What Is the Difference Between Morphine (Sp) and Methadone When It Comes to a Dying Patient?
Question by Kimberly V: What is the difference between morphine (sp) and methadone when it comes to a dying patient?
My grandpa is on Hospice care. Just wondering about the difference between these two medications. It is terminal so long lasting effects are not a concern.
Best answer:
Answer by DynoDikk
Morphine is short acting and flat. Methadone is Long acting and flat. 10 mg’s of Methadone is equal to 66mg of morphine(3 years ago it was 100mg of morphine, things change all the time) Methadone however both although long acting have two different modes of action.
Methadone out of all the other opiates is more similiar in traits to morphine than any other opiate. Or What I mean by flat is like comparing a glass of wine to a shot of whiskey. In other words it’s effects maintain a steady line, where say something like Oxycodone rises and than falls fast. Morphine effects however will be felt quicker than methadone and this might be needed in a critical situation.
These two drugs are very similiar however I do not know which one has the higher affinity, (When I remember I will add it) someone else can answer that, When it comes to a person dying, Morphine would be the logical choice. Unless they are on methadone already.
Answer by Cameron
What is the difference in regards to pain relief, you mean? Methadone does work well for many people, but generally Morphine is a much better medication to relieve pain. Both are opioid analgesics, and Methadone can also be a antitussive (which means it can help with bouts of coughing), but as far as standard pain relief goes, Morphine is considered an extremely sterile and overall a clean medication (especially when used intravenously) as it has very few side effects. Methadone, on the other hand, even disregarding long-term side effects, tends to cause severe cold-sweats, dizziness, even nausea.
It’s just about what works for him. But if he doesn’t have a high tolerance to one or the other, I’d definitely go with a Morphine drip.
Hope that helps,
Cameron
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