Fentanyl Transdermal Patches (Page 2)

I've been using the 100mcg/hr of Fentanyl Patches and I've been using them for a long time. They stick well and they last almost 3 days and I'm prescribed every 2 days, so I get extra relief by putting the new one on @48 hrs with the first one stil on; and I take 100mg of roxicodone, but the pain still is killing me and I've looked on the internet at the Patch by Par drugs, has anyone used this brand and would you give me a critique on them; how long do they last? do they stay on well?? I get my script of 9 boxes Monday and I need to make a decision.

thanks,
lakebum

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you are absolutely right, I'm so sick of being on forums or whatever & it's people just talking about how to feel high off the pain meds.. its disgusting. I live with trigeminal neuralgia, occipital neuralgia & ATN. These types of pain are no joke. I've had brain surgery at the age of 22, I've had these very rare diseases since I was 16. These patches get me through the day. & even then I'm still in pain. I'm glad I came on here.. not as much talk about how to feel high, it's about informing people about the medication & you can call it a support group as well. BTW I'm a 25 yr old male, life's been controlled by pain since I was a junior in high school.

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Par brand is.much better. I have been on patches for 10 yrs and the mylan do not stick well, they itch and while I have to press down on the par for 30 secs they always stay on and last 3 days while the mylan do not

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I have been having a problem with the Par patches coming off in the hot weather. The adhesive from the "covers" are very strong and burn my skin. I like to put patches on my back so I can wear sleeveless shirts. My back is burned from the adhesive. I have tried other places but they come off easily. If anyone can suggest another place to put the patches I would appreciate your help. The 75mcg patch is large enough to be seen through clothing. Now the black lettering on the patch makes me feel like I am wearing a scarlet "O" for opiate medication on board.

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Shari, I share your experience. I am on the same dosage as you. I cannot get the Par brand to stick for 48 hours. Sometimes it's hard to keep in place for 24 hours. I have tried all the tapes and cover patches available. They either don't work or the adhesive burns my sensitive skin. The summer temperatures and humidity make the problem worse. I was wondering if you have found a solution since you posted this.

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It's summer and the Par fentanyl duragesic patches are sliding off my skin after 24 hours. I use 2 tagaderm covers to keep on additional 24-36 hours. The adhesive then causes my skin to break out. I get cuts from the track tape and covers needed to keep the patch on. Anyone with a better suggestion? Really miss the Mylan brand but my insurance will no longer pay for them. The Par 75mcg/hr is like wearing a giant sign " using narcotics". I would like to be able to dress comfortably and not worry about patches being visible.

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I have been using mylan but my new pharmacy has Par brand. I am wondering if medication has the gel reservoir because they are the only ones that stick for me.

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The Par fentanyl patches have the reservoir.

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I'm about to try the Par fentanyl patches for the first time tomorrow (Jul. 8) so I can't speak to how they are, but I have used Fentanyl patches for, oh, close to 20 years and have had chronic pain since 5/1979 so I have some small experience. To I have used Mylan for YEARS and to get them to stick I first wipe the skin where I am applying it with a glasses cleaning tissue. The ones with alcohol. I buy a box at CVS (hate CVS!) They are far cheaper than the alcohol wipes and work just fine for me as I usually have no trouble going 72 hours if I need to. I hope that I still can say the same after tomorrow! I also hope that this helps some of you.

A note, I saw someone mentioning that some are talking about taking them recreationally. If you have chronic pain you will reach a point where you don't get the euphoria from your meds. You can take more but you will just go to sleep and not feel high. At least that's been my experience. I don't remember how long it took, but I've been that way for years and years. Good luck to you my Sisters and Brothers in pain.

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Put them on your back where they can be hidden easier or on your abdomen. Your back would work if you have someone to put them on for you.

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OK, I hate the Par brand patches. Within 12 hours of one being on my skin I develop welts at the edges of the patches and it feels like they are cutting into my skin. then they release. So I get big red welts and then they don't last. Perfect...NOT!
The bummer is that there goes years of trying to establish a buffer supply. If I can get half of the time they are supposed to last I'll be lucky, if you consider a large patch of red welts on your body! And by the time they are gone and I am due a new prescription I'll be out entirely and in pretty miserable shape. I'm going to search until I can find a pharmacy that will fill with Mylan.

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Jerry, I have the same problem with the Par patches. They are huge. If they stick I get sores around the corners. In the heat and humidity they slide off within 12 hours so I use 2-3 tegaderm covers to hold them in place. The longest they last is 48 hours. Often I rip them off sooner because my skin is burning from the adhesive. I worry about the absorption rate in the heat. My insurance will no longer allow the Mylan patches which were much smaller and stayed on most of the time. If not one cover kept them in place. At least I am not the only one that dislikes the Par patches and gets horrible skin irritation. Many people prefer the reservoir patches. Not me!!!!

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Hey guys. I've been using fentanyl for years. After having tried virtually every brand I have settled on Malinkrodt brand. They are awsome, stick well, work well, and do not irritate skin. Best of all, they have no reservoir but a matrix embeded in the adhesive backed patch. I have endured 18 neck spine and back surgeries after an accident in which I broke my neck and permanantly damaged my spinal cord. My pain is skeletal and also neuropathic. I use fentanyl along with oxycodone and hydromorphone. Try Malinkrodt brand!

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I hope that both Hope and Edward can see this. (no pun intended.) When I first started using the patches I was given the Duragesic Brand name and had the same issues as with the Par. The ones with the reservoir just make huge welts, sometimes through the skin and bleeding, no matter where I tried them. Even with the tegaderm they wouldn't stay and the burning/cutting was worse. I was ready to tell my Doc that I would have to go back to the Oxycontin when I stumbled onto the Mylan patches. Much smaller and I can keep my skin. I haven't tried the Malinkrodt and likely won't get to because I'm lucky just getting the Mylan, the Pharmacies around here are disgusting, Safeway only carries the Par even though they were the ones who introduced me to Mylan ten years ago or so. and CVS is having troubles keeping a DEA certified Pharmacy Manager because they were one of the CA pharmacies that "Lost" 30,000 pain pills.
Some background on me...
As far as the issues I have I have no Trapezius muscles or sternocleidomastoids on either side and the little fellows who remain always feel as though I've been holding buckets of sand out at arms length all day every day for 36 years, to the side and out in front. Plus the trauma of bilateral radical neck dissections make everything angry in my neck, and finally all the nerves were quick fried with 6,000 rads (60,000 chest Xrays) of cobalt. BUT, it's way better than losing the battle to the cancer which had metastasized.
Anyways, I'm really bummed because you guys know what happens when your patches don't last the time they are supposed to. Running out early doesn't get us more, it gets us withdrawals and lots and lots of pain. And of course CVS NEVER has the stuff in stock when I go to fill them and you start the clock when you pick them up, not by the date on the Rx. so that just makes it even worse... Screwed again.

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Edward I have never heard of that brand. I am going to find out if they are available in my area and if insurance will cover. The heat wave in NY has been hell with these Par patches. Sick of doing all I can to hold on until I can refill prescription because they never stay on as long as they should.

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Marie, I have found my back to be the best place as well. Problem is after using right side and left side my skin is not healed enough to put back on one of the "good spots". I find the patches stick best wrapped around slightly to my side or "flank". If you have any other locations that work well, please share. The Par patches are so much larger than the Mylan brand. The adhesive can be irritating and does not stand up to heat, sweat, or long showers.

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Hey to everyone. Here is the URL to the Mallinkrodt Patch I told you about. You will love these if you can get them.

mallinckrodt.com/Templates/Pages/productdetail.aspx?id=2075

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Second summer with Par Fentanyl Patches and still having trouble keeping them on in the hot humid weather. Going away for the week-end and am very worried about what will happen if I go to beach, swimming, or work up a sweat. Using tegaderm covers may keep patch on longer but since the patch is so large I need 2-3 to keep all corners sealed. My skin is sensitive and I often break out where the patched were last worn. Also have difficulty finding discreet places to hide the large patch. Preferred the Mylan patch which was much smaller and could be covered with one tegaderm if needed. If anyone has suggestions on how to keep the patches in place please share!

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DO NOT GET Mallinckrodt generic patches! They provide the WORST relief of any generic on the market. Their generic Norco is alright, but ANYTHING else Mall. has been terrible for me and every chronic pain sufferer I know! This must be just one of the few who has had a good experience with them. If you need oxy or fent for pain management, please dont get Mall. Many doctors wont give you a new script and if you do, your insurance likely will not cover it. I didn't even know Mall. was inferior or anything about them until one time my pharmacy was out of Actavis, and gave me the Malls. I took them not knowing the change and got 0 relief as I began to panic. Thats when I noticed the "M" on the pill. The pharmacies EVERYWHERE could not get my usual Watson fentanyl patch last month, and I was forced to get Mall. since they couldn't even get a different generic. It's been a HORRIBLE month of pain :(

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This post is old, but I see people are still talking, so here's my story. I've been taking 100mcg fentanyl for about 15 years or so. This was a life saver for me after I begged my dr to take me off of OxyContin. I couldn't handle the ups and downs between doses. To be fair, I was only given 40mg twice a day, because dr's in my area are inundated with dope heads lying to get them because of heavy addiction.
Anyway, I was thrilled when they stopped using the large reservoir gel patches, they never stayed on regardless of brand, and the crinkly squish just announced to everyone that I was on opioids. Around here, that makes you a target for theft, break-ins, etc.
Ive been using the Mallincrodt brand for, I'd say, a year. They are small, and stick well. They stay on the 72 hours they're supposed to, although my third day always feels kind of crappy. (I don't know who's dr says you can change them every 48 hours. I've had more that three dr's over the years, and even though I've told them about the "third day syndrome", the never say I can just take them every 48. They're way too frugal about them for that here.)
My pharmacy recently started using Sandoz brand. They're bigger, and much thinner than the Mallincrodt brand. My first three days on them were spent felling like I was in w/d, and I couldn't get one to stick longer than a day. I went through a month of misery, since I'd opened both boxes (I combine them once at home so have less bulk in my med drawer), my pharmacy couldn't switch them out, even though I was willing to bring them every unused accounted for patch. My doctor couldn't do anything because of prescribing laws. Even if I'm robbed at gunpoint, they apparently can't replace them. I have to say I just "love" the directions they give if one falls off. "Do not try to reapply. Fold in half and discard the patch and put on a new one". Really?! That shorts me patches, makes me sick and in unbelievable amounts of pain when I run out, and then dr's just look at you like you've been abusing them. I'm very meticulous about not using more than I should, why would I open that can of worms? It's a never ending cycle of never having enough. I've seen it in other people.
In the end, about five days from the day I know I've got an appt. for refills, I call my pharmacy and have them order the Mallincrodt brand just for me, which they are happy to do. I won't go through that mess again. I reported this all via a lengthy report to Sandoz. My pharmacist wondered if they offered some kind of cover like tegaderm, even though those didn't help me.
The only thing I take other than the fentanyl is Lyrica for neuropathy, and the pain is controlled. Not gone, never gone, but controlled. I really wouldn't welcome anything else in the way of opioids in addition to that even if my dr offered it to me, which she won't. Just wanted you guys out there to know, if you communicate with your pharmacists, they can do this for you. If you have a brand that works for you, don't be afraid to ask for what works best. I am lucky that I work with a pharmacy that is locally owned, and they are happy to help me in order to keep my business. I wouldn't go to CVS unless it was a rare emergency.
Take care, ladies and gents. Keep the peace.

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Kattlady, I believe every word you shared about being able to get the brand of fentanyl that works best for you. However where I live, my insurance will only pay for the type with the liquid that makes the crinkly sound. I hate these Par reservoir patch. They never last 3 days and I get adhesive burns from using covers that are too small to cover the huge patch. For many years I was using Mylan brand. They were a square about 1" x 1". If they got loose 1 tegaderm cover would cover the entire patch without a problem. I feel the meds were absorbed at a more even rate. I have begged doctors and pharmacists but no matter what is written on the script my insurance only pays for these horrible patches. I envy your ability to choose the best medicine for you. I think all of us deserve that right because we pay a lot for our insurance. Good luck.

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