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Palliative cancer care - cough - Management
How should I manage a dry cough symptomatically in palliative care?
- Use simple measures first — humidify room air, Simple Linctus BP.
- If symptom relief is not adequate, use a weak opioid cough suppressant — Pholcodine Linctus BP 10 mL (10 mg) three to four times a day, or Codeine Linctus BP 5 mL to 10 mL (15 mg to 30 mg) three to four times a day, or codeine phosphate tablets 30 mg to 60 mg every 4 hours.
- If cough is persistent, use a strong opioid cough suppressant — morphine in an initial dose of 5 mg every 4 hours, or morphine solution 2.5 mg to 5 mg four times a day up to every 4 hours.
- If all these measures fail, seeking specialist advice.
- If dyspnoea is a feature see the CKS topic on Palliative cancer care - dyspnoea.
In depth
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