They may be prescribed safely in dosages many times the amount usually given for trauma or post-operatively. Addiction is never a problem and tolerance is not a factor if narcotics are prescribed properly. Patients often are able to function relatively normally on massive doses of narcotics. Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic narcotic may be administered by a subcutaneous patch which lasts for up to 3 days. This product is soon to be available in a sucker-like product which will allow rapid absorption when placed adjacent to the oral mucosa and act similarly to intravenous morphine.
Radiation therapy is often specific for cancer involving bone.
New methods are being utilized which involve giving large amounts of radiation over a short period of time rather than the usual series over several weeks. Nerve blocks and operative procedures with the assistance of anesthesiologists and surgeons are utilized in specific, difficult cases. Entrance into hospice care often comes when it is too late to provide adequate pain and symptom relief. Suffering may have needlessly been present for many weeks or months. Hospice services are provided to neither prolong nor shorten life, but to make the remaining life of a terminally ill patient more comfortable.