Effects of Dilaudid Abuse

opiate addict nodding off

As an opiate painkiller, Dilaudid effects will likely include euphoria, drowsiness, constipation, difficulty urinating, nausea, vomiting and suppressed ability to breathe. If a person continues to abuse Dilaudid, the further effects of this drug are likely to include addiction, depression, guilt, track marks up and down the arms and legs, intense cravings for the drug and a dread of the withdrawal sickness that will result from not having the drug to abuse.

Dilaudid is a strong painkiller of the opiate class. Each formulation of drugs in this class—oxycodone, hydrocodone, oxymorphone, fentanyl, methadone and others—has slight differences from the others. Some are stronger than others, some will last longer and others will take effect more quickly. Dilaudid is a strong painkiller that is often used after surgery. When a person wants to abuse it, he (or she) will not get the desired high if he ingests or snorts it. Dilaudid only creates the desirable euphoric effect if it is injected intravenously. This characteristic means that many abusers inject the drug after crushing and dissolving the pills.

Addiction to Dilaudid

It is a rare person who can abuse an opioid as strong as Dilaudid and not get addicted. For most people, continued use will make it difficult to quit when they want to. Getting clean and sober means they have to get through the typical opiate withdrawal symptoms which can mean some days of pain, sickness, and misery.

Specifically, withdrawal effects from Dilaudid will include:

  • Muscle pain
  • Body cramps
  • Insomnia
  • Vomiting
  • Tremors, shaking and restlessness
  • Severe cold sweats
  • Diarrhea
  • “Dysphoria”—defined as a feeling of depression, anxiety, and unease

The usual list of effects of opiate withdrawal will also include a runny nose, goose bumps and yawning but these rather harmless symptoms tend to minimize the severe sickness that typically occurs when a person is trying to get off drugs “cold turkey.”

According to the National Institutes of Health, it can be possible to detect withdrawal symptoms after just a week of Dilaudid administration. Physical dependence is likely to be significant after several weeks of administration. Some drug users report that they go through withdrawal from Dilaudid use after just a few days or a week of use at home or in the hospital.

But what also happens is that a person in this situation gets sick with withdrawal symptoms but just thinks they came down with the flu after leaving the hospital. They recover and never realize they went through an opiate withdrawal after their medical care.

When Addiction Rehab is Needed

A person who has come to rely on this drug to get through life, who dreads withdrawal so much that he will compromise his own integrity to remain on a drug like Dilaudid, needs drug rehabilitation to resume a normal, drug-free life again. Families so very often feel disgraced or embarrassed by having one of their members addicted to drugs. But in fact, there are millions of other Americans and tens of millions of other people in other parts of the world who are addicted to drugs or alcohol. What is really significant is finding the right help for the person so he can achieve a productive, enjoyable life without drugs.

Tens of thousands of people around the world have sought out Narconon rehab centers for the help they needed. The Narconon rehab program addresses the types of damage done by addiction and teaches each person how to repair it themselves. Damage like broken relationships, the wrong choice of friends and associates, lost personal integrity, cloudy thinking and dimmed perceptions are all addressed as part of this recovery action.

Each person learns the fundamentals of how these types of damage can be put right again and then they put these fundamentals into practical use. The effect of this practical approach gives each person the tools they need to stay sober.

A thorough detoxification followed by unique orientation exercises and life skills training enable a person in a drug program to see things in a whole new light so they can live an enjoyable, productive life again. This is the way the Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation program works.

It takes eight to ten weeks for most people to complete this program.

Learn more about this innovative, holistic program with locations across the US and around the world.

See also Signs and Symptoms of Dilaudid Abuse
