When the dose of pain medication is appropriate for keeping pain under control, it doesn’t bring the kind of pleasure that would make the patient susceptible to developing an addiction. When dealing with an incurable illness, and especially when nearing the end of life, developing an addiction is not something you need to worry about.
Will I become addicted to strong pain medication?
In the case of those with a serious illness, becoming addicted to strong morphine-like pain medication is extremely rare.
Updated 12.3.2026