Generic Name: Exalgo (hydromorphone)
Exalgo Reviews
For Chronic Pain "I was a Corpsman with a 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion, and I was wounded in Iraq by an IED. I broke 2 vertebrae in my neck, 2 in my back, 5 herniated discs, a lot of nerve damage, and shrapnel. I was wounded on January 8, 2008, and have been on Percocet 10mg for 6 years. I have had over 60 surgeries, 200 injections, and physical therapy. I have had no relief from pain. I had thought about suicide because I hurt so bad. So I quit my pain doctor and went to another. He looked at all my documentation of injuries and treatments. He said simply on my first day, 'You have paid your dues. I'm going to give you 30 12mg Exalgo ER a month with 120 oxycodone 10mg for breakthrough pain.' I have only taken the Exalgo for 4 days and I feel no pain."
For Chronic Pain "I have been taking narcotics for chronic pain for about 25 years now. I started with Tylenol with codeine and have progressed through just about everything (morphine, oxycodone, Dilaudid, Oxycontin, Fentanyl patches, etc.). My pain management doctor had me on 60 mg of Oxycontin 3 X daily, and it worked (somewhat) for a while until I developed a tolerance and it too became ineffective. So the doctor switched me to 16 mg of Exalgo 2 X daily. I was resistant at first, mainly because of reducing the number of doses per day, but after I took it for a few days, I was amazed. I don't wake up in excruciating pain anymore, and even though the effects are subtle and come on slowly, it works better in controlling my pain than anything else I've used."
For Chronic Pain "I have been in so much pain over the past 2 years. My neurologist has tried EVERYTHING! I have taken every medication there is. Every narcotic available. Nothing has helped except my oxycodone 15x5 a day, and it just took the edge off. My doctor put me on Exalgo along with my oxycodone for breakthrough pain, and I started to feel normal again. I was told I have small fiber neuropathy along with a list of other horrible things, and I can say without a doubt that this medicine has been a miracle for me. I have gone from not being able to walk from time to time and being in so much pain to feeling normal again. Don't get me wrong. I still hurt, but hey, I can handle this hurt! What a blessing!"
For Chronic Pain "I started taking Exalgo in June 2011 for chronic kidney/flank pain. I started with 8mg once a day. Increased to 12mg in March 2012. Then increased to 16mg in July 2013. I call Exalgo my miracle. I like taking the ER pill rather than popping pills all day long. I've tried so many different opiates, but I much prefer Dilaudid to all the others. I also take 4mg Dilaudid (hydromorphone) as needed for breakthrough pain. Best of luck to anyone suffering from chronic pain, it's a terrible way to live, but Exalgo definitely increased my quality of life. I hope it can do the same for you!"
For Chronic Pain "All I have to say is, give them a bit of time to work. Especially if you were on high doses of another opiate. Your body will not even feel them for the first 4 or 5 days. I was taking 3x40mgs of methadone along with 6x15mgs of oxycodone per day for 4 years until I had a heart attack. My doctor sent me for an EKG and my 'QT' interval was in the 500s along with leg and body swelling, tightness in the chest along with severe constipation (most likely from methadone). Once they got me weaned down from the methadone they prescribed 2x16mg Exalgo per day keeping the oxycodone as breakthrough. I started taking them as directed with no relief, and I felt nauseous with afternoon headaches. On the 4th day, I started feeling more relief. Give it time."
For Chronic Pain "I've been on Exalgo for about 3 weeks now and the difference is amazing. I have chronic pancreatitis, and the pain from that is just unbearable... the worst I've ever experienced. I had been taking 15 mg oxycodone on an every-8-hour regimen with 2 mg Dilaudid as needed for breakthrough pain. The oxycodone had lost its effectiveness, and I was having more and more pain that was becoming more and more difficult to control. When my doctor suggested Exalgo, I agreed to try it. Once my insurance authorized it, I got the prescription filled. I had to take 2 mg Dilaudid every 4-8 hours for a few days while the Exalgo built up, but once it did, my pain went from a 7 to a 3 on the pain scale. Wow."
For Chronic Pain "My pain management doctor switched me to this medicine 2 days ago. It's a miracle. I have been on everything. I was taking OxyContin 80 mg 2 times per day along with 30 mg oxycodone every 4 hours for breakthrough pain. I felt the difference within hours. I suffer from chronic pain due to my back. I've had 5 spinal fusion surgeries."
For Pain "I just began taking this medication about a week ago. Last month I was switched from Percocet 10/325 mg to Dilaudid 2 mg as the Percocet seemed to not be working for me anymore. Either that or my pain had progressed and gotten worse. (I have a few herniated discs in my lower back.) I felt like the Dilaudid helped but was very short-lived. So, I asked my doctor about switching to something extended release. I never heard of this medication, but honestly in just a week and I am on the lowest dose of 8 mg - I feel like a different person. I can function again more than I have been able to in almost 7 months of living with this chronic pain. I feel like I am alive again! Very happy with this! (except yes it is expensive!)"
For Chronic Pain "Worked great for my back pain, but had a whole slew of bad side effects, including anxiety, panic attacks, mental/mood changes, suicidal thoughts. Never have been subject to depression or suicidal thoughts before. Had to be taken off the med immediately when we realized that it was what was causing me to have all these problems."
For Chronic Pain "In chronic pain since injury in 1999. Surgery did not help. Like many, I was on different narcotics for years. Started Exalgo in 2012 and have found it does work. Some say it gives 24 hr relief, but I think it more of a 16-18 hr."
For Chronic Pain "I am 5'. 105 lbs and was a carpenter for 6 years. I have a bad back, 2 discs replaced in neck with a plate and 6 screws, which gets cold, and the pain goes right down my back. Have had 15 operations. Fibromyalgia and arthritis. Tried morphine and butane patches, which made me sick. I take hydrocodone 10 mg 5 times a day, which only lasts 2 to 3 hours. Grit my teeth the rest of the time (broken a few). I started Exalgo 12 mg yesterday, and I started feeling better in about 2 hours. This is a miracle, I don't hurt! There were times I didn't think I could go on, and now I have a new lease on life. I hope it continues to keep working! Happy gal!"
For Chronic Pain "I just started on Exalgo ER 12 mg. After fooling around with Lortab and Morphine CR for years, which would only dull my pain (shot out of the sky in Nam) as well as a major car accident, I have found, or rather my fantastic neurologist decided to go with this. I have been able to sleep a full evening (8 hrs) and not wake up with a hangover effect. I am, after 26 years, narcotic tolerant, so I was quite skeptical about this expensive medicine. Well, I am a believer. I just pray that it will last a year or two before it becomes useless to me. An operation to repair my back only has an 80/20 chance of even helping me, 80% being the negative. If you are tired of the pill counting or a few days' withdrawal, which I have been through, ask your Doc."
For Chronic Pain "Works great, does last 24 hours at the right dose. Give the medication time if you are switching from another pain medicine to Exalgo. For myself, I was on morphine sulfate 90 mg and OxyContin 40 mg. It took almost 2 months to work at 100%. I was just about to give the Exalgo up and go back to my morphine and OxyContin, but now I'm glad I waited, it was worth the painful wait since I have such great pain relief. I take 48 mg of Exalgo now and 60 mg of OxyContin."
For Chronic Pain "I am a 30 y/o German automotive technician. When I was 18, I was hit by a drunk driver. I broke my lower back in 2 places, my hip, and knee. I was taking 40 mg OC and breakthrough meds every 3 hrs. I was doing decent until, in 2008, I was involved in a head-on collision which broke my neck in 6 places. The pain from that was worse than anything I had experienced before. My doctor increased my pain med doses. We tried everything from MS Contin to Opana ER, nothing was able to keep my pain under control for long. Being an automotive tech just added to the misery. Finally, Exalgo came out and now 16 mg/day with 2 mg instant release Dilaudid for breakthrough, my pain is finally controlled and I have my life back and don't have to take pills every few hours."
For Pain "Was using Fentanyl patches, but they caused me excessive sweating, so got switched to this. Despite having had a gastric bypass, which should have rendered this ineffective for me, my doctor has me take it twice a day instead of once, and it's the best pain medicine I've ever had. It started working within an hour, and I love it. I've even been on Percocet, which I hated and didn't do anything at all for me, and Butrans, which made me suicidal, and a bunch of others. This one's the tops!"
For Chronic Pain "I have CRPS stage 3 in my left arm and left foot. I started on 16 mg a day of Exalgo, then up to 12, 2x a day, now 16, 2x a day for 32 mg a day. I found the 2x a day was the key for this medicine since it takes a long time to start, so the next dose, 12 hours apart, really helped. I'm just starting the 32 mg a day since my CRPS spread to my entire left arm, so I'm hoping I don't eventually get to the 32 mg, 2x a day. Has anyone else taken that much?"
For Chronic Pain "The pain management doctor prescribed morphine sulfate (due to cost) rather than OxyContin. It was horrible. I felt loopy and sick with pain in my side. So a different doctor switched me to Exalgo SR. What a relief! I am finally thinking clearer. I take Dilaudid for breakthrough pain, and between the two, I am functioning much better. I think it is much better than OxyContin as well because OxyContin always made me feel flushed and a bit dopey in a different kind of way. (Not as bad as morphine though.) I am so glad I am getting pain relief without feeling sick and doped up. I think Exalgo is a perfect match for me."
For Chronic Pain "I was taking 80 mg/day of oxycodone (Percocet 10 mg + 325 acetaminophen per pill) and finally found a pain doctor who is a psychiatrist and a neurologist, as well as a pain management specialist and an addiction treatment specialist. He asked how long the Percocet worked for me. I said 2 to 2 ½ hours. He said based on the number of years I had taken it (4) and the increases of dosages over those years (beginning of 4 mg 4 times a day to 8 mg 6 times a day over 4 years) that I had become tolerant to oxycodone. He put me on Exalgo 32 mg extended release once a day, which is hydromorphone, which is Dilaudid, and 4 mg Dilaudid/hydromorphone (the same drug but not timed release) for breakthrough pain 4 times a day. It was pretty amazing. My pain just stopped."
For Pain "I've been under pain management since 2007 and was on 30 mg of morphine sulfate ER 3x per day supplemented with 15 mg of Percocet 4x a day. After a couple of years of this regime, I changed my pain management doctor, and he suggested going to Exalgo. I began taking 2 x 12 mg Exalgo every morning. It took about a week or 10 days to begin acting. Exalgo is better than the morphine, but the 60 pills I need each month, after my insurance pays, are really expensive."
For Pain "I was prescribed Exalgo by my physician about 3 weeks ago. I've been a long-term pain management patient, and we decided to make a change. I had been taking Avinza. I am not certain that the mgs are equal, but the Exalgo doesn't come close to helping as much as the Avinza. I take as directed, each medicine is to be taken before bedtime, and since I have switched to Exalgo, there have been many sleepless nights. Maybe the dosage is not enough. This will be discussed with my physician."
For Pain "Very good med! Not an instant result, but starts working effectively the second day of continued therapy! Surprised at the result, as I have been on Opana ER, Demerol, and everything else. Very expensive, though!"
For Pain "I have had pain issues for many years, and after many failed surgeries, I still have severe pain. I have been on Percocet, but a new doctor wanted me to try Exalgo, so I did. After fighting with my insurance company to help me cover some of the cost, I tried it and got no relief at all! Then I had a hard time getting the doctor to switch me back to Percocet."
"I have a very high tolerance to opiates. I have spondylolisthesis (broken joints in my spine resulting in movement and nerve pain). I have just started taking the Exalgo recently, along with oxycodone, ibuprofen, and the results are great. If you have an increased tolerance to your pain medicines, talk to your doctor about adding once-a-day Exalgo."
For Chronic Pain "This medication has improved my quality of life!!! I feel so much better when I take this medication. My pain is down to a 3 from being a 10. Now if I can find a doctor to prescribe it for me, my life would be so much happier. Not having to suffer everyday....I wish."
For Chronic Pain "Take 12mg Exalgo after being on Methodone, Tramadol, and Fentanyl. It is a miracle drug! The pain is so reduced I hardly ever need my breakthrough painkillers. Side effects have been negligible for me. I will never come off of this medication willingly, because I don't believe a better treatment for currently exists."
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