Dilaudid is my favorite opiate, in all forms. I am not a huge fan of opiates in general. I used my medication for pain control. After using it for years and now tapering I get no euphoria whatsoever in any way shape or form from my medications. Not even if I take extra. For me there is virtually no recreational potential for my maitenence meds at normal doses, and I am trying to get off them gently......but the only times I was ever like 'OMG, this is fucking awesome' was when I was given dilaudid for severe pain. Morphine was boring, even IV, by comparison. Morphine and Fent are also a lot less effective for pain.
Nasally and even orally, I would take the 8mg of Dilaudid over the oxy. For somebody who is noob-ish, you can get two good doses from the Oxy at 30mg. You could get 2 strong doses from the Dilaudid nasally or under the tongue as well.
The 'cool' thing about oxy is its quasi stimulant effect, but then it just gets groggy at the upper levels as opposed to 'sleepy' like morphine.
Dilaudid has a heavier euphoria. It feels like a dirtier high, but very good. Its more 'downer' than oxy, but its not exactly sleepy like morphine. I didnt doze off when I was using Dilaudid and was able to stay awake and enjoy it, unlike morphine which I never enjoyed much.
Dilaudid is the most effective for pain, hands down (never tried Opana), and only moderate on the sedation scale. I would say its the most effective medication, even orally, for the most severe pain. I dont know if I could tapper from it as easily as Oxy or morphine, which I dont enjoy much, but if I was a doctor I would give it to cancer patients before knocking people out with morphine or using oxy which has a lower ceiling of effectiveness compared to dilaudid.
4mg Dialudid orally is similar to maybe 10-15mg oxy, depending on tolerance and personal chemistry. Nasally or sub-lingually it should be the better value to the oxy.
The good thing about oxy is that at the lower doses it leaves you functional, and some people like the quasi stimulant feeling at the sweet spot before the grog sets in. I dont think I could read or be as social on Diluadid compared to Oxy.
Edit: A complete noob might overdose on 15mg oxy. There was a time when 2 Vicodins would put me to sleep. 15mg is like 5.5 vicodins, which is too much for a noob. Be careful and stay safe. Being let down once in a while is better than not knowing your limits even once.