OFFICIAL NAMES: Dilaudid, Dilaudid-Hp, Hydrostat

STREET NAMES: Drug store heroin, dillies, little d, lords, big d, d's, delats, delaud, delantz, delida

DRUG CLASSIFICATIONS: Schedule II, narcotic analgesic

Overview

Hydromorphone is a semi-synthetic prescription drug that has similar pain-relieving properties to that of morphine and codeine. It is classified as an opioid or narcotic analgesic. It is an effective treatment for moderate-to-severe pain and is sometimes used in patients with a non-productive cough. It is used to treat several types of pain, including headache, cancer pain, and back pain.

Hydromorphone is formed by making a slight alteration to the morphine molecule. The primary active ingredient in hydromorphone is thebaine. Thebaine is one of several compounds called alkaloids that are found in all narcotic analgesics. Thebaine is a word based on the name of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes. The residents of Thebes are known...