User:Mr. Ibrahem/Hydromorphone

Hydromorphone, also known as dihydromorphinone, and sold under the brand name Dilaudid among others, is an opioid used to treat moderate to severe pain. Typically, long-term use is only recommended for pain due to cancer. It may be used by mouth or by injection into a vein, muscle, or under the skin. Effects generally begin within half an hour and last for up to five hours.

Common side effects include dizziness, sleepiness, nausea, itchiness, and constipation. Serious side effects may include abuse, low blood pressure, seizures, respiratory depression, and serotonin syndrome. Rapidly decreasing the dose may result in opioid withdrawal. Generally, use during pregnancy or breastfeeding is not recommended. Hydromorphone is believed to work by activating opioid receptors, mainly in the brain and spinal cord. Hydromorphone 2 mg by mouth is equivalent to approximately 10 mg morphine by mouth.

Hydromorphone was patented in 1923. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. It is available as a generic medication. In the United Kingdom it costs the NHS about £0.32 per 2 mg tablet as of 2019. In the United States the wholesale cost of this amount is about US$0.07. In 2017, it was the 205th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than two million prescriptions. Hydromorphone is made from morphine.