dilaudid-hydromorphone hcl

[Briza]

Finally (I think) convinced the pain dr that Lortab 7.5 (vicodin) does not relieve my pain at all and makes me irritable and depressed within an hour, like clockwork, I'm either crying or complaining.
He offered Darvocet, have tried, doesn't work.
He didn't bring up Ultram, thank goodness, because that one makes me feel like I just got off a roller coaster...dizzy, short of breath.
I asked if there were any other short acting meds to try, maybe Percocet (it was the only other one I knew to ask about, and I was ONLY asking for God's sake!), and oh did I get it then. Been a while since a dr gave me "the look" and a talkin' to for bringing up a particular med. He told me all pain meds work the same, Percocet may be stronger, but that they just Rx lower doses so it wouldnt be any better than vicodin, since all pain meds work the same for all people.:confused:
Got it even worse when I told him I can't take the muscle relaxers for PFD, can't wake up, can't work on them, can't drive, no matter how small I break my 10 mg tab into. So asked if he would continue to Rx my xanax, because it works for both by anxiety and my PFD. He got even more upset then, said xanax doesn't fall within his realm of pain meds [kingdom], even though he rxd it before and even though I told him about my my VV is for the most part caused by my PFD and is EXTREMELY painful and the xanax does help.
arrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhh
Anyway, after trying to pacify me and calling me sweetie :rant: he did Rx me 2 weeks worth of xanax and Dilaudid 2 mg for a short acting med.
I've seen a few here that take this med but I don't know much about it, it's strength compared to vicodin and if 2 mg is a good dose to start with? If you've taken it for IC or anything else, please let me know how it worked for you and side effects if any. I know we're all different in how meds affect us, obviously this pain dr doesn't. Haven't had time to get the Rx filled, but will tomorrow.
He also wants me to stay on the ms contin (morphine sulfate) 30 mg twice a day. It's not giving me any relief, and the higher dose he started me on threw me for a looooooooop. :loco: Is this a med that you need to have in your system for a while before getting relief? I don't see the point in taking it if it's not helping at this dose, and the higher doses drug me so bad I'm a danger to myself in my own home!
But anyway, if you read all of this, thank you. What I mainly want to know about is the Dilaudid 2mg, anyone's experience with it. Thanks! :)

[miasowell]

Never had experience with it myself have see some info on it though. I Believe it is a diriviative of Opium and In the early part of the 1900s women became severly addicted to it. Have you googled it? It might be a good idea to look into getting a new pain doctor. Sounds to me like he isn't listening very well. Sometimes doctors just don't believe that we know our bodies. AND IF all pain mads act the same for everyone, then why can some people take vicodin with no problems at all and others (ex. my sister and my husband) get very sick from it. In fact my sister gets percocet for her pain meds cause the vicodin makes her so sick. Good luck and let me know how the new med works for you:angel:

[Briza]

Hi Mia
Thanks for the reply. I just read up on it a little, and will try it, it just might work for me. Will have to try it to see. I don't have a history of abusing my pain meds or getting addicted to them, I never have to use all that are presecribed, so I'm not worried about that. I only take them if I have pain. If it does work, then I will continue to see this pain dr to prescribe it, if it doesn't work, we'll see what he has to say at the appt in 2 weeks. I won't ask for anything else if it works. My gyn will prescribe me xanax and all my other IC meds.
You're right, he wasn't listening to me, I've had that dr experience a million times.
Thanks for your reply :)

[**Angie**]

About a year ago I asked for some other type of pain med. ( I was taking oxycodone 3/525, it works well but I was up and down for pain--vicodin makes me puke--darvocet (can't remember generic name) makes me mean :) and does nothing for the pain ) I was given 2 mg dilaudid--it was like I was not taking anything. April 3, '07 I had hysterectomy/ 2 hernias and the surgeon wanted me to take 4 mg dilaudid ( before surgery I was on methadone 2.5mg morning,5mg afternoon,2.5 night--made me way to sleepy, he switched me to ms contin 15mg 2x's a day ) Now I'm a month and a half out from surgery and the only thing working is 4mg dilaudid. ( the other good thing about it is there is no tylenol in it ) My ambein is kicking in -- gotta go. Or I'll miss the goodnight ship. I'll pm you later as to where I'm at with the dilaudid. I like I can still function while taking it--that took a couople of weeks before I got aclimated to it. angie

[humpieumpumkin]

I LOVE DILAUDID!

This is what my merciful uro has prescribed me for the interstim trial pain. It is fantastic and doesn't give me nausea/vomiting/dizziness like every other med I have taken for pain. I am also on 2mgs, but only really needed it for 4 days. I will take it again next friday when I get the permanent implant. This is the perfect short-acting pain med for me, but everyone is different. For example, codiene works great for my fiance, but makes me wicked sick. Yuck. Good luck to you!

Erika:hi:

[Briza]

Thanks for the reply, Erika, hopefully it will work well for me, too. Glad the trial stim worked out for you, and praying that the permanent one works just as well! ThanKs again for your input on my new med. Hopefully I will feel well enough tomorrow to get the script filled...Walmart, the only pharmacy in town doesn't carry Hydromorphone HCL, so I will have to drive 45 mins to a privately owned phamracy to get it tomorrow. It will be worth the drive to get some reilief.:)

[Briza]

Finally got my Rx filled today. Took the first tab about an hour ago, don't notice anything one way or the other right now, but I'm real tired from work so who knows. I'll take one tomorrow at lunchtime, that's usually when I start hurting.

[humpieumpumkin]

Briza,
The dilaudid has a very subtle effect compared to say vicoden. It takes the pain away gradually rather than all of a sudden so you don't feel, lets say "foggy". It took me a couple of doses, 2mg every 3 hours for it to FULLY take away the pain. Once I stayed on top of it like I was susposed to it worked great, and I hardly felt drugged-thats what I loved the most. I think the dosage is based on weight. I weigh about 127 pounds and I was prescribed 2mg every 3 hours. I suspose the effects could be different if you weighed less or more, and based on your history of taking narcotics. I also had no nausea with this medication, which is unusully from my history with narcotics. If you have any other questions about my experience feel free to pm me or post a reply! Hope you are getting releif today!

Erika:hi:

[Briza]

Hi Erika
Thanks for the input. I'm about the same size as you 125 #, 5'6" so prefer to stay on as low a dose as possible, to get relief. Haven't noticed any side effects, just hoping a few more doses will take care of the pain:)

[humpieumpumkin]

Yeah, it may take a few doese. I hope it works, it was great for me. Being smaller in stature can make taking meds tedious! I had moderate pain after my trial (4-5) and it helped this. If your pain is more severe you may need you dosage adjusted:)

Erika:hi:

[Briza]

It's working!!! :) I think I've found the right pain med finally. No side effects, just a little drowsiness, but I'm on summer vacation so got plenty of time to rest and hopefully the drowsiness will wear off in time.... but no zombie feeling like the ms contin. I have 2 mg tabs, but I have to take 4mg to get relief, hopefully my pain dr will Rx me 4 mg tabs, enough for twice a day doses for a month. I have an appt this week. I haven't been taking the ms contin all week. Just 4 mg twice a day of dilaudid as needed for the pain and that seems to cover it. If I can get the pain cycle under control, I usually don't need pain meds everyday, some days just one dose a day. I like the fact that this one doesn't contain Tylenol.
You're right Erika, it does have a more subtle effect effect than other pain relievers, it slowly sneaks up on you and then the pain is GONE.
Thank you Erika and Angie for your input and support!:)

[Babs RN]

Bri--
I am so glad you found something to give you relief. That is awesome!!!! I hope things get better and better.

Hugs,
Barb:smile tee

[**Angie**]

Glad it's working. Nothing better than being some what pain free and not have a foggy head. My pain Dr doesn't want me on it--she wants me to go back to the methadone.(I need a smilie face that can't keep it's eye's open) She thinks the dilaudid is a strong medication and too addicting. Bummer.

[Briza]

Angie
Well that's strange. I hate it when you finally find something that works and then they take it away :( You can build up a tolerance to methadone and all the other pain meds, too. :confused: I guess there's a method to all this madness, I just hope whatever your doctor gives you keeps you comfortable and as pain free as possible.:grouphug:

[**Angie**]

Thanks Briza :)
After my last visit with her (pain Dr) her commet was "I don't know what to do with you" That's real encouraging. I don't know what I'm going to do with her!!! Yesterday I only needed to take the dilaudid twice (4mg each time). I was taking it every 4-5 hrs. I'm able to take it only when in pain. No addiction here!! Maybe I can talk her into it. But I hate going to the Dr paying a $20 co-pay and be told "I don't know what to do with you". What a waste of money and time. Especially when I've see the Uro and Gyn that same week. :rant: :bonk: :cussing: :help:

[Briza]

I hear you. Insurance is great but the co-pays add up, with all drs we have to see. Luckily I've narrowed mine down to to just the gyn and pain dr, and if I could get my gyn to Rx the dilaudid, I wouldn't need to see the pain dr at all. I'm wondering what the pain dr is going to say about my stopping the ms contin. He seemed to think that was going to be my wonder drug. I prefer to take my pain meds only when I need them, and praying too that he'll let me continue with the dilaudid, up the dose to 4 mg, and not want me on the ms contin. Too many side effects, I need the sleepy face thingy, too. I thought my appt was tomorrow but it's not til June 6. In the meantime, I'm going to email my gyn and see if he's willing to Rx the dilaudid.

[**Angie**]

Wouldn't that be wonderful to have just one DR take care of you? I have 5 Drs. They all know about each other and tell me to tell someone else what they think I should be doing. I need to narrow this down.
I really like the dilaudid at 4mg. I feel completely normal with very little pain. I hope the your Dr will let you cont. using it. I wonder how different it is to any other pain med--addiction wise. For that matter what else are you supposed to do--live in pain because of addiction. I don't get it. I take ambien every night. (3mg-I cut them up) (I've taken it for 2 yrs) I've skipped quite a few nights just because I know I don't need it. I take it because of pain/frequency/urgency. Even a little twinge of p/f/u and I can't sleep. Am I addicted to, I don't know. Do I want to live w/o it? NO. Now that I've rambled and gotten myself all worked up!! Have a good day and let me know if your Dr okays your dilaudid. angie

[Briza]

I had a semi disastrous appt with my pain dr. this morning. He is willing to Rx my new pain med, dilaudid 4mg, I highly recommend it, it is working so well for me and doesn't contain tylenol, like the majority of the other short acting meds and no side effects, just a little drowsiness the first couple doses. He wanted to put me on the extended relief, but since this flare is finally winding down, I told him I'd much prefer to just take meds as needed. So I got 75 4mg dilaudid for the month! :) But that wasn't the part that got me upset...he spent a total of 5 mins with me, cut me off everytime I tried to say something, and looked at my mom, who came with me, whenever he was speaking and giving her these looks like can't you get her (me) to shut up. Then he walked out the door and I said wait, I have some other things I need to talk to you about, and he said, sorry I have another appt., you really need to see a psychiatrist, and shut the door. I was FURIOUS. But at least I'm getting adequate pain relief now and have found a med that both he and I agree on. He didn't believe me that Lortab (vicodin) didn't work for me. My mom was NOT impressed, to say the least, but at least she got to see in action what I've been going thru w/ drs since this all started 3.5 yrs ago. She was also by my side at the hospital when I had the hydro disaster, so she is beginning to understand very well why this condition is not only painful, but extremely stressful...the lengths we have to go to get someone to listen. Bah humbug.
But very thankful for the dilaudid. It works so well! No dizziness or groggy feelings, just a very subtle effect and before long the pain is gone.

[**Angie**]

OOOOHHHH MMMMMYYYY Goodness!!!! I can not believe he said that. I've been treated that way but they've never--I mean never told me they have another patient or that I need mental help!!!! Now your in a dilemma--do you find a new pain Dr and end up with no help at all or stay with this one that is an #$%^@^&*&%&**&^!!!!!!! I really never say bad words--this just screams for some. To bad you didn't have someone with you that would speak up. I would have sat there and taken it--then ranted and raved to anyone else who'd listen. At least he is given you pain relief and the dilaudid does work. 75 pills should last you more than a month by what you've said. Unless you get the flare from out of this world. Then you won't have to see him as often. What to do? What to do?

[SandyRN]

Briza,

I don't even have words to express my thoughts on this doctor. I'm so surprised to see any pain mgmt doctor give Dilaudid for pain, and while I think it's great, you're in the minority. I hope if the MSContin stops working for me my doc will consider dilaudid as an option. I just can't get over what he said to you about the psychiatrist and him walking out of the room like he did. It really IS a dilema...do you put up with being treated like that or count your blessings that you've got pain meds that work? Nobody deserves to be talked to like that!

[Briza]

Thanks, ladies for the support!
I have, though, just 5 minutes ago resolved the situation. :) I called my gyn, who handles all my other IC meds....he was the one who referred me to this pain dr. Told him once again that this dr is not listening to me or believing me. I have had VERY bad experiences with psychiatrists in my area, there is a shortage, and the ones that are here, spend just 10-15 mins with you and send you on your way with a script, reluctantly, for anxiety medicine, which because of events in my life I DO need to treat my anxiety and PTSD. But every dr always says this is the only script you're going to get from me, without even listening to how and why I developed anxiety and PTS disorders. If they would listen, they'd be wondering why and how I'm still alive and sitting in their offices.
OK, on to the resolution. Just got off phone with gyn, explained all this, asked him if he is willing and able to RX dialudid and xanax, so much a month, since he is the only dr who has EVER listened to me and has known me from almost the beginning of all this IC stuff and knows the situation with my ex, who pressured me for sex constantly and would become beyond angry, to the point of scary, if I couldn't have intercourse. Told the gyn that everytime I have to go thru another appt with another dr and try to get them to listen to me and I get 5-15 mins of their time for $300 that this is detrimental to my health and state of mind. We talked for 30 minutes FOR FREE and he agreed to Rx both the dilaudid and xanax. And yes, like Angie said, I won't need all that is prescribed of the dilaudid every month and I also have TYlenol 3 for minor pain. I also asked my gyn if this is something he is able to do without any worries about prescribing these meds to me on a regular basis and he said no, don't worry, you've been thru enough already.

Sandy,
Just wondering why you're suprised the pain dr rxd dilaudid? Please explain!:)

[**Angie**]

Briza~I'm so glad you've resolved this situation. You are very fortunate that your gyn is willing to help you. Why is it so difficult to find a good Dr??? I've had quite a few compassionate Drs but of these Drs very few want to help me. They all just want to pass me on to someone else to take care of. Your Gyn needs a special treat. :)

[SandyRN]

Dilaudid is just one of those pain meds of last resort, or used for cancer/severe post op pain in the hospital. I said it was rare for a doctor to order it because it's just up there on the potency scale. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, I've just not seen many people ordered it for chronic pain, in my personal or professional life, as well as on the boards.

One thing I've learned in my life is that psychiatrists are MD's and they don't bother with counseling and many of them don't want to be bothered by anything other than writing scripts. Psychologists, on the other hand, are the ones that will sit and listen to you, much like a therapist. If you need to talk to someone other than your GYN in the future I'd seek out a psychologist or therapist of some sort. It's a shame, but it's the truth, unfortunately. :(

[Briza]

Thanks for the explanation, Sandy. That explains why it's working so well, huh? I'll be sure to take it only when my pain is bad and I have T3 for milder pain. The strange thing is that I wasn't familiar with this med, had seen it come up here on the board occasionally, but didn't know anyone who took it regularly. Since Lortab didn't work, I had asked him about Percocet, since that was the only other med I knew that might be used as a short acting med, since darvocet doesn't work for me and Ultram makes me really dizzy, and that's when he told me I only want to take what I want to take and said he would Rx dilaudid, but not Percocet. That was at my previous visit.

Yep, that's been my experience with psychiatrists, and so I am quite leery of them. I do see a therapist fairly regularly, he is a dr of psychology and he has been very helpful and supportive throughout the past year. I am glad, though, that I worked things out with my gyn. I really can't handle anymore doctors who don't listen. This past year has been very high stress and I am emotionally spent. Thanks for listening.

[Briza]

To bad you didn't have someone with you that would speak up.

Actually my mother WAS there and she DID try to speak up, and he did the same to her, cut her off everytime.
:cussing:
I know I need to forget about this and feel blessed that my gyn is going to work with me, but my blood is still boiling...had nightmares about doctors all night. Slept 11 hrs but feel like I didn't sleep a wink.

[humpieumpumkin]

My uro prescribed this after my 2 interstim surgeries. It worked beautifully for me and i'm so glad it worked for you too briza! I had a feeling it would! I am so glad you are getting such great releif!
:woohoo:

Erika