The Situation's prescription drug addiction included Dilaudid, Xanax, and Ambien

The Situation’s prescription drug addiction included Dilaudid, Xanax, and Ambien

Apr, 03, 2012 | AUTHOR: Starcasm Staff; | Related : Jersey Shore, The Situation

The Situation is in rehab for prescription drug abuse

When Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino checked himself into the Cirque Lodge rehabilitation facility a couple weeks ago he revealed to admissions counselors that he used prescription drugs Xanax and Ambien excessively. But now it is being reported that his problem was much worse than he let on because he was also abusing the prescription pain drug Dilaudid.

“Mike was taking unbelievable amounts of Dilaudid along with Xanax and Ambien. Mike was taking about 20-30 pills a day which easily could have killed him. Mike is very lucky that he didn’t overdose and die, because the amount of prescription drugs was that high and deadly. It was very easy for Mike to get the prescription drugs, and he got them from more than one doctor. It’s very likely that his physicians were unaware that he was taking all three of the prescription drugs. Mike would also drink alcohol while he was taking the pills which obviously could have had a horrible outcome for him. Everyone around him is hopeful he will stay sober once he leaves Cirque Lodge,” an insider tells Radar Online.

The source goes on to say The Situation had “become dependent on prescription pills to counter-act other his hard partying lifestyle, which included illegal substances. Mike was in a vicious cycle of not sleeping because of the illegal substances that he was taking, so he began using prescription pills to help him sleep. Mike would refer to the prescriptions pills as ‘downers.’ The good news is that he was the one that wanted to get help and checked into rehab. Hopefully with the proper treatment, Mike will be able to lead a sober life.”

MTV has announced there will be a Jersey Shore Season 6 (with a pregnant Snooki) and The Situation does plan on participating. With his issues and Snooki’s pregnancy, the dynamic in the house is sure to be dramatically different than what fans are used to – to say the least. Sadly, The Sitch is probably going to be even more marginalized now that he was in seasons in 4 and 5. Snooki being pregnant – I have no earthly idea what that’ll be like.

(TBH, I had never heard of Dilaudid before. Any of our readers had any experiences with the drug?)

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Dre

Dilaudid is up there with straight morphine and heroin. STROOOOONG SH**.
beat_rice

Dilauded is a pain killer, like morphine, but stronger, my friend had surgery for prostate cancer and was perscibed these.
Leave the Pills to those who need them to live…

Yes, I take Dilaudid on a daily basis. It is a heavy duty pain killer, I also take Fentanyl, and Roxicodone. I have 2 ruptured disks, degenerative disk disease, and a pinched nerve. I also have Sciatica going down the back of both legs. I also have had two failed knee replacement surgeries. Theres no fixing it. They want to fuse my spine and put a rod in it, I REFUSE to do any more surgery. Not to mention there is only a 50/50 chance my bak pain would get any better. Im not risking it to get worse… I would literally kill myself. The pain is so bad. I also take Ambien because of the fact that the pain keeps me awake, I cant get comfortable. I would LOVE to go to rehab, however, if I dont take these pills, I WILL kill myself. I can NOT exist without them. These are the ONLY things that allow me to have a life. Or otherwise I would be in bed 24/7, sometimes I still am because my back and knees go out when the weather is wet and really cold. I also take Ativan (like Xanax) because I have been so used to staying inside these past 3 1/2 years I get total anxiety attacks and panic attacks when I DO go out in public. I usually only go when I absolutely have to leave the house. Its awful. It makes me sick that people take this shit for recreational use. I never got high off this stuff because I was taking it for what it was supposed to be taken for. SEVERE PAIN> and I HATE IT.. Pain has ruined my life.
- Lala
  
  That is horrible. Pain is horrible. This is going to sound bad but it is the truth…
  You are over medicated and need help/rehab. The difference between a therapeutic chronic pain management patient who is opioid-dependent vs an addict is this: when a person is taking narcotics for pain only, they change course when the meds stop working properly. In your situation, you are not getting adequate pain relief yet you are continuing to take a whopper of a combo of lethal narcotics. It’s really time to cut back. You will find that the drugs work better at lower doses. Also, you will really be in trouble in the future should you need surgery or other pain management because you are already taking an inordinate amount of medication. If one person is prescribing all those drugs to you at once, they are not really looking out for your best interests nor are they truly concerned about managing your pain long term (and please don’t get additional surgeries — you are correct, they aren’t worth the risk and are likely to cause other harm).
- Allorra
  
  I feel your pain. having to take pain pill to get through the day is NOT fun. I hate it when someone else comments on your life, when you have to live it the way that lets you get through your day. I also have to take pain medication just to live. I would give anything in the world not to have to take it. otherwise, I too would be in bed 24/7 and again, I am sometimes just because my pills do not totally erase the pain. god bless you and I hope you have a good day
Junebug

Ugh..i can not stand when ppl like him wear rosarys for fashion accessorys. Its kind of insulting..anyways i hope he gets better..
Erika

Makes you crazy, kinds like the way he behaved in Italy while fighting Ron (himself) and running into the wall. But worse
amy

I have taken Dialudid in the hospital for pain since I cant have straight morphine. This is a morphine mix of drugs. The scene where Mike was on the roof with his junk hanging out-he was probably hyped on them. He was rambling, sweaty, and barely awake. All side effects. I can barely stay awake for more than 10 minutes after a liquid dose. Not sure about pill but if you build up an immunity to this stuff you are going to have a hard time with pain relief in the future.
MD

Im a physician. Dialaudid is a narcotic painkiller. It’s stronger than morphine and is frequently abused. There’s no reason he should have ever received legal prescriptions for the drug dilaudid, which is used for cancer pain and other similar situations. His addiction is obviously severe, coupled with his apparent use of illegal street drugs (cocaine? Meth?) and his pattern of using drug after drug. It’s going to be a very long recovery with a very high likelihood of relapse. I dont know how he would be able to return to that environment to shoot another season — especially so soon — while staying sober. It doesn’t seem possible.
Jessica

They will give dialudid if someone has allergic reactions to morphine. I know someone who had surgery and had a reaction to morphine, so they gave them that instead.
Me

Dilaudid is synthetic form of morphine. Hydromorphone is its generic name. I’ve taken it once in the form of an intramuscular injection at the hospital and was sent home. Fell asleep within 2 hours of the dose. I don’t usually get drowsy from opiates either.

This is the same drug Lindsay Lohan was taken a couple years ago during her cocaine time. She was probably using it in the same way Sitch was, as a downer. It’s also one of the drugs Anna Nicole Smith’s psychiatrist Kristine Eroshevich tried to get sent to Anna in the Bahamas but was blocked from doing so.
Kasey

Dialudid is a step down from morphine. Its usually what they give you upon leaving the hospital to ween you off the straight morphine. I’d like to know what doctor prescribed him that.. clearly he has no obvious pain or injuries that would justify a dilaudid script. You can tell him and ‘the unit’ are more then drunk in alot of episodes. any of those pills mixed with booze and the ‘illegal substance that he couldnt sleep from (cocaine)’ would explain his random douchebag outrages, obsession with grenades, excessive sweating, slamming his head into concrete (italy), and EXTREME paranoia (the camping episode). However I do feel like all this is somehow mtv staged. While the entire cast is still in high demand right now.. there’s only so many episodes you can run of ronnie and sammie fighting, snookie white girl wasted, deena depressed, and pauly screaming obnoxious shit. I heard after the first season they offered ‘bonus’s’ to ron and sam if she would get pregnant… hmmm. All of sudden Mike is completely open with his drug problem.. celebs usually try to hide that kind of stuff… especially if they are going to film another season. I smell pay off’s….
- Jesse James
  
  Ummm sorry, and not to disrespect, but diluadid is much, much stronger than morphine. That’s why addicts will say they are allergic to morphine prior to surgery, so they can can get dilaudid instead.
  
  But just to clear things up Dilaudid (hydromorphone) is 5 to 6 times stronger than morphine. 10 mg morphine is equivalent to 1.5 mg dilaudid. This is why morphine is typically prescribed in 2, 4, and 8 mg doses and morphine is prescribed in 10, 20, 30, 60, and 100 mg doses. Because you need alot more morphine to get the same pain relief effects that dilaudid has. From personal experience and conversations with other addicts in rehab, IV dilaudid is in some opinions a stronger rush than heroin.
  
  See article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydromorphone
KT

Dilaudid is a synthetic morphine. I have been addicted to it before, along with Xanax and it is a very intense high & very deadly. I have been clean for sometime now, it was hard….but possible! I wish him all the luck, and hopefully whoever is treating him is aware that his decision to stay in the public eye might not be very smart. One little trigger can send someone over the edge after being addicted. I always thought there was something a little familiar about his actions, but I just figured he was drinking way too much. Good luck to him & anyone else suffering with this awful disease.
Punkin003

Dilaudid- injectable norcotic pain reliever.
jennifer

My daughter was given a dilaudid shot when she suffered an infection after having her widsom teeth pulled. I can’t IMAGINE being on it every day plus the other drugs. I hope he can stay clean.
RN

Dilaudid is a controlled substance class #2 medicine, meaning it is highly potent… it is given for long term pain management, ie cancer, chronic long term ailments that aren’t going to get better. It is available in injectible (i.v.), oral (pills)and intrathecal (spinal) doses. I wish him well in his recovery.
Katrina

I was addicted to heroin for sometime & I used dilauded a few times just to change it up. Even though I was using extremely hard stuff(heroin), dilauded still was potent enough for me to feel it. I have been clean for several years & at times, it is still a daily struggle to stay clean so I wish him luck because it is going to be a long, hard road if he is serious about getting clean.

I also think being a part of the sixth season is a TERRIBLE idea- but that’s just my opinion!
jkind

its hard to get get high off dilaudid, by eating or snorting it at least, ive tried, even mixed it with xanax (i really only felt the benzo). its not nearly as good as oxycodone its really not a euphoric feeling unless you shoot it up from what ive heard and id never do that, if your addicted to opiates it will keep you from getting sick if you do enough. so if stich was trying to get high he was probly shooting, we all know from the guys obvious steroid use that he isnt afraid of needles sooooo….
- Jesse James
  
  Yeah I used to feel the same way until shooting it. IV dilaudid puts roxy/oxy to shame in terms of the initial rush. The following high is debatable, but by no means will IV dilaudid not get you high.
  - Amanda
    
    I was on drugs (pain pills mostly) for 10 years…when I couldn’t afford the oxy’s anymore, I started shooting k4 Dilaudid, and I was definitely hooked! I had only snorted pills until then, and you really don’t get high unless you shoot them. I’ve been clean for 5 years now and hope to never go back to that
- wendy
  
  They were not my fav. when I was using drugs….But I’m 5 years sober & feel better then I ever have….. Its a crappy way to live not being able to do anything with out Ur pills…
jkind

good for him for trying to get clean though it took me over a year to get clean on my own
catdoc

I doubt these meds were prescribed to him, even though they are “prescription” medications. One of his enablers probably hooked him up with a dealer.
Jesse James

Based on the partying lifestyle he appears to maintain, I’d say he was getting these drugs just as alot of the pill-users are in today’s society. By doctor shopping and going to various Pain Management Clinics which are so prevalent down here in Florida that you can find one on pretty much every corner. The feds have started cracking down on them but alot of the users do have some kind of pain issue, one which likely does not require high grade medications (oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydromorphone); however, the patient states that the lower grade drugs arent relieving their pain, and then boom, they’ve got their pills of choice.
Marissa

“DILAUDID?” Dilaudid is a very extreme drug, online with Morphine, only in my opinion has WORSE side effects. It really should only be used for serious post surgery pain relief, or sadly, for those who are DYING. It can have nightmarish side effects, and extremely bad reactions are not uncommon. Michael is very, VERY fortunate that he is alive. I’m actually stunned that he is alive, now knowing what he was taking. ANY of the aforementioned drugs that Sitch was taking can cause fatal overdose if abused, ANY of them. Thousands die from taking too much Ambien or Xanax, particularly when combined with alcohol or narcotic pain relievers. Ambien is particularly nasty when abused and exceptionally hard to kick. Professional help is always needed, and it must be weaned.

My experience with Dilaudid was a hellish one. I was in the hospital, recovering from an emergency ovarian removal surgery. Yes, I was in horrific pain. But when my Doctor started a Dilaudid drip I started having side effects and panic attacks that were so severe, the night nurses called my Dr. in the middle of the night in a panic. I was hallucinating, thought I was going to die, was becoming literally catatonic. I had NEVER experienced any of these symptoms, aside from panic attacks, before in my life!! Since I am allergic to Morphine my physician said we really had no other recourse but to take oral capsules of oxycodone while I recovered. Then I couldn’t take that, as I was still having panic attacks. SO, he put me on capsules of Vicodin for my severe post surgery pain. NO, it was NOT nearly enough to keep me comfortable, but we simply had no choice. I was NOT willing to go back to the hellish side effects of Dilaudid, so I simply lived with some degree of pain until I recovered a couple of weeks later.

I will NEVER take Dilaudid again, and am always surprised that people actually abuse this insane drug in a recreational manner.

My heart goes out to Michael, and anyone who is enslaved by these awful drugs. I would encourage anyone going through this to SEEK HELP!! THERE IS HELP TO BE FOUND! It will not be an overnight recovery, but a patient can get to feeling better fairly quickly. You WILL LOVE your new found presence of mind, and feel like you have are alive again once the addiction is under control!!
- wendy
  
  I did it 5 years of doing drugs and now 5 years of being sober !!!
wendy

This is so sad, I know first hand how hard it is to “kick” I’ve been there done that… I have now been sober for 5 years ) But there is NO way I could of done it at the Jersey Shore!!! But he seems to be doing well….
Chris

Dilaudid gets given regularly to my patients by their surgeons. Fast acting temporary painkiller, I have had it, injected IV, with no side fx other than dizziness, lasted about an hour (gall bladder attack in emerg). Not that extreme. The nurse told me a lot of people don’t feel it (I personally was unable to walk unassisted). Morphine I find very pleasant, not this. I can’t see it being worth getting addicted to; mind you, I can’t really see the value in that with any drug.
http://www.facebook.com/hailey.meezan Hailey Meezan

Dilaudid is a very strong narcotic to combat pain. I was prescribed it in the hospital after having my appendix removed. It was given to me through my IV. I don’t know if they even have it in a pill form. After about 3 days of taking it, they just started giving me Advil. I can see how it would be addictive.
c999

Ok, dilaudid is NOTTTTT that serious… these other ppl are just not use to seeing such an extreme painkiller be abused.. and there is NO way he was getting perscribed them unless he was in serious pain.. i was addicted to oxy 30′s and heroin for along time and i would need 3-4 times amount of dilaudid just to stay OUT of withdrawals from oxy/heroin…