The Dangers of Dilaudid

Dilaudid (also known as hydromorphone) is a very potent derivative of morphine. It is an analgesic drug that fits into the class of the opioid family and is widely used for treating moderate to severe pain. Dilaudid is also used liberally in hospitals with patients who have had surgery or are admitted for such things as pancreatitis, pain associated with cancer, bowel obstruction pain, and other conditions as determined by a physician.

Dilaudid is commonly abused narcotic on the streets and is known by the names, “Smack,” “K-4,” “Dust,” “Dillies,” and “D.” It is very addictive and withdrawal symptoms can be very difficult to manage. Most addicts will enter a rehabilitation program to come off of Dilaudid.

A patient diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis underwent surgery to have a total colectomy. This is a procedure in which the entire colon is removed. After surgery the patient was in the hospital for eleven days and given high doses of Dilaudid. Upon discharge the patient was sent home with oral Dilaudid to continue controlling the pain until his body had healed completely from the surgery. He hadn’t taken any narcotic painkillers in the past and even the smallest amounts of the oral narcotic were very effective.

Since that time he has had an additional sixteen surgeries. In 2007 alone he had four surgeries that kept him in the hospital most of the year. During this time he was given very high doses of Dilaudid. Aside from the surgeries he had also developed chronic pancreatitis, which can be very painful. This was also treated with high doses of hydromorphone.

It wasn’t long before the patient started to take notice that the pain was worse when he wasn’t getting any Dilaudid. If he didn’t get his medication on schedule and the levels of the narcotic dropped in his body, he would suffer pain that was worse than before he had taken the Dilaudid. This showed an obvious physical addiction. It was determined that the patient was not psychologically addicted to the drug since he had brought up the issue with his physicians immediately after he started to notice the symptoms. Dilaudid can be very addictive both physically and psychologically.

He was taken off the Dilaudid and was given non-narcotic drugs to control the pain. The doctors agreed that the patient probably wouldn’t go through any withdrawal symptoms since he’d only been on the drug for a short period of time. Twenty-four hours hadn’t passed and the patient started suffering from cold sweats, chills, fever, insomnia, restlessness and a number of mental problems including mood swings, anxiety, depression, confusion, and thoughts of fear and paranoia. The doctors immediately put the patient back on small doses of Dilaudid to ease the pain and lessen the withdrawal symptoms. Dilaudid is a very dangerous drug and shouldn’t be stopped abruptly. Withdrawal symptoms can begin within the first twenty-four hours after stopping the administration of the drug. Weaning off of the medication makes it easier for a person’s body to stop the cravings and lessens the chances of suffering withdrawal symptoms.

Combining Dilaudid with other nervous system depressants, such as alcohol, can be life threatening. It is important to tell your doctor if you experience the more serious side effects of Dilaudid such as slowed breathing, irregular heartbeat, cardiac arrest, seizures, severe abdominal pain, or any other symptoms that are severe and persistent.

Interesting Facts:

• Dilaudid is used for relieving severe cough.
• The rush experienced from IV use of Dilaudid is very similar to the rush one experiences when using Heroin.