Approved uses
Pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic, when alternative treatments are inadequate (non-ocular; the only labeled use)
Tablets 2 mg to 4 mg PO q4-6h PRN; oral solution 2.5 mg to 10 mg (2.5 mL to 10 mL) PO q3-6h PRN
Contraindications
- Significant respiratory depression.
- Acute or severe bronchial asthma in an unmonitored setting or in the absence of resuscitative equipment.
- Known or suspected gastrointestinal obstruction, including paralytic ileus.
- Hypersensitivity to hydromorphone, its salts, any other component of the product, or sulfite-containing medications.
Available Forms2 mg, 4 mg and 8 mg tablets; oral solution 5 mg/5 mL (1 mg/mL) in 473 mL bottles
Mechanism of ActionFull opioid agonist, relatively selective for the mu-opioid receptor, binding other opioid receptors at higher doses; analgesia is its principal action and, as with all full agonists, there is no analgesic ceiling. Ocularly relevant pharmacodynamics: miosis occurs even in total darkness, while marked mydriasis rather than miosis may appear with hypoxia in overdose.
Pregnancy & Lactation
Pediatric Use