A 72 yr old male with terminal prostate cancer presents for a review. He currently takes oral, modified-release morphine 60mg bd for pain. Now he is incapable to take oral medications. His Oncologist decides to set-up a syringe driver.
What dose of diamorphine should be prescribed for the syringe driver, to cover a 24-hour period?
A. 30 mg
B. 120 mg
C. 40 mg
D. 20 mg
E. 60 mg
The correct answer is C
To convert from oral morphine to diamorphine the total daily morphine dose (60 x 2 120mg) should be divided by 3 (120 / 3 = 40mg)