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What Is The Ideal Dosage For Hydromorphone Taken For Chronic Pain?
Question: Hello,
I have been taking Hydromorphone 2mg 4 x day for years now for chronic pain. I have back problems as well as arthritis. I am 59 going on 60 white male. The problem I have is the dosage doesn't seem to work well anymore and I'm taking 2mg 3 x day or sometimes 4x day and I run out of the drug. My Dr is reluctant to prescribe more and perhaps higher dose so he has me taking tramadol 2x day with the other med and I take celebrex too. Can you help?
I would like to get a renewable refill prescription for Hydromorphone 4mg tablets so I don't run out of the 2mg ones I have now. Or something else that I can take that is stronger.
I have been taking Hydromorphone 2mg 4 x day for years now for chronic pain. I have back problems as well as arthritis. I am 59 going on 60 white male. The problem I have is the dosage doesn't seem to work well anymore and I'm taking 2mg 3 x day or sometimes 4x day and I run out of the drug. My Dr is reluctant to prescribe more and perhaps higher dose so he has me taking tramadol 2x day with the other med and I take celebrex too. Can you help?
I would like to get a renewable refill prescription for Hydromorphone 4mg tablets so I don't run out of the 2mg ones I have now. Or something else that I can take that is stronger.
Brief Answer:
against federal law to get renewals on narcotics.
Detailed Answer:
There are several steps to having a drug problem. The first are not indicative of addiction but are necessary for it. If you do not take narcotics or do not continue to take them addiction is impossible. The drugs chemically get the body used to them. This is true of a wide variety of drugs by a very wide variety of methods. Vessel dilating blood pressure medicines open vessels. This gives more space for fluid. Fluid increases, this blows up the vessels and the blood pressure medicine is a bit less effective over time. This is not a psychological nor a moral issue. Neither is the fact that narcotics become less effective over time in an analogous fashion. Then, just taking more and more and not having regulations or limits on taking them is when the line is crossed and addiction is beginning. Then, making further and further adaptions to be able to take more and more narcotic is addiction. Parts of the brain are altered during this series of events.
Therefore, More and less regulated narcotics are a bad idea.
Drug treatment for addiction.... probably not ideal at this point, but if you got a renewable prescription for narcotics and just kept taking them whenever you felt like and started to take them for reasons other than for pain (including taking them to prevent the withdrawal symptoms you are guaranteed to be getting at higher amounts and probably at the amount you are currently taking) then, drug treatment for addiction would be indicated.
Or......modulating the drug need back down:
1) drug holiday. (Like going to XXXXXXX ..utterly miserable). Going off all narcotics and taking a blocker of them for a week or so. The system resets to a lower need. It is unpleasant but effective.
2) taking a non-narcotic to lower pain. Anti-inflammatory, surgery, injections into joints, lyrica or other nerve agents if there is a nerve component, muscle relaxants if there is a muscle spasm component.
3) anti-depressants, exercise, yoga, meditation to change perception of pain. Probably best. Also most difficult.
against federal law to get renewals on narcotics.
Detailed Answer:
There are several steps to having a drug problem. The first are not indicative of addiction but are necessary for it. If you do not take narcotics or do not continue to take them addiction is impossible. The drugs chemically get the body used to them. This is true of a wide variety of drugs by a very wide variety of methods. Vessel dilating blood pressure medicines open vessels. This gives more space for fluid. Fluid increases, this blows up the vessels and the blood pressure medicine is a bit less effective over time. This is not a psychological nor a moral issue. Neither is the fact that narcotics become less effective over time in an analogous fashion. Then, just taking more and more and not having regulations or limits on taking them is when the line is crossed and addiction is beginning. Then, making further and further adaptions to be able to take more and more narcotic is addiction. Parts of the brain are altered during this series of events.
Therefore, More and less regulated narcotics are a bad idea.
Drug treatment for addiction.... probably not ideal at this point, but if you got a renewable prescription for narcotics and just kept taking them whenever you felt like and started to take them for reasons other than for pain (including taking them to prevent the withdrawal symptoms you are guaranteed to be getting at higher amounts and probably at the amount you are currently taking) then, drug treatment for addiction would be indicated.
Or......modulating the drug need back down:
1) drug holiday. (Like going to XXXXXXX ..utterly miserable). Going off all narcotics and taking a blocker of them for a week or so. The system resets to a lower need. It is unpleasant but effective.
2) taking a non-narcotic to lower pain. Anti-inflammatory, surgery, injections into joints, lyrica or other nerve agents if there is a nerve component, muscle relaxants if there is a muscle spasm component.
3) anti-depressants, exercise, yoga, meditation to change perception of pain. Probably best. Also most difficult.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
I don't understand this answer. I'm having chronic pain that is not being managed currently with what I'm being prescribed. You are lecturing me on drug addiction! How is this helpful in any way? What I need is a prescription for something else or something in addition to and this website indicated this is what I'm paying for.
Dr's are reluctant to prescribe these medications because of abuse that is abundant which I understand. However some of us are in need of medication that works. I should have also explained that over the past 2 years I have had 5 surgeries. Knee scope, Hammertoe left foot, TKR, double partial mastectomy, umbilical hernia. And I still have chronic degenerative discs and pain in my back. I'm just looking to get some relief for a lot of chronic pain, not a lecture on drug addiction. I'm not satisfied with your answer or lack thereof. I need a prescription for something.
Dr's are reluctant to prescribe these medications because of abuse that is abundant which I understand. However some of us are in need of medication that works. I should have also explained that over the past 2 years I have had 5 surgeries. Knee scope, Hammertoe left foot, TKR, double partial mastectomy, umbilical hernia. And I still have chronic degenerative discs and pain in my back. I'm just looking to get some relief for a lot of chronic pain, not a lecture on drug addiction. I'm not satisfied with your answer or lack thereof. I need a prescription for something.
Brief Answer:
Why do you think I'm talking about you?
Detailed Answer:
Certainly I cannot know anything about you directly. Nor would I presume to diagnose, or prescribe to someone I do not hav3e a doctors relationship with.
Of course the current death rate increase from narcotics happens to be among 50 yr old white males in general. But while your profile says male, the mastectomies would imply not male. Just a general statement. More of an issue is that"
Certainly you cannot get a prescription for a controlled substance on this site. Obviously you aren't asking that since asking for prescriptions and using them outside of one's own doctor is addiction (and probably a felony).
so.... if you aren't asking for illegal actions, then how to manage pain:
There's the tolerance issue:
The drugs chemically get the body used to them. This is true of a wide variety of drugs by a very wide variety of methods. Vessel dilating blood pressure medicines open vessels. This gives more space for fluid. Fluid increases, this blows up the vessels and the blood pressure medicine is a bit less effective over time. This is not a psychological nor a moral issue. Neither is the fact that narcotics become less effective over time in an analogous fashion.
how to deal with it:
1) drug holiday. (Like going to XXXXXXX ..utterly miserable). Going off all narcotics and taking a blocker of them for a week or so. The system resets to a lower need. It is unpleasant but effective.
2) taking a non-narcotic to lower pain. Anti-inflammatory, surgery, injections into joints, lyrica or other nerve agents if there is a nerve component, muscle relaxants if there is a muscle spasm component.
3) anti-depressants, exercise, yoga, meditation to change perception of pain. Probably best. Also most difficult.
There are pain management and methadone programs that will go higher than more than the equivalent of 12 mg of dilaudid a day, but otherwise you won't get that much or more from a regular doctor. And as mentioned you probably won't get an aspirn from an online site.
Why do you think I'm talking about you?
Detailed Answer:
Certainly I cannot know anything about you directly. Nor would I presume to diagnose, or prescribe to someone I do not hav3e a doctors relationship with.
Of course the current death rate increase from narcotics happens to be among 50 yr old white males in general. But while your profile says male, the mastectomies would imply not male. Just a general statement. More of an issue is that"
Certainly you cannot get a prescription for a controlled substance on this site. Obviously you aren't asking that since asking for prescriptions and using them outside of one's own doctor is addiction (and probably a felony).
so.... if you aren't asking for illegal actions, then how to manage pain:
There's the tolerance issue:
The drugs chemically get the body used to them. This is true of a wide variety of drugs by a very wide variety of methods. Vessel dilating blood pressure medicines open vessels. This gives more space for fluid. Fluid increases, this blows up the vessels and the blood pressure medicine is a bit less effective over time. This is not a psychological nor a moral issue. Neither is the fact that narcotics become less effective over time in an analogous fashion.
how to deal with it:
1) drug holiday. (Like going to XXXXXXX ..utterly miserable). Going off all narcotics and taking a blocker of them for a week or so. The system resets to a lower need. It is unpleasant but effective.
2) taking a non-narcotic to lower pain. Anti-inflammatory, surgery, injections into joints, lyrica or other nerve agents if there is a nerve component, muscle relaxants if there is a muscle spasm component.
3) anti-depressants, exercise, yoga, meditation to change perception of pain. Probably best. Also most difficult.
There are pain management and methadone programs that will go higher than more than the equivalent of 12 mg of dilaudid a day, but otherwise you won't get that much or more from a regular doctor. And as mentioned you probably won't get an aspirn from an online site.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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