What is Hydromorphone?
Category: Prescription Drugs
Most popular types: Dilaudid Hydromorph Contin Dilaudid-HP Show all
Hydromorphone (trade names Palladone IR, Palladone SR, Dilaudid and numerous others) is a potent centrally-acting analgesic drug of the opioid class; it is a derivative of morphine, specifically a hydrogenated ketone thereof -- therefore a semi-synthetic drug and both an opiate and a true narcotic.
| Purpose | Patients | Evaluations | Perceived Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pain | 175 | 72 | |
| Fibromyalgia | 59 | 25 | |
| Breakthrough pain | 27 | 18 | |
| Pain in lower back | 11 | 4 | |
| Migraine headaches | 10 | 4 |
- Major
- Moderate
- Slight
- None
- Can't tell
Side effects
Side effects as an overall problem
| Severity | Evaluations | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Severe | 14 | |
| Moderate | 41 | |
| Mild | 59 | |
| None | 49 |
Commonly reported side effects and conditions associated with Hydromorphone
| Side effect | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Constipation | 28 | |
| Drowsiness | 11 | |
| Nausea | 10 | |
| Chronic constipation | 6 | |
| Fatigue | 6 | |
| Dizziness | 4 |
Why patients stopped taking Hydromorphone
Multiple reasons could be selected
| Reason | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor's advice | 33 | |
| Course of treatment ended | 29 | |
| Other | 27 | |
| Side effects too severe | 24 | |
| Did not seem to work | 19 | |
| Change in health plan coverage | 3 | |
| Expense | 2 | |
| Personal research | 2 |
Duration
Stopped taking Hydromorphone
| Duration | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 month | 37 | |
| 1 - 6 months | 17 | |
| 6 months - 1 year | 10 | |
| 1 - 2 years | 14 | |
| 2 - 5 years | 16 | |
| 5 - 10 years | 9 |
What people switch to and from
Patients started taking Hydromorphone after stopping:
| Treatment | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Oxycodone (Oxycodone IR) | 17 | |
| Fentanyl patch (Duragesic) | 9 | |
| Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen (Norco) | 9 | |
| Morphine (Morphine ER) | 6 | |
| Oxycodone-acetaminophen (Percocet) | 6 |
Patients stopped taking Hydromorphone and switched to:
| Treatment | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Fentanyl patch (Duragesic) | 8 | |
| Oxycodone-acetaminophen (Percocet) | 7 | |
| Morphine (Morphine ER) | 6 | |
| Buprenorphine-Naloxone (Suboxone) | 3 | |
| Fentanyl (Actiq) | 2 |
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