Page 35 - Essentia Vol 5 Issue 1

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A BIANNUAL NEWSLETTER OF ASSAM CANCER CARE FOUNDATION A BIANNUAL NEWSLETTER OF ASSAM CANCER CARE FOUNDATION

The Untold Story of

Morphine in Palliative Care

Dr Dimpy Mazumdar
Senior Resident
Pain & Palliative Department
State Cancer Institute, Guwahati

The goal of medicine is not
always to add days to life,
but to add life to days.

ew medicines embody this philosophy as
profoundly as morphine. Revered by palliative
Fcare specialists and feared by many others,
morphine remains one of the most effective yet
misunderstood drugs in modern medicine. For
many patients, morphine is relief after agony, sleep
after restless nights and dignity restored when
suffering has taken over.

The fear around morphine often comes before
the relief it can offer. Families may worry that it
means addiction, hopelessness or the end of
life. In practice, when prescribed correctly and
monitored by trained clinicians, morphine can
transform comfort and quality of life. A patient who
has been crying in pain may finally sleep, eat, smile
and speak to family with ease. Most patients are
not seeking sedation; they are seeking freedom
from pain. Glimpse from consultation session

34 Stay aware, get screened, and stand strong against breast cancer. 35