morphine given too randomly in elderly patients!

Morphine, MS Contin and Roxinal - given to my father in small doses, different times while on hospice. I believe that this is what ultimately caused my father to decline and die. 83 years old, broke his hip, surgery (pins), was on a constant Dilaudid drip in the hospital which worked well for pain management. He was then diagnosed with "failure to thrive" in the SNF, couldn't rehabilitate (at least not fast enough), sent home and hospice came on board. As soon as he was administered morphine (1 mg Roxinol), he went down....was "snowed" and no more given. He became alert again and was then given methadone and vicadin which was not effective enough (according to hospice) in controlling the pain. They then switched to MS Contin - 15 mg. when he became completely snowed once again. I've since read how morphine, ms contin causes toxicity in elders, especially those with renal problems (which my father had, which hospice knew) and from 3 doses of 15 mg. of ms contin given 12 hours apart, my father never gained full clarity and died on January 5th, 2007. They kept claiming "coincidence" how each time the morphine caused him to become semi-comatose, that he was breaking down and not from the morphine. Yeah, they controlled his pain, all right....by keeping him totally down and snowed as they referred to it. Hospice's drug of choice is morphine, regardless of a patient’s history. Morphine is not a recommended drug in some patients, including those with past renal problems and the elderly. Hospice has no regard for those considerations so anyone reading this, please beware and heed warning from my father's experience with morphine. Hydromorphine (Dilaudid) would have been a safer drug for pain management. Wish I knew then what I know now.

I agree with you 100%, it is horrible how especially the older patients are reguarded by the so called health professionals. My grandmother was also given morphine every 20 mins (hospice directions) She wasn't even complaing of any pain. Even while she was zonked out, morphine liquid was being put into her mouth by dropper, it wasn't but a few days and my precious grandmother was dead. I beleive with all my heart she would still be here if the morphine were never given.
Also my precious Moma, she was in ICU she was put in hospital at first only with possible pneumonia on Oct. 31st, 2005. On Wed. much better, doctor said will go home on Thursday, or Friday for sure. By Sun at 6pm my sweet precious Moma died and I will never get over it. she meant the world to me. She was moved to ICU very early Sunday morning, family not told she had been given a latex cathater, they knew she was allergic to latex. Then we also find out 3 months after she died that she had contracted MRSA, we were lied to about that. And to top it all off looking at her records we find out she was given 40cc/hr IV drip of Morphine. She was not treated for the MRSA. She was on a bipap machine that forces oxygen into the lungs, I beleive that they did not want her to be able to talk to us. We could do nothing about all this because of NO Autopsy, so please, please always get one done if you have a loved one to die, then get all of that persons medical records, ALL of them. I too beleive with all my heart that my sweet precious Moma who had just turned 71 only 25 days before, was killed by the morphine, she had renal problems too.

sandra4453 wrote:

Morphine, MS Contin and Roxinal - given to my father in small doses, different times while on hospice. I believe that this is what ultimately caused my father to decline and die. 83 years old, broke his hip, surgery (pins), was on a constant Dilaudid drip in the hospital which worked well for pain management. He was then diagnosed with "failure to thrive" in the SNF, couldn't rehabilitate (at least not fast enough), sent home and hospice came on board. As soon as he was administered morphine (1 mg Roxinol), he went down....was "snowed" and no more given. He became alert again and was then given methadone and vicadin which was not effective enough (according to hospice) in controlling the pain. They then switched to MS Contin - 15 mg. when he became completely snowed once again. I've since read how morphine, ms contin causes toxicity in elders, especially those with renal problems (which my father had, which hospice knew) and from 3 doses of 15 mg. of ms contin given 12 hours apart, my father never gained full clarity and died on January 5th, 2007. They kept claiming "coincidence" how each time the morphine caused him to become semi-comatose, that he was breaking down and not from the morphine. Yeah, they controlled his pain, all right....by keeping him totally down and snowed as they referred to it. Hospice's drug of choice is morphine, regardless of a patient’s history. Morphine is not a recommended drug in some patients, including those with past renal problems and the elderly. Hospice has no regard for those considerations so anyone reading this, please beware and heed warning from my father's experience with morphine. Hydromorphine (Dilaudid) would have been a safer drug for pain management. Wish I knew then what I know now.

A note to those treating the elderly with renal problems. Hospice has been very helpfull in the past with my mother using liquid morphine to eas her pain in terminas cancer. though in my father's case they did not explain ahead of time thst when using morphine sulphate LA IN PATENTS WITH COMPRAMISED RENAL SYSTEMS. tThe use of the "LA" (long acting) twelve hour tablet will stop or close down the kidneys & this will cause the patent to expire. What is hoped for is comfort, but the use of the long acting form does speed up the passing of the patient at least from what the doctor NOW explained.

My father went into the Emergency Room for pain in his knee from a fall 3 days earlier. They gave him an injection of something in his left arm but he was still in alot of pain an hour or so later. They then gave him another injection of something ( I heard them mention morphine) and when I asked what they gave him, they told me a narcotic that would make him dilerious. He didn't feel any pain after that and kept falling in and out of sleep but always knew and answered me when he was awake. We had a Med Car help us take him home since he couldn't walk up the stairs into his house and was medicated. We had him lay down in his bed. He NEVER WOKE UP! 15 hours later, my father was dead. This beautiful soul is no longer with us and we are all devastated. He was 92 years old and healthy. Everyone says it was probably his time but I can't believe that. I know he went fast and in his bed but will always wonder if the morphine slowed his heart and made it stop. PLEASE BE SO CAREFUL TO QUESTION ALL MEDICATIONS DOCTORS PRESCRIBE BEFORE ALLOWING THEM TO GIVE TO YOUR LOVED ONES. We put our trust in the doctors and hospital and now my father is no longer with us.

Good Evening,
The lady i take care of suddenly took a turn for the worst.Where she could no longer get out of bed. Hospice jumped right in and had the hospital bed and oxygen tank delivered along with morphine and lorazapam. dose amt. was 2 drops as needed and then increased to 3 drops. I only gave the dose twice in 1 night at the 2 drop dosage. Thay then increased the dosage to 3. i tried the 3 out only because she was in alot of pain. Watching her under the influence and the day after effects i had made up my mind never again.
I sometimes wonder what is hospice really doing????After reading testimonies on this site i feel we are right about the morphine. It ends up killing them.I thank GOD she is still living. I had mixed emotions about the drug to begin with as well as,are we stepping into GODS area.Let his will be done.
Think twice about the morphine and to experiment is one thing,but let it up to an individual that has taken care of them for along period of time and knows everything about them.

My father was just 80 years old when he died. he was placed in an adult foster care unit because he had lost his home to a fire....Hospice was brought in and he was giving morphine drops for pain...umm he was only upset at the loss of his home...not in *pain*.... he died 2 days later after being admisistered the morphine.... I am thinking of starting a class action suit against hospice and the home

.... I would love to hear more posts on this use or morphine in ederly....we need to stop this abuse NOW...before anyone else losses their love one....[/b]

The nursing home where my mother in law was living suggested she go on hospice. She was 92 and declining, but I do not think she was in consideral pain. They said a drop of morphine would give her some comfort. We agreed to make her more comfortable as she was depressed and would often say " Why doesn't God take me." Well- she was passing out Halloween candy to the kids on Halloween and she was dead on November 13th. Beware of morphine- it kills elderly people quickly.

My mom was murdered by hospice in 12 hours with hourly dosages of morphine.

In my case, I am educated about the medical system including hospice etc. I continually spoke up to the authorities saying my mother reacts to all meds and all meds must be cleared through me before anything is administered. But hopsice violated my mother's wishes and violated her living will....also violated the medical power of attorney. And she was murdered by hospice. I am angry and will pursue this to keep others safe from these Kevorkian practices of playing GOD.

I think hospice is a fabulous concept...keeping the terminal at home without a lot of drama. Even euthanasia should be available for those patients that desire that. But we did not. My mother was taken off this earth without her consent. That is murder in my book and hospice should be accountable for their wrongdoing!

As i read alll these post i sit here with chills, my inital thought after my Dad died was that the morphine killed him, i honestly believe it is just a convient way to get rid of the sick and elderly. I wasn't even aware that my dad was being given morphine until the day he died, from the nurse on duty and it was given for two days only. My only solace is that his quality of life was never going to return and dementia had truly taken it toll...nevertheless IT IS SOOOO WRONG UNSING THIS METHOD. I feel guilt ridden by not knowing in order to put a stop to it. That particular week i put off seeing him for a DAY and he was gone. All of you are right, my intuition as lead me to the same place as all of you. I didn't care for his assigned Dr. from the beginning either, he was pushing hospice and i wasn't biting due to his infection and sores, i couln't leave them untreated. So he took it upon himself to take the hospice route and administer morphine, when Vicodin worked fine for his pain management.[/b]

My mother is 78 and dying of cancer. Hospice Hawaii in Kai'lua admitted her because she wanted to go to hospice. Deborah Clark, MSW, and Roxanne Silver, RN, said they would explore other morphine equivalents since she had objected to morphine. They did not. They administered morphine on the day (without our consent) that she exclaimed, "I want to live."
We saved her with vitamin supplements as her eyes rolled back, her breathing and heart became erratic. She then said, "I don't know what's happening. I cannot control my muscles." Morphine, without consent, was the culprit. They are guilty of attempted murder.
Had she wanted to die on that day, her wishes would have been honored. On the contrary, she wanted to live. Hospices turn to morphine as their convenient 'drug of choice.' Beware, indeed, if your loved one does not wish to die and you would like to honor their wishes.