What Is Stronger Dilaudid Or Oxycontin 40 Mg? (Page 15)

I have been on Dilaudid for over 2 years now and I can't seem to get off of it. I'm under a doctor's care, but anyone who is on it knows it's very addicting! I think like everybody else, it's no good if you take it orally. It's only effective other ways. I always run out of Dilaudid before my prescription is ready to refill and recently I filled a script for oxycontin 40 mg to see if they could replace my 4 mg Dilaudid. However, I took 1/2 of a 40 mg. and felt nothing. An hour later I took my 4 mg Dilaudid and it seems to have worked. But they are very short lived, that's why for chronic pain they like to give these stupid time release pain pills. How many mg.'s does equal the same amount of Dilaudid? I also would like to know if anyone has ever tapered off of Dilaudid? You get really sick when you try to get off of it, really intense vomiting and stomach pain that lasts forever. I have never stuck it out, I always end up in the emergency room. All they do is give me a pain shot of Dilaudid and a prescription for it as well and send me home. They think there is something wrong with something else. I have even tried to tell them but they either don't want to get involved because I'm under a Dr.'s care or they are just stupid. I hope someone has the best kicking advice, I'd rather be straight or just be one of those once in a while users (RIGHT)!!!

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Try Methadone, it does not get you real high, helps with pain and takes away withdrawl!

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I have crohns disease and deal with pain very often that is very unpleasant. I do believe it is ignorant for people to try to judge other people's feelings whether pain or mental. I'm relatively new to taking opiates. ...about 2 years now. But like others have said you can live in pain for ever and be miserable or live in no pain for shorter time but have a great life. I'm 26 and I my opinion I'll take the 2nd route...BUT!!! I also have learned the powerful consequences of being addicted to pain meds. I know it's not my fault or yours most likely but just another thing in my life I am responsible for. And for that I'm trying to taper down off these drugs to see where I'm at with my condition both physically and mentally. Dependency is a lot of times not a good thing Cuz when you do not have that thing you depend on......then things become complicated. None of you are bad people because of your addiction. ..Neither am I. I am sorry to you all for your unfortunate luck with your pain...but you do what you gotta do. Just keep control!!!

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I have done every opioid out there including H and dilaudid is the closest thing to it, other than oxycontin, but Dd are truly stronger. 8 mg of Dd is about 60 mg of morphine to about 40 mg of oxycontin. You only took half of it and the only reason the Dd felt stronger is because you layered the drugs. I am going to be on a pain med soon I hope for my severe osteoarthritis and my first choice would be Dd 4 mg because they have NO Ibuprofen and less filler than the other drugs. Also if you taper off gradually the withdrawal is not too bad, but, it is good to have flu medicine and maybe a valium or sleeping pills. The miracle drug I have used is Subutex or Suboxone both are opiates and mild pain killers that will block other opiods from getting you high and withdrawal is a breeze if you step down every 2 days from 8 mg to 2 mg by the eighth day. I prefer Subutex as it does not have naloxone. The danger of Buprenorphine or Subutex is that if you take it while you are still on an opiate medication you WILL get severe symptoms of withdrawal. It seems to take a week of symptoms and cram it into one night. So wait at least 12 hours, I was on H once and waited only 8 hours and I was throwing up non stop for a few hours but...the symptoms only lasted a day or two instead of a week or more.

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Dilaudid is as good as it gets, if you take it more than once every 6 hours, you're going to run out! You need to have your doctor put you on oxycodone 30 mg. for Invertive breakthrough pain, then you're good to go. Take the 8 mg. Dilaudid, & never get suckered into buying Malencroft, it's the worst generic there is. If you must buy generic, get Lannett!

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Agreed

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I've been on 8 mg. of dilaudid for about 3 years now for various pains. I was just diagnosed with a connective tissue disease that is attacking my organs (the ones that haven't been surgically removed), joints, tissue, and bones. The 8 mg of dilaudid every 3 hours became completely ineffective 3 months ago when trying to relieve the pain of 2 protruding discs and a vertebrae that's sticking out of my neck along with all the pain from the impinge nerves, as well as ulcerative colitis flares. This new pain management doctor put me on lyrica and I had a bad reaction to it. He then put me on the butrans patch at 5mcg per hour. I am on my 8th day and 2nd patch. Sadly I have yet to receive any significant relief. It has created daily headaches, breathing difficulties, nausea, dizziness even when sitting, and terrible acne at the age of 33. I have also been having a really hard time remembering things as 2nd nature as my nephews names and I talk to my brother daily. I've been reading the posts to see what else I can ask my doctor about as he claims that butrans "is his last resort" when it's only his 2nd prescribed med. I am allergic to a LOT of medicine and classes so it's a bit challenging. However, I cannot walk, change positions without assistance, turn my head to the right, open my mouth wide to yawn or bite something that's not in tiny pieces, swallow without pain, etc... I have a 9 and 10 year old who are just watching me lay in pain and wish for death. I get about 15-30 minutes of sleep before the pain awakes me. Is there anything stronger than dilaudid and butrans that anyone can suggest. I'm at my wits end here. Thank you =0)

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To TRPebs - There are LOTS of other, stronger medications you can try! My best suggestion for you would be to get a new "pain" doctor immediately. I've had severe fibromyalgia with terrible pain for 20 years and for the first 6 years I was given either nothing or given weak pain relievers which didn't help at all while being told by doctors that there was nothing else they could do. I also tried Lyrica for two years which did absolutely nothing for pain relief--just gave me now permanent tremors and "jerks", even though I've been off it for over a year. The manufacturer's own research found that Lyrica helps 20% of those who use it SOME of the time. That's not a really strong recommendation for it in my book! I think that sometimes prescribing Lyrica just allows the doctors to pat themselves on the back because they can pretend they're helping! For pain as severe as yours and considering its cause, Lyrica is a TERRIBLE choice. Anyway, I take 8 mg of Dilaudid every 3 hours for breakthrough pain but not as my primary pain medication. My primary pain relief comes from 60 mg. of Oxycontin every 6 hours. It's timed-release, unlike the Dilaudid, which is short-acting but takes effect more quickly. Since they changed the formulation of Oxycontin to make it more difficult for addicts and abusers to misuse it, it takes 2-3 hours to take effect when it used to take 1 hour--another example of pharmaceutical and insurance companies and the DEA putting the problem of addicts and abusers before the needs of the actual pain patients so they can appear to be addressing the "drug problem" and be perceived as politically correct. (Of course, the addicts have already found ways to continue abusing Oxycontin and the only ones actually affected by the change and left suffering for the extra couple of hours are the legitimate pain patients.)

This is helpful to know so that, if you're prescribed Oxycontin, you don't panic and think it's not working because it takes so long to give relief. Especially when my pain is really severe, I have to use one Dilaudid to "bridge" the time when I'm waiting for the Oxycontin to work so I don't have to writhe in pain for those 2-3 hours. I've talked with my doctor about this problem so he is aware of it and and is fully supportive of using my pain meds in this way. My point is that your doctor is lying when he claims there's nothing else he can give you or do about your suffering. You could try Oxycontin, starting at one of the medium strengths perhaps (it comes in 10, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 160 mg) and increasing the strength if the one you're isn't strong enough. And don't believe it if your doctor or pharmacist tells you it lasts 12 hours--it doesn't. MAYBE 8 hours, more likely 6 hours, is a more realistic period of effectiveness before it wears off. You could "layer" the Oxycontin and Dilaudid or take them alternately. There's also morphine or morphine-based pain medications you could try and probably many other medications to try also. I suspect your doctor is telling you he's done all he can just because he doesn't want to give you stronger narcotics; if you asked about Oxycontin or morphine, he'd probably rattle on about becoming addicted. HOWEVER--it sounds like what you have is not going to go away or get better; your pain is a permanent condition and it's severe so strong opioids are very likely necessary. And there's a difference between being DEPENDENT on opioids and being ADDICTED. The first is a physical issue--your body gets used to these meds and you would have to slowly wean off them IF the time came when you didn't need them which doesn't sound likely. The second (addiction) is when one takes these meds for their psychological effect, for a high, rather than taking them for pain relief. Right now, getting pain relief is the primary concern. If the day comes when you no longer need these medications (though this doesn't sound likely), you can deal with weaning off them then. I've been taking Oxycontin for about 12 years now; for the first 7 years I still had a fair amount of pain because I wasn't taking enough. Five-and-a-half years ago, I got a new doctor who very gradually titrated my dosage up until I actually had true pain relief. Now my dose hasn't changed in 5 years and I'm still getting the same relief I had when I initially went on this dose. (I should probably mention that I have NEVER had any kind of "high" or "buzz" from taking any narcotic medication--they just take away the pain which is usually the case when you actually NEED them for pain.)

It has meant the difference between struggling just to exist and actually having a life. You, and just as importantly, your children deserve far better than this so-called doctor is giving you. Allowing you to suffer so badly when help is available is unforgivable and medically unethical; I'm certain that if his wife was dealing with what you are, he wouldn't be saying that nothing more could be done and just allow her suffering to continue. (You may want to ask him about this!) Also, I know from experience that sleep deprivation and pain aggravate each other significantly. Obviously, it's impossible to sleep when you're in so much pain but severe sleep deprivation, such as you are experiencing, will also increase your pain tremendously. I know how difficult it is to address all this with your doctor when you're suffering so badly; it doesn't help that some doctors can often be bullies when told that they're "failing" you. If possible, I would suggest that you take someone with you to your next doctor appointment to advocate for you--preferably someone who can be firm! It's hard to be strong when you're devastated by pain. If this doctor won't help you, I hope you'll be able to find one who will. If it's possible for you to do so, I'd like to stay informed about how you're doing and if you find any help. I am REALLY concerned about you.

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I did the fentynyl patches hoshest doese possible and they didn't help I changed it every 2 days and still took dilaudid 4mg every 4-6 hrs. Everyone needs differnwt things in currently on oxy 40s x3 and dilaudid every 4hrs plus xanax 2mg every 6hrs and still have pain, plus that patches irritated my skin bad and didn't stick and were expensive and I have insurance

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HI, Google Girl - You didn't indicate in your posting what illness or condition is the cause of the pain that necessitates taking the pain medications you mention--"Fentynyl" (actually, it's Fentanyl) patches, Dilaudid and Oxycontin. Since Xanax is not a pain medication, it's reasonable that it wouldn't help your pain much, even when taking a high dose, although 2 mg. every 6 hours would certainly keep you VERY "relaxed" if your pain was well-controlled. I've had severe fibromyalgia for 20 years and had to try various opioids in different combinations (some as my primary pain reliever along with others for breakthrough pain) before I got sufficient relief that made my tolerable and my life "livable." My doctor worked with me to find not only the medications but also the strengths and dosage that worked best FOR ME, all the while keeping a close eye on my liver and kidney function since "safe" OTC medications like ibuprofen and Tylenol, that are often added to opioids, can do damage to these organs. Again, it would be good to know what your illness is in order for other contributors to this thread to offer any possibly helpful suggestions (if that's what you're hoping for here.) Some people aren't comfortable sharing this, which I understand.:-)

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Dilaudid is USELESS as an oral pain reliever (and I'm not suggesting you take it any other way), even as a shot or IV, the relief is short-lived. Your doctor (shame on him) does not want to RX anything stronger for you, he probably doesn't want to take the "risk" as the previous poster wrote about drug abusers hurting legitimate pain patients. Get someone else to go in with you, possibly a husband or sibling and let them insist on better care or a referral to a different PM doctor that will give you your life back. I went through this for years and thought I was a failure b/c such a strong narcotic didn't help me, but Vicodin was of more use but still terribly under-dosed. Sometimes being really nice will get you more help, since we don't know if you are seeing a PM doctor or just a PCP, it's hard to tell what the issue is. To me I'm guessing you are relying on your regular doctor and you need a good & secure Pain Management specialist and start having hope again. Please keep us posted, you deserve better. Praying for you.

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You go girl!! This is what concerns me, clearly these patients aren't well educated about the use and/or abuse of these medications which is so freaking dangerous. I hate to equate intelligence w/need or a lack of w/abuse, pain AND addiction know no boundaries. But it's certainly a big tell when a patient spells medications, serious medications they are taking incorrectly and are unaware that opiates and narcotics are basically synonyms. I have NEVER gone to a legitimate PM doctor who wrote for such massive quantities and numerous IR meds in addition to ER meds (no reason to be taking Morphine IR, Dilaudid, OxyContin IR, etc.) along with say MS Contin and in my opinion and every doc out there, Xanax is the number one cause of drug overdose and death, usually unintentional as it adds to the multiple drug toxicity component and you can be fine on it for years and one time not realize you have something else going on, or not eat well and that's it. Clonazepam is a much safer alternative for the anxiety most pain sufferers deal with, hope you don't mind my adding in. You seem like a good lady who gets it and I love your posts :). This one was funny, anyone gray doesn't know these very basic facts should NOT be taking these medications.

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Well if u think that then u have never been in severe pain because if u were u would not feel that way. Let's see if and when u do get severe pain u say "suck it up" ha !

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I think all those meds has turned our country into a cemetery for all those people that abuse it shoot it up causing disease. You people should man up and take the pain because it is turning everyone into junkies...

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"Man up and take the pain?" Are you insane? Obviously you've never lived for years--yes, YEARS--with pain so severe you couldn't function and were barely coherent. Pain patients aren't junkies; they're just people in terrible pain and they can't live with it by just deciding to be tough and ignore it. Drug abusers, who misuse pain medications to feel high rather than because they need them for pain, are the problem, not the sick and suffering. I get these medications legitimately and take them as directed just so I can do basic things like have a conversation with my husband, spend time with my grandchildren and occasionally have some social life. People like me aren't responsible for the bad choices made by addicts and abusers and making us suffer won't change the behavior of abusers. Rather than telling people who live in agony that they should just suffer because they're responsible for the bad choices made by others, you might consider holding the actual abusers responsible for their own actions. Of course, it's pretty hard to take you seriously anyway when your grammar, sentence structure and punctuation are at the early elementary level. Apparently, this is the same level at which you think.

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WOW - what can I say that hasn't already been said?
Every drug is going to work differently for each individual depending on their reason for taking them and their genetic makeup. Most of the people who are 'dependent' on pain medications do NOT choose a life of disability and if given an opportunity would prefer a productive lives with a job and be a part of social activities rather than a life of constant limitations and isolation. There is always going to be a certain part of the population that abuses the prescription drugs, but perhaps there is an underlying problem that they are dealing with - abused? raped? It is way to easy to judge someone when we don't understand. Perhaps they are medicating the emotional pain.
Anyone who has a chronic condition has a much higher chance of having to deal with depression in addition to their physical pain. Perhaps they use the extra drugs to help with the emotional pain. That does not mean they should be referred to as 'junkies'. It is hard for anyone who does not have a chronic condition to fully understand the challenges to our mental and physical health.
Personally I use several different drugs, one of which is Dilaudid, another one is Lyrica. I have compressed fractured disks in my lower back, Fibromyalgia and nerve tumors, the largest being 8x5x2inches under my left lung, surgery for me is not an option. I do not max out the prescribed amounts and I only take enough to keep me comfortable but rarely am I ever pain free. The most important thing is to me is to keep moving, as much as possible without overdoing it. I am not perfect, do have a number of 'couch days' when moving just is possible that day. I also have nights that I am in so much pain that the drugs just are not enough to get me to sleep. Tonight is one of them.
Exercise is important. I try do 15-20 minutes of Pilates everyday that I can. Sometimes I can only manage 5 minutes.
Diet is important. I have a high protein diet that I try to stick to as much as possible. The more pain I am in, the more nauseated I am and the less I want to eat and the more medication I take, sometimes enough to make me sleep through it.
I struggle everyday to maintain some sort of self worth. I morn the loss of what my life once was. I am frustrated with all the extra challenges that comes with my condition. I am embarrassed because of my limitations. I am sure that anyone with a chronic condition feels the same way.
It has been six years for me now and live as happily as I can. I hope I have provided some extra insight.

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Old forums but some very pathetic posts.

People SERIOUSLY say that oral meds do nothing? Utter BS.

When you take an opiate orally, you get 10-30% of the dose in your blood. Why do you think the mgs are so high?

I had my gallbladder out in 2005. I got 2mg morphine every 4hrs for 2 days. I developed an infection so as I fought it they moved me on to 2mg iv dilauded. After 2 more days I was discharged and given 12mg dilauded in pill form. That 12mg made me so high, I had to cut them in half

With 30% absorption (12X0.3=3.6mg). So I was getting almost 2 TIMES the dose via IV. You can eat some cheese after you take a dose to ensure its near 30% vs 10 as opiates are more fat than water soluble. My Dr told me to do that.

You can't compare IV to pill form. People who shove 30mg oxycodones up their butt are crazy, addicts, STUPID, desperate, or something. That's overdose blood levels for most people. No hospital would EVER give someone 30mg oxy IV unless that person had one hell of a tolerance (cancer, or some end stage illness) and used to high opiates.

Most people shove OxyContin up inside. They are lucky due to time release b/c if they flooded their blood with 30mg, they'd die unless they were used to that high of a dose in your blood. on the show ER, you hear "push 120mg of morphine!" Then they turn around and say push 10 of morphine. 120mg IV morphine would kill you outright. Now they DO make a 120mg morphine pill.. But your body will see only 12-36mg of that.

So yes, pills mg for mg are not as strong as an IV dose.. But they make pills with enough mgs to give you the SAME dose (or more than an IV).

For people In REAL pain... I feel for you.. I have a blown l4/5 disc, 6 right knee surgeries and I broke my left hand in 13 places and sprains in 6+ places. All 3 happened over 15 yrs.

I'm on pain meds, but my DR "crop rotates" me to keep addiction and withdrawl minimal.,. And now and then, I go 6 weeks with NOTHING to let my body reset

I get 40mg opana ER twice a day, then 8 mg dilauded as needed for breakthrough. I take the 8mg about 3 days a week for a total of 6times in avg. that's like a 2.4mg IV push of it. Once I get resistant, he puts moves me to a totally different opioid that has a totally different action on the brain.

I've been on this cycle 6 yrs and my doses have never had to go up

Problem is, DRs just slam opiates into people, when they gain tolerance, they up the dose vs rotation. This causes people to get addicted and causes other medication , if rotated, to be less effective.

But I have ZERO sympathy for recreational users. No moral objections, but no sympathy... That's a case of you got yourself into this... No go to rehab and stop telling people to insufflate, or do things with meds they shouldn't. It's the junkies and fakers that screw legit ppl from getting meds. Just go find H if you want to feel high and leave the Rx to people who need them.

If your in agony, and you have a NON sympathetic Dr, get another one... Better yet, turn then in,.. This isn't the 90s where they say "just take Tylenol"... Drs and hospitals are now REQUIRED to help ppl with legitimate pain .. And can be sued for not helping you. Granted if they think you are faking it or are a junkie, they won't help.

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I have chronic pain all over my body with ruemetoid arthritis and I have to get pain killers just to make it through the day because I can not find a doctor to do anything for me..I know that suboxen works for me but I have not yet mentioned it to my doc because I worry about what they would say...so how do I find someone who can perceive them to me and I'm in Indianapolis:/

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Im in Charlotte NC

I started out with no Rx. I lived in pain until 6 yrs ago when I found my Dr. I also have agoraphobia. My shrink has me on 0.5mg klonopin 3Xs/day. that lets me go outside and live a normal life. FYI I'm 6'6" and 270lbs. So some meds have been adjusted for weight.

For pain:

Opana 20mg ER (sometimes 40s) - allows me to work full time
Soma - 350mg allows me to work full time
Oxy/dilaudid/vicoprofen (can vary on which is RXed)- 2-3Xs a week (1-2x/day) to break a pain cyle when it's bad

Tramadol when I'm on a break to reset from the above and lower tolerance. Yes I'll go through 7-10 days of minor withdrawal... And 6 weeks of nasty pain... But it's worth it. Otherwise he won't help me.

As long as he knows your in chronic pain and all surgical options are exhausted, he will Rx whatever a patient needs to function. Notice I said function. Not pain free. I'm usually at a 3 while on meds but can spike to a 8-9... That's where the stronger stuff comes in and takes me back to a 3.

.... And he checks a state database to make sure you aren't getting pain meds elsewhere.

It was hard finding him.., I went to 15 Drs over 2 yrs about my pain. I never asked for anything specific... But most would give me tramadol only. It helped, but it couldn't work. Then on my birthday 6 yrs ago I showed up in his office and just starting crying (keep in mind I'm this big hulky dude)... He asked why... I said no one will help me, and i can't handle this pain. He gave me vicoprofen while he waited for my med records.. Then sent me to specialists who said nothing they could do and sent me back to medicine. So he labeled me with chronic back pain, knee pain, and hand pain. He came up with the pain meds and muscle relaxer and a rotation schedule.

If I abused them, he wouldn't refill them early. So why abuse them?

He's not a pain Dr. He's a family GP & sports med Dr.

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Hi I went to e r with bad stomach pain I was a few months pregnant and they gave me a shot of dilated I spelled that wrong but u get what I am saying I felt it go in right away my eyes rolled back in my head and felt no pain at all. Well I had hyper emisis which is like sever nausea and I wanted dilated all the time I would ask for it constantly it was all I thought about and they would give it to me but not as much as the first time so I was always chasing that high as the first time andcould never gget it then the doctor cut meoff and it was hard but I seen I had a problem my body craved the drug.... its not good try to get off it I know u have pain.....I hear u but try to tough it out I knows its hard God bless u and your family

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How the heck did u get a dr to give u a script for that? U poor thing that is a very strong drug. Is a good high tho. Had it in hospital for gallbladder. Good luck coming off of it.

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