Palliative Care Medications

Amitriptyline (Elavil)

Plain Language Explanation

Side Effects

This medicine can make you feel dizzy. It can make your head hurt. It also can change how food tastes and make you eat more.

Dexamethasone (Baycadron)

Plain Language Explanation

This can help with a queasy stomach, and also creates an appetite.

Side Effects

The risk of infection is higher if you take this medicine.  You might be more hungry.  Some people have trouble sleeping and feel nervous.  If you have diabetes, your blood sugar will be high.  Watch your blood sugar closely.

Diazepam (Valium)

Plain Language Explanation

Valium is a short-acting medicine that can help with feelings of worry that can distract from your enjoying things.

Side Effects

Valium will make you feel relaxed and your muscles will be weaker.  It can make you drowsy and wobbly.

Docusate (Dulcolax)

Plain Language Explanation

A lot of medicines can also slow down your gut.  So we have to keep your poop moving.

Side Effects

Because this drug softens poop, you can have stomach cramps, gas, and even diarrhea.

Fluoxetine (Prozac)

Plain Language Explanation

Feelings of sadness and loss are really normal.  Prozac is an antidepressant medicine that can make those feelings less painful.

Side Effects

For the first few weeks, you might notice that your stomach might feel queasy, and that you can be drowsy.  This will go away as the days go by.

Haloperidol (Haldol)

Plain Language Explanation

Confusion can be improved with this medicine.  It will help clear your thoughts.

Side Effects

You might feel more dizzy and sleepy.

Hyoscine butylbromide (Buscopan)

Plain Language Explanation

An uneasy stomach is common.  This medicine can also help dry up the fluid that gets stuck in your breathing tubes.

Side Effects

You may feel dizzy and your heartbeat may speed up while on this drug.

Ibuprofen (Advil)

Plain Language Explanation

Your bones and joints can hurt.  Ibuprofen gets at that kind of pain.

Side Effects

Ibuprofen can upset your stomach.

Loperamide (Immodium)

Plain Language Explanation

Really loose poop, or diarrhea, can get better quickly with Immodium.

Side Effects

You may feel dizzy or drowsy and have a stomach ache when you are using this medicine.  Be careful because using it too much can make you constipated.

Lorazepam (Ativan)

Plain Language Explanation

Feeling nervous, or dreading things is common.  And we want you to feel better, and less nervous.  Ativan can make the anxiety and worry less intense.

Side Effects

Ativan will make you feel relaxed and your muscles will be weaker.  It can make you drowsy and wobbly.

Metoclopramide (Reglan)

Plain Language Explanation

Nausea can include the feeling of being full or even queasy after eating just a few bites of food.

Side Effects

This medicine might make you feel drowsy, dizzy, or tired.  It can also cause difficulty with sleep.

Morphine (Avinza, Kadian, Morphine Sulfate Contin)

Plain Language Explanation

Morphine relieves many different types of pain.  It can also help you breathe easier.

Side Effects

This drug can make you feel drowsy, less sharp in your thinking, and can make your stomach queasy.  These feelings usually go away after a few days.  This medicine can also slow down your gut and make it harder to poop.  You will have to take other medicines that will help with this.

Senna (Ex-Lax)

Plain Language Explanation

A lot of medicines you are using to help with pain can also slow down your gut.  So we have to keep your poop moving.

Side Effects

Your stomach may grumble.  You may feel cramping in your stomach.  You may even have diarrhea.