Hydromorphone is a synthetic opioid drug that is prescribed by doctors. Its brand name is Dilaudid, and it is prescribed as a pain reliever for patients with extreme pain. People who undergo surgery, or are being treated for chronic illness, severe burns, heart attack, and cancer are given it in place of morphine.
While Dilaudid treats the physical symptoms of pain, it also interferes with the brain’s ability to feel pleasure, which leads to people developing psychological addictions to it in addition to physiological addictions. As much as the body can rely on the medication to block the pain, the mind also becomes dependent on it for relief.
There are several prescription drugs that include strong narcotics: Precocet, Percodan and Oxycontin all have oxycodone as a key ingredient. Mespiridine is an opioid drug that is best known as Demerol. Morphine is prescribed in hospitals for surgery patients regularly. Hydromorphone, however, is six to nine times more powerful than morphine. The more powerful the drug, the more likely the patient is to become dependent on the drug.
Hydromorphone is most frequently prescribed in tablet form, although there are also oral solutions and rectal suppositories of the drug. It can also be injected. The way in which it is ingested can affect the immediacy and effectiveness of the high, so many addicts will dissolve pills in water and inject the mixture. They might also mix other drugs into the concoction, making it highly dangerous.
It is important that Dilaudid is only taken for a short period of time, or as an occasional aide to more common pain relievers because of its highly addictive nature. It also must be monitored and limited so that patients do not become addicted. Addiction can set in after less than three weeks of use, making it a high risk drug, whether the patient is predisposed to drug addiction or not.
The drug becomes dangerous when the patient begins to administer it to themselves, outside of the supervision of medical professionals. Doctors know the appropriate dosages, and how frequently the drug is needed. When a person begins to feel dependence on the drug, they will take higher and more frequent doses to fill the craving. This is when it becomes a problem. Higher dosages can lead to increase side effects, especially the more serious ones such as seizure, respiratory malfunction, heart attack, stroke, and comas, and even death. More frequent doses can lead to higher tolerance levels, which sends the person down the path of addiction that much faster.
When drug addicts resort to dangerous and risky measures to get their next fix, they can end up buying drugs laced with other substances. When buying pills on the street, there’s no guarantee that they’re pure. Addicts will also intentionally mix drugs and alcohol to get a blend of effects, which can be detrimental to their health.
Although Dilaudid, or hydromorphone, is intended to be an effective pain reliever for people suffering major illnesses and injuries, it is too often used by addicts who are chasing their next high. Unfortunately, many of these addicts did not start using Dilaudid in such a way, but find themselves addicted to the substance that got them through their suffering, and now are struggling with it daily.