Hydromorphone for Chronic Pain User Reviews (Page 3)

• Shi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 12, 2015

Hydromorphone "This medication has improved my quality of life! I feel so much better when I take this medication. My pain is down to a 3 from being a 10. Now if I can find a doctor to prescribe it for me, my life would be so much happier. Not having to suffer every day... I wish."

• Veg...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 18, 2018

Hydromorphone "Dilaudid is just delicious! I suffer from severe spinal stenosis, and oftentimes the pain is unbearable. When necessary, I enter the E.R. and explain my condition. An understanding doctor will prescribe this drug, I.M., and I will soon then begin to feel immediate pain relief."

• Fre...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 2, 2021

Hydromorphone "I have been through 4 back surgeries, and all of them have failed to make the pain better, but my spine is stable. I take 4 mg 5x a day, and I am not going to be out of pain, but it is better than before. Dilaudid is the best way to get my life back on track. I was on oxycodone, which is like taking a Tylenol. Dilaudid is the best, but I am careful with it, and the doctor wants me to get off of it."

• fra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 28, 2017

Hydromorphone "Had a motorcycle accident in 2013 and broke 3 vertebrae, 6 ribs, and my pelvis. I was given morphine in the ER, but it wasn't putting even a dent in my pain. I asked if there was anything else they could give me, and Dilaudid was the answer. IV administration quickly relieved my pain. I describe the feeling as melting into the bed in a feeling of euphoria. I was told by hospital staff it was 8 times stronger than morphine. Easy to see how people get addicted. I was disappointed when the nurse told me they were going to start weaning me off after 3-4 days."

• Tha...
• September 1, 2016

Hydromorphone "I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and endometriosis. When I am in the hospital, they always give me a low dose of 0.5 mg in IV form, and it takes the pain away for 3-4 hours. They tried morphine, but that only lasts for literally 30 minutes. It makes me sleep well, and the pain is gone for, like I said, 3-4 hours. IV push every 4 hours. It's a miracle drug!"

• JT ...
• December 11, 2018

Hydromorphone "As of December 2018, Hydromorph Contin now comes in name brand and generic. My rating of 10/10 is for the original name brand, it has been the only medication that has helped me with my pain besides fentanyl. I've tried everything, and nothing else works. As for the generics (2/10) made by Apotex, they are not good for pain relief, and they end up giving me a migraine and making me extremely tired. I do not know what the chemical differences are between the name brand and the generics, but there is something that is drastically reducing the effectiveness of the Hydromorph. Unfortunately, the generics are the only option to be covered by any government insurance. I will be paying the difference to get the name brand from this point on. I suggest that if you're prescribed Hydromorph Contin, to try both the name brand and the generics, as I have found that there is a huge difference between the two and one might work better for you."

• Tom...
• April 15, 2017

Hydromorphone "Take 12 mg Exalgo after being on Methadone, Tramadol, and Fentanyl. It is a miracle drug! The pain is so reduced I hardly ever need my breakthrough painkillers. Side effects have been negligible for me. I will never come off of this medication willingly, because I don't believe a better treatment currently exists."

• sta...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 28, 2024

"I've been on oxycodone for 3 years after a serious tractor-trailer accident that broke my back & femur until an ER doctor prescribed Dilaudid 2 mg (along with a small dose of diazepam) for me last week. I don't have the side effects of oxy when taking it & in my honest opinion, it's not nearly as addictive AND it works. I think the dose needs to be adjusted, but I'm definitely switching when I go back to my chronic pain doctor. It allows me to function in my busy daily life without sedation & feeling 'high'. The only problem is that it's hard for my pharmacy to get it right now. Chronic pain patients are suffering because of the addicts who abuse these medications & it's really not fair at all."

• sta...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 4, 2015

"Was diagnosed with three degenerative discs that have now compressed on top of each other at L-3, 4, and 5, creating horribly pinched nerves. Started off with Vicodin, which helped for a while. In 2006, was switched to Dilaudid 2 mg, then 4 mg, currently taking 8 mg/4 times daily. Wow, what a great pain killer! With the Vicodin, it dulled the pain, but with the Dilaudid, it's completely gone. Makes living life enjoyable again. It's great not to be in constant pain anymore!"

• Sad...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 5, 2020

"2007, fell 30 feet + 70-pound rucksack. I lost my vision, damaged my skull, neck, entire spine, ribs, hips, and knees. For the next 4 years, my docs gave me 'unlimited' T+Cod 400mg x 8 a day. I grew a mass in my liver and was unable to perform, so they kicked me out. A civilian doctor, after doing full work on me, found I lacked an enzyme to crack the codeine into the active ingredient and prescribed 2mg of hydromorphone. It worked immediately!!! It was the first time I was able to breathe without pain and actually slept 3 hours."

• Vad...
• September 8, 2015

Hydromorphone "My luck I moved to a small town, small medicine to retire. I have bilateral failed carpal tunnel with failed double revision and now with neuropathy in my hands. Herniated bulged disc in my lower back and another herniated bulged disc in my upper neck pushing against the spinal cord. I have a torn right tendon in my knee, and that if I am really lucky I get 2 hours of sleep. I have begged my doctor for Hyaluronic Acid Injection shot, (which for some reason he won't) and now they're saying I might have Parkinson's. He had me on Dilaudid a few years back, but it made me jumpy, but I'll be asking for it again. Can you believe that he was trying to give me hydros 10s for this? And this guy went to a top 10 school. Don't move to Wa. state."

• Nec...
• April 10, 2017

Hydromorphone "I have metastatic breast cancer. I found IV Dilaudid, self-administered through my port, to be the most effective pain management strategy I have had thus far. My doc and palliative care nurse are encouraging me to shift to using a pain pump for more continuous pain control and to decrease side effects from varying levels of Dilaudid. I can see how dependency could be an issue. I'm not personally concerned because I have a terminal condition, however, especially because it does give me a feeling of well-being and pain reduction is immediate, that could be a problem for those with chronic pain."

• Don...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 20, 2021

"DO NOT let your pharmacist fill your Rx with any Rhodes Pharmaceuticals products! They simply don't work, or at best work only about 10 to 25% of what they should. I have dealt with this issue with their generic Percocets for years. Now they have broadened their perspective to include inferior hydromorphone, aka Dilaudid. I'm disgusted because now I am stuck with a month's worth of this pseudo drug that doesn't ease my pain! Beware! Read the reviews on their website and you will see I am correct. I guess they are the cheapest generic and that's why pharmacies are switching to them. Try to get Mallinckrodt or Actavis... these Rx companies have been around for decades and make more trustworthy products. Good luck... and tell your doctor if you have similar problems with Rhodes Rx. There is no excuse for this, and their negligence for $ should be addressed by authorities."

• gca...
• April 18, 2016

Hydromorphone "After having 2 surgeries to my spine because of a fracture that was overlooked, I had to be put on a morphine pump, or what is known as a pain pump. This pump is placed within a pocket of fat that the doctors must fill every 45 to 60 days. For several years, I was given morphine into the pump. I do not recall any side effects to this. Due to the pain getting worse, I made the request for a medication other than the morphine. I was placed then on Dilaudid/Clonidine, which has been increased over the years. In February 2016, I started experiencing the side effects of withdrawal. My mouth stays dry, ears ringing, blood pressure increased to dangerous levels. At the ER, I was checked to see if I was having a stroke, with all tests negative. BAD RX"

• Ros...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 29, 2023

Hydromorphone "I was prescribed Hydromorph Contin for extreme pain. I fractured L3 & L4 due to osteoporosis. I also suffer from severe scoliosis. I don't like the tiredness, nausea, and nervousness that I get when I take it. 3 mg every 12 hours and it does nothing for the pain. I have been suffering excruciating pain for 3 years now, and my doctor has tried Codeine Contin, then the Hydromorph Contin. So far, neither of them has taken away the pain. It's becoming insufferable to deal with the pain every day. I pray that the pain clinic I have been attending can help me soon. This amount of pain is a never-ending nightmare."

• Hep...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 19, 2017

Hydromorphone "I was on Exalgo for several years. It gave better pain relief than morphine but still constipating. During that time, I kept having episodes of waking in the middle of the night with a fast heart rate and cold sweats, which no one could explain. Then I developed severe abdominal pain and stopped eating, with a thirty-pound weight loss. While doing a bowel prep for a colonoscopy, I passed five Exalgo 'ghost' tablets in my BMs. (Ghost tablets are the leftover shell of controlled-release pills.) I realized that they were accumulating in my bowels because of my severe constipation. When I changed pain meds, the night sweats and tachycardia stopped."

• ana...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 14, 2023

Hydromorphone "I fell 10 years ago when I was 32 and compressed my C-0 to C-6. I was in so much pain, I was bedridden for 3 years and in a wheelchair for 6 years. They could not find out why I was in so much pain. I finally found the right doctor and had a neck fusion of the C-3 C-4, and that helped some but didn't get rid of the pain. I was still living with a pain of an 8. I still couldn't have any light in my room, no one could talk above a whisper, and I couldn't be upright for more than 2 minutes before my pain shot up to a ten. Once we found the right pain doctor, he put me on Dilaudid, and it has changed my quality of life. I have been able to regain some of my life because of it, but I can't regain all of it due to a 5mm knot on my C-0 that is pressing on my occipital nerve and spinal column. I would recommend Dilaudid to anyone dealing with a 10/10 pain level."

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

Hydromorphone "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."

• Che...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 28, 2016

Hydromorphone "I broke my back in '02, I was sent home 4 hours after being told I broke my back in 2 places. It was a Saturday morning, and I was handed 2 Demerol pills and told to get a hold of my family doctor for full-time pain management. I was put on 8 mg hydromorphone every 4 to 6 hours. After being told the fractures were mended, I had a whole bunch of urinary problems and paralysis in parts of my body for a week to 5 months. After being told everything had mended, I tried to go back to work. I just couldn't, there wasn't enough pain control, so the doctor added 150 mcg/h of fentanyl. Now I only take the hydromorphone for breakthrough pain."

• Del...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 24, 2024

"I’ve had 5 back surgeries, 3 neck surgeries. I have rods and pins from C-5 to C-9, T-1 to T-10, and lastly L-4 to L-10. I have one kidney, urostomy, colostomy as well. I have plates and screws in both feet, screws in my left hand, plates and screws in my left shoulder and clavicle. Metal plate behind my head, and lastly I have a small metal rod in place of my tibia. I’m currently on a pain regimen of Dilaudid 8 mg every 4 hours, and it’s incredibly helpful in allowing me to remain on a chronic pain scale level of 6!! This helps me to get to a tolerance level that helps me achieve a more manageable and fulfilling lifestyle without worrying about how I’m going to feel in the next hour or sometimes even minute of getting by. Thank you, satisfied customer."

• smi...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 20, 2019

"I've taken almost all pain meds in my entire life. I have Sickle Cell Anemia (SS-Hb). So I need something strong for my pain crisis episodes. I've been on this med in the start of my adult years (I'm 44). Started on 2 mg in my 20s and started doing nothing. Then the doctor put me on 8 mg (which is the highest) and I started getting dependent and I didn't like that. So she dropped me to 4 mg, which I feel safe on. (FYI: The 8 mg doesn't come in IV form, it's too strong). It works for me when I take my 4 mg every 4 hours. But there is a difference with the effectiveness of the brand Dilaudid vs. generic Hydromorphone. Truthfully, I like the brand better because it's more effective for my pain. Also, given through IV in the hospital, it totally hit my pain on the spot! But because of my insurance plan, I get the generic. It works but wears off over time."

• kes...
• May 22, 2013

"I had a botched intestinal surgery in 2000, which has given me severe pain since, sometimes 10 on the pain scale, which made life very unpleasant at times. I finally found a doctor who spent the time and effort to find a medication, which ended up being hydromorphone, and my life has changed completely. I have absolutely no side effects, and my life has totally changed. Sometimes it takes a good doctor who will work with you and really understands how devastating pain can be!"

• H3R...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 17, 2017

Hydromorphone "Throughout a ten-year battle with ulcerative colitis, I have been on many I.V. pain meds. I.V. Dilaudid is my pain med of choice. I hate the oral version of this med. It literally does nothing for my pain. I.V. or nothing."

• Dr ...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 26, 2016

Hydromorphone "Had below-knee amputation of my right leg due to infection of a broken ankle. Having pain in my left leg, a ghost pain, but no problems in the amputated leg. Doctor put me on 2 mg Dilaudid to give me relief. I take it once a day before bedtime, which lets me sleep. No side effects, but sometimes I need a pill during the day too, and I can only get a certain number of pills per month, and the pharmacy won't refill it any more frequently than once a month. Am going on a cruise in March, and am not a big drinker but wondering if one drink a day will be a problem with the 2 mg Dilaudid at night only once a day. I read about bad interactions with alcohol and Dilaudid and don't want a bad interaction with only one mixed drink. I'll ask the doctor too."

• Psk...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 16, 2016

Hydromorphone "Given instead of oxycodone, was told it is much stronger/potent. Since I started requiring higher doses because my body became used to the dose. Did not help me, made me nauseous and gave me a headache. I get the whole government trying to crack down on opiate abuse, but for those of us that live in constant intolerable pain, it is an endless battle to get pain relief, whether it's from DR, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies manufacturing bad generics. Sometimes I feel it would be easier to... well, you can imagine."