Morphine sulfate....does this drug given to the elderly cause death?

i feel i made a terrible mistake by having hospice care come into my home to care for my mom. a nurse gave my mom several doses of morphine and gave her haloperidol without me knowing and i caught her ...but my mom died next day.they told me charges would be brought against nurse ....so i didnt call police....no charges were brought against her..as of october19th.2006. is there someone out there that could help me find justice against this nurse and ease my guilt of letting my mom down. or give me direction to pursue this matter.

Go to the police and have them investigate or explain why no charges were filed. But maybe she was an angel of death. Was you mother in increadible pain and suffering with no hope for a better life? If that was me I would like to go in a haze of pleasure.

it can cause death in anybody if too much is given

was your mother in pain? was she uncomfortable or agitated? If not, I don't know why the drugs were given. Morphine is used to keep the person as comfortable as possible. If too much is given it can suppress the respiratory drive. In cases where the person is dying and the person and/or their family (depending on the mental status of the person) have chosen to provide comfort measures only (hospice is an example of one type of end of life care) morphine is given too keep the person comfortable, doses can be very high. At that point doctors and nurses are not worried about the respiratory drive, they only care whether the patient is in pain or having difficulty breathing (morphine helps with that too). They are not using the morphine to kill a person only to make their death comfortable and pain free.

Haldol (haloperidol) is usually given for agitation. I do not know why the nurse gave your mom the medication nor why she did not tell you she was doing so. I work in an ICU and sometimes, I take care of patients whose families have decided to withdraw life support and provide comfort measures only. I never hide from the families when I am administering pain medication. If you feel the nurse did not act ethically or legally, you could file a complaint with your state board of nursing. Call your state department of health for information on how to do that.

Hospice is not a bad thing. In most cases hospice provides a wonderful service to patients and families who are going through the end stages of terminal illness. There are good and "bad" healthcare providers in every specialty.

First of all, for those of you who don't know from this vague question - Hospice is a program or facility that provides special care for people who are near the end of life. The key phrase being "end of life." This persons mother was dying and was at the end of her life.

Secondly, Morphine is probably the most common drug given in hospice care. It shouldn't surprise you or anyone that your mother was given morphine, particularly if she was in pain (your question gives no background on this, your mother, her ailment, or anything except the fact that you want money). Morphine is a CNS depressant and is used to dimish feelings of pain. In addition, it slows all your basic functions controlled by your brainstem such as breathing, and heart rate. If your mom was on hospice care it sounds as if she was near death. The whole idea of hospice care is to make a person's last day as painless and comfortable as possible. Morphine would do just that. Your question portrays morphine as if it were a poison - This is very much not the case. In fact, morphine has provided people (like dying soilders, cancer patients, and chronic pain sufferers) with comfort in times of need and at the end the of life (such as would be the case in hospice care).

Dear questioner - I'm sorry for your mother's death, but blaming other people is not going to bring her back. From the background you gave us (very scant) your mother died a peaceful and painfree death, which is better than most people . Instead of blaming and trying to get money - you should be happy to know your mother died painfree and with little discomfort.

P.S. Morphine will kill anybody if given in too great a dose. In your mothers case it was given to relieve the pain.

P.P.S. Haloperidol (aka Haldol) is an antipsychotic; it is used to treat nervous, mental, and emotional conditions, such as Huntingtons Chorea. This is also not a poison.

I don't know, but if you feel strongly that your Mother's death came at the wrong-doing of her provider, then you should call the Police & tell them your concerns & also talk to the Coroners Office because they will need to look at the paperwork & start an investigation into this whole matter. Your Mother is most likely guiding you to settle this, so you should report to woman or man who went over the line & screwed up. Good Luck & I hope it gets settled soon. Start an investigation ASAP!