My husband is on a dilaudid pump since he has cancer and at the point he can't sleep. is this a side effect?

Maybe: It is not clear from your question if the Dilaudid was adminstered before or after you husband had trouble sleeping. I will assume that you are wondering whether the Dilaudid is causing his difficulty sleeping. Perhaps. Some people feel "jumpy" or agitated, and may need to try a different pain medication. I hope this helps you.

Not likely: Dilaudid usually causes pain relief and promotes a sleep state. However if you are not getting any pain relief and cannot sleep it is likely related to the underlying disease.

Probably not: While Dilaudid is a potent pain medication, however tolerance builds really quickly with dilaudid. The same dose of medication that worked a few days ago may no work again now and the body will require higher, higher and , much higher dose. He could not sleep may be related to the pain that is not well controlled or could be other causes - i.e. Depression, new environment- hooked up with pump etc.