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Hydromorphone User Reviews & Ratings

Brand names: Dilaudid

Hydromorphone has an average rating of 8.0 out of 10 from a total of 439 reviews on Drugs.com. 76% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 14% reported a negative experience.

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Reviews for Hydromorphone

  • Sch...
  • Taken for 5 to 10 years
  • September 19, 2020

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Chronic Pain "My back was broken in 3 places, my neck in two places, and my neck 3 separate times. All from bad drivers on the road. I was slammed by a tractor-trailer truck when I was a child. Then at 21, I was rear-ended while stopped at a red arrow, I was in the passenger seat and was slammed by a Buick doing 65, then 5 years later hit head-on by a drunk girl in her brand new Mustang. I have bone spurs pushing into my spinal cord. Because of this, I get debilitating spinal headaches. Since the new guidelines on the amount of drugs that can be prescribed, I am never out of pain. I don't understand why politicians are deciding how much relief I am allowed to have. I never even went to a pain clinic until I was in my 40s and the pain got to be too much. Now I am just plain screwed!"

4 / 10
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203 Report
  • The...
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • December 21, 2019

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Chronic Pain "Best pain relief around for my severe and disabling peripheral neuropathy. Injections work best because most pills lose almost half of their potency in the GI tract. Relief is rapid, decreases my pain level from my usual 8 to 4 and lasts several hours. Anti-convulsive medications like Gabapentin do absolutely nothing in my case, while Dilaudid absolutely improves my quality of life as a 10-year chronic pain patient."

10 / 10
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166 Report
  • Bob...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • February 25, 2019

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Chronic Pain "I was 70 years old, and I was getting ready for work. I was going to the door, and all of a sudden, I was going down. Since I had a total knee replacement, I turned my body around. Stupid thing for me to do! I broke my back, then I fell on the floor and broke it again. I have had 2 major surgeries on my back. I have been in major pain for over 10 years. I live on Dilaudid and morphine (not at the same time). I go to a pain clinic for my medication. I don’t know what I would do without pain medications!"

8 / 10
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180 Report

Frequently asked questions

  • tba...
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • July 11, 2014

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Chronic Pain "My experience with Dilaudid is amazing. I have severe chronic pain due to an autonomic dysfunction called Dysautonomia. I have tried many, many other pain meds, even had nerve blocks and injections, but nothing worked. I would recommend Dilaudid to anyone experiencing severe pain because it works 100% (at least for me it did, but then again everyone is different)."

10 / 10
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222 Report
  • Lar...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • May 14, 2013

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Chronic Pain "I just started taking Dilaudid a short time ago. I have lived in misery for the last 12 years with lower and upper back pain. I have been on MS Contin, Vicodin, Lortab pill, and liquid. I recently hurt my back at work to the point that I could not even drive. My doctor put me on Dilaudid and I have to say that it works well. I feel for anyone who lives with chronic pain. At least I can move and work. Maybe not as fast as I once was, but I still get the job done. Please don't give up, there are other alternatives that may work for you."

8 / 10
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213 Report

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  • Ano...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • May 24, 2017

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Pain "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."

10 / 10
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142 Report
  • hun...
  • September 26, 2012

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Chronic Pain "I have severe chronic abdominal pain, and the only medication that controls my pain is Dilaudid. I was first given Dilaudid IV in the hospital after I had a reaction to morphine, and it was AMAZING. In less than a minute, my pain was essentially gone. The IV Dilaudid is, in my opinion, the greatest medicine ever invented. I now take 4 mg tablets six times a day for my pain, and it keeps my pain at about a 4, as opposed to being 9 or 10 without it. I have a really sensitive stomach, but I don't get nauseated from it like I do with other pain meds."

9 / 10
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199 Report
  • Lis...
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • June 23, 2014

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Chronic Pain "I was in an auto accident that left me in a coma for 38 days & was told by all 5 of my orthopedic doctors I'd never stand or walk again. 6 months later, I took my first steps! I broke both hips, both femurs (thigh bones) in 2 places, shattered both tibia & fibula (shin bones) & both knees. I am titanium rods the length of the bones, wires, nails & screws. I was on 4 different pain narcotics every 2 hours. The only one that gave me relief was the Dilaudid! None of the oxys or even the 100mg morphine phased me. Now I'm on Percocet 10-325 & 100mg morphine. Percs just knock the edge off but give me the energy to keep moving. I want my Dilaudids back & keep my Percs for my breakthrough. They help me lead a productive life! 2 years on"

10 / 10
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176 Report
  • AZ ...
  • Taken for 5 to 10 years
  • November 30, 2014

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Chronic Pain "After a failed back surgery, my orthopedic surgeons kept telling me I should be walking again. I could not get out of the wheelchair I had been in for over 12 weeks without assistance. And once out of it, I could not walk without severe pain. The docs eventually found bone fragments had been pushed into my spine rather than being removed before bone cement was used to repair my crushed vertebrae. While they could try to remove them and redo the surgery, the chances of my not being able to walk, ever, were far too high to justify the risk of surgery. A brilliant pain management specialist in LA found the combination of Dilaudid and Morphine worked well for me. After starting pain medications, I was able to stand and eventually to walk again."

8 / 10
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140 Report
  • mat...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • September 7, 2014

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Chronic Pain "I've been taking this in tablet form for failed back surgery and CRPS in both legs up to the thigh. It doesn't relieve all the pain, but it relieves enough to get me through my day of being a full-time stay-at-home single dad. I think I got better relief from the oxycodone I was on before, but it would only last 2-3 hours, whereas the Dilaudid lasts a solid 4 hours, so I get a little bit more time with my little guy where my pain is under control. Wish I could take the ER version, but due to gastric bypass, no ER tablets work on me... Can't say it's given me my life back because I was a wind turbine technician when I became disabled, but I get enough relief to be with my son instead of on the bed in relentless agonizing pain."

7 / 10
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138 Report
  • Anonymous
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • December 1, 2012

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Chronic Pain "I have had chronic pain for many years due to my occupation. I'm only 37, and I have 50% torn shoulders, arthritis, and 3 herniated discs. I take 4mg every day at around 3 pm and up to 2 more in the evening depending on the severity of pain that day. I have been on it for roughly 3 years now. I take the same doses and haven't had to up anything. It replaced 4 meds I used to have to take. I have no side effects at all. This medicine allows me to run a successful business and manage my household. I'd be lost without it. Most painkillers make me sick to my stomach and cause severe headaches. Not this one!"

10 / 10
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150 Report
  • End...
  • February 22, 2020

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Pain "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."

9 / 10
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75 Report
  • Nor...
  • February 24, 2014

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Pain "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."

10 / 10
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137 Report
  • run...
  • January 24, 2013

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Chronic Pain "I had back surgery and I also have fibromyalgia. I have tried other painkillers, and none of them really worked. For 6 years, I lived in pain, not having a very good outlook on life. I ended up in the hospital. They put me on Dilaudid, and my life has improved so much, I cannot believe it."

10 / 10
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140 Report
  • DOC...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • May 19, 2014

Exalgo (hydromorphone) 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."

10 / 10
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123 Report
  • chr...
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • August 28, 2013

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Chronic Pain "Really helps ease the breakthrough pain. I was afraid when I first started it that it wouldn't help much at all, but in truth, it works better than anything else that I have been prescribed. I have had one surgery for three herniated discs in my cervical spine and now have two more that need surgery at the waist level. I have been suffering, only existing, not living for more than ten years. Dilaudid gave me back some of my life, and it doesn't make me nauseous like many of the other medications that I have been on. Even though it doesn't take away all of the pain, it does make it much more tolerable. Morphine made me sick, and I was severely hypersensitive to it. I am thankful for the relief Dilaudid has given me."

9 / 10
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126 Report
  • Sta...
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • December 16, 2012

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Chronic Pain "I have chronic back pain (9 years plus), and had surgery. Been on all pain medicines through all that time. From Vicodin all the way up to Dilaudid and Fentanyl. Even though nothing is going to take away all the pain, I found that Dilaudid 8mg works the best. Most of the time about 80%."

9 / 10
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129 Report
  • wad...
  • Taken for 10 years or more
  • August 24, 2015

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Chronic Pain "I think it should be a law for all pharmaceuticals that have anything to do with the production of hydromorphone or any other narcotic to be required to make a medication to wean you off of these medications."

10 / 10
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101 Report
  • Can...
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • February 24, 2015

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Chronic Pain "Most effective opioid pain medication for me. Long story short, my spine is messed up from stem to stern: scoliosis, osteoarthritis, osteophytes, spinal stenosis, etc. It all got much worse after my son was born, which was when I was first put on the trial-and-error opioid rollercoaster. Tylenol 3 codeine quickly became ineffective, probably because I had, up to this point, been treating my pain with OTC medication (in Canada, you can get low-dose Tylenol with codeine without a prescription), and I was put on Oxycodone (Percocet), which was an awful med, didn't last, and withdrawal was hellish. Next up, Fentanyl patch, moderately effective, but patch delivery was unreliable. Hydrocodone (Dilaudid) at last gave me some of my life and mobility back."

9 / 10
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104 Report
  • Anonymous
  • Taken for 5 to 10 years
  • January 29, 2015

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Chronic Pain "Dilaudid worked great for pain without all the side effects from other pain meds, but doctors are no longer willing to prescribe them. Probably due to all the abuse and how difficult the DEA is now making things for pharmacists who fill them and doctors prescribing them."

10 / 10
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104 Report
  • jon...
  • Taken for 5 to 10 years
  • March 26, 2014

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Pain "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."

9 / 10
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105 Report
  • Nat...
  • December 15, 2014

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Chronic Pain "When my migraine gets out of control, this is the only medicine that kills it. The downside is that I have to go to the ER to get it, and sometimes they give you a hard time as they think you are an addict."

10 / 10
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99 Report
  • Rhe...
  • Taken for 5 to 10 years
  • April 10, 2015

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Chronic Pain "Dilaudid has been beneficial to my daily activities. Without Dilaudid, I literally cannot move. The chronic pain from fibromyalgia is indescribable. And every case is different, but it helps me. The only side effect that I must pay close attention to is headaches... If I already have a headache, I don't take Dilaudid. It will make it worse. Once in a while, Dilaudid will cause a headache."

8 / 10
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93 Report
  • Dav...
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • February 23, 2014

Exalgo (hydromorphone) 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."

8 / 10
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95 Report
  • blu...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • January 25, 2013

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) for Chronic Pain "Car accident in 1997, diagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, herniated bulging, protruding discs, anxiety and panic disorder, migraines, and last Friday I had a heart attack! I was given Dilaudid through IV! Best medicine I have ever experienced!"

10 / 10
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101 Report
Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or to remove inappropriate language and content. Reviews that appear to be created by parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any particular medication. While these reviews may be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, knowledge, and judgement of healthcare professionals.