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

[Guest guest]

Thank you so much Jacqui,

There is so much going on in my life I just hadn't gotten there yet. I am

definitely back

tomorrow and talking with whomever I need to communicate with. We are dealing

with

inlaw change of life as well as Mom's downward spiral/seeming alertness/ back

down.

This roller coaster on top of dealing with inlaw involvement is so very wearing.

MIL does

not want to be where her change in lifestyle has taken her and we are clearing

out a

household of memories she does not want to part with. I am so spent.

>

> >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

>

>

>