Fentanyl 50 Mcg/hour Transdermal Patch (Page 2)

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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OK I HAVE A QUESTION...I AM OPIOID TOLERANT...I WAS PRESCRIBED 10MG PERCOCET AND I WOULD END UP TAKING 8 OF THEM A DAY. SO THEY SWITCHED ME TO THE 25MCG FENT PATCH BUT IT DOESNT SEEM LIKE ITS HELPING SO I AM WONDERING IF I CAN WEAR 2 25MCG PATCHES AT A TIME? HE WAS GOING TO PRESCRIBE THE 50MCG BUT HE THOUGHT MY INSURANCE WOULD NOT COVER ME SO HE HAD TO GIVE ME THE 25'S! PLEASE HELP..I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO BUT THIS 1 PATCH ISNT WORKING

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I may have some answers that can be helpful to you. #1 don't be nervous. You can email me if you would like some insight about them. smiles.roxana at yahoo.

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I have been through 3 failed back surgeries with terrible pain in my foot, calf, leg, and lower back. I have been on most all of the meds. previously mentioned.

I want to warn all of you about the terrible withdrawals that are only hours away when you run out, or use all of your narcotic pain killers. It has taken me over a year to wean myself completely off of Oxycontin. Take your doctors warnings about tolerance seriously. I started with Vicodin, then Percocet, and over a 5-6 year period of time I was up to 480 mgs of Oxycontin per day.

The withdrawal, even with a very gradual decrease over an 8 month period of time, is the absolute worst thing a human being should have to endure. Please do your very best to stay at the lowest possible dose. As soon as you build up a tolerance and move to a higher dose of any narcotic you are getting deeper and deeper in trouble. So please stay on the lowest dose possible.

I am currently on the 50 mcg Fentynal patch. I am still in a ton of pain, but I am in a much better place than taking enough narcotic to kill a horse.

I wish you all the best of luck, I know what you are going through.

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I have als I got the 25 mg patch and it did not work, swithced me to the 50 mg patch still in a little pain but i will deal with it...also I takke 3 antidepressants one being zanax and I am fine..Good luck to all.

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I take (apply) Fentanyl patches and have everyday for the past 3 years. I have had certain times when I was able to use 25mcg every 48 hours but right now and for the most part is has been 62mcg every 48 hours. It is likely that I will take this for the rest of my life since without it, I am limited to bedrest and the pain is excrutiating. I also take 2 hydrocodone, 2 tizanidine (muscle relaxers), 1 Cymbalta and 1 Ambien CR daily. Prior to using the Fentanyl I was taking as many as 12-15 Hydrocodone a day. From my understanding, prolonged use of hydrocodone in large dosages is very harmful to the liver.

Other than the euphoria that set in when I first started using the Fentanyl, I have had no real side effects. They did find that I have developed a much lower Testosterone level, but that is overcome with a monthly hormone shot and it may or may not be related to the Fentanyl.

I would not be scared to use it, in fact, I think of it as a God-send. I hope you find that to be the case as well. Good luck!

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Im on my 3rd spinal fusion and I take Fentynly 50 mcg plus Roxicodone and xanax. The pain makes my BP and Heart rate rise so I also take metoprolol. The medicine helps but there is no magic pill or injection that will ever take the pain away. Remeber if you feel like you cant breathe just rip the patch off. And I feel like I cant breathe all the time but the key is to not panic, at all and focus on your senses like what you can smell and taste rather than im about to faint, because then panic sets in and man down. Good luck

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My situation seems to be very differently then everyone else. Rather than having all of the pains you all have, I have Fibromyalgia which is a disorder that attacks the nervous system and can cause extreme pain throughout the entire body at any given time. For the pain I was prescribed Percocet 10/625 4 times a day, which was a joke. In addition I was taking Savella twice a day and 600mg of Neurotin three times a day along with Ativan and Valium. I approached my doctor because I was sick and tired of taking oral pain medication and asked if there was one they recommended. At that time the patch recommended was Qutenza, which is not a patch that you can pick up from a pharmacy, it must be administered by the doctor and the patch does not stay on. It is administered for one hour and then is supposed to be effective for up to three months. Since it seemed like forever for the doctor's office to get the patch from the manufacturer I inquired about the Fentanyl patch. My doctor agreed for short-term treatment. He prescribed Fentanyl 50 mcg, 1 patch every 72 hours.

I have not really seem any vast improvement in the pain. The pain appeared to subside after about 12 hours, but then the pain came back at the 20-24 hour period.

I am not giving up and am hoping that the longer I use the patch the more effective it will work.

I have to admit after reading all the information about the patch I was excited because I felt I would finally receive extensive pain relief at least for the duration of the prescription. I just hope that the patch really gets rid of the pain. If anyone is familiar with Fibromyalgia then you understand the excruciating daily pain that is associated with the disorder.

Along with the patch, he also prescribed Vicoprofen for breakthrough pain. I can't take Percocet like I used to since I was recently diagnosed with a Liver disorder which has depressed me. I was diagnosed with Non-Alcoholic Fatty-Liver Cirrhosis. It was like punching me in the gut. I am just praying that this patch truly helps because my only other option is to use just the Vicoprofen, which does not relieve the pain in any manner.

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I have several arthritis/degenerative issues. Issues run from my neck, all down my spine, and even into both knees and feet. I've been on 40 mgs oxicontin with percocet for breakthrough for many years ..(6 yrs). For awhile now I've noticed that I'm simply not getting the pain relief ... I'v even been doubling my pills this last month of so but even that is just barely taking the edge off. I went to my specialist yesterday, took him all the pills I've been taking and said "No more!" Nothing is working and I suspect I've built up a pretty decent tolerance to the oxi's. So, here's my dilemma. My dr. took all my leftover pills and prescribed me with the 50 mcg Fentanyl patch/every 72 hrs. I took my last 40 mg oxicontin just about 6hrs ago ... is this too soon to add the patch? My pharmacist told me it takes 24-48 hrs for the new drug to get into my drug stream and to expect some withdrawl symptoms until that happens. Needless to say, this is really crappy timing for me - Not only do I have a TON of stuff do to this week, I have a job interview 2mrww! For those of you who have had experience with this transdermal patch would you please be so kind as to let me know what to expect regardging: How long til the meds make it into my system? Am I really looking at 24-48hrs of withdrawls? I cant do that again! About 3 1/2 yrs ago I decided I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired so I didn't get my new rx renewed. WOW!!!! Talk about feeling sick and tired!!! Withdrawls took that to a whole other level and it's really not something i wish to repeat.

Any information you have for me will be greatly appreciated. Thanksabunch! :) Lisa

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Lisa,
I am on 50mcg Fentanyl every 48 hours so I can stay off of too much BT meds. When You put your first patch on rub your hands together till the get a little warmer than usual and place your hand over your patch for 30 seconds. I was a nurse and that is how we were taught to activate the patch. It is also wise to cover it with a bioadhesice bandage like Opsite or Tegaderm, you can get them at most all of your big pharmacies or specialty med suppliers. When I put my first one on I noticed a significant change in my pain level within the first 24 hours. If you do not put that bandage on it will probably fall off in the shower by the second day. It is also smart to mark your patch with a Sharpie the day you need to change (I wear mine on my thigh so no one will notice it). Dn't tell anyone that you are on a patch, that will give drug abusers the idea that they can either "borrow" one or steal it from you. Pain med docs are not happy if you have to call in an early refill cause your patch keeps falling off. Do not soak in hot water or let the shower hit the patch for too long. The hotter the patch gets the more medication it releases and the sooner you have to change. I hope that you find relief without withdrawal. Reply back if you need any further help with your patch.
I wish you less pain tomorrow than youmexperience today.

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Can you test possitive for methadone/oxycodin while on suboxin? I have not had oxycodin in thee months. I am taking suboxin 2x per day.

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If you have not been on methadone or oxycodone in three months than you should not test positive. But depending on which level test they use you wil test positive for Suboxone but that test is extremely expensive and unless you are going for a very important executive corporate job I don't think the will use the expensive test. I wish you luck with your new job.

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JEANEAU .... Thank you for your response and advice. I've had the patch on for about 4 hours and I'm not feeling any kind of withdrawl symptoms, but no real pain relief either as of yet. I'll look for the tapes you mentioned tomorrow. My box of patches came with a bunch of stickers so I can remember when to change. Love your idea about wearing it on my leg! It's on my arm right now and since I'm in a cold climate that's no big deal but when the warmer weather comes it'll be an issue.
Best of luck to you with your pain management :) Thanks again,
Lisa

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I had to get off the patch because my fell off all the time being in the south heat made me crazy. I was fried by a pain mgmt doctor because they would fall off , then you call the 1800 on the box they casually tell you to flush it down the toliet. Then your short and call the dr they say sorry you have to wait till it's time to fill. You find out the hard way, it just went down hill. I hate that patch, funny thing was I didn't have any withdrawal except super high blood pressure.

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Mike, I'm not in the south but have alot of family in south florida. Actually, I live in Canada (lol please do not throw anything! I'm a nice Canuck!!)
That aside, the patch I got here in Canada looks almost like a peice of clear tape ... there's no 'gel' substance on it like I've been hearing from various places. It sticks great!! No problems bathing, showering, etc. Maybe you can ask about getting this kind of patch? Mine is from a company called ratiopharm and just says "ratio-fentanyl 50 mcgs"
Also, JEANEAU ... thanks again for your response. It's been about 24 hrs and I'm feeling much better. Knees and lower back still hurting pretty good but not as bad as before.

Lisa

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I have been on the patches for over 4 years. They work very well for me as they give you an even dose of pain medicine. I take Narco for break through pain. Any pain med can lead to drug seeking behavior. My doc says it depends on if you have an "addictive" personality or not. I have not had to up my dosage in over a year. I take clonaphan, narco's, neurotin, copaxone, ampyra, xxanx, using all as directed have never caused me any problems. I much prefer the patch over pills as you don't have to remember to take them on a daily basis. You will hear a lot of bad about the patches but most O.D.'s come from misuse just the same as with any of the pain killers. The Fentynal is more powerful then morphine and should give you the relief you are after. I started on a 25 and now use a 75 every 48 hours.
A GOOD pain doctor is the key and not drinking alcohol or you will end up with liver problems.
Good luck

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24char... I've noticed that pretty well everyone on this patch is also taking something for breakthrough pain. When I showed up at my dr's yesterday I gave him ALL my pills... including my perc's. I am wondering if this was an oversight on my dr's part b/c even my pharmacist mentioned that i would need to continue taking my percocet's for breakthrough pain. My dr. only works here in Canada Mon-Wed...he is then in Detroit Thursday thru Sunday. This might explain why I'm not getting the relief I'd hoped for ... oh well, can't do anything about it until I can get back in to see him, which is week after next (it's a 3 hr. drive one-way - blech!!!) Guess I'll have to rely on some OTC meds to help bridge the gap.
What are Narco's? I've heard them mentioned a few times now ... are they similar to percocet? In the area I live Percocet is basically 5/325 ... sometimes called Endocet.
Thanks to all who helped with my questions :) Here's to pain-free days ... well, ok, pain-managed days, I'll settle for that! I once told a dr. that I don't have good days anymore ... I have bad days and mediocre days. He then says "Are you depressed?" Well, duh! I told him that anyone who deals with debilitating pain every single day has some kind of depression!

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I think you are speaking of a reaction that YOU had as I also have P.T.S.D. from a job incident and take xanx and have also been on clonaphin, going back on that tomorrow and have NEVER had the type of experience that you describe. Both my pain doc. and shrink know what meds I am on and have NEVER mentioned that as a concern.

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If you were given Dilaudid at the hospital IV and you had a "bad feeling" as if you were going to die or have a heart attack or any other very powerful strange feeling it could be because it was "pushed" - meaning the nurse injected it into your iv line way too fast. This drug needs to be infused very, very slowly. The nurse should have had to wait about 5 minutes, injecting a small amount at a time. I am an RN and had the same experience. I felt horrible palpitations and flushed and my chest was pounding. Some nurses don't know how to administer this potent drug, especially iv or don't want to take the time to do it correctly because of their hectic schedule.

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Ok I think the patches are a great way for people to get relief from chronic back pain. They are safe as long as they are not chewed on. But I think u will find them to be very helpful for your pain. Especially if u continue taking your vicodin for breakthrough pain ( if u even had any on the patches they are effective)

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I HAVE A HERNIATED DISC AT C5 AND C 6
IM OPIOD TOLLERANT-NOTHING HELPSS...THE NORCO 10/325 HELPED A LIL BIT BUT NOT MUCH AND THAT WAS TAKING 4 AT A TIME-IM HAVING FUSION SURGERY SOON-APRIL OR MAY-NOW IM ON A 50MCG FENTANYL PATCH.....ILL LET YA KNOW HOW THAT GOES...I HEAR THEY HELP A LOT....LIFES A BITCH...LIFE WITH CHRONIC NECK AND BACK PAIN...WELL THATS A MEGA BITCH....AND THOSE OF YOU SHAKING YOUR HEADS CALLING US ADDICTS AND PILL HEADS....WALK A MILE FIRST THEN LET ME KNOW IF YOU COULD DEAL WITH LIFE IN PAIN LIKE THIS WITHOUT THE MEDS--IM A PRETTY TOUGH GUY...BUT THIS IS KILLIN ME.

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