Dilaudid and Drowsiness: What Users Say

• ebp...
• February 18, 2009

For Pain "I am a 62-year-old woman with a number of health-related issues that cause chronic and sometimes acute pain, including three herniated discs (C3-C6), lower back pain, and bad knees. Percocet, Darvocet, and Vicodin upset my stomach, so I've only been on Lodine twice a day for the past two years. My doctor suggested a trial on Dilaudid - 2mg to 4mg every 4-6 hours until I can have a knee replacement. 2mg did not make me pain-free, but definitely was an improvement. However, 4mg allowed me to walk without pain for the first time in months. It makes me sleepy, but aside from that, there have been no unpleasant side effects. Dilaudid is a wonder drug for anyone who experiences chronic pain."

• Vtw...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 23, 2013

For Pain "I have had severe headaches for more than 20 years. Tried just about everything doctors could come up with both for prevention and immediate pain reduction. Nothing worked well until I was prescribed Dilaudid. Got my life back. No more 3-month-long headaches. No drowsiness or other noticeable side effects."

• Bra...
• July 26, 2009

For Pain "I developed horrendous headaches after a traumatic brain injury a year ago. After trying far too many non-narcotic alternatives and Percocets, interspersed with several trips a month to the ER for a shot of morphine, my doctors and I have come up with Dilaudid to deal with the bad headaches. I take a single 11 mg dose of Dilaudid with two Dramamine and an Ativan, followed by a second Ativan 2 hours later. I go from agony to 'let's go to Ikea' in about an hour. I do take a daily neurostimulant (300 mg modafinil) for chronic fatigue that may offset the drowsiness you might expect from that combo, but it has been a huge gain for my quality of life. The trick seems to be to get enough Dilaudid at once to stop the pain."

• Bli...
• February 21, 2012

For Pain "Following a knee replacement surgery, I had breakthrough pain (I had a nerve block in place) the first night that was about a 9 out of 10. I was not due for my oral meds at the time, but for some reason, I was eligible to receive an IV dose of Dilaudid. I would say within one minute, the pain was minimal, and I was able to get some sleep. It did make me drowsy. I've never had it before or since, but I absolutely credit it with some major pain relief the one time it was administered. It's a shame that we have to almost beg for pain meds and often are made to feel like drug seekers when we do. I'm still on the recovery path for the surgery and have been using an oral med. Next will be ibuprofen, then nothing, I hope."

• Mid...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 8, 2022

For Chronic Pain "I have around 4 years of experience with Dilaudid 8 mg tablets inside of 15 years on the other various opioids (all prescribed) from a slew of issues stemming from degenerative diseases. It works okay, I function and never crave. The MEU system changed, so I only get 90 instead of 120 per month. I'm grateful for it, for sure. I have a legit compassionate doc. When I feel like I need more, I remember the majority of suffering people in third world countries. Ever experience difficulties filling a script in the last 5 months from 'shortages'? Dilaudid/hydromorphone facts: 1 mg hydromorphone is equivalent to 5 mg of both morphine. Hydromorphone is the metabolite of hydrocodone. The oral route is approximately 30% bioavailable. The nasal route is approximately 70% bioavailable. IV/IM is 100% bioavailable. Dilaudid, as a CNS depressant, can be taken with CNS stimulants (I successfully do this having adult ADHD) to counteract its down/drowsiness effect. More research is going back into this. Practical Pain Management has a good article to read up on it."

• Ste...
• July 16, 2015

For Pain "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."

• Anonymous
• January 30, 2010

For Pain "I was hospitalized for 2 months with partial paralysis and neuropathy from an autoimmune syndrome. I had severe pain, 7 to 9 on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 mg IV Dilaudid every 4 hrs during the early part of my hospitalization with a saline flush erased my pain in minutes without creating drowsiness, mental impairment, or euphoria. I was able to think clearly and solve complex problems. I was switched to the pills after a few weeks. Dilaudid allowed me enough relief so I could go to sleep without distracting pain and wake up in the morning without residual effects. YOUR CONSTITUTION MAY BE DIFFERENT. I was able to stop cold turkey after 2 months without withdrawal symptoms. Your experience may be different. Follow doctor's instructions EXACTLY."

• Jer...
• October 24, 2009

For Pain "I had an abscessed streptococcus infection, which is a really painful occurrence. They treated me with 2-10cc Dilaudid IV injections, and it was really great. I got really drowsy, but felt nothing, even when they stuck a huge needle into my insanely infected tonsil (it was only one tonsil). I went from a 9 on the pain scale to a 1 in ten minutes (or what I perceived as 10 minutes at least). I also hear about people getting very sick from hydromorphone. The staff at the medical center were great though. The technician who administered the drug in the ER knew just how to administer it to minimize nausea. I am definitely glad that they knew how much pain I was in and pulled no punches to treat it."

• Anonymous
• January 30, 2009

For Pain "This drug is very effective. I had surgery earlier today on my rectum, and I get complete relief from four milligrams taken by mouth. The sole side effect appears to be a degree of sleepiness, but compared to other drugs of similar potency, this one seems to induce minimal impairment. The horrors (hallucinations) are readily controlled by a small amount of Valium."

• dai...
• January 4, 2012

For Pain "Excellent for chronic arthritic ankle/knee/hip pain; 3 x 4 MG tablets three times in 24 hours for full relief. Breakthrough pain (walking for 30 mins) is reduced by another 2 x 4 mg tabs, but the resulting sleepiness is annoying, so I tend not to be too mobile, which is bad."

• Jos...
• September 19, 2008

For Pain "Very good drug for my pain management. Causes slight drowsiness. Highly recommended if your doctor will prescribe."