You might have heard that giving morphine leads to a quicker death. Dr. Paulien Moyaert busts one of the most popular myths about morphine. She explains the mechanism of action of morphine, its clinical applications and why morphine does not hasten death at the end of life.
Timecodes:
0:00 Why would you need morphine?
0:10 How does morphine work?
0:16 Does it hasten death?
0:32 Correlation/Causation
0:39 Does it make a person live longer?
1:02 The end
Morphine is a potent painkiller that is frequently used in hospice care. It is also given to ease the feeling of shortness of breath. Morphine relaxes the muscles in the airways and increases the airflow to the lungs.
You might have heard that giving morphine leads to a quicker death. However, there is absolutely no evidence that opioids such as morphine speed up the dying process. Part of this misconception is sourced from experiences in which death was immediately preceded by a dose of morphine. It is important to remember that correlation does not imply causation. In fact, research shows that using morphine near the end of life may help a person live a bit longer. This extension is because it can be exhausting to experience pain and trouble breathing, and people nearing the end of life have limited strength and energy. So, it makes sense that treating these symptoms might slow down the rate of decline, if only for a few hours.
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Does morphine hasten death? | End-of-life myths explained
