Dilaudid Lethal Dosage? (Page 3)
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I am a stage IV cancer patient and member of an invitational research and survey type website.

Members primarily consist of other stage IV cancer patients, but in some cases, may be the caregiver of a stage IV patient.

A little over a month ago, a caregiver launched a blog-like diary of sorts. He states his wife has end-stage, metastasized, breast cancer. His postings started with news his wife had to be hospitalized when she began the dying process and indicating shut-down. However, many of his statements do not sound clinically correct or even possible. For example, after she was admitted to the hospice section of the hospital, he stated she emerged from days of a coma-like state to experience what he called a rally. This rally consisted of engaging in conversation with himself and hospital staff...only to sink into another coma-like state after being administered IV anti-biotics for a major infection due to compromised immune system (an extremely low, chemo-caused low white blood count). During this time, he also stated that both kidneys shut down...then...a week later, miraculously regained normal function. In still another posting, he describes she emerged from yet another coma-like state to devour a huge meal, although she had and was still on a PEG feeding tube!!! (All patients I know had to slowly acclimate over a period of several days to oral feeding with jello, puddings, non-spicy soups, etc.) He now states he has moved his wife back home where she can die in the comfort of familiar surroundings. Now at home, he described another coma-like experience, followed by yet another rally of low-level activity as if she had no health issues at all. Today, (July 23) his posting states she was in great pain the night before and her doctor increased her Dilaudid pain medication to 7mg/hour. If you had read between the lines of every post since this person started about 6-weeks ago, you'd quickly get the idea this person has the capacity to cause a faster than normal passing of his wife. For what reason?...so he can start re-establishing his social life! More than one prior comment had this type “social life” focus, though subtle. Far more troublesome are comments I feel would cause any perceptive person to wonder if he is capable of engaging in deliberate acts to cause his wife to expire sooner than later. In hopes a professional monitors this board, I have a quick question: Under her circumstances, does 7MG/hr of Dilaudid seem appropriate and correct...or...is does it sound more like an accumulative, lethal dose? I apologize for the length of this post, but am somewhat bothered by what may be the abuse (or worse) of a person that cannot defend themselves. Thanking you in advance, Nodawgs

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My doctor just changed me from Kadian(100mg-2x/day) to dilaudid #4 every 4 hours; it's just NOT enough!!!
I'm taking 2-3 #4's every two to three hours, considering more - am I killing myself? Even this does not give the same relief as the Kadian, which costs about $2,000.00 each month, my co-pay = $100.00. Any suggestions- PLEASE!

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I sincerely appreciate your responses, re: dialaudid. Quite obviously, I am very naive about these type subjects. The person's wife I was in reference did indeed pass several days after my query about potentially lethal dialuadid dosages. A hospice nurse that was also following the same thread noted that this same person (the husband) was applying his own doctoring as opposed to instructions he claimed were that of her physician. She noted that toward the end (which I missed), he removed all pain medications, causing her to die a horrifically painful death he described in minute detail as a series of Gran Mal seizures...gasping for air, ending with a (as he put it), a toothy smile on her face.

Apparently, a terminal illness in a family can result in a caregiver such as this husband becoming an absolute sicko...having no respect for his wife's privacy...even in her death. I find his acts as being respulsive, presuming he wasn't merely trying to dramatize events that never happened at onset.

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hi i read your question and i know alot about dosages and lethal doses i know i was off all opoids for about a year i got back on couple months ago within 2 weeks of taking dilaudid i was up to 35 mg per hour but not all day id shoot up alot of them for about 2 hours them be cool for about 6 hours then do some more so 7 mgs per hour i personally wouldnt even feel and i also believe if the person was on morphine based drugs over a period of more tha n3 months its almost impossible to overdose on morphine when i was doing heroine there was times id take a 140 mg shot of pure black tar heroine thats the max u can fit in a large rig but the first response is also something to look at about him telling you about the stuff about how long shed been on it and if she showed resistances to it well thats all i got for u

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I am a R.N. & am a Cancer Survivor. I had A Type of Bone Cancer. Now in regards to the comment that indicates the utmost concern for this patient. I'd like to say that Dilaudid, when given via I.V. (Intravenous), or I.M. (Intra muscular), or when is it being administered by mouth, have various effects on the individual that it is being administered to. 7mg / per hour, ... Isn't a fatal dosage, when the patient has shown resistance / tolerance, to the narcotic pain reliever. I'd like to think that, any individual posting comments in regards to a Terminally ill Person ... would not be so honest in stating how his partner is being medicated, if he / she were guilty of ... what may be suggested here as, helping one to pass, sooner than later!!! Maybe this person is reaching out to others by sharing that His / Her partner is having some, very sacred moments of clarity. Especially if the patient has only a little bit of time left.
Now in regards to The Drug Dilaudid, it can cause severe disorientation when the dosage is this strong, ... & can also cause the patient to seem Out of IT. ...
So to speak. I'm thinking that perhaps this Drug, ... is the one Chosen by the patients Doctor, & may be the one that works the best, for the patient in this very sensitive matter!!!
I'm not 100% .... (re: The amount of Dilaudid) ... But, if the Person that POSTED THE ORIGINAL POST, has that much concern, feel free to contact the necessary parties. I wish the Cancer Patient / 's ... Blue skies, & Sunshine.

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Well, unfortunately, there is no way to provide you with a definitive answer here. While I understand your suspicions, there are many factors at play that determine a person's appropriate dosage.

Such as: How long she has been taking narcotics and how much they have been giving her.

When you take narcotics on a regular basis, for a prolonged period of time, then your body becomes acclimated to them and you will consistenly need higher and higher doses to achieve a comfortable level of pain relief.

For patients who are terminal and in the end stages of their lives, it has been proven that giving them larger narcotic doses to help keep them more comfortable and, perhaps, able to spend a few last moments with their loved ones, without being in dire agony, DOES NOT hasten their deaths.

So, without knowing her medical history and what narcotics she has already been taking and the doses, there is no way to say for certain if 7mgs is or is not an appropriate dosage.

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