lay there and Suffer, but He was only Ordered so much, Sublingually every hr to control Pain. Your Video's are Great, Thanks!

After watching and listening to you Julie I lost my mom this month and knows what I did by following your channel made it easier for me to forgive what she said during death

If dying is such a beautiful thing as you say why all these drugs? Death an ugly reality that there is nothing good about except you no longer have to suffer the vagaries of this world.

I can’t believe there are other hospice people on you tube copying you…… how lame is that your channel is the one and only !!!

Thank you for this. My sister recently passed away on hospice and refused the comfort kit. It was very hard on us all as she was afraid to pass away and would rather be in excruciating pain. She did eventually when the pain was so bad, and agreed to allow the use of the comfort kit. We were so thankful to have a wonderful hospice team who took the time to explain what each medication was for. It gave us peace to know that my sister wasn’t in any pain and at peace when she passed. I found your channel a few weeks before she passed and it gave our whole family so much knowledge and comfort knowing we were supporting my sister the right way.❤

Sweet... Didn't know hospice meant boofing morphine

My friend is having Hospice come to her home. She has primarily brain cancer and lung cancer that has metastasized everywhere. She is losing her ability to think clearly or even see reality. She is becoming somewhat combative. What can Hospice do for her as a comfort measure?

dogs and cats are given meds when they are terminal.....and the meds are very debilitating... so its like YEAH....those meds DO sedate and suppress systems and functions...and lots of times these are meds given at alll sorts of disease progressions and symptoms...animals get a lot of meds that humans get and the procedures are almost identical.....you have not mentioned Gabapentin....haldol is toxic..my mother is Schizophrenic and that is a horrible drug....of course as a decent person you feel you are being compassionate..the BODY KNOWS what to do...drugs ,,,nope...we are deceived that drugs are ok or good. the AMA killed natural options because you cant make money on nature...you are part of the system making money on misery and part of that is the money making drugs..and OF COURSE ..your studies..proove what suits your agenda..your=the medical system. all drugs are bad..we have what we need in nauture and have been lied to for more than 100years.

My sister was on hospice but it was up to her family (husband & daughter) to administer some of her meds. I think they had no idea of what and if she needed a med. Why do they let this happen?

When my mom was on hospice the nurse said they gave her Haldol to "help her sleep". Recently when my husband was in ER, they said they gave him Haldol to help him sleep but I also noted he had been restless earlier in the day. Since "sleep aid" wasn't on the list of what Haldol is for, does that mean both were actually being given Haldol for restlessness or agitation that was preventing them from getting to sleep instead?

Very helpful info Julie....Thank you & God bless........

Excellent. Thank you.

One day in the next ten years or so I will likely have to care for one or both of my parents during their end of life. I am going to work very closely with medical practitioners to keep them as comfortable and content as possible. I hope they sleep and rest lots and aren't in pain or anxious. I very much want the same for myself when the time comes.

What do they give in place of morphine when there's an allergy to it?

I've been cleaning house for my 88 year old neighbor and she was just fine until 4 or 5 weeks ago she started having a bloated stomach and having an even harder time breathing due to emphysema or what they now call COPD. I'm just in shock still of how fast this came on. She is now home in hospice care. Her husband I'm the most worried about. They have been together for 48 years. I'm not sure what to say or do to help this wonderful man and his beautiful wife but i know i will be there till the end....no matter how hard it gets for me it is 100 × harder for him. God bless all of you care givers.

Thanks!

I’m allergic to morphine what would take it’s place

Thank you for this I have often been haunted by the thought that I may have hastened the death of a loved one by ok’ing the use of morphine.

Zofran nausea medicine it's bad for the heart caused me to have heart attack . Makes you wonder how long after taking it. Did the person pass away ?

Thanks for this very informative video. ❤

It is really overwhelming to get handed.

My Mother died in hospice within days of her arrival. With morphine she became much more agreeable and talkative having been in pain. It was great!
I was urged to add ativan injection.
I wish I hadn't. She immediately stopped talking and slept. That "golden time" instantly left and we didn't get it back...

I had never heard of a Macy catheter until my mom was on hospice. It was very helpful the last 2 days. She also developed a compulsive scratching. The ativan and haloperidol were helpful for that.

My story starts some 10yrs ago. My mother was 83 and no history of sickness had fallen and broke her hip after the hospital she went into therapy doing great i live in Tennessee she was living in Florida my sister helped her through life well back to story I went to see her in therapy and she seemed to be doing great i put her in wheelchair took her outside for the day she seemed well on her way home to get on with life so I came home and 2 days later she went to my sister's house doing good i get a call from my sister to come back down mom not doing good she said mom was alittle agitated so the nurse gave her some morphine so she could rest so I'm on my way back down some 30 minutes sister called and said it's to late mom had passed on. Now I'm not a medical doctor or anything close but I have always thought that morphine is what killed her because mom would not take aspirin for anything she didn't like any of that stuff . Im not real sure but could the morphine have done it. Some how i know your answer but this has been something i have lived with for all these years. Thank you for all you do i love to listen to you. ❤

Haldol is a bad med in my opinion. Sounds like all these drugs are all to make patients not have any behavioral problems. This is just my opinion.

We were told in nursing school, and in clinical settings, that morphine can hasten death BUT as long as the intention was to relieve suffering, then it’s ok. Although it can appear as if death is being hastened, it’s actually the disease process taking over, in the absence of conflicting symptoms.🙏🏻

I am a pharmacist and see a lot of these packs , I often think about who it’s going to and send love.I often wonder about giving benzodiazepines but my friend had great fear of dentists and was given some midozalam , she felt as if she had no care about what happened,So I suppose it may be a great help.I often wonder about my end.I want to be conscious as I am a believer in continuation.
It’s a real dilemma because none of us knows how we will die.I have sat with dying who had no one but the one I am thinking of was already out of it and I left him in peace to go after giving him the Buddhist sutra reading he asked for before I got there
He died not long after I left and I swear he smiled while I was reading.
Great work you are doing.

I have severe fears (cPTSD and Body dysmorphic disorder) about ever needing suppositories (or anything else intimate). If I went on hospice and made this clear would that be respected? If I explained why?