Dilaudid is the brand name for a potent opioid medication called hydromorphone. This drug is prescribed for people who need consistent pain relief but have built up a tolerance to other opioid medications like hydrocodone, oxycodone, or morphine. The opioid painkiller comes in extended-release tablets, oral liquid solutions, or either immediate-release or extended-release liquid injections. The tablets and oral solutions may be prescribed for home use while the injections are used in clinical settings.
Opioid Abuse
Opioid Abuse
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), hydromorphone is a Schedule II opioid medication, so its prescription and dispensation are tightly controlled, but it is important for the substance to be available as an analgesic in specific scenarios. Although opioid addiction is an epidemic in the United States, Dilaudid is not one of the most abused opioid drugs. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that hydrocodone, oxycodone, and methadone are the most abused prescription opioids, while heroin and fentanyl are the most abused illicit narcotics.
The DEA reports that Dilaudid is diverted or stolen from hospitals, pharmacies, or personal prescriptions. Unlike other narcotics, especially fentanyl, it has not yet been associated with clandestine laboratories and illicit sale.
Some people may worry that Dilaudid could become the next fentanyl — a very potent opioid drug created in illicit labs and sold on the black market. Fentanyl and several of its analogs have prescription drug versions, and like Dilaudid, they are important in treating severe pain in people who either have intense pain problems, such as from cancer, or who are tolerant to high doses of other opioids. Dilaudid has not yet become such a problem, but knowing the drug’s risks can help to prevent the spread of this opioid’s abuse.
A sign of abuse of opioid narcotics like Dilaudid is when someone with a legitimate prescription runs out of the drug consistently before they are supposed to. This could indicate they are misusing their own prescription by taking too much of it or that someone is stealing the medication from them.
You may also find powdered residue, smell smoke, or find paraphernalia like rolled-up papers, lighters, or a pipe. These indicate that the individual is not just abusing Dilaudid orally, but aiming for greater intoxication by abusing the drug in a way that will cause a much faster high. Taking too much of any opioid orally is risky enough, but misusing opioids, especially strong ones like Dilaudid, by crushing and snorting or smoking them is very dangerous.
Can You Snort Dilaudid?
Can You Snort Dilaudid?
The short answer to this is, yes, you can snort Dilaudid. However, there are vital facts to know about abusing this drug in this way. Snorting a crushed-up pill can affect you quicker than swallowing it. Crushing an extended-release pill and snorting it may increase the Dilaudid high because you will be absorbing all of the active ingredients at once. The half-life of this medicine is generally within two to three hours when it is taken as prescribed in the form it was specified in, per Verywell Mind. This means it may be in your system for up to 15 hours or more. The half-life of a medication is how it takes for half of the drug to move out of your system. Dilaudid is active once absorbed into the bloodstream when it reaches peak concentrations within 45 minutes when taken as prescribed. It can be active much quicker when crushed and snorted.
Rapid Delivery Methods Increase Intoxication and Death Risk
Rapid Delivery Methods Increase Intoxication and Death Risk
Drugs that are consumed orally, and move through the digestive system, are released more slowly into the blood than any other method of drug consumption. Some of the substance may be absorbed through the esophagus and stomach lining, but most of a substance that is eaten or drunk is digested by the intestine, liver, and kidneys. By entering the bloodstream this way, the drug will be bioavailable for longer, but it will take longer to reach the brain.
People who struggle with addiction to opioids such as Dilaudid may abuse this substance by eating pills or drinking the oral solution at first; however, as their body becomes more tolerant to the medication, they may increase how much they take, or they may find a way to get around the slow digestive system and get high faster. Two of the most common and harmful ways to do this are smoking the drug and snorting it.
The speed at which a drug enters the bloodstream and binds to receptors in the brain can predict how addictive the substance will be. Getting high quickly means that, in turn, the high will feel more intense, but it will wear off faster. This may lead to compulsive behaviors to take more of the drug.
- Smoking: The fastest way to get high on a substance is to smoke it. When a substance is inhaled, it enters the lungs where the alveoli allow it to be quickly absorbed into blood vessels and sent to the brain. The alveoli evolved to send oxygen to the brain and the rest of the body very quickly. Drugs consumed in this manner will move through the body very fast, causing a high within a few minutes.
- Snorting: This is a more common method of abuse for opioids, especially prescriptions. Tablets may be crushed and then snorted, which does not require much paraphernalia and can, in many instances, bypass the time-release mechanisms in extended-release drugs like Dilaudid tablets. When these are bypassed, the individual rapidly consumes all of the opioid in a short period. This greatly increases the risk of overdose. The chemical is absorbed through the mucous membranes in the nostrils, the back of the throat, and the upper respiratory system. Intoxication occurs more slowly compared to smoking, but it is still a fast method of abusing drugs, leading to a high in 20 minutes or less.
Does Dilaudid Get You High?
Dilaudid is a very potent opioid even when it is taken as prescribed in pill or tablet form, and some people who take it legitimately do feel relaxed and may experience euphoria. When this medication is abused, it is usually in low dose (2 mg to 4 mg) immediate-release tablets, per the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). They also state that their forensic labs confiscated 3,151 items of hydromorphone in 2017 and about 2,310 in 2018.
With that said, Dilaudid can get you high, but there are risks with abusing it by snorting it. One more thing to note: sometimes individuals may search for this medicine by spelling it as dilantin. There is no such drug like that, but this may, in fact, be how some people perceive the drug when they hear it.
There are no consistent reports of people smoking Dilaudid, but enough dangerous abuse of Dilaudid has occurred by crushing and snorting the tablets that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning not to consume hydromorphone in this manner. Abusing hydromorphone greatly increases the risk of overdose and death.
The Harm of Snorting or Smoking Dilaudid
The Harm of Snorting or Smoking Dilaudid
Several health risks are associated with abusing drugs through any method, but there are unique health consequences of snorting or smoking drugs, including opioids like Dilaudid. For example, smoking drugs can lead to:
- Lung infections
- Emphysema
- Chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, or tuberculosis
- Lung cancer
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Heart disease, including stroke, pulmonary embolism, and heart attack
- Impaired immune system function
- Chronic coughing
Snorting drugs increases the risk of lung infections too. Tissue damage in the upper lungs can lead to chronic upper respiratory infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, or tuberculosis.
Snorting also damages the fragile mucous membranes in the nose, which leads to septal perforation, or a hole in the cartilage between the nostrils. If untreated, tissue damage can spread to the upper palate and also lead to palatal perforation.
Dilaudid Overdose Information
Dilaudid Overdose Information
Misusing Dilaudid or abusing it regularly for recreational purposes can result in very dangerous and even life-threatening effects. One of its main effects is severe respiratory depression. Snorting too much of this drug causes an individual to go into a coma. Other signs and symptoms of a hydromorphone overdose are:
- Low body temperature
- Cold, clammy skin
- Confusion
- Severe constipation
- Low blood pressure
- Dizziness
- Depression
- Weakness
- Spasms in the stomach and intestines
- Pinpoint pupils
- Weak pulse
- Nausea and vomiting
- Skin flushing
- Lightheadedness
Any sign of a Dilaudid overdose should necessitate a call for emergency services.
Dilaudid Withdrawal Information
Dilaudid Withdrawal Information
Do not stop taking Dilaudid abruptly as it can produce withdrawal symptoms that are painful and alarming. The safest way to stop misusing this medicine is to taper off it slowly. Withdrawal symptoms you could experience are:
- Rapid heart rate
- Change in blood pressure
- Runny nose, watery eyes
- Yawning often
- Goosebumps on the skin, chills, or sweating
- Restlessness and/or anxiety
- Irritability and mood disturbances
- Trouble sleeping
- Increased pain
- Stomach cramps
- Nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea
- Muscle cramping and/or aches, and joint pain
- Tremors or muscle twitching
- Suicidal ideation
Abusing opioids like Dilaudid is extremely risky. Overdose on such a potent opioid can lead to respiratory depression, which can cause death from oxygen deprivation. Abusing Dilaudid, fentanyl, heroin, or other strong narcotics in a way that causes rapid intoxication means that overdose and death may occur faster as well.
Where to Get Help Ending Dilaudid Abuse
Where to Get Help Ending Dilaudid Abuse
You may find there are many detox centers available, but not all of them are licensed to handle medical emergencies when you are in the throes of withdrawal. Delphi Behavioral Health Group manages many accredited substance use treatment campuses throughout the country that provide medically monitored medical services and are staffed by licensed medical professionals.
We also offer inpatient/residential treatment, partial hospitalization, and outpatient treatment programs that are tailored to fit the individual under our care. We take pride in exceeding the industry standards and often receive five-star ratings from our substance use graduates.
Snorting Dilaudid is not only a dangerous activity, but it can be a fatal one also.
