Dilaudid As A Oxycodone Replacement?

Hi. I suffered a L1/L2 complete SCI injury some 4 years ago. After 6-7 weeks when the spinal shock wore off I noticed I had a burning pain in my lower groin area even though I can't really feel much below my hips, we thought maybe it was a UTI but all showed negative. It was diagnosed as chronic nerve pain and it never goes away, I get acute nerve pains in my legs on top of this chronic pain.

I have been taking 10mg Oxycodone four to five times per day and methadone 10mg once a day for the chronic pain + 800mg Gabapentin three times a day for the burning in my legs. The only way I have been able to keep my doses so low over the years is by being very hard on myself as to when to take the pain meds but as hard as I have tried I'm now going up to around 60mg total Oxycodone per day and 15mg Methadone.

I have a very good pain Dr and we always wanted to do a pain med rotation before levels of any one drug got too high so we have changed the Oxycodone over to 2mg Dilaudid tablets. I have been told to try anything from 2-4mg at a time, four times per day to replace my Oxycodone.

I have only just started to try the Dilaudid like 1day ago but even at 4mg it doesn't seem to work on my chronic nerve pain as well as my Oxycodone does, all it seems to do is make me sleepy and I can't have that. I work a professional demanding job where I can't be feeling out of it or tired. I was wondering if anyone here that has tried both maybe let me know if Dilaudid is normally a replacement for Oxycodone?

Should I be giving Dilaudid a few more days before throwing it off my list of pain meds? Or should it have worked straight away if it was going to work at all for me?

If it doesn't work I'll have to return to Oxycodone and hopefully find something that we can replace it with that won't have terrible side effects and also let me work normally. I guess we could increase the methodone to make the oxycodone last longer, I find the methadone great like that but that is not a real solution to replacing the Oxycodone so we can give my body a rest from that kind of opiode and hopefully reset the switch so after a short period on the replacement drug I can return to a lower dose of Oxycodone.

I would be greatfull for any advice.

Cheers.

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Ask your doc for Opana. It comes in 10, 20, 30mg tablets. Ask for opana-er 40 mg for 12hr. pain control. I take them and my doctor did the same thing to me, so I feel you. Get better. I hope I helped you a little. later...

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Hi Bob, I asked about Opana before going on the Hydromorphone (Dilaudid) but my pain Dr said we don't get Oxymorphone (Opana) in AUS, I'm not sure why that is... So we tried Dilaudid and it doesn't seem to do much for my pain even at 4mg which is like taking 13mg of Oxycodone if you convert it strength wise. I think maybe the problem with oxymorphone and hydromorphone is it's low bio availability of around 35% vs 90% for Oxycodone when taken orally.

I have returned to taking 10mg Oxycodone 5 times a day. I just wonder if anyone here can tell me of a good oxycodone replacement for dealing with chronic nerve pain?

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I just made the switch my self and i have the same issue. it was suppossed to be a step but it isn't in fact feels like i took nothing at all. I will say this from experience! Methadone is not what it cracks up to be!!. It stays in your sytem up to 6 months and if you ever do get to the point where you can stop taking pain meds you will hate that you have to go off of the methodone with drawals will last alot longer with the methodone than with plain oxy codone. oxy is out of your system typically if your not on the larger side with in 10 days. and withdrawals lasted me about a month. I was on 400mg of oxycontin for 2 yrs and went of it gradulally over 3 months. You might try taking oxycodone for a week and then taking a day off and then back on.

Good luck

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Different pain medications work differently for different people and different conditions. What may help you is not necessarily what will help another person.

In many cases, finding the medication that will effectively manage someones pain is a process of trial and error.

If anyone else has more experience, please post!

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Honestly it sounds like you should just try to stay on the Oxy with having a demanding job...I've been on both as well and I've found I'm alot more alert on Oxy than Dilaudid and if the 10's aren't working for the pain....maybe ask for like 20 mg Oxycontin

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I have severe chronic pain in my testicles following a serious strep infection 4-5 year ago. I have been thru darvocet( A joke) Vicodin (Makes me sick) then on to dilaudid which did help with the pain, but made my body feel numb and messed with my taste of food, switched from that to methadone 20mg 3 x a day which worked great as soon as the drug would kick in up to 3-4 houirs for relief, finall I just went to percocet 10-325 4 X day combined with neurontin 800mg 3x day and also klonopin 3 x day. I have to say that the lower the pain medicine the quicker the relief compared to diluaid and methadone. I had no prob stopping the diluadid, but when I stopped the methadone I went thru a week of hell, I couldn't sleep, very irritable, sweaty and it also made me constipated as all hell. I don't know if they will work for all pain problems especially deep pain, but Lidocaine patches are the best thing in the world for me, also ambien to help you sleep and not stay up all night with pain is a major plus. It takes a long time to figure out what works best for you, and even when you get that sometime things don't stay working,you have to up doses and switch it up sometimes. Hopefully you can find a Dr who really wants to help relieve your pain, not tell you that you are a drugy, which some people are only out to get meds w/o any true problems, so you must understand where they (Dr's) are coming from, but most egite people can prove their problems with x-rays, MRI's and other backup evidence. Just be honest with your Dr and tell him what works and what does not, there is nothing illegial about try to relieve your pain. Try to stay on the least strong as long as you can, it always scares me that if I was to get in a major accident that the drugs won't help because I am so used to them. Good luck! I f anyone else out there has chronic testicle pain, please contact me I would love to swap stories/ treatment ideas. joshlp56 [at] roadrunner [dot] com Thanks good luck

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I live in the bradenton, sarasota area in fla. I'm looking to find another pain management Dr. after 4 visits to the one i am seeing know he is pushing the injections on me and my deductable for these shots are 5k this is way to much money for me to come up with and since finding out that information he has become cold and not as nice as he was before ,He is totally convinced in his mind that he is the only Dr. in the south west region that can properly give these injections he brags on himself at every visit we hardly discuss my condition all he does is try to convince me that he is the only Dr. that has these injections down to a science due to placement he claims but i can not afford them and would like to find a Dr. in my area that will listen to me and what seems to work and what does not ,I have found that 8 millagram dilaudids work with a time released 20 milligram oxycontin twicw a day but he insists on the in jections can anyone tell me of a good Dr. in my area that treats his patients with care and listens to them ,Thanks for any help.

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Hi,

I too have chronic pain/nerve damage that truly almost put me under... Cannot do the Oxy/Percs etc.... My whole life turned around through my new pain specialist.. he has put me on Tramadol and Tramacet....... and as far as maintaining my pain they are miraculous.. and the very best thing about those drugs is I can work full time every day and not be a drugged out mess... probably not for everyone, but did an amazing job for me.

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Dilaudid and oxycodone are not even in the same league. Dilaudid is as stong as it gets, although maybe you are not on high enough dosages. I now have a Pain Pump so I don't have to worry about any side affects because the drugs no longer go through my brain, kidney or liver. Sounds to me like you need surgey and the pain and numbess is only going to get worse until you do something to take care of the reason for the pain.

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I also have recently been prescibed diluadid 4mg 2xs day. I have DDD, & 2 of the disc R crumbling, along with severe scoliosis( looking at surgery) 4 later. After trying all the meds. You all have mentioned, what has worked is MS contin extended relief 60-120 mg 2 xs day all I can say is it helps. But not the muscles which refuse 2 relax, it feels like my spine is a rubber band as ready 2 snap! So I also have xanax 1mg up to 3 xs. But I try really hard not 2 take,cuz U know u become tolerance leveled & it stops helping. Over the yrs a breakthru med needed & tried everything. Now he's added the dilaudid 4mg. ?? Doesn't really help or I just afraid of becoming addited 2 it & being treated like a drug seeker. God if I only had an option! But I just want some semblance of living, I need these meds. They allow me 2 get out of bed in the mornings. Go outside & use my scooter ( don't B embarrassed 2 use one guys!!) if it helps get it. The ms contin doesn't give u that drugged out tired feeling. This dilaudid has many side effects. I don' t know if I showed continue or as 4 other breakthru med?? Anyone else have this med troubles. Oh yeh & try getting your refill 3 days early beause your goi g out of town & your going 2 run out. My granddaughter grabbed my weekly plastic pill holder & dropped it in the sink!!! It only had 2 days worth in it,however all disolved! & yes it was stupid, yes I got balded out by more than I needed. Just thank God she didn't eat them. Yet trying 2 replace meds like this ?? Forget it. Every single mo. All I am lectured On Is the DEA. Also God forbid your Dr. moves, or switches HMO. Your records R all there along w/ what your taking... But the we Dr. wants not 2 reflill things & starts off like day one!!! Like I said I truly wish I had an option not 2 have 2 rely on meds. Just to live??!! Junkies have made it so hard 4 the person that truly needs it.

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I keep reading in here about each person saying that'this drug' is the est or 'that drug' is the best and that may be true for the particular individual. Everyone is different. We don't know what allergies these people posting have, their medical records, surgeries, and they are only discussing the medicationin question. For esample I can offer advice on Medication for pain that I take and discuss that,meanwhile we are not discussing the other 18 medications I take for my illnesses, so neither is anyoen else on here. These places are great for those that suffer with this whole western med dissaster which I am a part of and it's so hard to know who to believe doctor wise,pharmacy wise,online medical sites or support sites. We just have to be super careful because it is SO easy to get meds off the street and if one of us (me included) mentions that a particular drug works great when we reply to someone to try and help them, we have to remember that we don't know their medical history and if we say something works great like a strong narcotic...what if that person knows where he or she can try 1 to see of it works before forking out more money to the dr or pharmacy and that 1 pill kills them because they are getting advice from all over the place and know one knows their medical records. This is a wonderful place to to communicate.Especially for those living with chronic symptoms and feel isolated because no one understands(which isn't their fault..gotta walk in someone's shoes to get the picture) and Doctors don't understand.I am fortunate..though I do not have insurance and have multiple servere illnesses, I was referred to a wonderful Dr who charges ma very little and does everything she can with samples and the generic program of medications at some pharmacies and anything not generic(ie: controlled substance medications) writes things out ofr me so if I split a pill in half or a quarter ends up being 1/2 the price for the same amount.But the flip side is that none of my friends understand..I'm sure you all know what I mean, I've been called flaky,not dependable..late...etc and I feel horrible..I don't like to make plans because I hate commiting to something and then getting flooded with syptoms and have to cancel. But if I don't make plans, people think I just don't care. What I nightmare and trying to even exlplain my illneses is like some one from NASA telling me how thry build a space craft...so I just don't talk about it...I rambled...but this is where this all comes in..this is a great place to feel understood and have people that don't thow you a pity party cuz if you are like me..that is NOT what we want...itn's just nice to talk and have someone say I understand because they really do. I just wanted to remind others on here that when we talk about medication whether it's claritin or oxycontin that we have so be really careful to say like..well this works really well for me, check with your dr and see if it's something safe and doesn't interact negativally with other perscriptions We all need to be a bit more careful,,,me included...to end this nice little novel...I do take 8mg Dilaudid when I have severe pain..stick with basic hydrocodone or oxycodone for daily use although any doctor I see says you need to be on something stronger daily.you can have anything you want.Thank God I am not an addict or I would be screwed. Our highest addiction in the US is to perscription meds. It is sick and our children have access to it in their home or the homes of others ....creepy. well that was my thought for the day...mostly..lets be aware when we post that we don't give out fatal advice ...blessings ya all

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I have Alford Chiari Malformation Syndrome with a Syrynx as well as several ruptured disk that where fused due to degenerative spine disease. I too have central nerve pain. I learned that you should take pain meds regularly as perscribed,otherwise, you are wasting your time. I found the perfect combination for me. 2-10mg methadone 3 times day, 3 baclofin and 3-4mg dilauded as BT. I used to take meds when pain was too bad to handle yet never felt good. Changing to taking as TX was a blessing and I am not addicted yet as I go w/o meds for a few days every now and then just to be sure.

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Leighster, I am not sure how you get your medication but typicaly, a pain mgt doctor will have a plan for you. You are not really suppose to get it off the internet or on the street. Doctors know what interacts with what. My point is that anyone on pain mmanagement for chronic pain should take the medication as perscribed whether you feel like you need it or not. For me, this was the key. I felt sooo much better after a few weeks. It did take a few weeks though. I have changed out meds so many times and i never could get any relief until i practiced this method. I apologize if i sound condecending to you but any one of us are not qualified to determine what is safe or not. Go to a pain management specialist....

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I am currently attending a Pain Management Clinic here in MPLS, MN. I have severe spinal problems. I have had three major surgeries to try to relieve the pain. I now have steel rods holding my spine together. I have been on almost every pain med you can imagine. I am currently using a 75mcg Fentenyl patch, Tizanidine, and 4 mg diaudid pills. Nothing really seems to work, completely, but dilaudid for me, does seem to be the breakthrough med that works best, once again for me. I am like most of you under pressure for DEA requirements, but my clinic is fairly good about it. The problem is after a while, my tolerance builds up so high, nothing really seems ot work any more. I think switching meds often is important, but I am met with skepticism when I suggest it, like I have some ulterior motive. Most people in America are treated like criminals and are held hostage with pain as the torture of choice and it is a sad state of affairs.

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I must say I feel your pain. I have chronic severe pain 24-7.. I've been on oxy-lortab-darvon-soma-percocet-zoloft-zanax and many more for the last 12 years. I built up a tolerance to this medication and wasn't getting much relief so I went to a nuerologist/pain specialist 2 months ago. He could not believe the cocktail of meds I was on for so long and told me I was lucky to be alive. He replaced most of my meds with Morphine Sulphate and it I felt immediate pain relief!!! I strongly recommend that you find a Dr. that is not afraid to prescribe morphine. It truly has been a life saver for me. I went through the most horrendous drug withdrawals that you can possibly imagine. It has been a little over 2 months now and I feel like a new person. Please do some research on Morphine Sulphate. It is a 12 hour timed release tablet so there is no chance of over dosing and you do not get all goofy and dopey feeling. The biggest symptom that I had was an all over body itch which has subsided. I highly recommend this to all who suffer from severe pain.
Good luck to you and warm regards,
Teresa

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My husband has been on dilaudid for 2 weeks for pain related to prostate cancer/bone pain. He has begun to lose his balance and has difficulty walking because of that. His unsteadiness caused him to fall last night and I am very concerned about leaving him alone at all now. Has anyone found this to be a side effect of dilaudid? He is on the long release tabs every 12 hours and has 1mg for breakthrough pain which he uses only very very occasionally (one every other day) Appreciate any comments. Thanks.

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Clarification to my question above: The unsteadiness began two weeks ago, shortly after beginning on the dilaudid and has been getting worse..

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Al Good luck going downward, you should check into a inplant of some sort not necessarily a drug either. Jerry Lewis had to have an inplant, I have one & for 15 years now it keeps getting turned up but I do get relief.

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Take nothing but 60mgs methadone, 20 3x a day. You'll be able to work and if you want to detox off it then 10 a week until you're on 10mgs, then 5 each of the last 2 weeks. You shouldn't have a problem

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Methadone will block the Dilaudid,oxycontin,Lorcet,peracet.If you are taking any of theses you don't need to take methdone.I have been on Methadone for about 16years.

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Can someone please tell me what the difference is between Dilaudid vs Oxycodone 20 IR? I am about to change to Dilaudid.

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My pain dr changed me from 15 mg of oxycodone to 4 mg of dilaudid. Is oxycodone stronger?

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Does dilaudid help with pain as well as oxycodone, and are they easier to find? I'm in a lot of pain.

Also, what pharmacies fill prescriptions for oxycodone?

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Maybe have the dose of diliuiad increased I prefer this medication I've been in 3 rear end collisions. It takes more time to judge the effectiveness.

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I am currently on morphine 60mg er 2x a day and using Percocet 10/325 for breakthrough pain. My insurance is screwing around with me as my Dr office has faxed over a prior auth for my regular qty of 150 roughly 15 times and the insurance company continues to say they are not receiving it. So my doctor is willing to write me something else for my breakthrough pain. Would Loratab be a good replacement?

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Can you show me a picture of a 2mg dilaudid pill

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Hi Friend in chronic pain!
My advice is give the disused at least a week-
but talk to your doctor and let him/ her know that dilaudid is not giving you adequate relief!
I survived a high speed head on collision with multiple trauma injuries and I know since I have been in meds and off- there is no way I can stand the pain and I u derstand about the sideaffects.
I take Exalgo16 ngs every 12 hours ER - it is dilaudid extended release and it does help! Ask your doctor and best of luck to you- I understand very well-
Remember- a lot of this is trial and error- if dilaudid isn't working- try something different.'Jadian us an excellent pain Ned- but expensive- look into it!!

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I honestly do not understand. I am not joking or making fun of anyone or anything. My question is: why are people so afraid of using opiates? What is so terrible about being thought of as a "drug seeker"? Some people need opiates for severe physical pain and some people need them for severe emotional pain. Believe me, life itself has been painful almost since birth. This is neither a joke nor an exaggeration. I am, today physically ill with a number of serious things. Therefore, I speak from my personal experience of both types of pain. I used opiates (dilaudid, morphine) for years. I was able to have a productive life. I have a Masters degree, three happy adult kids and a very happy relationship with my husband. He was an opiate user also. We both take methadone now, as we are too sick and too old to have to worry about being arrested. The only thing that allowed me to function for 43 years of emotional pain was opiates. I am asking you, and others who seem to have a fear of opiates, to consider what some of us experience. Also, opiates can HELP with pain if you allow them to! Obviously, the decision should be yours. I wish you lots of luck!

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Don't use Dilaudid. I'm trying to detox after hip replacement. It's a bear to get off and very addictive very quickly.

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I've been in your situation as well. Not for back pain but for concurrently recurring pilonidal cysts. Yes I had 3 separate ones at the same time and they didn't heal properly after the first operation so we had to repeat it again. All said and done it was an almost 5 month ordeal from when I first started seeing blood and pain, a month wait to see the surgeon another month to have the first operation. Recovery was 5 weeks and wasn't successful so second operation and 6 weeks to successful recovery.

In that period, I went from 20 MG Oxycontin 2/day and 10 MG Roxicodone 4/day. We ended up switching to 20 MG Opana 1/day and 1 8 MG Dilaudid up to 3/day. For me the Roxicodone made me much groggier than the dilaudid did. My system just seems to respond better to the morphine based meds than the Oxycodone ones

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