If I have been taking 4mg of dilaudid 4x a day and was switched to oxycodone 15mg 4x a day. Is this a comparable dose? I have needed to take 30mg 4x a day in order to arrest my pain adequately.Can anyone tell me how many mgs of oxycodone = 4mg of dilaudid(hydromorphone)? I was switched because I've been on dilaudid for 8yrs and have developed a tolerance(duh).
Oxycodone vs Dilaudid?
Added 9 Jun 2010:
Thanks to Dave(mpvt) and Christine for the answers (timely, I might add).I guess I should have mentioned that I've been on methadone,120mgs per diem, off and on for 25 yrs....but daily for the past 14yrs.The doc has me on the oxys for breakthrough pain.I know that I'm on a 'blocking dose'(methadone),but the meds DO help.I just don't want my doc to think that I'm just a drug seeker looking to play her for a stronger dose of oxy.I called the pharmacist and he pretty much concurred with y'all(both very knowledgeable).I feel more confident in calling and asking for an increase....BEAUCOUP THANKS, Diane
Answers (3)
7 Jun 2010
My dosage converter is saying you should be on a minimum dose of 64mgs/day of oxycodone. Dilaudid is much stronger then oxycodone but it doesn't last very long and when used chronically is should be prescribed in the sustained release form(Palladone) and not the quick release (dilaudid). Shit, I just remembered that you can't get palladone in the USA anymore. So you really should be on Oxycontin which is a sustained release oxycodone. The quick release oxycodone is garbage for chronic pain and you would need handfuls to get any relief.
After 8 years of dilaudid you will definitely have a tolerance to all fast acting opiates, so I would try and get on a decent long acting pain killer like methadone. Good luck... Dave
7 Jun 2010
Personally, I found 10mg oxycodone works better than 2mg dilaudid. So if you go by math alone, 20mg oxycodone would be the same as 4mg dilaudid. But that's not how you convert meds. Everyone reacts differently to different meds. And the 2 are not the same, only in that they have a short half life. By switching meds, you may find that the oxy works good for you. Honestly, your best bet is to be on a good extended release pain med. Short acting meds do more damage to the brain as the process adds stress to the system. Long acting opiates allow the brains systems time to regenerate. For people who have chronic pain and are opiate tolerant, methodone is a good choice. It is very difficult to build a tolerance to and you only need to administer once per day. Good luck to you and hope you find good relief with the oxy's.
Chris
1 Aug 2011
I am prescribed 30 mg oxy 3 times a day plus 8 mg diluadid 3 times a day 50 mg ultram 3 times a day & 350 mg soma 3 times a day plus nuerotin 2 times a day for my degeneritive disk disease. I found that the oxy don't last as long as the diluadid,i think the oxy s are just a quick fix for a hour or two. What really works is MS Contin 60 mg . you only need two a day you don't feel high you just feel normal with the pain gone. They are the best ones i've been given for my back,but i changed doctors & he put me on all that other stuff i mentioned. The 8 mg diluadid are very good too, they do their job.
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Had my answer hanging in space before I submitted. You are right as usual, mtvp.
BEAUCOUP THANKS... I had to add a little more info to my question,but nothing that I feel would change your answer, but I could be wrong... it wouldn't be the first time.
BEAUCOUP THANKS!!! You seem to be very knowligable on the subject(especially according to Christine).I omitted some info, which I later added,but nothing that I think would change your answer.You may want to augment your response(which I would welcome) or not... either way,thank y'all both for the time it took to respond.
Actually the OP's are long lasting so maybe you should talk to your doctor about getting those