Boyd, K.J., & Kelly, M. (1997). Oral morphine as symptomatic treatment of dyspnoea in patients with advanced cancer. Palliative Medicine, 11, 277–281.
To assess the effect of regularly administered extended-release morphine for dyspnea in patients receiving standard hospice care
Decline in dyspnea VAS scores for six patients was not statistically significant (p = 0.06). No clinically significant decline was found in respiratory function. No change was seen in anxiety, but actual scores were not reported. The authors stated that the high incidence of sedation and dizziness was of concern and indicated a need to monitor patients carefully. The authors also stated that the use of immediate-release morphine on an as-needed basis might be effective and cause less sedation.
Although the authors claimed that morphine should be trialed in patients, the evidence from this study does not support that. The problem may be the use of modified-release morphine 10 mg opposed to immediate release.