Fentanyl 50 Mcg/hour Transdermal Patch (Page 12)

I WAS PRESCRIBED THE 50 MCG/HR FENTANYL PATCH FOR CHRONIC BACK PAIN & DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE. I WAS GIVEN THE PRESCRIPTION SEVERAL WEEKS AGO. I JUST GOT IT FILLED 2 DAYS AGO BECAUSE I'M AFRIAD TO USE IT. I HAVE READ ALL THE PATIENT INFO, RESEARCHED IT ON THE NET & TALKED TO SEVERAL PHARMACISTS AS WELL AS MY PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN. ALL OF THE PHYSICIANS & PHARMACISTS TELL ME THAT THE PATCH WILL HELP ME WITH THE DAILY PAIN. THEY SAY THAT THE PATCH SHOULD NOT CAUSE ME ANY HARM BUT THE ONE TING THAT'S STOPPING ME FROM USING IT IS THE RESPIRATORY SIDE EFFECTS & POSSIBLE OVERDOSE. I'M SEEKING SOME ADVISE FROM PEOPLE THAT HAVE USED THIS DRUG BEFORE WHETHER IT WAS A GOOD OR BAD OUTCOME.

I AM OPOID TOLERANT BECAUSE I'VE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS PAIN FOR THE LAST 5-6 YEARS. WHEN I HAVE A BREAKTHROUGH OF PAIN & HAVE TO SEEK EMERGENCY TREATMENT OTHER PAIN MEDS GIVEN (IV OR IM) DON'T WORK ANYMORE. ER'S HAVE GIVEN ME MORPHINE & IT DOESN'T EVEN TAKE THE EDGE OFF THE PAIN. DILAUDID DOESN'T WORK UNLESS I'M GIVEN MORE THAN 3MG'S & THAT WEARS OFF AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR IF IT LASTS THAT LONG. WHEN I'M IN SEVERE PAIN MY PRESSURE RISES. I'M AFRAID OF THE PATCH B/C I DON'T WANT TO FAINT OR PASS OUT FROM A DROP IN MY PRESSURE. I'M CURRENTLY TAKING VICODIN 7.5/500 EVERY 4 HOURS. I HAVE NOW BUILT A TOLERANCE FOR THE VICODIN AND IT HAS BEEN CHANGED TO PERCOCET 5/325 & SOMETIMES I CAN TAKE UP TO 3 OF THEM EVERY 4 HOURS.

I'M ALSO ON OTHER MEDS THAT I BELIEVE WILL INTERACT WITH THE FENTANYL. I TAKE LEXAPRO, ATIVAN, CLONIDINE DAILY. I NEED SERIOUS HELP!!!

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Dear Scared'

Just put the damn fentynal patch on, i am on 50 mcg ( which are micromiigrams), it takes about 12 hours for it to start working so if you feel some of the side effects listed take it off. I am on clonazepam and also take 4mg of dialodud, i am thinking of increasing it to 75 mcg. I love it you put it on and then you don't have to worry about taking anything for 3 days. I have the same back issues.

Good choice

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Zar

I am both Dialodud & Fentynal And no you are not going to die. As long as your doctor has given u the proper dosage you should be just fine. Actually, when u are at the pharmacy take a small dose of your meds and sit there and wait for them to work. If you have and problems then they can surely help you if you are that unsure. I know my pharmasist is the most understanding and willing to help. The pharmasists know more about your medication than your doctor they have go 8 years of pharmacology as opposed to 7 years of General Practiioner or Medical Doctor

Dont be scared be very careful with your meds and in some cases with opiates only take them as needed. Just because you are given 4 pills a day doesnt mean you have to take 4 take less then your tolerance will stay lower and if you want stop opiates it will be better to take a pill only when you need one. Less is better. I know i have been on opiates for 10 years and am cut my meds down to lower level and very happy i did it!!!

Cheers

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I was put on 12mcg Fentanyl transdermal patch and its been 31hrs and still not able to tell a difference in pain level. How long is it suppose to take affect?

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Worried to death, l have been on Fentanyl for 3 yrs. A back injury changed me from a fit athletic woman to an overweight, disabled person. It took a month to get the dosing right when l first started on it. Yes, it can make you tired but being in chronic pain & not moving around can also do that. As a nurse, l can tell you that every single opiod painkiller states depressed respirations as a potential side effect. It is true. If you are worried, ask the doctor for a smaller strength patch. Mylan brand is the best one in my opinion & it comes in 12mcg, 25, 50, 75,... Usually doctors will start off with the lowest dose & go up if needed. I hope this helps.

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K, you may need to go up on the dosage. My pain was so bad l had to go up to 50 MCG then 62 (a 50mcg patch + a 12mcg). It should be working for you by now

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Jeremy, Fentanyl & Dilaudid are the 2 meds l needed to get relief from back pain. My advice is to start on the low dose of Fentanyl & work up as needed. After 1 year, l needed to have it ordered every 48 hours instead of the usual 3 days. I had noticed that l needed a lot more breakthrough pain meds on the 3rd day of my patch & my pharmacist actually recommended it. Now l am living in another state where every pain clinic treats you like a junkie. After having relief on 75mcg Fentanyl & 8 mg Dilaudid prn (up to 4 pills a day).l am now in agony because my new doctor "weaned" me down to 25mcg and the useless 2mg twice a day.

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Miss Molly, my advice is NOT to say you "love" Fentanyl because you will get labeled. LOL. My comments may seem a bit jaded but l have been feeling a lot of pain lately. My new pain mis-management doc hates writing for Fentanyl & has weaned my meds rapidly. Last appointment she told me that she wouldn't write for meds much longer & l "need" to have a 15k procedure to burn the nerves in my back. Grrrrrr! Anyway, sorry for the tangent. I would recommend trying to hold off going up to 75 MCG as long as you can. It felt like a big jump to me anyway. I used a 50mcg patch + a 12mcg. I noticed that l only needed 0- 2 breakthrough pills on days 1 & 2, but used all 4 pills on day 3 because the pain was awful. Have you tried changing the patch every 2 days? It was a lifesaver for me, no huge drop off in pain relief. Good luck!

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Im on the patches.
Right side of body is blood TO the heart, left side of body is AWAY from heart.
For best results, shave area of all hairs.
Do not put it where you will lay on it.
Increasing the temp of the patch and arm will open pores and allow more medicine to pass through prematurely.
The best place I have found is under the right arm. I use TWO application sites and alternate between the two.
A hot shower can also allow premature amounts to pass through.
If theyre the older ones which have the liquid gel inside, I leave it on until you rub it slightly, and do not feel 'slippery'
The newer foil ones I actually leave on for 96 hrs. I overlap the patches by 24hrs. YOU WILL GET UNBELIEVABLY SICK IF ALLOWED TO WEAR OFF.
Third day I usually put new one on.
But do not remove old one until minimum 12 hrs after applying new ones.

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Cloneguyz, l agree with you regarding leaving old patch on while allowing new patch to kick in. I also use two sites (just below bicep on each arm). You mentioned, pre & post ductal sites. Does that have anything to do with absorption? Being transdermal l didn't think it would but l am curious what your thoughts are. Thanks

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Ha good luck with the patch then you probably won't feel a thing. I have DDD; fibro; OE; spinal stenosis and i am on 50 mcg and i might as well be wearing nothing because it does nothing. I also have to take Dialodud for breakthrough and i find that it really helps me. I am currently having a problem with my pain doctor he has cut me back on my dialodud 4mg - 2times a day. Down from 3. - 8mg. I am going to ask him to put me back on my dialodud and ditch this patch Not only is useless but it does not doo anything to your breathing. I have extreme pain. #10+ on the pain scale. What really does work is the marihuana oil. Or if want have your doc perscribe the THC pills they are man made. I get really headaches due the pain. I am ready to change doctors but where i live (rural) we have a shortage if doctors and the ones we have here wont perscribe opiods. Also, you might consider Valium for your lower back i hear that it really helps relax the muscles. It feels like someone is scraping my back with a dull knife and then i get the odd muscle spasm pain which drops me to my knees. I spend most of my day lying on a heating pad in horrible pain. Awake all night cause the sleeping pills they gave me dont work at all. Dont worry about the patch causing those side effects. I have sleep apnea so when i go to be i use a CPAP machine and it pushes the air through my nose so its unlikely that it will slow my breathing down.

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It seems to be the most effective oveall.
(Sleeping, working, showers, etc.)
For strength. I used to have my wife shave the back of my neck over my 2nd-3rd vertebra. That was too much too fast. Immediately absorbed into CNS and can pass blood-brain barrier.
But the opposing arms seem to be mosteffective. My friend suggested the right arm in-left arm out theory.
I havent investigated it though.

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Well i guess i need to ask my doc to up me to 8 mg 3 times a day. Mornings and evenings are the worst. Fortunately i am taking marihuana oil which lasts for 12 hours. If you can get your hands on some try it. Then u can maybe get better pain relief. I am in Canada so right now its all over here in BC. Ya they treat you like you are a junkie i agree. I went for 2 years no UA's. Then every 2nd month UA's. And guess what i got a false reading or whatever. So. There are days i just shouldnt see my doctor. He is the only pain/methadone doctor (he tried pushing that stuff on me as well) in the small town so he has people lying to him everyday 20 times a day

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I always leave the old patch on when I put the new one on since only wear it for 2 days I just wear the old one until the day I change. Find have the patch I would the a crazy maniac. They work for me especially with the 15 milligrams of oxycodone 4 times a day. I've never had any problems with these patches, I can feel in sometime but I rather not feel pain and be high.

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My question relates to the delivery system. I have been prescribed the Fentanyl 50 MCG/Hr Patch. I peel off the back of the patch and stick on but it never stays put. I don't understand how the drugs seep from the plastic to your skin.I don't know how to get the patch to stay where I d tick it on. I have used First Aid tape, scotch tape, and bandages.
Does anyone else have this embarrassing problem? Do you have the solution? Please hep me if you have the answer. Thanks ever so much!

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Jack 3 things frightened me xanax,hydromorphone, & your age 61 . those things mixed with fetanal is the reason you had to gasp for air. Regardless of being tolerant to xanax those cause respiratory failure as well as fentanyl. So my personal opinion is nobody should ever be on xanax with such a strong medicine as fentanyl . 2 respiratory depressing meds. Dont mix. And if you been on xanax so long it doesn't work the same so praying you Dont take more than prescribed. I'm on 50 MCG coming from 4 /30mg & 4/10mg oxycodone daily. I'm happy I Dont have to take 8 pills a day anymore but unhappy that I stay in pain daily with this patch and due to new laws & doctors not wanting to prescribe more than that I'm miserable but I continue to pray over my pain. Several herinated disc dgd in my low back & herinated disc in my neck & they are all on the sciatic nerve. I wish doctors knew how we really feel with inadequate pain relief instead of thinking people are drug seeking. Some probably are. But us with real severe pain aren't we just want to live normal. Good luck john.

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hi, I also have had chronic pain for a long time (7 years). I have been on Fentanyl for about 5 years, was on VIcodin and Oxy before I was on the patch. I also take one oxycodone for breakthrough pain but i too am still in pain. BUT I do rest daily to help it go down. I do muscle relaxers and dont work full time so I dont stress my nervous system.

Do you work ? Nap? eat healthy? try to destress? use ointments? what kind of pain do you have? I was rear ended in 2006 so I had a severe neck and head injury. It damaged my neck structure and also my brain has programmed the response as exaggerated and I think all CP is somewhat in the nervous system. I hope you have some better days soon. u can e mail me directly too:
{edited for privacy} Blessings, V, Colorado

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Deseana, the medication is gradually absorbed through the skin but it usually takes about 6 hours to begin feeling pain relief. I also had trouble with them staying on but eventually found the best way to apply them. Mylan brand is best in my opinion.
1. Find a place that you won't be constantly bending - for me it my arm, just below the bicep. 2. Make sure that the area is clean, dry and free of lotion, deodorant, etc. 3. I use a hair dryer to briefly warm the area, then l apply the patch keeping my hand over the site for a good 3-5 minutes. I hope this helps!

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I've been on the fentanyl patch for 7 yrs. I started out with morphine and when my does got to high I started with 25 's @ 72 hrs. over time I've increased to 100 but couldn't handle the side effects. I'm a small frame person so I didn't want to loose any more weight. My Dr. switched me back to the 75's and I change it every 48 hrs. This has worked great for me, I know with every increase I would get sick to my stomach and have some bad headaches but like I said I didn't want to loose weight. I also take percocet 4/5 a day. Anyone starting this med or increasing the dose will feel some kind of effect. They only last a couple of days so just be patient because for me I've been able to live a better life and I don't ever feel high. I function the same as I did just without the incredible pain that I use to have. I use the clear patches ( I prefer them they are much smaller than the jell ones ) and I make sure that my skin is clean and dry before I put it on. I bathe every day and never had one come off just the opposite. Sometimes it tears at my skin when I remove it so I do it in the bath and peel at it slowly. Just remember to replace your patch because you will start to suffer with drawals and it takes hours for the feeling to go away.......

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yes would be nice to find a dr who is attentive to the needs of his patients.

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hpe to find a dr who will help me . Is colorado a nice place? Can u get help with pain there without hassles from people or dr's?

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