Fentanyl Withdrawal Symptoms (Page 10)
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I'm trying to wean myself off the Fentanyl patch. I went from 75 micro-gms to 50 now I'm on 25. Having a problem and not sure it is related to the decrease in the med. It's been 20 days on the 25 micro-gm and I'm going crazy. I need to keep rocking, moving in any way b/c my body is very restless. Is this a symptom of withdrawal and what do I do? I cannot take it any more.

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My doctor gave me a form of valium which helped.

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Zinger,

What state are you in? I need a pain specialist STAT am highly complex and had to go to California for five years due to complexity when my doctor in Texas (10 years) died. It sounds like your physician has no difficulty writing Duragesic and that is my primary LA. People with P450 have no benefit from pills. I am on patches and liquid Oxycodone for BT.

Thanks.

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Stephen,

I'm a healthcare professional and as you can see an ultra rapid opioid metabolizer and just came off 5 years with the top pain specialist in the U.S. formerly mine in Houston 10 years was the best. To go down from 8 patches a day (yep) to where I am now is not only horrific pain but now must get a new provider.

Where may I ask and remain ladylike did you place your patches? If they are over bone they are not getting to the blood stream. I understand so many suffer without pain control (losing family) or with pain control (losing family) and those of us with suicidal levels of pain (which I have) are now broken due to the FDA attempting to prevent high OD rate of prescribed drugs.

Let's get this straight this 120 mg. morphine equivalent helps no one who uses medications properly, it is for other diversions that are not for legitimate pain clients.

I have 100 percent MEDICAL AWARD for life under Workers Comp and will not say which state to maintain confidentiality for I just took them to court again and won and they appeal JUST TO HOLD UP MY GETTING medication. It has been 10 months since I've seen a regular pain specialist and only because Mr. Famous in California taught us to put aside a percentage of medication am I alive. I am representing myself and I win but let's put the honesty down on the man hole cover the a holes put me on pain management and I'm a professional nurse and published researcher. I have the two most famous surgeons in the U.S. and the two most famous pain specialists who exist and I get dumped with 30 others out of state after having to go to California from Texas for five years due to my complexity.

These physicians are all caving in. How can you treat pain when your rare cases the worst ones are going to die from IP (intractable pain) without treatment. They are allowing Odumma who they all curse and swear we voted for "not me Doc I may be blonde but I'm not an a hole!" and yet they won't stand up for any of us. The few who stood up for us including Dr. Bill is spending his life in federal prison. I often wonder for I emailed with him years ago I never saw him but one of my referrals did see him because he was "cash only" if indeed he was just as good as Mr. Famous because he did prescribe super high levels.

I do not because I'm also a published psychiatric researcher like to stomp the devil here for the addict who is criminal (illegally obtaining drugs) still has a killer disease of mind and body that tends to be refractory to treatment. The mentality of an addict is to use it all up so never do they do well posing as pain patients for they do the 30 day supply in 3 to 5 days if they spread it out. Then the lies begin and they are fired and then off to another pill mill although these are now being phased out.

Now a legitimate physician cannot take "cash only" or they are targeted by the DEA and the Odumma underground who is paying financial incentives to physicians to NOT treat chronic illness in anyone over 30. How would you like to be insulin dependent diabetic and walk into your GP next month to be told, "you know maybe we'll change your diet and get you off all that insulin," in that case you likely will die and his check is in the mail.

Sound crazy, well watch this happen. Why we have not impeached this murdering reverse racist piss poor excuse for leadership I do not know. I do know we should have. I do know that he and Hillary should have been tried for murder and treason when our Ambassador was tortured and murdered. Two laughing hyenas, is that what America represents these days? I used to respect her after she weathered her husband's sexual deviance and dishonesty but now I think she had his disease and we are now seeing evidence of it.

Sorry I'm likely on my last leg and just wanted to emphasize to anyone on the patches if you have gone down to the wire and suddenly have none YOU NEED MEDICAL HELP the risk of MI (myocardial infarction or heart attack) and CVA (stroke) are high to go cold off this drug without going lower over time. Even then for years ago I went down on my own (and had all levels down to 25 mcg/hour back then there was no 12.5 mcg/hour which is really stupid it's so low) prior to a major surgery and going down 25 mcg/hour every 7 to 10 days was gruesome I crawled, and when I finally got some comfort at that level it was time to cut back again; at one point I recall giving myself 3 days longer so I could rest.

To think that lay people just don't know what pain does, what we pay for this as patients, and the real heart break is now we have government cutting us to low levels so ADDICTS DON'T DIE FROM MEDICATION THEY HAVE NO BUSINESS TOUCHING. Not right. All wrong.

Editor's note: We do not verify the credentials of our users and nothing stated in our forums is intended to be taken as medical advice.

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Not saying its a hard drug r not but I do know what it did to me. Almost cost me my family. At first it did what it was supposed to do then one day after being on it 3 yrs I kept wanting more and more of it and b****ed out my wife and our 16 yr old grand daughter we have custody of.. her mom, my daughter is into crack. And I hurt both of them by b****ing them out and I've never done that before. Its this drug that made me do that just so I'd get more of it. That ain't gonna happen, maybe that's why it was so easy for me to come off it because I put my family first all the time every time and ain't nothing in this crazy world we live in ever gonna stop me putting them first.

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LynneB you are correct this is an evil drug. I've been forced to be on it over 15 years.

The withdrawal unlike other drugs builds so day 3 is horrific and day 10 is 100 x worse.

That is going down 25 mcg if you have such a supply (most do not nor do they want to share with a physician who wants them on the drug they want off) every 10 days which is pushing it.

It is the one drug as evil (withdrawal) as methadone.

It is pure hell. There is no replacement. The brain can differentiate which opioid is which.

For all on this medication do not go off it cold turkey. You have a high death risk.

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Thanks for your support, and good luck with your journey.

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Thxs Sandy.and I will keep on keeping on LOL belueve me the paun is still there but with the acupuncture massage therapy and the hot tub im doing ok so far .. take care stay safe and most of all drug free

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That's awesome Stephan! Alternative options do work however here in Canada they are very expensive! Anywhere from 75-100 bucks per visit! I sure wish I could use those options they are excellent! The hot water is very good! And oh what I would give for a body massage! Keep up the good work everyone! Stay positive!

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Hi there, don't give up! It will get easier..I went from 75 to 12mg. The only way I've been able to do this is by taking Rick Simpson hemp oil. Never got sick once, but there were rough days, you can do it. Keep strong and please check out Reiki, it will help so much. Sending healing.

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Good deal Sandy ... im exploring other options besides meds .. acupuncture . massage therapy and a very very hot hot tub ( now I know how crabs shrimp and crawfish feel when we boil them LOL )

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Wow guys! That's some pretty emotional stuff! So true on both sides on many levels. I agree that no matter how you do it that it's better to be off Fentanyl Patches than on them if at all possible. However it's pain that is what's evil! I also was on 150 mcg for tens years but like said before it does take over your life! I am now off them and take a little dilaudid for pain and have a much clearer head! God bless and take care!

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LynnB
I'm sorry if I it a sore spot with u and others but believe me I went thru some drugs in my days ..was born with polio and beat it and now going thru post polio syndrome and have Lupus on top of it with bone disease so I do know and have been there . And stiill gong thru it .. but I made a decision to live my life as best I can drug free before I lose my family and everything thing else . So maybe thats what made the difference for me

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With respect Stephen, good for you and your amazing will power or whatever, but not everyone has the stamina, strong system, will or is just as damn staunch as you! Have some empathy for people trying to deal with not only their reason for going on this drug, but their will power to improve their quality of life by coming off it. It DOESNT help to be told by somebody 'oh, it wasn't hard for me, just do this and take that'. I used Fentanyl for over three years for prolapsed discs in back, and for a long time it did the job it was designed for. Taking away my pain. It's not the evil drug many proclaim it to be, drugs are not evil. Deciding to get out of my half life of lack of motivation and foggy thinking, not to mention all the sleeping, elimination, sweating etc etc problems took guts and hard work and over a year of cutting down dosage, giving up, doing it again more gradually, giving up again because of side effects, seeking help from the doctor, the pain clinic, doing it again and finally one month ago taking off my last patch which was a mere 3mcg, that's right, one quarter of the lowest dose patch you can get. I did it by keeping more and more backing on the patches very very gradually. (Thanks Yvonne!!) I had two night after of restless legs. But I feel for everyone trying to get off Fentanyl. It is truely hard for most of us!

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Kathleen .. good to hear ur doing better .. but really I dont know why ppl having so much trouble coming off fentanyl I quit it cold turkey no withdraw r side effects and was on it 3 yrs at 150 mch every 48 hrs .. I got off it because I felt my body kept wanting more of it so I just stopped changing tbe patches and too benadryl 25 mg every 12 hrs that was 9 days sgo and no withdraw just very slight and I mean slight stomach cramps first 2 days .. but anyway good deal and good luck

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I am doing better, down to 12 patch Fentanyl every 48 hours, I forgot to change for more than 72 hours and really felt a lot of pain. I was taking oxy 2x day to help the pain but only because I was painting at an art studio tour for three days. I am so glad I am stopping this fentanyl patch... my friends say I am more of ME... I am not napping so much. Thanks for your support.

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I dont know why people having so much trouble with fentanyl I been on it 3 yrs 150mch every 2 days and I just stoped taking it 8 days ago with no side effects r withdrawl symptoms ( had very slight and i mean slight could have been the flu ...stomach cramps first 2 days ) I want go in to detail why I stoped not important .. but I left the last patch on and when I was suppose to change it instead of changing left it own that evening and took a 25 mg benadryl ..next morning took another benadryl ( took 25 mg benadryl twice a day ) and never had any withdrawl symptoms .. if u want details msg me back

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Hi there, I understand completely! I'm now down to 12mg from 50mg. The only way I'm doing this is...Rick Simpson Hemp Oil. I've been on it for 10 Months. It's getting easier. Almost off of this poison. If you need any information let me know, you're not alone, but it can be easier...Please look it up. Take care

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Yes, it is definitely a symptom of withdrawal. It will ease off after several days. Rocking and drinking lots and lots of water, sports drinks and moving when you are able is about all you can do. Unless you see a doctor for help. I would imagine they could factor the 25mcg fentanyl into how many Norco or hydrocodone you would have to take to be equal to the patch and then wean you down slowly from there until you are down to a quarter of a 5/325 tab. I wish you all the luck in the world! Have you tried taking a couple of Tylenol extra strength? Don't know if it will help. Also try soaking in hot bath. Maybe adding magnesium supplements?

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Hi, I came off the patches because they were controlling my life! I was a zombie in bed all day every day for 10 years! I missed the best years of my kids because I couldn't function. Of course there is withdral when you come off but I'm telling you it's worth it! Yes I still have some pain but realized I didn't need the patch. I still take dilaudid but that's no where near as bad as those patches! I was up to 150 mcg plus oxyneo and Percocet! I'm off all of that! It's been 2 yrs and I'm doing great. I still have a bad day once in a while but I'm doing simple things I've not done for ten years! It truly is amazing! You don't see how they slowly change who you are. Good luck my friend! Stay strong!

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I have been on the 25mcg/hr patch for 9 months treating pain from a slow-growing stomach tumor, and have anemia as well. I get what's called Restless Leg Syndrome ( RLS) symptoms very like yours when my patch starts wearing off on the third day. My neurologist says opiates mask RLS symptoms and so when the fentanyl starts fading I get the symptoms.

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