Patient was educated on how to take Dilaudid as follows:
- Take Dilaudid pill with or without food along with a full 8 oz. glass of water. Taking the medication with food helps prevent any nauseating sensation.
- Drink 6 to 8 full glasses of water daily, while you are taking Dilaudid. Liberal intake of water with Dilaudid helps prevent constipation, which is one of the major side effects of Dilaudid.
- Evenly space out the doses of pain pill and take the dose at the scheduled time every day.
- Keeping to the schedule of Dilaudid intake helps to avoid forgetting the medication.
- Do not wait for the pain to peak to have your Dilaudid pill. Pain medications work best when taken at the first appreciation of pain, before the pain peaks.
- Do not crush or chew the Dilaudid pill. Swallow it whole. Breaking the pill may cause too much of the drug to be released too quick at one time, thus compromising the therapeutic effect of Dilaudid.
- Maintain strict compliance with intake of Dilaudid as ordered, with regards to dosage and frequency, to derive the benefit of the medication. Noncompliance with recommendation on Dilaudid intake can result in ineffective pain control.
- Do not change the dose on Dilaudid without consulting your doctor.
- This is one of the most commonly abused drug. Do not share your Dilaudid with any family and friends. Keep a regular track of the number of pills left in your pillbox, to prevent a chance for abuse.
- Do not take Dilaudid with alcohol. Both alcohol and Dilaudid depress the respirations. When taken together, their effects on respirations can get added up and lead to severe respiratory depression and can even be fatal. Though Dilaudid individually does not cause much damage to the liver, combining Dilaudid with alcohol can increase the chance for liver injury.
- Do not abuse Dilaudid by continuing to take the medication, even after the pain resolved.
- Watch out for any continuing or worsening pain, to report to your doctor immediately, so that, a change in plan could be considered.
- If you miss a dose, try taking it at the earliest notice of noncompliance. If it is time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take the dose scheduled. Do not take an extra dose to try making up for the missed dose. Notify your doctor and other health care personnel regarding your dose noncompliance.
