Dilaudid for Pain User Reviews (Page 4)

• kum...
• June 7, 2009

"I have a C-5/6/7 fusion with a titanium cage. Confirmed nerve damage at C-7 via nerve conduction study. Like most of you, I've been on many types of pain medications. It is different for each and so is the tolerance. I am finally stable taking hydromorphone 8 mg and OxyContin 30 mg. I take them 'backwards,' meaning the hydromorphone is for 'base' pain and the OxyContin is taken at night so I can make it through the entire sleep cycle without waking up due to pain. I do not have breakthrough pain on this regimen, and it is less expensive. Also, please have your testosterone levels checked since these medications can lower it. I take Testim, a gel that brings my levels back to normal. Testosterone affects your heart, mood, and other functions."

• Sio...
• February 12, 2012

"By far the best pain relief medication available. I have had two back operations and five brain operations. I have tried almost everything on the market and nothing worked until I was given Dilaudid. I take 8 mg every 6 hours and can do a lot more now than with anything else that is out there."

• you...
• February 14, 2012

"This is the only medicine that will help me when my pain hits. I have multiple conditions that cause pain, but the most painful issue I have to deal with is kidney stones. I get them at least every 4 months, and when they hit, they are incredibly painful. Dilaudid is the only thing that gets me through it. There are times I've had pain attacks where I have seriously considered suicide because I couldn't take it anymore. Dilaudid has saved me. Nothing else comes close. The only bad things are 1) tolerance is a huge issue. I have had to steadily increase my dosage over the years. 2) withdrawal is so painful. Be sure to taper off when you are stopping it. Otherwise, be prepared to stay in bed in pain for at least a week."

• Rob...
• November 25, 2011

"I've been on Dilaudid for 15 years for a back injury and an illness called Wegener's granulomatosis. Started out at 2 mg, and over the years I'm now at 4 mg, 4 times a day. It is a great pain reliever. I am able to function normally, as anyone else, without any side effects."

• Mat...
• December 17, 2010

"This is the best pain reliever I have ever encountered. I have been prescribed opiate painkillers for three years, starting with hydrocodone, oxycodone, Demerol, and Dilaudid by far is the best on the market. I have osteochondritis dissecans along with acute chronic tendinitis and severely pronated talus bones in both of my ankles. I have finally found a pain management clinic that is willing to work with you and takes opiate tolerance into consideration when prescribing. I just stopped taking 4 x 80 mg OxyContin with the new formulation and switched to Dilaudid 8 mg 4 to 6 times daily. It is the best thing that has ever happened to me."

• jai...
• April 12, 2008

"It worked great after a procedure, with very little side effects. I was given 2 mg as an I.V. dose. I would recommend after and/or before surgery, for any pain ranging from moderately severe to very severe. If morphine gives you nausea, ask for Dilaudid!"

• gat...
• April 20, 2012

"I was recently in the hospital for a cyst that ended up being MRSA. It was one of the most painful things I've been through, and it took 3 days in the hospital with antibiotics and IV pain meds (Dilaudid) to get me stable enough to go home. I was on 4 mg of Dilaudid IV every 2 hours. For me, about 1 1/2 hours after getting the Dilaudid push, I was starting to get in pain again. When I got it, though, my pain instantly disappeared, and I could get some rest. I can't take morphine because it makes me vomit. This medicine was my lifesaver! The only thing is it made me itch, so the doctor gave me Benadryl with every dose. Had no problem after that."

• Drr...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 3, 2012

"I was in a MVA in 2004, after which I had to have 6 spine surgeries and 3 total hip replacements, and I'm due for a fourth. I'm in severe pain most of the time, it's hard for me to walk around. When I take my pain medicine, I'm able to move a lot better. It doesn't stop all the pain, but it makes it bearable."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 23, 2017

"I had Dilaudid every two hours on IV after my bowel resection. I needed this every two hours or else my body would start going into shock from trauma and pain. The IV was wonderful but doesn't last long at all. They tried giving me the pills two days before leaving, but they never worked like the IV. They sent me home with 1 mg oral Dilaudid, and taking one or two did not do a thing. I had to take 3 to even slightly feel relief. It seems their pill form isn't quite effective as the IV but does last longer but just isn't as great. I agree, as well as it being severely addictive. I weaned myself off 4 or 5 days ago after every day use for almost 2 weeks (mostly hospital IV), and I'm still having headaches and slight nausea."

• Anonymous
• December 27, 2011

"I was hospitalized for a kidney stone. First time for me. Worst pain ever. Found out the stone was 5 mm big and wasn't going to pass on its own. I needed surgery. When I was admitted to the ER, they gave me morphine, which didn't do anything for the pain. Then they gave me Dilaudid, which worked in seconds and lasted hours. I didn't feel any pain while on Dilaudid. Only thing that really works in this situation."

• Mar...
• January 13, 2020

"I went into the ER with really high blood pressure. My head was exploding. They gave this drug in my IV. I fell asleep for 6 hours. Woke up and could not talk or walk. I also developed uncontrollable bowels for several months. It has been horrendous. It has subsided, but I still suffer from this daily. I don't take trips too far from home. This is a dangerous drug."

• rb9...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 22, 2013

"I was given this shot in the E.R. for intense pain from a gallstone I had been dealing with and was scheduled to have removed. Unfortunately, the gallbladder became infected. The shot did nothing, nor did a second dose. I had already been in pain, and I rarely get relief if I wait until it gets that bad instead of taking medicines consistently to keep it under control. My boyfriend, on the other hand, had a bowel resection and was also in extreme pain despite having a morphine pump. He was switched to Dilaudid, and it relieved his pain immensely. As the reviews show, everyone is different. I don't know if I didn't get relief because it was too late for me, so I rated it for that and for how well it worked for my friend."

• sti...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 9, 2012

"The only times I have had the medicine is when I have had arterial surgeries, and Dilaudid was administered by IV. As previous posts have stated, it goes into effect 30-60 seconds after administration, but with a slight heating effect in the injected vein. Soon after, the blissful pain relief has occurred. I was able to intently listen to a book or watch TV, sleep was also easy if I wanted. This was only a 1 mg dose, but surprisingly effective. It killed the pain while allowing one to be mentally alert (if desired), unlike morphine. I highly recommend this medicine for hospital pain relief, but for longer-term pain relief, up to 6 hours, it was supplemented with 5 mg of Vicodin."

• Anonymous
• June 21, 2010

"I was given Dilaudid after having T8, T9, T10 removed and spinal cord decompression done after developing an epidural abscess. It was given by IV, 4 mg every two hours and worked great for breakthrough pain. No side effects at all."

• Alw...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 2, 2020

"I had surgery for gallbladder removal. In the hospital, given 2 mg IM of Dilaudid every 8 hours for pain. Dose was too high, but too far apart. I would have about 4 hours of pain relief, but be REALLY out of it (uncomfortably so), and 4+ hours of no pain relief. When I was switched to oral, 1 mg/4H was ineffective, as was 2 mg/4H. Orally, I needed 6 mg initial dose, and 2 every hour to maintain pain relief (minimum effective dose, did not fully remove pain). As IM dose, I would probably rate an 8. As an oral: 1. Oral update is not very good."

• 7ti...
• November 2, 2009

"I suffer from chronic back and knee pain. Had lower spinal fusion, both knees totally replaced, and stenosis in my upper neck that flared up once to the point that the pain was agony! This was the first time I was given an injection of Dilaudid as opposed to morphine. Morphine has never taken my pain away, it just made me not care that it hurt. The first time I was injected with Dilaudid, the effects the first minute scared me, but I had a great nurse that walked me through everything I was going to experience and assured me that in one min. it would pass, and it did. For the first time in 12 years, after about five mins, I had absolutely no pain. Also took the pills for about 1 month and worked very well."

• emp...
• November 30, 2008

"I had this when I was in the hospital (9 times in 2 years). It is the best medicine I have ever used. I hate the feeling pain medicines give you. This one just made me sleepy and pain-free. Too bad they wouldn't let me take it at home. I am now on the fentanyl patch instead."

• Khr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 5, 2017

"Was given 1 unit every 6 hours in ICU after a fem-pop bypass. Effect was literally in seconds after injection. Pain was gone. But my heart rate and BP dropped to the point I had to undergo cardiac monitoring. They thought it had triggered a heart attack."

• soo...
• September 30, 2009

"I've got complex regional pain syndrome, and it helps with the numbness in my leg, but does not take away all of the burning sensation. After the Percocets quit working, the doctor put me on Dilaudid #4's, and the pain has been reduced some, but I feel that I could use something even stronger. 1 every 6 hours helps, but is still not enough."

• LHa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 17, 2015

"I received Dilaudid through IV while in the ER for kidney pain. The pain relief was very fast and effective. However, I had noticeable side effects - that disorienting whoosh effect mentioned by another commenter, severe dizziness, nausea, and blurred vision. When admissions asked me to sign paperwork, I had significant trouble raising my arms and holding the pen, but I was able to sign my name with a great deal of concentration. Getting out of bed was very difficult when they asked for a urine sample. I needed quite a bit of assistance from the nurse to walk across the hall. All I wanted to do was lie very still and minimize the dizziness. It took about 8 hours for this effect to go away."

• bra...
• July 11, 2009

"My husband had surgery to remove his prostate gland, bladder, and 12 inches of colon six months ago. He was hospitalized for nine days. His lower back pain was excruciating, and morphine (controlling it himself) and various types of mattresses did nothing to make him comfortable. He was getting no sleep at all until the surgeon offered Dilaudid. It lasted for about 5 hours or so, and he could have it every 6 hours. It brought quick relief to the back pain and relaxed him enough to get a decent amount of sleep after several days of terrible discomfort. No side effects for him either."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 14, 2017

"I had a spinal interbody fusion, and Dilaudid barely touched the pain at all. They had to give me a muscle relaxer, nerve pill, and 10 mg oxycodone to go with the Dilaudid. And after all that, I still hurt."

• Anonymous
• April 3, 2008

"Crushed knee, shattered tibia and fibula. Leg was a mess with lots of soft tissue damage as well. Natural morphine couldn't stop the bone pain, but Dilaudid did the trick in a minute. I have to have a combination of painkillers for everything to stop, but Dilaudid was the breakthrough med. It was by IV only."

• Ste...
• July 16, 2015

"I was given a dose of Dilaudid through IV for a severe headache associated with an infection. As soon as the nurse began pushing the syringe, I had a horrible taste in the back of my throat, my breathing and chest felt very heavy, my ears felt clogged, and I became very sleepy. These all lasted for around 4 hours, along with extreme nausea! The nurse said, 'Yeah, a lot of people don't like Dilaudid, it makes them feel pretty funny.' Good thing I was also taking Zofran, or I would have been vomiting my brains out."

• I...
• December 1, 2009

"After breaking 3 ribs and taking Vicodin and Tramadol to no relief, I asked the doctor for Dilaudid 2 mg every 6 hrs. It took the pain from 9 down to 4 in about 20 minutes. Now I can finally get some sleep and get a few things done around the house... great medicine."