Hydromorphone Kalceks
Hydromorphone Kalceks is a strong opioid pain medicine used to treat severe pain in adults and young people over 12 years old.
How to Use
Dosage
For adults and young people over 12: typically 1–1.5 mg into a vein over 2–3 minutes, repeated every 3–4 hours; or 1–2 mg under the skin, repeated every 3–4 hours. As an infusion into a vein or under the skin, typical starting dose is 0.15–0.45 mg per hour. For patient-controlled pain relief (PCA), the recommended bolus dose is 0.2 mg with a 5–10 minute lockout.
Method
This medicine is given as an injection into a vein (intravenously) or under the skin (subcutaneously), or as a slow drip (infusion), by a doctor or nurse.
Your doctor will decide your maximum daily dose based on your pain, previous pain medications, age, and weight, and will adjust it until your pain is relieved.
Possible Side Effects
- •Dizziness
- •Feeling more sleepy than usual
- •Constipation
- •Nausea (feeling sick)
- •Vomiting (being sick)
- •Itchy skin
- •Unusual weakness or feeling tired
- •Confusion
- •Low blood pressure
- •Dry mouth
- •Sweating
- •Rash
- •Difficulty urinating or feeling like you need to urinate often
- •Loss of appetite
- •Anxiety
- •Trouble sleeping (insomnia)
- •Seeing or hearing things that are not there (hallucinations)
- •Stomach pain or discomfort
- •Skin reactions where the injection was given
- •Feeling generally unwell or uncomfortable
- •Feeling very happy (euphoria)
- •Headache
- •Shaking (tremors)
- •Muscle twitching
- •Tingling or pins and needles in hands or feet
- •Smaller pupils
- •Vision problems
- •Fast heart rate
- •Digestion problems
- •Itchy rash
- •Decreased sex drive or impotence
- •Medicine stops working as well (tolerance)
- •Withdrawal symptoms (like agitation, anxiety, nervousness, trouble sleeping, unusual overactivity, tremors, and stomach problems)
- •Feeling generally sick or tired
- •Depression
- •Nightmares
- •Shortness of breath
- •Diarrhea
- •Changes in taste
- •Changes in liver blood test results
- •Drug dependence
- •Agitation
- •Seizures or fits
- •Feeling very calm and sleepy (sedation)
- •Slow heart rate
- •Irregular heart rate
- •Trouble breathing or wheezing
- •Changes in pancreas blood test results
- •Redness of the face
- •Increased pain sensitivity (hyperalgesia)
- •Bowel blockage where the small intestine stops working (paralytic ileus)
- •Swelling in hands, ankles, or feet
- •Skin irritation and hardening at the injection site (especially with repeated injections under the skin)
- •Aggression
- •Hot flashes
- •Withdrawal symptoms in newborn babies
- •Stopping breathing during sleep (sleep apnea)
Important Warnings
- Do not use if you are allergic to hydromorphone or any other ingredients in this medicine.
- Tell your doctor if you have severe breathing problems, lung disease, or heart problems due to lung disease.
- Tell your doctor if you have severe stomach pain or a problem where your bowels do not work properly (like a blockage).
- Do not use if you have taken certain medicines called MAO inhibitors in the last two weeks.
- This medicine should not be given to patients who are unconscious (in a coma).
Show 7 more warnings
- Tell your doctor if you have a head injury (due to risk of increased brain pressure) or a history of seizures.
- Tell your doctor if you have severe liver or kidney problems.
- Do not drink alcohol while using this medicine, as it can make you very sleepy and dangerous.
- This medicine can be addictive; talk to your doctor if you are worried about becoming dependent.
- Do not stop taking this medicine suddenly without talking to your doctor, as it can cause withdrawal symptoms.
- This medicine is not recommended for children under 12 years old.
- Tell your doctor if you or someone else notices you have sleep-related breathing problems, like stopping breathing during sleep (sleep apnea).