Dilaudid - You Should Know This!
What is Dilaudid? One of the most prescribed narcotic pain killers, many Crohn’s patients are given Dilaudid when in the hospital.
A while back I talked about how much of a life-savor Dilaudid had been for me in 2006 every time I ended up in the hospital or had surgery, however, it was not until recent that I learned about how some of the side-effects and other “negative” things that I think everyone should know about as well.
You can develop tolerance - I had no idea, but since my last surgery, Dilaudid is not working nearly as well on me. Or, to make it work, I have to take major dosages - this is because I have taken so much Dilaudid in this past year that my body is becoming intolenart.
This is also true with ANY narcotic pain medicine.
Could cause breating problems - Apparently narcotics can cause your breating to slow down and even stop if severe enough. This is the typical reaction to an extreme over-dose. However, almost all hospitals avoid this by placing patients on a “PCA” pump. This is a pump that requires you to be concious to get your next shot of pain medicine (since you are self-administering it). But at the same time, the nurse controls how often you are allowed to push the button.
So, if for some reason you fell asleep from the over-dose and your breathing slowed down, you should NOT get to the point where you would risk your breating completely stopping since you would no longer be able to administer more medication.
Slow down the digestive system - This one is very important, especially if you are recovering from gastric sugery and if a part of your recovery is that your doctors are waiting for you to “pass gas.”
ALL narcotics slow down your gastric system and can eventually lead to a longer recovery.
Once again, we’re not doctors at CrohnsHelp.com - so you should always talk to your doctor about your pain management in a hospital. Dilaudid is used in only moderate to severe pain as there are many other options also available.
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6 Responses to “Dilaudid - You Should Know This!”
1 Katie W. 15 January 2007 @ 6:35 pm
When I was twelve, I was diagnosed with arthritis to go along with the Crohn’s I was diagnosed with at eight.
Sadly, drug tolerance is something none of us IBD patients will ever be able to escape. Since my joint inflammation was fairly severe (probably to go along with the severe inflammation in my digestive tract), I’ve been on pain meds fairly steadily for the past thirteen years.
I bombed out on tylenol-3 (with codeine) when I was still a teenager. My tolerance got to the point where it didn’t do anything more.
The next painkiller I grew a high tolerance for was Vicodin, which I was phased off a few years ago.
Now I take Percocet (why do they keep giving me opiate-based painkillers? WHY?) and my tolerance has again reached astronomical proportions. My docs are now talking about switching me to Darvon.
Plus, don’t forget to mention that if it’s an opiate-based painkiller (such as Vicodin, tylenol-3, and percocet) then not only does it slow down the digestive tract, it also causes major constipation. Opiates are incredibly constipatory (great drug for an IBD patient then, huh?) and, at least in my case, I’ve had to take stool softeners and other constipation aids the entire time I’ve been on heavy painkillers. Milk of Magnesia before I go to bed every night. Yuck.
2 Chris 23 January 2007 @ 11:52 pm
Darvon is a step below percocet and vicodin, I’d re-talk that…its more in line with Tynlenol-3.
As for me, I take dalaudid when in the hospital I usually get 2 to 4mg IV push every 30 minutes or so in the ER which is much much more then most peope. And when admitted I get a pca pump of about 10 every 2 hours I believe, ontop of 20mg of oxycontin CR morning and night and 6-5mg oxycodone IR two at a time as needed.
I also have crohns disease and have had many surgeries. I have one of the more severe cases definietly. I have the battle scars and medicine knowledge to prove it.
By the way doesnt it suck when you’ve been doing this so long that you know the medication so the ER docs question if your actually drug seeking??
3 John Medicine 3 February 2007 @ 5:15 am
How to not receive Accustoming to painkillers? What to do If often the head hurts? WBR LeoP
4 Matt 16 February 2007 @ 1:30 am
Pain killers can have a variety of effects for a person with digestive problems. I don’t like taking them because of the after effects and, as you have experienced, they are really addictive.
What I did like about them though is that they got rid of my diarrhea. They do act to slow down the digestive system and although it is a side effect, in my case it was welcome.
5 Philip 7 April 2007 @ 3:27 am
Since Sept. 2006, I have been in the hospital 3 times for serval days. As a former weitht-lifter, I have lost nearlly for 40lbs since today. During my first hospital stay, I was given Morphine, which sucks. Then Toreador which helps on an 8 hour schedule with reqired multiple doses before it works and it can damage to the liver and is really just a beefed up aspirin. Waiting on it to work for 16 hours, I just couldn’t handle that pain. With my pain levels of 8/10, I was finally give Dilaudid, which I was told by the nurse, is 16 times more powerful than Morphine. My last & more difficult hospital stay was for 12 days of hell in March. More Dilaudid. Less effectiveness. Now this drug would never last more than 2 hours & the pain was never completely gone even when administered, just bearable. And the kidney pain from the scar tissue, no effect on controlling that whatsoever. And my nasea was so bad from the Flagyl (which I had taken 2 times before), that doctors had to feed me through a PICC line with NPT food bags and gave me Zofran for nausea which also sucks. I think saltine crackers would have worked better. This was the first I found out that my blood tests showed positive for Crohn’s disease but I await the colonoscopy test, once sufficiently healed. My take home pills are hydrocodone/acepmph. at 7.5/500. And they also never completely elimintate the pain and one pill seems least effective.
All these pain relievers, hospital & prescription based all cause constipation which is the last thing a Crohn’s and/or Diverticulitis patient needs. Things need to flow in the intestines. This mere side effect has been such a problem for me that I am reluctant to take the pain pill until the very last minute and by that time, I need more than one, hence increasing the constipation effect for the next morning (even with doses of Senokot at bedtime). I’ll have to try the milk of magnesia but it sounds pretty bad. With all of this going on, I am afraid to really eat anything at all for fear of needing more pain meds. which equals more constipation so I have to live on Boost to feel better without so much drugs. But its not enough energy to work a day.
I cannot figure out why there is not another pain reliever that does not constipate? But since it is the nature of the beast, why can’t drug makers blend a strong anti-constipation/stoole softner medicine with the other pain reliever ingredients, all in one new pill for people with Crohn’s/Diverticulitis, etc.? Doctors should re-think pain control for Crohn’s disease patients.
My doctor is a specialist in the digestive field and I am glad that he knows the need and value of the pain medicines for Chrohn’s patients. But when I can’t reach him at time of need becaue my pills are out or low, I end up being forwarded to another non-specialist hospital doctor in the network. And my request for more pain medicine, I just know, right away leads that doctor on call to think I am a drug seeker because he prescripes me 10 pills instead of 50 with a 5/750 acetp mix, thereby increasing risk to my liver due to the higher tylenol if I take more than one at a time. What, does he think he’s teaching me a lesson by potentially damaging my liver. Why do this to a legitmate sick person in real need of help? But as soon as I reach MY doctor, he is very unhappy with the prescription given me, knows the dangers and quickly provides me with the right pills. Has anyone else had a similar experience?
6 Kevin 22 September 2007 @ 6:56 am
Just released from 18 day stay in hospital from Ulcerative colitis. On IV steriods and 2 mg of Dilaudid every 2 hours around the clock for pain management. The nurses were starting to get fed up with me calling for the pain meds so often and it turned into sometime get in two hours but other times three and a half hours from some. The medication worked great for pain but you will build a tolerance i could tell over the latter part of my stay because I requested 4 mg each time but was denied. Great medication to help get through the rough flares. Sent home on oral dilaudid 2 mg tablets which do not work at all. I would rather try a 7.5 or 10 mg hydrococdone regimen to tell you the truth.
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