Why Use Dangerous Opiates ?

Today as a society, we use way too many prescription drugs to treat pain. If our back starts to ache, we take a pill to relieve the pain instead of a hot compress. If we strain a knee while running, we take pills to manage the pain. It is one thing to take Tylenol, Aleve or Advil, but it is quite another to start going to the next level and take prescription drugs. The greatest concern is the drug addiction and prescription drug abuse associated with it. Relying on a pill to manage and function everyday leads to drug abuse. The ones that I have greatest concern with are the opiates.

Dilaudid

Let s begin with an opiate that is on the opiates list for pain relief. I am talking about Dilaudid which is also commonly known as hydromorphone hcl. Dilaudid is in generic form and is a derivative a morphine in the terms of its semi-synthetic. When comparing Dilaudid vs morphine, Dilaudid is preferred in the hospital settings since it is more easily absorbed by the human body in an IV when compared to morphine. You only need a small amount to be dissolved in water to get the same pain relief equivalent to morphine. This is also one of the drawbacks since in its pure form it is so strong that an overdose is likely to happen. There are also Dilaudid 2mg and 8 mg tablets but liquid form is the preferred method.

Side Effects

The side effects for opiates such as Dilaudid are all similar in nature. For this opiate, the main concerns are respiratory depression and circulatory depression which can lead to loss of breathing and death. Of course, this is only in rare occasions. The main side effects to watch for is dizziness, itching (hives), sedation, constipation, nausea vomiting and sweating. Trying to drive or use heavy machinery is frowned upon.

The main concern of opiates is addiction. Regardless of the amount of pain, constant use of opiates will result in addiction and trying to remove yourself from the medication will result in withdrawal symptoms ranging from anxiety, insomnia to depression. The need to keep taking opiates will exist long after the pain is gone. For a list of opiates use the following wikipedia link:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Schedule_II_drugs_%28US%29. This will give you a good background as to how many there are.

Have you successfully used opiates for pain medication?