Can I become dependent on or addicted to Exalgo?

It's possible to become dependent on or addicted to the powerful pain medication Exalgo (hydromorphone). Both dependency, in which your body will go into withdrawal if you stop taking a drug suddenly, and addiction, in which you take a drug more for pleasure than to relieve physical pain, are potential side effects of many pain drugs. However, they aren't inevitable. You're more at risk if you have a history of drug or alcohol abuse, so your doctor will need to know about that in order to decide if you can safely take Exalgo. And whether you have such a history or not, your doctor will put you on the lowest effective dose of Exalgo to minimize the chances that you become dependent on it or addicted to it, and he or she will monitor you carefully while you're taking it.