I recently developed an allergy to hydrocodone. I break out in intense itching throughout my entire body. I also had an allergic reaction to dilaudid after they gave it to me in the ER - I again broke out in intense itching throughout my body and my face swelled up. I've had two reactions to Demerol (although I've taken it many times after surgeries with no problems, and the Dr. initially thought it was a reaction to Bactrim). One time I was in the recovery room from surgery and again broke out with the massive itching and difficulty breathing - they gave me a shot of benadryl which cleared it up. The other time I was home recovering from surgery - again the whole body itching, red blotches, my throat swelled and closed up and I could hardly breath. They said I almost went into anaphylactic shock. We were able to get to the ER in time and they shot me up with something that stopped the reaction. I have constant severe pain due to my multitude of medical problems and have developed a high tolerance for pain. I only take pain medication when the pain is so bad I just can't take it anymore. Most pain medications make me nauseous, bitchy and irritable, and give me horrible headaches - so I take them as little as possible. I need to know a good, very strong painkiller I can take when needed. Ibuprofen does nothing for my pain - even when taken in a higher dose. I've tried tramadol and ultram, but they make me sick and don't do much for the pain either. Darvocet, Norco, and Vicoden are also out as the generics of them are also hydrocodone. Most likely anything with codeine is out as the pharmacist said I'm probably allergic to it as well. What else can I take? Addiction level of the medication should not be an issue as I do not abuse my medications and only take pain meds when absolutely needed and only for a short period of time.
Have allergies to hydrocodone, Demerol, and dilaudid. What can I take for severe pain?
Question posted by Picklefluff on 28 Oct 2009
Last updated on 1 January 2017
9 Answers
I am allergic to Dilaudid, Percocet, Percodan, and Vicodin.
I have severe pain due to compressed nerves in my cervical spine, and my spine doctor prescribed Nucynta (tapentadol). I get very good pain relief, and I am not allergic to it. Of course there are side effects as with any narcotic. I get dizzy, drowsy, and light-headed, and naturally I do not drive when I am taking it. But I can tolerate the side effects- for me they are a small trade off for effective pain relief. Ask your doctor about it.
Also, that was good advice to have testing done to see if you are actually allergic to the inactive ingredients in the pain meds instead of the meds themselves.
My stepson has migraines and can only take name brand Motrin as he is allergic to an inactive ingredient in the generic brand. Good luck! I hope you get pain relief soon! I have struggled with chronic, severe pain for 9 years, and it is tough.
Has anyone suggested Stadol NS? I have a very similar situation as yours with ALL the same allergies PLUS some. But I can take Stadol Nasal Spray. One sniff up one nostril and I am out for about 4-6 hours. My neurologist prescribes it for my migraines. It is highly addictive, but like you, I do not have an addictive personality. Plus he will only prescribe 2 tiny bottles per year. 1 every 6 months. If I need more than that, tough! But for me that works. I have a LOW tolerance for pain and I have migraines that are simply horrible. Just a suggestion.
You need a consult with your allergy doctor & a pain specialist! If you have chrontic pain they may start you on a low dose of Methadone. The problem with that is it is something you will have to take continually not just when you want to. That's the way it works. It like many other pain meds can have side effects too, but don't recall allergies as it is synthetic in nature. I have taken it for over 10 years because narcotics caused me to have problems with high liver enzyems yada yada yada. Goodluck! By the way, my son has always been allergic to pain meds, but was recently in a car accident, & the ER docs told him Vicodin is not made from codeine & he did ok with it for the short term use. Sounds like you're in a Pickle(fluff) hehe.
I thought it was just me that had the problem I have a lot of problems with narcotics such as MS Contin, Fentanyl (it's a patch) lasts about 3 days I can't tolerate Dilaudid either, have you ever tried Talwin, I am currently using Opana and toleratin it, it seems I have better luck with lower doses that Ican adjust or shorter acting ones, Morphine makes me feel so moody and itch and talk about constipation, Demerol gives me rebound headaches, I use to have migraines back in the days when they used that they would give me a shot my head would stop hurting for a couple of hours and oh boy when the pain returned I thought it was going to finish me off, I have 4 fractures in my back ass well as pain which is from the polio I had several years ago, if I didn't take the pain medication I would barely be able to walk because of the pain,
I guess it is like everything else what works for one person will not for another please let me hear from you, I really hope you find something that will work and that you can tolerate best wishes, caringsonbj (Billy)
I suggest trying to find out exactly what you are allergic to. I am allergic to an ingredient found in the inactive ingredients in a lot of medications - a lot of things in everyday life in fact. At first my face broke out in a rash, then I developed migraines. I ended up going to Dermatology at Johns Hopkins where they did patch testing for allergies and found that I am allergic to Glycolic Acid Derivatives. You may not be allergic to the pain meds themselves, but to an ingredient in the inactive ingredients. With allergies, it's important to find out what you are allergic to, then to avoid it. Also, with such a serious allergy, talk to your primary care provider about carrying an Epi Pen with you all the time. If you should react to something and your airway starts to close up, you inject yourself with this device (it has an auto injector - not hard to do). It can be the difference between life and death, as sometimes there just isn't time for the ambulance to get there. Best wishes to you.
1 word METHADONE
nu huh. methadone is not prescribed for a "once in a while" schedule.
Id say Oxycodone. One of the best pain killers out there and you didnt mention it as one of you meds that you are allergic to
what about Percocet?an you said you have headaches too?this got rid of my back pain an headaches... good luck
I was thinking maybe a strong oxycodone IR too.
oxy is semi synthetic as hydrocodone so i doubt this would work i still say METHADONE
Really old question but i'll put in my two cents anyway. I have many of her same allergies including dilaudid and hydrocodone but I do well with oxycodone. Everyones different!
Also morphine is doable for me . Maybe that would work.
I strongly agree !
Percocet is oxycotin & she;s allergic to it. METHODONE!!!
Percocet works for me and I am allergic to codeine. I broke my nose and they gave me hydrocodone (which has codeine in it) and it caused me to break out in a rash and cause me to be bedridden for three days. Percocet rids me of pain from unruly surgery and does not injure any life long information
i would think methadone would work for you and as the above poster stated buprenorphine wouldnt work because it is not for long term cronic pain only for opiod dependance
The questioner indicated she has a very high tolerance to pain. She only takes meds when the pain is severe. Nor does she have an addiction to any pain medications. She needs a strong break through pain med she won't have a reaction to. Methadone is not prescribed under those circumstances.
nuh uh
Aaron... my buddy... why comment on a year old question? Are you picking on me? ;-) And I still stand by my answer.
yes, lol and im sticking by my answer to , sheesh i swear all you women are just alike all stuborn and stuff lol
According to her statment, yes she does have pain most of the time, & Methodone will help her!
All people with Chrontic pain seem to think they have a high tolerance for pain (not true). Pain wears you & your body down. My oersonal opinion is that people with chrontic pain have less of a chance to become addicted to pain meds, because the medicine goes thtough the brain differently. Many studies have proven this altho' most docs don't agree. METHADONE is her answer!
I would think that all opiate as out as you seem to react to most. I was going to suggest morphine but if you're reacting to codeine then morphine is likely out. Tramadol is no good as it is very weak and isn't a very good pain killer anyway. Have you tried buprenorphine??? It might be worth a try, also you should stay on a steady regime of benadryl before you start taking any pain killer... Good luck..
Nice to see you post over here again. Great advice as usual Dave.
Ultram is not a narcotic until it enters your body. Weird, huh? That's why it is so widely prescribed by doctors for pain, but Methadone is still the answer.
I have hoad some similar problems not exactly like yours but I was just put on one that seems to be working and not causing me the terrific side effects of some of the others it is called Opana extended release, prior to that I was able to tolerate Dilaudid for a while but had problems with it, it became ineffective as well as some other problems, your doctor of course is familiar with your condition and is the best source of information for you. I hope that you are able to find something that you can tolerate and also works for your pain
I agree with Mary, Methadone should help. Also, as a practicing healthcare professional, I have seen patients have allergies to Hydromorphone (Dilaudid) as well as Morpheine, yet no known reactions to Tylenol 3 or Tylenol 4 w/codeine. Although morpheine is a derivitive of codeine, it has very little in it, and Dilaudid has none.
Related topics
demerol, dilaudid, allergies, allergic reactions, pain, pruritus, hydrocodone
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