If your loved one recently started hospice care, you may have noticed new medications arriving at the house—small bottles of liquid, suppositories, drops you’ve never seen before. Maybe a bag or box showed up from the pharmacy and nobody fully explained what was inside.
That can feel unsettling. Medication is one of the areas where families tell us they have the most questions and the most anxiety. We want to walk you through what these medications are, why they’re chosen, and how they’re actually used—so that none of it feels like a mystery.
What Is a Hospice Comfort Kit and How Do Families Use It?
That bag or box from the pharmacy we just mentioned? That’s the comfort kit, sometimes called an emergency kit or e-kit. It’s one of the first things that arrives when hospice care begins, and it’s one of the most important.
The comfort kit contains small amounts of medications chosen specifically for managing symptoms that can come up during hospice care. Symptoms like pain, nausea, anxiety, and shortness of breath can appear suddenly or get worse quickly, and you shouldn’t have to wait for a new prescription at a moment of immediate need. The medications are already there, ready to go.
Here’s what’s important to understand about the comfort kit:
You don’t use it on your own. Always call your hospice nurse before giving any medication from the kit. They’ll walk you through which medication to use, how much to give, and how to give it. Most hospice agencies have a nurse available by phone around the clock for exactly this reason.
Your loved one may never need it. Some patients go through hospice without using the comfort kit at all. That’s fine. But if a symptom does arise—sudden pain, nausea, agitation, difficulty breathing—you’ll have what you need on hand instead of scrambling.
Store it safely and keep it in one place. The kit should be kept out of reach of children and pets, ideally in a consistent spot—some nurses recommend the top of the refrigerator or a nearby cabinet. If your hospice nurse needs to come to the house urgently, they’ll need to find it quickly. The medications will be counted and checked during regular nursing visits.
The kit may be customized. A patient at risk for seizures may have an anti-seizure medication added. Someone with a heart condition might have additional medications included. Your hospice team will tailor the kit to your loved one’s specific needs.
What Medications Are Commonly Used in Hospice?
The purpose of the comfort kit medications is to keep your loved one comfortable by managing symptoms like pain, anxiety, nausea, restlessness, and shortness of breath. The specific medications vary from patient to patient, but the same core group appears across hospice agencies nationwide.
Many of the medications below are the same ones found in the comfort kit. They’re used throughout a patient’s time on hospice—not only in the final days.
Morphine
Morphine is the most widely used medication in hospice care, and it tends to be the one that worries families the most. Let’s address that head-on: morphine in hospice is not about sedation, and it does not hasten death. When given orally at appropriate doses and increased gradually, it is a safe and effective way to manage pain and shortness of breath.
In hospice, morphine is typically given as a concentrated liquid that can be swallowed or placed under the tongue—which matters a great deal when someone can no longer swallow pills. Hospice clinicians start at low doses and adjust carefully, watching for the right balance between comfort and alertness. This process is called titration, and it’s one of the core skills hospice nurses and physicians are trained in.
We address morphine specifically in another post because it deserves a fuller conversation
Lorazepam (Ativan)
Lorazepam is used to relieve anxiety, restlessness, and difficulty sleeping. It belongs to a class of medications called benzodiazepines, which have a calming effect on the nervous system. In hospice, it’s often given as a liquid, as a dissolvable tablet placed under the tongue, or swallowed. It may be used alongside morphine when a patient is experiencing both pain and anxiety—which is common, especially as breathing becomes more difficult.
Haloperidol (Haldol)
This one surprises families because haloperidol is technically an antipsychotic. But in hospice, it’s used for a very specific reason: to manage agitation, confusion, and delirium that can happen near the end of life. This kind of restlessness—sometimes called terminal agitation—can be distressing for both the patient and the family. Haloperidol is also effective for nausea, particularly when other anti-nausea medications aren’t working.
Atropine Drops
Atropine is given as drops placed under the tongue to reduce secretions in the mouth and throat. As a patient’s body slows down near the end of life, they may lose the ability to clear saliva and mucus on their own. This can produce a sound that’s sometimes called the “death rattle”—a term that sounds alarming but refers to something that is generally not painful for the patient. It can, however, be very distressing for family members to hear. Atropine helps reduce those secretions.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
Often given as a suppository when a patient can no longer take pills by mouth, acetaminophen is used for mild pain and fever. It’s one of the most commonly prescribed medications across all hospice patients.
Prochlorperazine (Compazine) or Ondansetron (Zofran)
These are anti-nausea medications. Nausea is a common symptom in terminal illness, particularly for patients with cancer, and it can also be a side effect of opioid medications. These are often available as suppositories or dissolvable tablets for patients who can’t keep anything down by mouth.
Bisacodyl (Dulcolax) and Other Laxatives
Constipation is one of the most predictable side effects of opioid medications like morphine. Hospice teams almost always prescribe a laxative alongside any opioid to prevent it from becoming a problem. This is routine, expected, and important—constipation left unmanaged can cause real discomfort.
Why Are These Medications Chosen?
You might be wondering why these particular drugs and not others. There are a few reasons, and they’re worth understanding.
They target the symptoms that matter most. Pain, shortness of breath, anxiety, nausea, agitation, and excess secretions are the most common sources of discomfort for hospice patients. These medications are specifically chosen because they address those symptoms directly.
They work through routes that don’t require swallowing. This is critical. As a patient’s condition progresses, they often lose the ability to swallow pills. That’s why so many hospice medications come as concentrated liquids that can be placed under the tongue, as suppositories, or as drops. The medication still gets absorbed, but it doesn’t depend on the patient being able to swallow.
They act quickly. In a moment of acute pain or sudden agitation, a medication that takes an hour to work isn’t helpful. These drugs are chosen in part because they can provide relief within minutes.
They have a long track record. Morphine, haloperidol, lorazepam, and atropine are not new or experimental. They’ve been used in hospice and end-of-life care for decades, and hospice clinicians know exactly how they behave—how to dose them, what to watch for, and how to adjust.
A Note About Fear
We hear it often: families worry that these medications—especially morphine—will cause harm. That giving pain medication will make their loved one “give up,” or that it will suppress their breathing, or that they’ll become addicted.
These fears are understandable, and they’re common. But here’s what we want you to know: when managed by a trained hospice team, these medications are safe. Doses are started low and adjusted gradually. The goal is always comfort, not sedation. And in hospice, the risk of addiction is not a clinical concern—the priority is quality of life.
If you have questions about any medication your loved one is receiving, ask your hospice nurse. That’s what they’re there for. There is no question too small and no concern that isn’t worth raising.
You Don’t Have to Navigate This Alone
Understanding your loved one’s medications is one of the most empowering things you can do as a caregiver. And it’s just the beginning.
Walking With You is our free guide for family caregivers navigating hospice. It covers what to expect, how to communicate with the care team, and how to take care of yourself along the way.
And if you’re looking for a tool to help you track medications, coordinate with family members, and stay organized during this time, Carepath is the app we’re building for exactly that. It’s made for families, by people who’ve been at the bedside. You can join the waitlist at hospicecarebridge.com.
Written by The Hospice Care Bridge Team
With over a decade of hospice nursing experience, because families deserve better.