Will morphine cause a hospice patient to become sleepy or not be themselves?

Controlling pain is vitally important to allowing a patient to die with grace and dignity, and so is allowing the patient and their family a chance to share their remaining moments. Morphine is a proven medication that, in most cases, allows both to happen. Upon starting a drug like morphine a patient may experience some initial drowsiness, but after a few days the body builds up resistance to the sedating effects. Most patients whose pain is being successfully controlled by morphine do not have a problem with unusual sleepiness. However, there is a percent of patients whose alertness may decrease, leading them to choose an alternative method of pain control that may be less effective.