Hydromorphone Hcl Coupons & Prices

Use a free Rx.com hydromorphone HCl coupon to compare cash prices at more than 60,000 pharmacies before you fill. Hydromorphone hydrochloride is the generic form of Dilaudid, a Schedule C-II opioid pain medicine. Cash prices are not standardized, so the same tablet strength and quantity can cost noticeably different amounts from one pharmacy to the next, which is exactly why comparing is worth the minute it takes. Enter your ZIP above to see today's price near you, then show the coupon at the counter. This page is general information and not medical advice.

What is hydromorphone HCl and how does it work?

Hydromorphone hydrochloride is a full mu-opioid receptor agonist, a semi-synthetic opioid (narcotic) analgesic derived from morphine. It works in the brain and spinal cord to change how the body senses and responds to pain. The oral tablets and oral solution are FDA-approved for the management of pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic and for which alternative treatments are inadequate. It is not meant to be a first-line pain medicine.

It comes in several forms, and they are not interchangeable. Immediate-release tablets and oral solution are used for acute or breakthrough severe pain. The injection, including the high-potency Dilaudid-HP concentration, is used in hospital, post-surgical, cancer, and palliative settings, including with patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pumps. Rectal suppositories are also marketed. Extended-release hydromorphone tablets (the Exalgo type; the brand itself has been discontinued) are indicated only for opioid-tolerant patients who need around-the-clock, long-term treatment, and are never for as-needed or short-term pain. Hydromorphone is substantially more potent than morphine on a milligram-for-milligram basis, so switching between opioids has to be done carefully by a prescriber.

Hydromorphone cost and coupon savings without insurance

Generic hydromorphone hydrochloride is an FDA-approved, substitutable generic. What it costs you, though, is not fixed: pharmacy cash prices are not standardized, so two stores on the same street can quote noticeably different amounts for the identical strength and day supply. There is no manufacturer savings card for generic hydromorphone, so a pharmacy discount coupon is the practical way to lower the cash price. The only way to know what you will pay is to compare.

• Rx.com compares cash prices across 60,000+ pharmacies, including big chains, grocery and warehouse pharmacies, and independents.
• Enter your ZIP above, pick the strength, form, and quantity your prescriber wrote, and see today's price near you.
• The coupon is free to use and works whether or not you have insurance; if you use it, you are paying the cash price instead of running the claim through your plan.
• Prices change, and controlled-substance stock varies by pharmacy, so it is smart to call ahead to confirm the pharmacy has your strength before you drive over.
• If you have insurance, compare your copay to the coupon price and use whichever is lower. Cash-coupon purchases usually do not count toward your deductible.

Hydromorphone vs. other opioid pain medicines

Hydromorphone sits toward the strong end of the opioid analgesic class. On a milligram basis it is substantially more potent than morphine sulfate, and generally more potent than oxycodone. Potency is not the same as effectiveness, though. A correctly dosed weaker opioid can control pain just as well; potency only means a smaller number of milligrams is needed, which is also why dose conversions between opioids are a common source of serious error and must be done by a clinician.

Other opioids you may see compared with it include oxymorphone, hydrocodone-acetaminophen, tramadol, and fentanyl. Hydromorphone is sometimes chosen when a patient cannot tolerate morphine. The brand-name equivalent of this generic is Dilaudid (tablets, oral solution, and injection). Cash prices for the brand and the generic vary by pharmacy, so compare both before you fill. Which opioid, which form, and which dose is right for you is a decision for your prescriber, not a price comparison.

Safety, boxed warnings, and what to ask your provider

Every hydromorphone formulation carries an FDA boxed warning. On the tablet and oral solution label, the box covers the risk of medication errors (confusing milligrams with milliliters when dosing the oral solution, or mixing it up with a different concentration, can cause a fatal overdose); addiction, abuse, and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death; life-threatening respiratory depression, which is greatest when starting the drug and after any dose increase; accidental ingestion, especially by a child, where even one dose can be fatal; the risks of taking it with benzodiazepines, alcohol, or other CNS depressants, which can cause profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death; neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome after prolonged use in pregnancy; and the Opioid Analgesic REMS, under which prescribers should complete a REMS-compliant education program and counsel patients on safe use, storage, and disposal. Extended-release hydromorphone tablets carry additional boxed warnings: they are for opioid-tolerant patients only, and they must be swallowed whole, since cutting, crushing, chewing, or dissolving them can release a fatal dose at once. High-potency injection is also for opioid-tolerant patients only and must never be confused with standard-strength injection.

Other important risks, described elsewhere in the label rather than in the boxed warning, include serotonin syndrome when hydromorphone is combined with serotonergic drugs, and adrenal insufficiency, which has been reported with opioid use and more often after more than a month of use. Also watch for low blood pressure and fainting, severe constipation and ileus, increased pressure inside the skull (a concern with head injury), biliary spasm, and seizures. People with liver or kidney impairment usually need a lower dose. Ask your provider about co-prescribing naloxone if you have overdose risk factors, keep the medicine locked away from children and visitors, and do not stop it abruptly after prolonged use, since it should be tapered to avoid withdrawal. This is general information, not medical advice; talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.