Dilaudid side effects, Less and Most Common Side Effects, Overdose, Addiction & Treatment

Dilaudid (Hydromorphone) is a schedule II controlled substance prescribed for moderate to severe pain. The drug attaches to receptors in the brain and central nervous system (CNS) to dull pain. Dilaudid also triggers the release of excessive amounts of dopamine in the brain, causing pleasurable feelings. This activates the reward center of the brain, which interprets the event as something that is important and should be repeated. The more this happens, the less the brain will naturally produce dopamine, and the more reliant the body becomes on Dilaudid, that’s how you develop Dilaudid addiction.

Doctors prescribe Dilaudid for pain related to cancer and serious injuries such as burns. The time it takes for the drug to take effect varies depending on how it is taken. When taken orally, Dilaudid typically takes effect within 30 minutes to an hour. When used intranasally, it typically takes 5 minutes; its effects are almost immediate when taken intravenously. Regardless of the method of administration, the effects of Dilaudid typically last between four and six hours.

Doctors typically prescribe Dilaudid tablets in small doses. Some pills are round, and some are triangular. Dilaudid is also available as an oral liquid. In a hospital setting, doctors may administer the substance intravenously. Other brand names for Hydromorphone are Exalgo, Palladone, and Dilaudid-hp. Street names include D’s, Dillies, Big D, M-80s, and Peaches.

• Agitation
• Bloating or swelling of the face, arms, hands, lower legs, or feet
• Bloody, black, or tarry stools
• Blurred vision
• Changes in behavior
• Chest pain or discomfort
• Decreased urination
• Dry mouth
• Fast, pounding, slow, or irregular heartbeat
• Lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting

• Mood or mental changes
• Rapid breathing
• Severe stomach pain, cramping, or burning
• Stiff neck
• Sunken eyes
• Thoughts of killing oneself
• Trouble breathing
• Unusual tiredness or weakness
• Vomiting of material that looks like coffee grounds, severe and continuing
• Wrinkled skin

• Irregular, fast or slow, or shallow breathing
• Loss of appetite
• Mental depression
• Nausea
• Noisy breathing
• Overactive reflexes
• Painful urination
• Pale or blue lips, fingernails, or skin
• Poor coordination
• Restlessness
• Sweating
• Talking or acting with excitement you cannot control
• Tightness in the chest
• Trouble sleeping
• Vomiting

• Bluish lips or skin
• Change in the ability to see colors, especially blue or yellow
• Cold, clammy skin
• Confusion
• Constricted, pinpoint, or small pupils (black part of the eye)
• Cough
• Darkening of the skin
• Decrease in frequency of urination or urine amount
• Deep or fast breathing with dizziness
• Difficulty in passing urine (dribbling)
• Fast or weak pulse
• Headache
• Hives or welts, itching, skin rash

• Shallow, slow breaths or trouble breathing
• Drowsiness
• Possible loss of consciousness or falling into a coma
• Lack of muscle tone or flaccid skeletal musculature

• Cold or clammy skin
• Constricted pupils
• Low blood pressure
• Weak pulse or slow heart rate

Anytime too much of the drug is introduced into the bloodstream at once, an overdose is possible; however, the method in which a person takes Dilaudid can impact overdose. Snorting, smoking, or injecting it sends the full dosage of the drug very quickly across the barrier between a person’s blood and brain and can raise the risk for overdose. Injecting Dilaudid may increase the risk of suffering from an overdose by resulting in a collapse of the circulatory system, cardiac arrest, or apnea, the FDA warns.

A Dilaudid overdose is potentially fatal, and immediate medical attention should be sought if one is suspected. The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) reported almost 20,000 emergency department (ED) visits involving the nonmedical use of hydromorphone in 2011.

Taking additional drugs or alcohol in combination with Dilaudid also heightens the potential hazards and the possibility of suffering from a life-threatening overdose. The DAWN Report in 2014 published that mixing opioid pain relievers such as Dilaudid with benzodiazepines or alcohol greatly increased the risk of a more serious negative interaction. Benzodiazepine medications are sedatives and tranquilizers, and they also suppress the central nervous system. Since alcohol, benzodiazepines, and Dilaudid all function to lower these vital life functions, combining them can have disastrous consequences.

Opioid drugs act on the central nervous system, suppressing cough symptoms and pain sensations as well as lowering blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration levels. Opioids enhance calm and relaxation, and when abused, they can produce a euphoric “high.”

Prescription opioid drugs are heavily abused around the world, as the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that an estimated 15 million people around the globe battle opioid addiction. In the United States, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) estimated that 4.3 million Americans aged 12 and older were considered current abusers of prescription painkillers at the time of the 2014 survey, meaning that they had used one for nonmedical reasons in the month prior.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) publishes that close to 2 million people in the United States suffered from a substance use disorder related to prescription pain reliever abuse in the year leading up to the 2014 national survey.