One late Saturday evening a client, well known to the pharmacist, presents at the pharmacy in much distress. Over the last few months she had been collecting her mother’s regular medications for cancer treatment and pain relief. The pharmacist has no doubt the client’s mother was suffering much pain.
The client approaches you imploring for an extra box of morphine 10mg standard release tablets, as her mother has used up all her repeats and has just run out. The last dispensing of the tablets had been one week earlier. Lately, her mother has needed a lot more morphine than usual for breakthrough pain.