/Dilaudid (was: Re: My FIL Arrived Yesterday...UPDATE)

[Guest guest]

stimtimminss wrote:

>I am always wondering about medication changes and behaviour. Last evening Mom

started on Dilotid for pain, today was uncommunicative, unable to open her eyes,

eating and drinking less, after what was for her, a great day yesterday and the

day before. From the medication so soon, or the roller coaster? Now I have to

go back tomorrow to assess

>again and talk with the nurses.

>

Following is some information I think is important to know about

Dilaudid (from www.rxlist.com, a favorite reference of mine - I use it

constantly in my work as a medical transcriptionist to verify

medicatoins and dosages). My opinion is that she is probably responding

poorly to the Dilaudid (which is a substitute for and - I think - a

derivative of morphine, which is known to be a " very bad thing " for LBD):

" DILAUDID (hydromorphone hydrochloride) (*WARNING*: May be habit

forming), a hydrogenated ketone <javascript:defwindow('ketone')> of

morphine, is a narcotic <javascript:defwindow('narcotic')> analgesic. "

Possible side effects of Dilaudid are:

*/Central Nervous System:/* Sedation, drowsiness

<javascript:defwindow('drowsiness')>, mental

<javascript:defwindow('mental')> clouding, lethargy, impairment

<javascript:defwindow('impairment')> of mental

<javascript:defwindow('mental')> and physical

<javascript:defwindow('physical')> performance, anxiety

<javascript:defwindow('anxiety')>, fear, dysphoria, dizziness

<javascript:defwindow('dizziness')>, psychic

<javascript:defwindow('psychic')> dependence

<javascript:defwindow('dependence')>, mood

<javascript:defwindow('mood')> changes.

*/Gastrointestinal System:/* Nausea and vomiting

<javascript:defwindow('vomiting')> occur infrequently; they are more

frequent in ambulatory than in recumbent

<javascript:defwindow('recumbent')> patients. The antiemetic

phenothiazines are useful in suppressing these effects; however, some

phenothiazine derivatives seem to be antianalgesic and to increase the

amount of narcotic required to produce pain

<javascript:defwindow('pain')> relief, while other phenothiazines

<javascript:defwindow('phenothiazines')> reduce

<javascript:defwindow('reduce')> the amount of narcotic

<javascript:defwindow('narcotic')> required to produce a given level of

analgesia. Prolonged administration of DILAUDID may produce

constipation. Opiate agonist- induced increase in intra-luminal pressure

<javascript:defwindow('pressure')> may endanger surgical

<javascript:defwindow('surgical')> anastomosis.

*/Cardiovascular System:/* Circulatory depression

<javascript:defwindow('depression')>, peripheral circulatory collapse

<javascript:defwindow('collapse')> and cardiac

<javascript:defwindow('cardiac')> arrest

<javascript:defwindow('arrest')> have occurred after rapid intravenous

injection. Orthostatic hypotension <javascript:defwindow('hypotension')>

and fainting may occur if a patient stands up suddenly after receiving

an injection <javascript:defwindow('injection')> of DILAUDID.

*/Genitourinary System:/* Ureteral spasm

<javascript:defwindow('spasm')>, spasm <javascript:defwindow('spasm')>

of vesical sphincters and urinary <javascript:defwindow('urinary')>

retention <javascript:defwindow('retention')> have been reported.

***

I hope this helps.

jacqui