Terminal

## I am a nursing student. My final exam is focused on palliative care. I would appreciate any information about prescribing in palliative care. The scenario for my exam states that the patient is to be commenced on Morphine Sulphate oral solution, as Oromorph 10mg/5ml, 5mg four hourly to titrate his analgesic requirements. (The patient is suffering from terminal prostate cancer). Any information will be greatly welcomed. Thanks!!

1 REPLY

I have a terminal condition, so what do I have to lose by identifying myself? Nonetheless, please respect my privacy. It appears that Roxane manufactures/did manufacture Levorphanol under the trade name Levo-Dromoran and may be available outside the USA. The biochemical characteristics of this drug indicate that it might be a favorable replacement for the Oxymorphone that I take now. Apparently it can be compounded by a specialty pharmacy, but could a prescription be filled under the present circumstances for a manufactured form? ## I did, in fact, receive an e-mail from a representative at Boehringer Ingelheim USA indicating that Levorphanol tartrate is currently manufactured in a generic version by Roxane Laboratories. I assume it is available in 2 and 4mg tablets. Now I simply need t...

4 REPLIES

i live in brooklyn terminally ill and cannot fill my prescription of oxycodone 30mg I am sick with kidney failure .. can anyone help??? ## Hi jerry, My research suggests that someone who has kidney disease or kidney failure should only be taking Oxycodone under the care of a medical doctor. Have you considered other- less harsh- methods of pain relief? I imagine that if you are experiencing kidney failure you should seek emergency medical attention, and the doctors/surgeons may be able to provide you with alternatives that could help you-not hurt you. I am not a doctor, but I personally think that If one of your organs is failing, pumping more narcotics into your body won't help your case much. A nutritionist may be able to help you create a diet plan that may be able to help your b...

3 REPLIES

my mother is terminaly ill we cant find her medication anywhere in volusia county florida she take methadone 10 mg tabs for pain she has'nt had any in three days I don't know what to do ## Try to find out if they have the liquid instead. Or see if they have the 5mg pills. If not her doctor will have to prescribe something that is opiate based until you find a pharmacy that has it or until it becomes availale again. This is happening in other areas as well.we'll ## There are MAJOR shortages of nearly all opiate based medications in South Florida due to the pill mills there. I live in North Florida and sometimes have to accept partial fills until my pharmacy can order more to finish the script. Also, due to our crap Governor and the minions in the Florida Legislature, they hav...

7 REPLIES

I am in Houston & have terminal disease and been on hydrocodone 10-325 & fentanyl patch for years. Picked up prescriptions today and Walgreens filled fentanyl patch but says No one has hydrocodone? Said it was manufacture? They gave me no options, tried a private pharmacy and got no where. Is there anything anybody knows ## @Dsh, Sorry to hear about your situation. It seems as though many chronic pain patients are facing a similar dilemma at this point in time (given the recent state of opioid madness going on throughout the country). I do find it extremely unusual however that pharmacies don't have something as "light" as hydrocodone in stock at any given time. Shortage problems like this appear to be out of the doctor's control who wrote the prescription for yo...

4 REPLIES

for example, a 70 year 0ld man with terminal cancer is receiving morphine, scropolamine, lorazepam, and rubinol via subcutaneous butterfly device. What are their specific uses in the management of the cancer patient? ## Morphine is a narcotic pain reliever, so in this case, it is being used to help alleviate his suffering and make him more comfortable. It may cause side effects, such as: nausea, drowsiness, dizziness and dry mouth. Scopolamine helps prevent nausea and vomiting. So, it also makes sense, because the Morphine can cause nausea, as well as other cancer treatments. Its most common side effects may include: dry mouth, nose and throat. As to mixing it with the Morphine, the only thing here that needs to be watched for is the possibility of central nervous system depression, t...

4 REPLIES

I have been on oxycontin for years...I have terminal illness and suffer every day...only relief i had was from oxycontin and now that they changed the formula my stomach constantly kills me ...i want to just yell....u aren't protecting anyone, you are hurting the ones that need help...junkies will be junkies....thanks for making me have to take roxicodone 4 times a day... ## I am very sorry to read of the problems you are having, however, this site does not manufacture any medication, we are solely and information website. There have been many complaints about the new formulation of Oxycontin not working as well and causing odd side effects. The only thing I can suggest to you is that you contact both the manufacturer Purdue and the FDA to report the issue: Purdue Pharma number for ...

17 REPLIES

My mom has been battling stage 3 Salivary glad cancer for 5 years. She is terminal. Lately there has been 2 seisures due to low potassium. She is on pain management of 53 mg/ml/hr of hydromorphone iv . Is this too much? ## Hello, Dwaycott! How is your mom doing? When it comes to pain relief, it is best to leave the dosing up to her doctors. I understand your concern, but there are many medical studies that have shown that higher doses of narcotics to make the people more comfortable in such situations don't hasten death. I am so very sorry that she is terminal, my dad is as well, so don't think I am taking this lightly…. but there is a point where their comfort has to become most important. Cancer pain is intractable when it hits the terminal stage, you can't even begi...

1 REPLY

Can morphine and Scopolamine Lorazepam be mixed for a 70 year old man with terminal cancer? ## I looked up these medications myself and could not find any indications for why they could not be used together! From what I have read, the one medication of course is for pain and the other is a patch that is worn behind the ear which is given to help alleviate nausea ..... however I am not in the health care field whatsoever and you really should be calling the doctor if these medications were not proscribed to him by the doctor that is treating him! I would not have answered at all except that I felt the need to say something under the circumstances! Know that there are many of us that care dearly for one another and I am praying for you all! Ms. Patty

1 REPLY

A 50mg morphine patch has been prescribed by an oncologist and is too strong for my uncle who has terminal stomach cancer. Is it o.k. to cut the patch in half? He is not in pain but is like a zombie. ## Hello, Christine! How is your uncle? No, that could result in his getting too much of the medication at once, which risks an overdose. How long has he been using them? The zombie like effect should improve, as his body gets used to the medication. But if it continues longer than a few weeks, then he should consult his doctor. This is a narcotic analgesic, so it has the potential to be habit forming and may cause side effects, such as nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth and constipation. ## You can fold part of the patch under just don't breach the seal this is how the weekend yo...

2 REPLIES

I am caregiver for my sister with terminal cancer and noticed something sticky on the bottom of my foot. It appeared to be the old patch I had removed after placing a new patch on her. I see my doctor for a permanent disorder and worry that something like that could show in me!! Don't mean to sound silly, but would like to know. I never noticed any kind of strange or 'high' feeling so am assuming it was already pretty drained, but I handle them all the time and now worry about the medicine transferring to my skin. I quit using gloves because the patches kept getting stuck on them, Thank you for your reply ## Hi Sammy! No, the medication cannot be transferred to you through your shoe. It has to be in contact through the skin. ## Hi Sammy! If you meant the patch stuck to your ...

2 REPLIES

Glucarpidase

A carboxypeptidase (EC number 3.4.16 - 3.4.18) is a protease enzyme that hydrolyzes (cleaves) a peptide bond at the carboxy-terminal (C-terminal) end of a protein or peptide. This is in contrast to an aminopeptidases, which cleave peptide bonds at the N-terminus of proteins. Humans, animals, bacteria and plants contain several types of carboxypeptidases that have diverse functions ranging from catabolism to protein maturation. Contents 1 Mechanism 2 Functions 3 Classifications 3.1 By activ...

Drug Index

A carboxypeptidase (EC number 3.4.16 - 3.4.18) is a protease enzyme that hydrolyzes (cleaves) a peptide bond at the carboxy-terminal (C-terminal) end of a protein or peptide. This is in contrast to an aminopeptidases, which cleave peptide bonds at the N-terminus of proteins. Humans, animals, bacteria and plants contain several types of carboxypeptidases that have diverse functions ranging from catabolism to protein maturation. Contents 1 Mechanism 2 Functions 3 Classifications 3.1 By activ...

Agalsidase Alfa

Alpha-galactosidase (α-GAL, also known as α-GAL A; E.C. 3.2.1.22) is a glycoside hydrolase enzyme that hydrolyses the terminal alpha-galactosyl moieties from glycolipids and glycoproteins. Glycosidase is an important class of enzyme catalyzing many catabolic processes, including cleaving glycoproteins and glycolipids, and polysaccharides. Specifically, α-GAL catalyzes the removal of the terminal α-galactose from oligosaccharides.[1] The enzyme is encoded b...

Agalsidase Beta

Alpha-galactosidase (α-GAL, also known as α-GAL A; E.C. 3.2.1.22) is a glycoside hydrolase enzyme that hydrolyses the terminal alpha-galactosyl moieties from glycolipids and glycoproteins. Glycosidase is an important class of enzyme catalyzing many catabolic processes, including cleaving glycoproteins and glycolipids, and polysaccharides. Specifically, α-GAL catalyzes the removal of the terminal α-galactose from oligosaccharides.[1] The enzyme is encoded b...

How often can you take morphine 30mg per day. How many hours apart ## 1x evry 8 hours ## wife had terminal cancer,prescription :morphine sulf ir 30mg tab tab, mfg:ethex corp. direction on script take 1 to 3 tablets every four to six hours as needed ## Morphine should be taken in the exact way your doctor prescribed it to you. Everyone is different, and each person reacts differently to dosage and mg amount. If you did not recieve your prescription from an MD, I would watch out for overdose symtoms. If you start feeling: Drowsiness, pupils change in size, feeling confused, cold and clammy skin, weakened pulse, difficulty breathing, or fainting I would stop taking it right away. To learn more click on the link below... Do you have any more questions or information to add? Please post back...

11 REPLIES

Bretylium

Bretylium (also bretylium tosylate) is an antiarrhythmic agent.[1] It blocks the release of noradrenaline from nerve terminals. In effect, it decreases output from the peripheral sympathetic nervous system. It also acts by blocking K+ channels and is considered a class III antiarrhythmic. The dose is 5–10mg/kg and side effects are high blood pressure followed by low blood pressure and ventricular ectopy. Originally introduced in 1959 for the treatment of hypertension.&am...

Drug Index

Bretylium (also bretylium tosylate) is an antiarrhythmic agent.[1] It blocks the release of noradrenaline from nerve terminals. In effect, it decreases output from the peripheral sympathetic nervous system. It also acts by blocking K+ channels and is considered a class III antiarrhythmic. The dose is 5–10mg/kg and side effects are high blood pressure followed by low blood pressure and ventricular ectopy. Originally introduced in 1959 for the treatment of hypertension.&am...

Drug Index

Alpha-galactosidase (α-GAL, also known as α-GAL A; E.C. 3.2.1.22) is a glycoside hydrolase enzyme that hydrolyses the terminal alpha-galactosyl moieties from glycolipids and glycoproteins. Glycosidase is an important class of enzyme catalyzing many catabolic processes, including cleaving glycoproteins and glycolipids, and polysaccharides. Specifically, α-GAL catalyzes the removal of the terminal α-galactose from oligosaccharides.[1] The enzyme is encoded b...

Drug Index

Alpha-galactosidase (α-GAL, also known as α-GAL A; E.C. 3.2.1.22) is a glycoside hydrolase enzyme that hydrolyses the terminal alpha-galactosyl moieties from glycolipids and glycoproteins. Glycosidase is an important class of enzyme catalyzing many catabolic processes, including cleaving glycoproteins and glycolipids, and polysaccharides. Specifically, α-GAL catalyzes the removal of the terminal α-galactose from oligosaccharides.[1] The enzyme is encoded b...