An opiate is any substance that comes from opium, and the opium poppy. heroin, morphine, codeine, hydrocodone(vicodin), oxycodone(oxycontin,percocet), fentanyl, tramadol. They are all opiates and narcotic analgesics (painkillers.)
I'll assume you mean "DILAUDID." Yes, both are mu-opioid agonists and work in a similar fashion. Typically, dilaudid (hydromorphone) is more efficacious (stronger) than morphine, but tends to last for shorter time. A patient that is in moderate pain may be given, for example: * 10mg Morphine Sulfate every 6 hours by I.M. injection * 2mg hydromorphine HCl, PRN (as needed) for breakthrough pain, by I.M. injection. In this instance, the doctors are using morphine to cover the pain in 6 hour blocks of time, while using the hydromorphone as needed for any pain that still remains.