Dilaudid Addiction

Dilaudid addiction is caused by long term intake of the very potent prescription pain medication Dilaudid®, an opium derivative that is a preparation of hydromorphone in oral tablets, liquid, suppository, intra-muscular (buttock or hip muscle) injection or intravenous (I.V.) solution. (The latter allows for continuous, around-the-clock pain relief.) Hydramorphone controls pain by inhibiting the ascending pain pathways in the central nervous system, increasing the pain threshold and altering pain perception. Because it can be habit-forming, Dilaudid® requires careful monitoring by a qualified physician.

Physicians in the United States are prescribing pain medication in greater quantities than ever before, creating approximately 1.6 million new users a year. This has led to a huge increase in the number of Americans who abuse painkillers, including young people. Among youth ages 12-17, the incidence rate increased from 6.3 per 1,000 potential new users in 1990 to 32.4 per 1,000 in 1998. For young adults age 18-25, the rate increased from 7.7 to 20.3 per 1,000 potential new users. The 2002 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) showed that approximately 9% of the U.S. population has used pain relievers illegally in their lifetime.

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