If used excessively, hydromorphone injection can slow or stop breathing and even result in death. Habit formation is possible with long-term usage of the drug. Inject the hydromorphone exactly as instructed. While taking hydromorphone injection, discuss with your healthcare provider your pain treatment goals, length of treatment, and other pain management options. Do not use more of it or more frequently than your doctor has prescribed. Inform your doctor if you or anyone in your family regularly consumes significant amounts of alcohol, engages in drug use (including street drugs), abuses prescription drugs excessively, overdoses, or currently suffers from depression or another mental disorder. If you currently have or have ever had any of these conditions, you are more likely to misuse hydromorphone. If you suspect that you may be addicted to opioids, speak with your doctor right away and ask for advice. You can also contact the SAMHSA National Helpline by calling 1-800-662-HELP.

Both a conventional strength solution (Dilaudid) and a concentrated solution (Dilaudid-HP), both of which contain more hydromorphone per millilitre of solution, are available for hydromorphone injection. Only if you are an opioid tolerant patient should your doctor prescribe the concentrated solution (have been treated with certain doses of narcotic medications for at least 1 week, allowing your body to adjust to this type of medication). If the concentrated solution is used by someone who is not opioid tolerant, it could result in fatal side effects. Be sure you are receiving the correct hydromorphone solution that your doctor has recommended, and constantly double-check.

Do not share your medication with anybody else. To prevent unauthorised or intentional use, store hydromorphone injection in a secure location. To find out if any medication is missing, keep track of how much is still in the bottle.

While receiving hydromorphone injection treatment, taking specific medications can raise your chance of experiencing major, life-threatening respiratory issues, drowsiness, or coma. Tell your doctor if you are currently taking or intend to start taking any of the following drugs: benzodiazepines like estazolam, flurazepam, lorazepam, oxazepam, temazepam, and triazolam (Halcion); drugs for mental illness or nausea; muscle relaxants; other narcotic pain medications; sedatives; sleeping pills; or tranquillizers. Your doctor will closely monitor you and may need to adjust the dosage of your drugs. Call your doctor right away if you experience any of the following symptoms after taking hydromorphone injection in combination with any of these drugs: extraordinary dizziness, lightheadedness, excessive drowsiness, slowed or laboured breathing, or inability to respond. If you are unable to seek treatment on your own, make sure your carer or family members are aware of any symptoms that may be dangerous so they can contact the doctor or emergency services.

You run a higher chance of developing severe, potentially fatal adverse effects from hydromorphone injection if you consume alcohol, use prescription or over-the-counter products that do, or use illicit substances. During your treatment, refrain from drinking alcohol, taking alcohol-containing prescription or over-the-counter medications, or using illegal substances.

Ask your doctor about the dangers of obtaining an injection of hydromorphone.

Injections of hydromorphone are used to treat pain. The drug hydromorphone injection belongs to the group of drugs known as opiate (narcotic) analgesics. It functions by altering how the nerve system and brain react to pain.

A solution (liquid) form of hydromorphone is available for injection into a muscle, vein, or beneath the skin. Typically, it is administered once every two to three hours as required. Administer hydromorphone injection as prescribed.

During your therapy, your doctor may change the amount of hydromorphone injection you receive, based on how effectively your pain is managed and any adverse effects you encounter. Discuss your feelings regarding your hydromorphone injection therapy with your doctor.

Do not stop using hydromorphone injection abruptly if you have been using it for more than a few days. You may experience withdrawal symptoms if you abruptly stop using hydromorphone injection, including agitation, teary eyes, runny noses, yawning, sweating, chills, muscle, back, or joint pain, widening of the pupils, irritability, anxiety, weakness, stomach cramps, difficulty falling or staying asleep, nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea, fast breathing, or a rapid heartbeat. Your dose will likely be gradually reduced by your doctor.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more details if you believe this drug should be used for something else.

Before using hydromorphone injection,

• If you have an allergy to hydromorphone injection, any other drugs, sulfites, latex, or any of the substances in hydromorphone injection solution, let your doctor and pharmacist know right once. Get a list of the components from your pharmacist.
• Inform your doctor and pharmacist about any vitamins, nutritional supplements, herbal items, and prescription and over-the-counter medicines you are now taking or intend to take. Mention any of the following as well as the medications specified in the IMPORTANT WARNING section. Belbuca, Buprenex, Butrans, in Bunavail, buprenorphine; butorphanol; the drug pentazocine; drugs for glaucoma, irritable bowel syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, ulcers, and urinary issues; and the drug ipratropium (Atrovent, in Combivent Respimat) (Talwin). Additionally let your physician or pharmacist know if you are using any of the following drugs, or if you have stopped using them within the previous two weeks: tranylcypromine, isocarboxazid, phenelzine, or selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar) (Parnate). Your doctor might need to adjust your medication doses or keep a close eye out for any negative side effects.
• Inform your doctor if you suffer from paralytic ileus, asthma, decreased breathing, or a blockage in your stomach or intestines (condition in which digested food does not move through the intestines). Your physician could advise against using hydromorphone injection.
• If you have or have previously had a brain tumour, a head injury, or any other ailment that causes brain damage, let your doctor know; any illness that raises the pressure inside your head; kyphoscoliosis (a curvature of the spine that may impair breathing); minimal blood pressure; lung ailments including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a collection of illnesses that affect the lungs and airways; hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland produces less hormone than normal; seizures, delirium tremens (severe withdrawal symptoms that can happen in persons who consumed huge amounts of alcohol over time and have quit drinking), Addison’s disease, in which the adrenal gland produces less hormone than normal; an enlarged prostate (a male reproductive organ), urethral stricture (a obstruction of the tube that permits urine to leave the body), gallbladder, pancreatic, liver, or kidney problems.
• If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, let your doctor know. Regular hydromorphone use during pregnancy increases the risk of your unborn child developing potentially fatal withdrawal symptoms. If your infant exhibits any of the following symptoms, contact your doctor straight away: irritability, hyperactivity, disturbed sleep, high-pitched crying, excessive shaking of a body part, vomiting, diarrhoea, or failure to gain weight.
• If you are breastfeeding, let your doctor know.
• You should be aware that this medicine may lower both male and female fertility. The dangers of using hydromorphone should be discussed with your doctor.
• Inform the surgeon or dentist that you are using hydromorphone injection if you are having surgery, including dental surgery.
• You should be aware that receiving a hydromorphone injection could make you sleepy. Prior to understanding how this drug affects you, avoid using machinery or driving a car.
• You should be aware that if you stand up too rapidly from a reclining position after receiving a hydromorphone injection, you could experience dizziness, lightheadedness, and fainting. Get out of bed gradually, resting your feet on the floor for a few minutes before standing up, to avoid this issue.

Keep eating normally unless your doctor instructs you otherwise.

If you regularly administer hydromorphone injection, use the missed dose as soon as you remember. If the next dose is soon due, skip the missed one and carry on with your regular dosing plan. To make up for a missing dose, do not take a second one.

Hydromorphone injection may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Constipation
• Mouth ache
• Lightheadedness
• Drowsiness
• Flushing
• Itching
• Mood changes

Some adverse effects may be severe. Stop using hydromorphone injection immediately, call your doctor, or seek emergency medical attention if you develop any of these symptoms:

• Breathing slowed or stopped
• Agitation, hallucinations (hearing voices or seeing things that are not there), disorientation, fever, sweating, shivering, extremely stiff or twitching muscles, loss of coordination, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhoea
• Nausea, vomiting, weight loss, anorexia, or lightheadedness
• Failure to achieve or maintain erection
• Irregular periods of time
• Less sexual arousal
• Rash
• Hives
• Enlargement of the mouth, throat, lips, tongue, eyes, or other body parts
• Breathing or swallowing challenges
• Hoarseness
• Seizures
• Fainting

There may be further negative effects from hydromorphone injection. If you experience any strange issues while taking this medicine, contact your doctor right away.

You or your doctor can submit a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting programme online or by phone if you have a serious side event (1-800-332-1088).

The best way to preserve your medication will be advised by your doctor. Just as prescribed, only store your prescription. Be sure to know the right way to store your medications. All expired or no longer required medications should be thrown away. To properly dispose of your medication, consult with your healthcare professional.

Although many containers (such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers) are not child-resistant and are simple for young children to open, it is crucial to keep all medications out of sight and out of reach of children. Always lock safety caps and promptly stash medication up and away from young children where it is out of their sight and reach to prevent poisoning. http://www.upandaway.org

Call the poison control hotline at 1-800-222-1222 in the event of an overdose. Moreover, information can be found online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help. Call 911 right once if the person has collapsed, experienced a seizure, is having difficulty breathing, or cannot be roused.

You should speak with your doctor about keeping naloxone, a life-saving drug, on hand while taking hydromorphone (e.g., home, office). Naloxone is used to undo an overdose’s potentially fatal consequences. To treat harmful symptoms brought on by excessive levels of opiates in the blood, it functions by inhibiting the effects of opiates. If you live with young children or someone who has abused prescription or illicit drugs, your doctor could also advise you to get naloxone. Make sure you, your family, your caretakers, and anyone else who spends time with you are aware of the signs of an overdose, how to administer naloxone, and what to do until emergency assistance arrives. You and your family members will be shown how to use the medication by your doctor or pharmacist. For the directions, speak to your pharmacist or go to the manufacturer’s website. If you start to experience overdose symptoms, a friend or family member should administer the first dose of naloxone, contact 911 right away, and stay by your side while keeping a careful eye on you until emergency medical assistance comes. After receiving naloxone, your symptoms can come back a short while later. The person should administer you another dose of naloxone if your symptoms come back. If symptoms reappear before receiving medical attention, more doses may be given every 2 to 3 minutes.

Overdose signs could include the following:

• Weak or sluggish breathing
• Having trouble breathing
• Sleepiness
• Not able to speak or awaken
• Muscular tremor
• Clammy, frigid skin
• Pupil dilation or dilation of the pupils (dark circle in the middle of the eye)
• Slow or irregular heartbeat
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Snoring

Keep all of your doctor’s appointments.

This medication cannot be renewed. Call your doctor if you experience pain after the hydromorphone injection is finished.

You should keep a written record of every medication you take, including any over-the-counter (OTC) items, prescription drugs, and dietary supplements like vitamins and minerals. This list should be brought with you whenever you see a doctor or are admitted to the hospital. You should always have this information with you in case of emergencies.