Fentanyl Patches Killing People! (Page 7)

I would like to know WHY the FDA has not taken the Fentanyl Patch off the market? This drug is being handed out like candy. Anyone who is not terminal or under Hospice care or in a hospital invironment should not be using this drug. Why would a person be prescribed a medication that is 80 times stronger than morphine for a backache. I do not believe patients know how powerful this medication is. The warning should be labled in RED. When are you FDA going to realize This medication is killing while relieving pain! I know because it killed my son.

REPLY

REPORT

I have been on fentanyl for over twenty years. I have a method of making sure I only use one patch ever 48 hours. As this is how it is prescribed to me because every 72 hours I was still at borderline pain. It was prescribed to me because they didn’t want to see me in pain every 5 hours with other pain drugs. Sorry you lost your son but you can’t take your anger out on the drug that works for others. Every month I open up my packs and sit down and I label the outside by day of the week that need to be changed. Example: mon, wed, fri, sun, tues, thurs, sat etc. This prevents me from taking any earlier. I sit down at 7pm daily and on the day I need to change my patch I take off the old one and place the new one on the opposite side I took the old one off.

I’ve never drank while on this medication because I have a strong desire to live. I’m against recreation users as they are the reason why pain patients get so much flack and we lose our rights to certain drugs that have helped me live a longer life. There have been many suicides due to this drug being taken from patients as they can’t tolerate the pain. My pain was so severe I got no sleep and didn’t want to live. If they took this drug away I’m sure I would be one of those. I don’t think they’d be any deaths if people took the drug like I do.

I’m also on hydrocodone which I take at night because after standing and living where I can function again. I get pain down my spine but not like it was before. At least now I’m not paralyzed from the neck down and can walk again. After cervical surgery and one of the best Nevro stimulators which had to be removed due to a staph infection. I am living life close to normal with having to lay down during the day. It’s up and down but I’ll take that over not being able to function. I had to speak out because it’s people like you that don’t understand not having to live in pain that have what works for me taken away. My family having to suffer your fate of not having me around. Because I have not forgotten the level of pain which made me not want to live. I get reminded if one of my patches fall off it takes five hours for it to work. I keep all my medications locked up and used patches taken to the police dept for disposal. I am able to live now from 42 to 63 and see three grandchildren. My life is priceless because of this drug.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Krazycatlady (# 120)

I should have stated as well that I do sympathize with the chronic pain patients who claim Fentanyl is the only medication available that eases their pain, I really do. However, I was once addicted to Lorcet, Percocets, Lortabs but haven't taken any Narcotic pain meds for over 10 years now and I know what it's like to do without, BUT ....THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU & I is...... I had no legitimate pain to complain about. I wanted them and abused them (40 Lorcets daily) simply because they made me feel great, gave me energy & I will always claim Lorcets improved my depression tremendously. That isn't something any professional is going to accept or believe but I'm not the only one who claims the same thing. It is sad when you are an honest person who is in chronic pain and who does currently have a pain management doctor but has to suffer with extreme anxiety in addition to their pain because they have to worry about losing their PM Doctor possibly for little or no reason at all. That is so unfair and quite frankly in my opinion and what I've seen so far with lots of PM Doctors is that they themselves seem to be mentally unstable somewhat, they are peculiar and they seem to move around a lot and are in my opinion very unprofessional, or can be. At least that's been my experience with some of them in the past. I do wish you well and understand and can relate somewhat to what you are going through.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: kf3355705 (# 122)

You are so right! In all ways! They are always odd or weird and they know that there is not a lot of PM Doctors to choose from so you're at their mercy.

I have gone through 4 PM doctors since 2008! One committed suicide, another started being a medical Marijuana doctor and because she was doing both in the very beginning (like a month or so) the DEA literally came in and busted her! Saying she didn't give her patients a physical check up?? Please!!

What really pisses me off is the way the Government treats people with real Chronic pain issues, taking away our ability to get treatment! Not everyone is on medication to get high. Doctors make people jump through hoops and most of the doctors end up quitting! I wish I didn't have the Chronic pain issues that I have. I hate the monthly crap I have to go through!

My last doctor was the best doctor I ever had period, I had for all my health issues, I literally ran all my issues by him, would get him copies of all my different test results and he even recommended certain GI specialist because I was in the hospital for 7 weeks needing abdominal surgery from an ulcer that abscessed and perforated and my stomach wall.

I actually looked forward to my monthly visit with him to discuss my other health issues with him, he was so intelligent and caring. And he was not a doctor who gave to much of medication, although he was accused of it! And they took his license away! He was a doctor who wasn't afraid to speak up about the corruption going on! He actually tried to change my medication when I first started going to him and I was in so much pain not to mention sick!

So he put me back on my medication I had been on for at least 9 to 10 years. Then the doctor who took over for him did the same exact thing to me, put me on the same medication he had tried even though I told him we had tried that. Thank God after weeks of being sick not to mention my insurance company wouldn't authorize it, and It took me a week to actually get it, and I had to pay an extra $70.

He has in mercy put me back to my regular medication of the fentanyl patch and percocet. Which is what my Insurance company recommended when they wouldn't authorize the other medication??

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

I’m so sorry for your loss. I’m a grandmother who is the guardian of 2 grandkids. I wouldn’t be able to function without my fentanyl patch. I agree that these types of drugs are a deal with the devil. But I’ve tried everything else since my accident. You see I can barely move , I went through my windshield and messed up my neck and back. I refuse any more surgery. I’m in more pain after each procedure. I’m sorry about what happened to your family.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

It killed your son because he didn’t use the medication properly. I have been on fentanyl for over twenty years. Every month I write on the patches that day of the week that I need to change it. I was on 100 mcg before my surgery and was able to bring the dose down to 12mcg after but then I was having pain in a different location of my spine. You don’t understand chronic pain because you are not the one in pain I went months in pain and didn’t get any sleep and couldn’t function. We had to bring the dose up until it controlled my pain at 50 mcg. My pain is now controlled and I’m able to function now. I’m not drugged up like some people who lie about their pain. I’m not a person who ever like to take any medication and was not a drug abuser. I would not be alive today if it wasn’t for the medication. I had a good friend who was on Demerol injection at home. I called her doctor because she was forgetting when she last took her meds and was so drugged up . I got her over to my doctor and she was going to go to a rehab in a different state and I planned to travel with her unfortunately she died from her meds and I blame the doctor because he was not trained in pain meds which is a simple two year course. No doctor should be prescribing pain meds without that course and should be sending all pain patients to pain management doctors. I was lucky to have a good doctor who was an anesthesiologist. I’ve had a few doctors that I’ve actually fired for their lack of understanding and very negative personalities. You have to take your health in your hands. No one knows your body like yourself. Make sure your doctor is trained in pain if not find and get a Refurral to a pain management doctor. No doctor should be prescribing pain drugs unless they are pain management trained and our government should see this and stop reg doctors from prescribing long term pain drugs. That is my experience and personal opinion and I stand by it.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Sus (# 124)

In your situation if you go off the patch you many not be able to function to care for your grand kids. I also am caring and adopted my one grandson. If it wasn’t for my fentanyl I’d not be able to care for him. I’ve had him since he was one and now is five. I’ve been on fentanyl for over twenty years and my pain is controlled and I realize it’s a death penalty taking it but there is no miracle pain relief. So fentanyl is where I’ll need to stay. I had a stimulator put in and one of the best the one thing I hated was charging the battery every day. The worst thing was I got an infection so bad I really thought I was going to die. I couldn’t even walk into the hospital from the taxi. My surgeon came to my home to see me and was going to take me himself. It took weeks for me to get my energy back and really have a fear of trying it again. The cdc had to come and test me for the infection I got.my choice was clear it’s stay on fentanyl as much as I wanted to get off the meds.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Re: Mel (# 126)

I have a question unrelated to the topic . How hard was the adoption process. started the process with our grandson today. We jus paid the attorney

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

This might surprise you, but the 'strength' of any medication is not really relevant! If it's 'powerful' on a wgt basis, you give LESS, and conversely, if it's on the 'weak side', you give more! So, we might reconstruct your comment to suggest that the amount of fentanyl administered in a patch form is too high!

So, the answer is to LOWER the concentration of fentanyl in a patch! It's true that the 'duration of a drug 'positive effects' might be shorter if 'fewer molecules' are given, but the answer to that is to decrease the 'time interval between doses'...

These are basic pharmacological concepts in the world of medicine...

tkjtkj, M.D. (Ret.)

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I am sorry for your loss as a mother of a deceased child I know your pain. I loss my son 8 years ago not from fentanyl. In the early 2000s I was on the patches after cervical spine surgery 3 100mg every 3 days. I did exactly as prescribed came off the patches 100mg at a time without withdrawal symptoms. The medication was a life saver for me I was able to go on with my career. I don't mean to sound insensitive to your pain, but my opinion, the medication is safe as long as it is used as described. Again, I am sorry for your loss.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Re: Mel (# 126)

I’ve been on fentanyl for over twenty years now. All my doctors will tell you I function just as normal as a person not on any drugs. My adopting my grandson had really nothing to do with the meds I take other than I must keep them under double lock which I do. I went through the foster program for a year and then onto the adoption process and they came from one to twice a week. I’ve never taken my meds any other way than prescribed. I don’t know why anyone would think I’d be zoned out. I’m glad to say I function better now than before I was on the medications. I was in such tremendous pain before I was put on the meds I went months with barely any sleep. The pain kept me up. To the woman that had the question on the adoption . I went and had to be finger printed and a criminal back ground check by the FBI in order to adopt my grandson after my daughter who is bipolar abandon him. She sees him but he goes no where with her. People seem to have misconceptions about people on fentanyl. I also am on hydrocodone that I take in the evening. Every person that know me well and those that don’t don’t see me as a over drugged drug addict. If anyone you know is in this condition then you should call their doctor. I did to a very good friend of mine and told her doctor off and was going to have his license taken away because he ignored my calls and she died of an overdose. I was 7 days from having her go to another rehab through my doctor. Many people on these drugs don’t label them like I do. On my fentanyl I change every 48 hours and each patch is labeled by the day of the week. If I changed on Sunday my next change is Tuesday and then Thursday and so on for the whole month. This should be done with anyone that is on the medication.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I have been on fentanyl / Duragesic since 2005 when i was not longer able to take oral opioids as my stomach lining was ...

32 REPLIES

Hi I'm on 100 mcg I do know when they run but they don't seem to do much. What is better then this for osteo pai...

15 REPLIES

my husband started getting his stuff from drs then went to 2 or 3 drs and paid outta picket then they foumd out and cut ...

10 REPLIES

Hi All ~ Thanks for reading and possibly helping me out ! First a quick summery, 2 failed back surgery's, L3, L4, &a...

7 REPLIES

Hi I'm on 100 I do know when they run but they don't desalt seem to do much what is better then this for osteo p...

7 REPLIES

My father has recently started on these patches after a second full knee replacement and being on other pain killers for...

5 REPLIES

Hi I'm on 100 I do know when they run but they don't desalt seem to do much what is better then this for osteo p...

4 REPLIES

My husband ran out of his 50 mcg Fentanyl Patches on Monday. Today is Friday 12/11/09 and he is experiencing withdrawals...

3 REPLIES

Can someone please tell me where I can find a doctor who is not afraid to prescribe fentanyl patches and 10/325 hydrocod...

2 REPLIES

First let me start off by saying, I have definitely reduced my dosage from 3 100mcg to 2 100mcg patches. I am currently ...

1 REPLY