Generic Name: Dilaudid for Pain (hydromorphone)
Dilaudid for Pain Reviews
"I have Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia which has spread to my brain. This medication helps so much with the agonizing pain. However, even though I am a terminal cancer patient, the Government, Insurance Co., and also pain management promised I would NOT suffer. But I am. Thanks to all, plus the persons involved by ABUSING pain medications. I, a dying cancer patient will suffer without ANY pain meds. I was a former medical student, high honors on the Dean's list. Due to the Government, I, a future physician, will not live to treat patients with respect, dignity, empathy, or sympathy. This medication, I will never have again. Due to the Horrible pain 24/7, I have had 3 heart attacks. My feeble weak body can no longer tolerate pain. It worked well."
"Been on it for several years for a spinal condition. Never had any uncomfortable side effects from it, and it managed my pain great. Now, I have been taken off Dilaudid and put on Methadone. Nausea, periodic profuse sweating along with agonizing pain is what I'm back to. I also got tired of finding doctors that were willing to prescribe it, finding a pharmacy that carried it, and even if the pharmacy has them, you still have the pharmacists who decide to 'play God' and are not willing to fill it for you. If you are lucky enough to establish these 3 things, you're still having to deal with ignorant attitudes from people who think they know more than the orthopedic professionals that you have to see on a monthly basis."
"I've had morphine, Toradol, and Dilaudid through IV for pain relief, and I have a very high tolerance for pain. Toradol does absolutely nothing for my pain. If I thought that an 800 mg ibuprofen could stop or help the pain, I wouldn't be in the emergency department spending a $200.00 copay seeking pain relief. They then switched me to morphine and Zofran, which immediately makes my stomach gurgle and gives me a head rush, and then within ten minutes, I'm back in pain. However, when using Dilaudid, I've noticed that I am out of intolerable pain, and I'm okay, not nauseous, and I can function better. The analgesic effect lasts three times as long for me, so I don't keep bothering them telling them I'm still in pain. I wish doctors would actually listen to their patients instead of just being dismissive. I'm aware that I'm there a lot, it's a chronic condition that there's no cure for."
"I have been on this medicine now for almost 10 years, until recently, I've only had tolerable minor side effects: sweats and itching. Besides relieving the pain, it is great because there are only a few other meds that it had bad interactions with (and grapefruit, the grapefruit kept the pain meds from working). Unfortunately, after being on it for so long, my body has gotten too used to it and it no longer works for me, causing my feet, ankles, and calves to swell. I still highly recommend Dilaudid to anyone. Besides the pain relief, the withdrawals from Dilaudid are not that bad to go through."
"A couple of summers ago, I got a spider bite that unfortunately developed into a full-blown MRSA outbreak, which spread to multiple parts of my body! I ended up being hospitalized for 3 weeks while trying to clear up the horribly painful infection, where they gave me extreme doses of antibiotics & Dilaudid (4mg) IV every 2 hours. Within moments of each dose, all the pain would fade away & I'd get incomparable relief!!! However, on the opposite extreme, the tablet form of this medicine (hydromorphone) that the doctor sent me home on didn't even compare. I couldn't even tell after taking it, I would rate the pill form a 1!"
"Last week I had an old-fashioned way of gallbladder removal (20+ previous surgeries had left behind too many adhesions for a laparoscopic removal). The 0.5 mg Dilaudid I was given was much better than the morphine in past surgeries. Issue: because I am a middle-class lady with insurance seeing a pain management specialist for chronic pain, I was labeled a druggie! I was given 0.5 to 1 mg for my ride home. I suffered horribly in pain. 0.5 is 1/8 the normal dose for most coming out of surgery. My previous physician (decades) had retired. He believed no patient should suffer unnecessarily after surgery! Not these physicians and not this poor excuse for a hospital."
"Great pain narcotic, works in about 20 minutes after oral administration. I am on 4 mg tablets, every six hours, usually one a day does the trick. I also take it in conjunction with 30mg of Oxycontin ER. I can actually get out of bed and do something. Be advised though that withdrawals could be severe. I had withdrawals after last dose twelve hours ago, so you must taper off. Do it with your doctor's help though."
"Dilaudid is used for breakthrough pain, and it does an excellent job. I can honestly say that this medicine works very well between doses of my primary medicine. I would recommend that everyone follow your doctor's directions to the letter, never take more than you are prescribed of ANY medicine. If I hadn't been put on the proper medicines, I would likely have ended up in an institution due to the pain being so bad. People don't realize how hard it is to live with chronic pain 24/7 unless they have been there at some point themselves."
"Had this post-op for hip replacement. Wow. Excellent. Took about 20 seconds for pain relief. Did not make me loopy, just blocked the intense post-operative pain (went from a 10 to a 2 in 20 seconds). Wonder drug."
"I was in the hospital for appendicitis, and I was given this to help with the pain. Before the entire shot was inside of me, my head hit the pillow, and I had an instant release of pain... Greatest pain killer I've ever had."
"I have disc problems and plates in my neck. I also suffer from severe migraines with loss of the myelin sheath that surrounds the nerve fibers. I have been on morphine and oxycodone, but nothing works like Dilaudid does. I think it is better than the other two."
"I have had 15 surgeries for injuries sustained through sports and accidents. I also have severe migraines that started when I was 18. My extreme sporting life is over. I am in pain 24/7. The doctor is too concerned about the DEA, so I have no solution other than loading up on Advil. It worries me now because I'm getting older and the extreme pain really ups my blood pressure. If severe pain and nausea last 3 days, I spend the $1k for the ER trip. Although each ER doctor wants to try very weak pain meds that have not worked, if I can get a shot of Dilaudid with Phenergan, it seems to break the pain cycle. Morphine may work, but I can actually feel it in my body and that scares me. I just wish I didn't have to wait until I feel I'm dying and spend $1k to get relief from this drug."
"I have been taking oxycodone for almost a year now for severe back pain. Not only did they not work, but the side effects were terrible! Really bad constipation and dry mouth, so I had to get two other prescriptions for those. Back in June, I was admitted to the ER locally, and at first, they gave me morphine after they figured it out that it was acute pancreatitis. Right before the ambulance came to take me down to the VA Hospital in Pittsburgh, they gave me Dilaudid in the IV, and within 10 minutes, the pain was pretty much gone. So they continued me on it while I was in the hospital and afterwards for my back pain. It's been the only thing that has helped with both. Oxycodone and morphine have no real effect on my pain."
"I was prescribed this medication for breakthrough pain. It works better than the oxycodone, and I rate it a 10. They would highly recommend this medication to people with severe pain to help with the breakthrough pain. This is Dilaudid, which is a very effective medication post-surgery."
"I take Dilaudid for a severe kidney stone condition. I take the pills at home (4mg), although I start by cutting them in half and only take 2mg to start. If 2mg don't help, I take the other half of the pill for a total of 4mg. I take Dilaudid in combination with MS Contin. Like many others have said, I have tried many other pain medications, and Dilaudid is the ONLY thing that helps me with my pain. Morphine does not help (it makes me very sick - although the long-acting MS Contin is ok). When the pills are not able to control my pain, or after surgery, I take IV Dilaudid, and this is the best pain medication. There have been times I've been curled in a ball in tears, the pain has been so bad, and this works instantly."
"I have had severe headaches for more than 20 years. Tried just about everything doctors could come up with both for prevention and immediate pain reduction. Nothing worked well until I was prescribed Dilaudid. Got my life back. No more 3-month-long headaches. No drowsiness or other noticeable side effects."
"I am a 62-year-old woman with a number of health-related issues that cause chronic and sometimes acute pain, including three herniated discs (C3-C6), lower back pain, and bad knees. Percocet, Darvocet, and Vicodin upset my stomach, so I've only been on Lodine twice a day for the past two years. My doctor suggested a trial on Dilaudid - 2mg to 4mg every 4-6 hours until I can have a knee replacement. 2mg did not make me pain-free, but definitely was an improvement. However, 4mg allowed me to walk without pain for the first time in months. It makes me sleepy, but aside from that, there have been no unpleasant side effects. Dilaudid is a wonder drug for anyone who experiences chronic pain."
"I have a low tolerance for pain, and after an outpatient surgical procedure, I was prescribed Percocet for pain. They didn't help, so the doctor prescribed OxyContin. It worked, but it made me nauseated. He then prescribed Dilaudid. It really helped to ease the pain, I experienced none of the side effects, except constipation. I took it every 4 hours, then, as I healed, I decreased the dose to every 6 hours. Then I took one only at night. After the pain was gone, I stopped taking the medication and experienced no withdrawal issues."
"I have degenerative disc disease. The medication works well. I have been on it for a year now with my oxycodone. It works miracles, I can go to work every day and support my family, and when I come home, I can actually enjoy the daily activities with my children that I once could not have thought of doing. I am so glad my life is back and am so grateful for a great doctor who, after years, found a way to put me back on my feet."
"I am used to Percocet due to years of back pain. In the hospital after a kidney procedure, I had some moderate pain that morphine IV did not impact. I got one IV of Dilaudid, and the pain level decreased to a very acceptable level, and I went home with virtually no pain."
"I was given Dilaudid after being in the hospital for bowel obstruction. Worst pain of my LIFE! In IV form it's amazing, total pain relief in 60 seconds. It was hard to get prescribed in pill form but finally found a pain doctor that agreed it was a better drug for me. I now take 4mg pills every 6-8 hours and can lead a normal life. There are no side effects, but it is hard to get a script for. Take only as doctor says, DO NOT take more."
"Have had Dilaudid squirted in my IV at the hospital. Works immediately within seconds and can rid you of all kinds of awful pain. It will allow a peaceful sleep, and you will be staying in a laying down position anyway because it makes you feel so loopy. After about two hours, it wears off a lot, but you still feel better than you did. Also, it can slow down your bowel movements. As with any pain med, best to get along without it, but if you desperately need it sometimes, then this is a huge relief."
"I agree with most when you say Dilaudid works best in an IV at the hospital. The pill form works very well but just takes a bit longer for relief. I've been on many pain medicines over the years, but I find that this medication helps me to be more productive every day...pain free!"
"I recently had a heart attack on top of my cancer, and at the hospital, they gave me this medicine to help control my pain. Before I had used it, I was using oxycodone, but that had never truly worked to control my pain. Dilaudid, while also not fully relieving the pain, did a much greater job. Unfortunately, they would not allow me to take it at home, so now I am suffering because I know what it feels like to have my pain managed, and the oxycodone just isn't enough."
"I have had a chronic headache for ten years, as in, I have not gone one single day without a headache in ten years. I get terrible, terrible migraines, but I also have advanced arthritis from C4-C7 with three bulging discs. (I'm 23 years old.) I've been on everything under the sun that is non-addictive for migraine treatment, in addition to Demerol, Codeine, Lortab, Percocet, Stadol, Nubain, and Pentazocine. I was on 40 mg of hydrocodone each day, which was effective, but I also took Excedrin, Midrin, and Cephadyn on occasions, so the acetaminophen effects worried me. My doctor switched me to Dilaudid 4 mg four times daily, and it works wonderfully without being so harsh on my liver. It's VERY effective at pain relief. Doesn't seem as habit-forming as the Lortabs - for me."
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