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Dilaudid Addiction & Abuse Statistics

Because Dilaudid is considered to be one of the most powerful synthetic narcotics, drug addiction and abuse of the drug can quickly occur among some patients who take the drug as well as among those who choose to use the drug recreationally. Let’s take a look at Dilaudid addiction and abuse statistics to get an idea of just how rampant abuse of this opioid drug can be.

What is Dilaudid?

Before we get into Dilaudid Addiction and Abuse statistics, let’s look at exactly what Dilaudid is and its intended medical purpose. Dilaudid is the brand name for Hydromorphone. It’s a group of medicines considered to be narcotic analgesics. Essentially, these are medicines used to treat pain. Dilaudid is used for patients who may need a higher dose of an opioid medicine. Like other opioids, Dilaudid, or Hydromorphone, works by impacting the central nervous system of the body. There are extended-release tablets uses to help those who may need pain medication 24/7 and are unable to be treated with other medications. Dilaudid is not intended for those who have mild or moderate pain, short-term pain like after an operation or medical procedure. This is largely why drugs like Dilaudid can become habit forming when used for extended periods of time or is abused by those who take it.

The mental or physical dependence created when a person uses Dilaudid typically does not occur if the patient uses it as it is intended and as prescribed by their doctor. However, side effects from physical dependence can occur if treatment is suddenly stopped. This is why most medical practitioners will attempt to prevent the physical withdrawal symptoms of Dilaudid by gradually reducing the dosage over a period of time.

Dilaudid can only be legally obtained through a doctor’s prescription.

Dilaudid Abuse Statistics:

dilaudid stats

  • High usage of the drug takes place in the United States. As of 2010, this country maintained a 65 percent hold on Dilaudid drug consumption.
  • Dilaudid is about eight times stronger than morphine. This is why the drug is not intended to be used to treat mild or moderate short-term pain situations. It is too strong to be used that way and can lead to a higher likelihood of drug abuse and addiction if not used to treat constant and high levels of pain.
  • As recently as 2008, Dilaudid and similar opioid pain medications were directly attributed to over 14 million deaths in the United States alone.
  • It can take as few as two to three weeks to become addicted to Dilaudid.

Other Opioid-abuse statistics include:

  • An estimated number between 26.4 million and 36 million people abuse opioid medications like Dilaudid nationwide each year.
  • There is an estimated 2.1 million people who suffer from substance use disorders related to opioid pain relievers in the United States.
  • The number of unintentional overdose deaths from prescription pain reliever like Dilaudid has quadrupled since 2000.
  • According to the CDC, opioids (including both prescription-based pain relievers as well as heroin) killed more than 28,000 people in 2014. This is more than any other year on record. And over half of those overdose deaths involved a prescription drug.
  • There are several factors believed to be the cause behind the opioid addiction epidemic including: a drastic increase in the number of prescriptions written for these medications, aggressive marketing done by pharmaceutical companies and greater social acceptance of the use of these types of medications.

What Causes Dilaudid Addiction?

As we just touched on above, physical and mental dependencies to Dilaudid can occur if the drug is used too much or for too long or is abused by the taker. Because Dilaudid is one of the most powerful synthetic narcotics, a morphine-derived painkiller, it’s a type of drug that can easily be abided and find its way to illegal street usage.

The cause behind addiction is due to the user taking the drug and building up a tolerance. Once a tolerance is established, the body’s (central nervous system) needs more and larger doses of Dilaudid to have the same effect. A tolerance to Dilaudid can occur within two to three weeks and once this happens, the user may begin taking the pills more often to achieve the same level of pain relief.

As the number of prescriptions written for narcotics like Dilaudid continues to increase, so does the negative consequences related to abuse and addiction of the drugs. Some Dilaudid addiction and abuse statistics by the U.S. Government indicate the number of emergency room visits featuring nonmedical usage of opioids more than doubled to over 300,000 per year by 2008.

When it comes to abuse and mortality statistics, opioids are attributed to cause the greatest proportion of prescription drug problems. In fact, the number of deaths and overdoses by prescription drugs like Dilaudid has now exceeded deaths and overdose numbers relating to heroin and cocaine.

It is clear an addiction to a drug like Dilaudid can be serious for the user. This is why it is important these negative outcomes, including the risk of addiction and overdose, be kept in mind as a deterrent for illegal usage of the drug, or even legal use that becomes abuse.

Sources:

Medlineplus.gov

Mayoclinic.org

Addictioncenter.com

Drugabuse.gov

CDC.gov

healthline.com

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