Repurposing medications for palliative care

Symptom management is a cornerstone of palliative care, focusing on improving the quality of life for patients with advanced or terminal illnesses. Many of the symptoms experienced by this patient cohort remain challenging to manage effectively and can significantly impact the physical and emotional well-being of patients as well as the experiences of their families and caregivers. With limited development of novel therapies, clinicians frequently rely on repurposing established medications to address common and multifactorial symptoms such as pain, nausea, loss of appetite and bowel obstructions. Leveraging the mechanisms and clinical efficacy of drugs initially designed for other indications—such as antidepressants, antiepileptics, anticholinergics and antibiotics allows a wider range of options to optimise symptom control in palliative care settings. This article aims to briefly review pharmacological strategies for symptom management in palliative settings, highlighting the mechanisms, dosing, and clinical applications of some of these repurposed medications.