Dilaudid Abuse: Effects, Signs & Symptoms

Dilaudid Abuse: Effects, Signs & SymptomsDilaudid is a prescription opioid painkiller and one of the many drugs implicated in the ongoing opioid addiction and overdose crisis. Approximately four million Americans abuse drugs like Dilaudid, which is a brand name for hydromorphone, and about three million become addicted to these medications.1 If you or someone you care about has been misusing Dilaudid, addiction and fatal overdose are real risks. Understand the signs and symptoms of addiction/opioids-opiates/dilaudid-addiction/” title=”Dilaudid”>Dilaudid addiction so you know when to reach out to offer or receive help.

Symptoms and Side Effects of Dilaudid Addiction

It can be difficult to watch a loved one abuse a drug like Dilaudid. Not everyone who misuses it will develop an opioid use disorder, an addiction, but many do. If someone you know is getting high on this prescription opioid more and more, you have good reason to be concerned. These are some of the signs that a person is high on Dilaudid or another opioid:2

  • Feeling euphoric, relaxed and unusually happy
  • Confusion, lack of awareness
  • Unusual drowsiness or lethargy, sleeping more
  • Impaired coordination and slurred speech
  • Mood swings, which may include depression, anxiety or anger
  • Constricted pupils
  • Constipation

Signs of Addiction

If you are the one who is misusing Dilaudid and are uncertain whether or not you are developing an addiction to it, take a look at the criteria for being diagnosed with an opioid use disorder.3 If you have two or three of these it can mean you have a mild addiction. If you meet more of these criteria you may have a moderate to severe addiction. Experiencing any of these signs of addiction indicate that you could benefit from professional support.

  • You want to, and try to, cut back on how much or how often you use Dilaudid, but you keep failing at it.
  • Time after time you use more than you meant to.
  • Your time is increasingly spent on drug abuse: getting high, recovering, or tracking down more.
  • You have cut back on other activities because of the time you spend on Dilaudid abuse.
  • When you’re not using Dilaudid you experience intense cravings for it.
  • Your relationships are being damaged by your drug use, but that doesn’t stop you.
  • Your responsibilities are not being fully met.
  • You have used Dilaudid in a dangerous situation more than once.
  • The drug is causing health problems, or making them worse, but you continue to use anyway.
  • You are developing a tolerance to Dilaudid and need to use more and more to get high or just to feel normal.
  • Withdrawal symptoms begin when you are not using.

Dilaudid and other opioids are among the most dangerous drugs to abuse, partly because of the risk of a fatal overdose. If someone you know is abusing this drug and you see the signs of an overdose4—unresponsiveness, shallow breathing or stopped breathing, pale, clammy skin, low heart rate—get emergency medical help right away.

Reach Out For Help

We provide holistic care and treatment using an individualized approach specifically tailored to your needs. Our holistic care and treatment is based on the best scientific evidence available. Secondly, we help you lead a healthy, substance-free life with adaptive coping and problem-solving skills. Don’t let Dilaudid addiction control your life. Our addiction professionals can help you get on a path of recovery, significantly changing your life. Contact us today for more information on our certified staff of professionals, as well as our first-rate facilities.

  1. The New England Journal of Medicine. Treatment of Opioid Use Disorders.
    https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1604339
  2. Mayo Clinic. Drug Addiction.
    https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/drug-addiction/symptoms-causes/syc-20365112
  3. American Psychiatric Association. Opioid Use Disorder Diagnostic Criteria.
    https://pcssnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/5B-DSM-5-Opioid-Use-Disorder-Diagnostic-Criteria.pdf
  4. National institutes of Health. MedlinePlus. Opioid Abuse and Addiction.
    https://medlineplus.gov/opioidabuseandaddiction.html