Butrans 20mg To Duragesic 50mg Fentanyl Patch

After my doc saw the severity of my herniated discs, spinal stenosis, spondylothesis, deg.disc disease (severe), I was given Fentanyl (Duragesic) patches 50mg. My doc told me to start it 24 hrs after removing my Butrans patch i had on for only 3 weeks. Im eager to get this one on asap for pain relief. IF i put the Fentanyl patch on, would it work since i took off the Butrans patch 16 hours ago? Also, do you think i will be likely to overdose if i have never taken it before?

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Hello, Christine! How are you?

No, the Fentanyl patch will not work, if you put it on sooner than your doctor has instructed, so you'd just be wasting a patch.

The Buprenorphine in the Butrans takes a much stronger grip on your opiate receptors than other narcotics, so the Fentanyl will not be able to have an effect, until a few days after stopping the Butrans.

The FDA classifies this medication as a narcotic analgesic, so it has the potential to be habit forming and may cause side effects, such as nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth and constipation.

Is there anything else I can help with?

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Thank you. I did end up putting the Fentanyl patch on 18 hours after stopping the Butrans patch and am on my third fentanyl patch and haven't done the Butrans again. So my question is should the fentanyl be working now after 8 days of having it on since I did put it on less than 24 hrs after taking off the butrans? I haven't left the fentanyl patch off for any amount of time. Please let me know. Thank you.... yesterday was day 7 on my fentanyl patch and I felt I couldn't breath yesterday and lastnight. I was also having chest pain... anything familiar here?

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Yes, it usually only takes about 72 hours, so the Fentanyl should be working by now.

How are you feeling?

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Sounds like it is working and your OD'ing

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Christine,

I know you have not posted for a long time but wanted to know how you made out; as another poster stated you were having signs of potential overdose of the patch and wanted to know how you are now.

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30 years ago, I was in excellent physical condition having served in the airborne and kept up with my physical conditioning. It was about 6 AM and I was running down a road and a milk truck drove by and his mirror clipped me on my shoulder, knocking me down a 30 foot embankment, knocking me out. From what I was told, I was really mangled and unconscious. Many of the onlookers thought I was dead. Once I was taken up the embankment, I was rushed to the hospital and had an immediate back surgery because I could not feel anything below my waist. After the surgery, I started feeling my legs, but I was in great pain. The surgeon put me on Percocet for almost a year. I was still in great pain but he told me I would have get used to it. I went to a major hospital and was immediately operated on again. Same result. Still in great pain. After 5 major surgeries and an arrest for drug seeking, I finally was referred to a psychiatrist that specializes in chronic pain. He gave me pain meds and referred me to a GP. I went to him and was put on a 50 mcg Fentanyl patch and 30mg Oxycodone for breakthrough pain. I am now on 150mcg Fentanyl patches and a 30 mg Oxycodone every 4 hours for break through pain. I have been with this doctor for 13 years. For the most part, my pain is manageable, but once or twice a year, my doctor has to put me in the hospital for a few days to take me off my oxycodone and Fentanyl and puts me on morphine until my pain is manageable again. I have the best team of doctors helping me. I have a psychiatrist, neurologist pain management MD, a neurosurgeon, and my family doctor. I have to go through a significant process and have to see my family doctor every month and he takes blood and urine to make sure I am managing my meds. I was in great pain until they started to help me. I went through therapy treatment to get me off the narcotics, I went to narcotics anonymous, and many other programs, inpatient, lock-down, outpatient and analysis. I went from one doctor to another. They would give me a couple of refills and then drop me telling me I needed to get into drug therapy, but there is no way they would give me any more opiates. I was in pain so much, I couldn't think clearly. I went to a neurosurgeon and he asked me if I had been another doctor. I lied and he called me a drug seeker and he was calling the police. I left, but a few weeks later, a policeman, knocked on our door and my daughter answered the door, and the police told her I was under arrest. I was put in handcuffs in front of my daughters, my son, and my wife. I was taken to jail, stripped search and all the other legal things. The magistrate released me on my own. I contacted an attorney and he worked magic. I had to give urine once a month and 500 hours of community service. My record was expunged, then, my wife, a nurse, kicked me out of the house. All our money was a joint account which she closed and put the money in her name in another account. I left the house with about $80 dollars. I stayed with a friend for a week until payday and got my own place. That's when I got my psychiatrist (and a new wife, a teacher) and I told her everything. We've been married for 20 years and she knows everything. I went through hell for about12 years until I found my psychiatrist. However, legislators are trying to close the doors on people with chronic pain. Doctors are afraid to write prescriptions for narcotics. The DEA is regulating doctors and pretty soon, those of us with chronic pain will commit suicide

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That's exactly what I see happening, especially here in Commie-fornia. About 12 years ago, an ***** of a doctor switched me from 2 Tylenol 4's at bedtime to a 75mcg fentanyl patch. He kept upping the dose because I was still experiencing pain (from a repetitive-stress injury). I was on 175mcg, changing every 48 hours with Norco for breakthrough pain. Then one day, I called his office and was told that I was no longer a patient. No warning, for no reason, with no referral. Worse yet, the SECRETARY told me. I wasn't allowed to talk to the doctor, and they threatened to call the police if I didn't leave. So I had to detox cold-turkey. I ended up at the ER three times, but every time they called my ex-doctor, and he kept making up the most ludicrous stories to explain why he, in effect, was trying to give me a stroke, a heart attack, or make me end my own life. I lost 40 lbs. the first month, as I couldn't keep any food in my body. I couldn't be still--that alone nearly drove me to suicide, and because of that I couldn't sleep. Horrific femur and hip pain, painful goosebumps, continuous cold sweat, stomach cramps and diarrhea--and throughout, the question WHY? I had been so very careful to do nothing that would jeopardize my relationship with this doctor, because I knew even then that I was lucky to have a doctor who would adequately treat my pain. Plus, he was a very good General Practitioner.

From what I've seen happen in this county and across the country, I am pretty sure that the DEA was pressuring this doctor. He was probably worried about losing his license. Maybe a patient of his had been arrested or died because of something he prescribed. He must have had a reason to do what he did to me, but why didn't he tell me what was going on? Instead, he slandered me to other doctors, who of course believed him over me. It took me a year to finally get a referral to a pain clinic. That only came about because I drove to Co. Mental Health and said I couldn't take any more pain, withdrawal symptoms (I know, I should have been past that stage, but there is something called PAWS-Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome), and general misery. Luckily, I got an old guy who could see that if I could get the pain and withdrawal treated, I probably wouldn't want to kill myself. He was right.

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Re: f14pilot (# 6)

So true brother, so true

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