SandyWeb - Dilaudid™ (hydromorphone) is a potent analgesic. As with any opiate-like drug, if it is being used for the relief of severe pain, there is very little risk of becoming addicted to it. When one starts using opiates or opiate-like drugs to "feel good", rather than for pain, the risk of addiction is a real concern.

As your daughter heals, which can take several months depending on the extent of her injury, the doctor should be reassessing her dosage. Your daughter should also be monitoring her dose as well. If her pain is not unbearable when she is due for her next dose (ie. 4 hours after the last dose), maybe she could wait an hour or two before taking that dose. This gradual lengthening of the time between dosing is the way to wean on off of the drug. She would go from 6 doses a day to 5 doses a day to 4 doses a day. This should be done slowly (eg. over several weeks) as dictated by the pain that she is feeling.

The above is one way to wean off of painkillers after surgery. You could ask your daughter's doctor as to how he plans to wean her off of the Dilaudid™. Every doctor has a method of weaning with which they feel most comfortable. Your daughter's input is essential in this process. As her pain diminishes her daily dose of Dilaudid™ should be decreased, only if her doctor is in agreement.

I hope that this is of some help. - Cam