Medication in the last days of life for motor neuron disease/amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Abstract

Our objective was to study the use of opioid and other medication at the end of life for patients with ALS/MND under specialist palliative care. A retrospective study looked at the medication received by 62 patients with MND/ALS in the last 72 h of life in six hospices in the UK and Ireland. Medication is widely used in the last 24 h of life, and use of the parenteral route increases as death approaches. We found that the doses of opioids and other medication do not increase appreciably during this period. The mean dose of opioid in the last 24 h of life was 80 mg oral morphine equivalent/24 h. These results are further evidence that opioids can be used both effectively and safely to manage symptoms at the end of life for people with MND/ALS.

Key words::

• Palliative care
• opioids
• medication
• end of life

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.