Symptoms and Medicines Resources

Symptoms

• CarerHelp has a list of factsheets for common symptoms in palliative care.
• The Carers support Kit from Palliative Care South East has comprehensive information on managing pain and other common symptoms and medications at the end of life.
• Better Health Channel has information on dealing with common symptoms in palliative care.
• Palliative Care NSW has information on symptoms (239kb pdf).
• Cancer Council Australia Understanding Palliative Care Booklet (457kb pdf) has a section on managing symptoms in palliative care for people with advanced cancer

Pain

• Australian Cancer Council has information on Understanding cancer pain (491kb pdf).
• The National Prescribing Service has a Pain management hub for consumers.
• Palliative Care Australia has information on pain and pain management and facts about morphine and other opioid medicines in palliative care.
• Contact Medicine Line – 1300 MEDICINE (1300 633 424), speak with a registered pharmacist about any question you have about prescription, over-the-counter and complementary medicines.

Managing medicines

• About the PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme).
• Australian Healthcare Associates provides a helpline for medicines information. You can access the service by calling 1300 MEDICINE (1300 633 424)
• National Prescribing Service (NPS)
  • The National Prescribing Service has a Consumer Medicines Information page.
  • They also have information on keeping a medicines list that could be helpful.
  • Information on Managing your medicines.
  • Information on Medicines and brand names explained.
• Services Australia has information on:
  • The PBS Safety Net scheme that many people are eligible for.
  • The Pharmaceutical Allowance Scheme.
• The Better Health Channel has a sheet on Medicines and side effects.
• palliAGED has a form for your Medicines List (88kb pdf) which you can print or fill in online.
• Contact Medicine Line – 1300 MEDICINE (1300 633 424), speak with a registered pharmacist about any question you have about prescription, over-the-counter and complementary medicines.
• Palliative Care NSW has information on medicine safety (3.08MB pdf).