Fentanyl Withdrawal Symptoms (Page 12)

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.

REPLY

REPORT

Hi Squishy, Pat, and Would Have Known,
I would say squishy that I am really not sure why you are feeling them now 12 days after? That to me is very odd. I started feeling withdrawls only 72 hours after having the patch on. I am on the Mylan patch (the one without the liquid) it looks like a nicotine patch actually. I have tapered to 75 mcg and 12 mcg patch together that I change every 48 hours. Let me tell you too, that I can surely feel the effects going into that last 48 hour period. I start to get very irritated and I start having pain. My doctor did end up prescribing me the Clonidine and more Valium. I take 1 5mg Valium a day. I have Oxycontin for breakthrough pain, but I rarely use it. I use Tylenol if I feel some discomfort instead. My doctor said using the Tylenol in conjunction with the Fentanyl will help with pain. BUT, I want off the Fentanyl, and to be put on something else for pain. However, I am not sure what he could put me on to kill the pain. I hate that with the drug I can do all the things I love to do with little pain, but without it, I am going through w/d and having pain! UGH! Sometimes I get so frustrated that my body is dependent on this drug. So we shall see. It won't be until I run out of these patches that I go to just the 75 mcg. I will keep you posted on how the Clonidine does. Merry Christmas everyone!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hello fellow pain people, Ive really gotten alot of info from everyone on this site. This past Sat was my first day of dropping from 125mcg fentanyl to 100 mcg. So far so good on this first 48hrs. Do you think this is the calm before the storm, or am I just blessed. I also take 1 or 2 norco 10/325 a day, which I plan to drop later. The powers that be also have me on 2 anti depressants. I do partake of cannabis when I can afford it. Does anyone think the extra drugs taken can be covering for me? Thanks for any input. Peace to all

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

should mention also that duration of use is 10 yrs vic/norco,4yrs morp 120mg aday then onto the patches for 3 yrs.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi again, thanx again for sharing and encouraging notes!! I am so proud of all of us for doing this very hard task!!! I take zoloft regularly and a cholesterol pill and a high BP pill and glipizide for diabetes. I injured my back the other day and ended up in the ER, but I said an emphatic NO to going back on the patch!! I got 10mg of flexeril and tramadol. I have taken 4 of the tram. since the 23rd! I was told it was non narcotic, but...I do not want to replace a habit with another one!! I am doing OK at the moment, the last 24hrs have been horrible to say the least, but not as bad as when I ran out 2 years ago and I had just moved & had no doctor so the ER said tough titties!! I went spastic, I paced almost running around a 2 rm apt, showering with hot water & falling asleep standing up, I would put a towel on and get under the covers to sleep & the minute I started to doze, my legs would literally jump off the bed!! That was the most horrible 9 days I ever spent!! This time, I was going to do the taper thing, but...
I really think the patch was still giving me med, but gradually less & less until I took it off because 18 hrs after finally taking it off, the legs started!! I am hoping that now that it has been 13 days since I put on a patch of 50mcg, that I am nearing an end of the bad stuff. I can't believe the difference in my attitude, clarity, eyesight and depression, already!! I have been begging doctors for 3 yrs to put me in a rehab to get off & they said no!! I AM SO PROUD OF ALL OF YOU FOR TRYING AND/OR SUCCEEDING!!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I wanted to add this. I am severely allergic to any other pain killers except the fentanyl. my airways close and I swell up from them. I have to have my knee replaced soon, I am so worried about how to handle THAT level of pain!! I have had pain the whole time I was on the fentanyl, so, yeah, my pain is worse, but I look at it as when it hurts, I know I am alive!! My doctor isn't too thrilled, but, I figured if I got in an accident or the like, I was already on a pain med, what else could they do for me, so I want to be clean!! Truthfully, when I lived in NC I was given the pill form of pot, I didn't like them because there's no way to regulate the dose, so I smoked instead and I found just 2 hits and I was fine. I am being monitored right now so I can't partake. I really wish I could get a script for that instead, no addiction and control!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

If I Would Have Known...congratulations!! I'm sooo glad to hear you're doing well, and so proud of your determination.
Hang tough Squwishy! I also have not heard of a patch lasting that long...but then, who of us has had one stay on for that length of time? I remember one of the boys mentioning that he kept an old patch for a long time & everytime things got really rough, he would put it back on, the w/d would alleviate a bit, and he would take it off again until the nest time it got really bad. So there may be something to this! I very fortunately did NOT experience the Restless Leg Syndrome you guys are getting. Looking it up, it seems to be caused by a lot of things, treated by a lot of things, and seems to me that it is very possibly part of the w/d since part of the treatment is opoids...which you are withdrawing from!
I didn't see anything that might help except to try other pain meds, stay off alcohol & caffeine, and try to excercise a bit just before going to bed. Sorry I can't be of much more help than that. http:/­/­www.medicinenet.com/­restless_leg_syndrome/­page2.htm
maybe this will help?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

to Wishrmn...I think you are going the right way!! Your other meds & the anti-depressants should cover for you a bit while you are coming off. I stupidly went the other way, quit all my other stuff first, and left the Fentanyl till the end. I have a feeling that slowly depleting the Fentanyl, and THEN slowly cutting down the others chould give you an easier time of it. Keep us informed how you are doing, and Good Luck to you. No matter what, I'm sure it won't be easy...but it is worth it.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Squwishy, if you lived in Ca no problem. Does your State prosocute people on medical pot?? I have a best friend who was in an accident and he got addicted to every opiate there is, well, he got a prescription for medical pot and he swears it helps him better than any opiate he ever took..If you can't get medical pot there are supposed to be opiates which you won't get a bad reaction on, one being hydrocodeine. It isn't as near as habit forming as the patch and most people can tolerate it with no problem..I wish you well, I know what it is like to have bad reactions to almost every medication out there
Pat

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Pat, I don't have a clue and I don't know how to find out if they prosecute or not. As for the hydocodone, I am allergic to it, tried it already!! The docs get extremely worried about what to give me when I get hurt. Today has been an interesting day!! I suffered badly with the spasms last bight and the fact that the new kerosene heater I bought a week ago crapped out and it is so cold in here I can see my breath, AND even with heater tape on them, the pipes froze so I no water!!! Then my ex tried to come the hour long trip to get a special heater to unfreeze the pipes & try to get the little one inside to work and, yup, his car was dead!!! It has been fun!! I am using the computer for heat and I have mittens with fingers that open hile I write this!! It could be worse, I could be just starting to get off Fentanyl again!!! I put the last one on the 16th, so 72 hours later would be the 19th so... today is day 10!! woohoo!!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

ex just called!! he finally got the car going, drove the hour up here and rented the special haeters to unthaw the pipes and as he drove away.....he blew a radiator hose!!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

So where is my post to Squwishy I sent last night??? I found a site for you about Restless Leg Syndrome, maybe you have to Google it yourself instead of me including the url? Anyway, the short & long seems to be: all sorts of causes, all sorts of treatments....but most treatments include the opoids you are trying to avoid...so ya, I would guess that its part of the whole w/d thing.
Hang in Squwishy...we are all pulling for you, praying for you, and empathizing with you!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

RLS is horrible and yes everyone has their own remedy..Quinine is one medication that seems to help a lot of people, but it has many side effects. It used to be OTC in Ca. but because of the side effects you need a prescription. I have mentioned many times that my husband uses a remedy that he swears by, it is cheap, and it can't hurt. He puts a bar of ivory soap under the sheets where his feet are, and he said the soap really does help his RLS..Other than that, there isn't much you can do. I have suffered from RLS most of my adult life, and since I do take restoril to sleep at night, I am usually not bothered by it when I go to bed. I haven't been to a movie theater in years because I always get an attack when I sit at night for more than a little while..For anyone who doesn't want to take sleeping medication for whatever reason, just try the soap..Acually, I read about it in the newspaper and that is when my husband started using it..Hope this helps

Pat

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi Squwishy...No sweetie, not hydrocodone. dihydrocodeine, 2 compleatly different things. I would never suggest anyone who is trying to get off of opiates to even take hydrocodone because IMO hydrocodone is the most euphoric of all opiates and I have been prescribed everything except fentynal. Dihydrocodeine is 50-100 times stronger (For pain relief) than morphine without all of the side effects.. Ask your doctor about it, and do a google search..In England they are using dihydrocodeine for heroin addicts trying to get clean and don't want to use methadone..It is non euphoric unless you take an antihistime with it, then it will give you a buzz you don't want, believe me..Hope this helps you..I hate to see you suffer, especially during the Holidays...Also, I forgot to mention, for RLS try an electric blanket it can be 32 degrees in your house, but you will be toasty, We use an electric matress pad, and I don't know what I would do without it..Nothing feels better than being all warm from your head to your toes in the wintertime. Only problem is, I hate to get out of bed..If I were rich I would have a heated floor like the hotels in London...LOL

Pat

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I found something pertaining to the RLS and bar soap.

"This home remedy mystifies us, but we have heard from many readers like you. The risk of unwrapping a fresh bar of soap and putting it under the bottom sheet where the legs will be is almost zero. The cost is far less than a prescription. Positive responses from other readers experimenting with Ivory soap remedy:

'A while back I wrote to complain that the bar of soap under the bottom sheet quit working for my restless legs. (It was great at first.) Then I got to thinking, it worked before, so why not now? That bar of soap had been there for six months, so I replaced it. The result: no more restless legs. A few times that I had symptoms, I put my feet on the soap and the sensations went away in about two minutes.'

'My husband was having severe leg cramps at night. Without telling him, I placed a soap bar under his sheets for two nights before he noticed. It worked! He's had no more cramps. We still can't believe it!'

'I have had severe leg cramps for years. When I read about putting a bar of soap in bed, I got a bar of Ivory and put it under the bottom sheet near my legs. It's been a month since I did that, and I have not had one leg cramp.'"[1]

I hope this can help.

Source: http:/­/­www.peoplespharmacy.com/­2005/­12/­07/­soap-under-the/­

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Thanx so much Tigerlily and Pat!! What in heavens name is with the ivory soap?? What does it do?
As for the drug you mentioned, does it have codeine i it like the name suggests? I am severely allergic to codeine, morphine demerol, valium & many more everything out there has been tried dince I had leg surgery in '86 that healed wrong & the leg broke in a spiral from the ankle to the knee! Then I had a car accident that triggered fibro, cfs & many other things. We all have our crosses to bear. BTW, ex came with a propane heater for me!!! The kerosene is going back because it is the second one that has quit after a week of use!! may get a small propane one for my room too because I hurt like hell in the cold.
The legs jumping is only from the withdrawals and if I take a flexeril every 5-6 hours and Motrin I seem to B ok!! What a WONDERFUL way to greet 2010!!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

It is related to codeine but it doesn't cause the allergic reaction like codeine does. If I take codeine, I will die w/o an adrenilin shot but I believe people who are allergic to codeine can take dihydrocodeine. Ask your doctor about it. One of the reasons I also mentioned talwin is because I don't think that it is like codeine either, and there are no euphria at all because there is naltraxone in the talwin NX,,I can't be sure you can take dihydrocodeine. but I mentioned it because my doctor gave it to me years ago because I couldn't take codeine,, unfortunatly, vicodin has widely replaced dihydrocodeine. if you do ask your doctor I believe it is marketed by the name synalgos DC..It helped me so much years ago. and then when that ugly vicodin came around, it lost favor with doctors, and now it is making a comeback because people are getting addicted to vicodin..I hate that drug. That is the drug that made me relapse after I was clean for sometime..I am a chronic pain sufferer who became addicted to opiates, and years ago, they just kept giving these drugs like candy. I am on methadone because it is the only opiate I can take that gives me no euphoria, and I just feel normal and have no desire to abuse it, and it helps my pain..It is not for everyone however so unless you plan on always needing opiates, don't even ask your doctor about it, if you think fentanyal is hard to kick, they say methadone is 100 times worse..I plan on always being on it so it isn't an issue for me, but I hate to see doctors give it out and then when the patient wants to quit, it is so hard...Read that article I sent you on the soap, It really works....I hope you were able to get the link,if not let me know

Pat

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

thanx for all that Pat!! I too am that severely allergic to codeine!! I also have to take either zyrtec or benadryl every day for hives< they never found a reason for them. I took Talwin for years but suddenly developed an allergy to it!! I think they probably changed one of the fillers in it. I will research the one you said and ask the doc in the am. Right now, we are frantic because the pipes burst under our home!!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I am so sorry sweetie, when it rains it pours...You must live somewhere cold for your pipes to burst. Its like why when all this other stuff is going on?? I hope you can get someone there to get them fixed soon...Feel better!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Thanx Pat!! The maintenance guys came in minutes of our call & after a bit of a struggle, managed to get the main shut off!! This has really been a day!!! We are so done in that we are laughing about it!! The pipe that burst was duct taped by the previous owners!!! DUCT TAPE A LEAK????? Well, it put enough endorphines in my system so the leg & back stopped seizing for a bit!!
I AM I CAN... I WILL!!!!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hey, I am so glad I found all of you! I am a recovering alcoholic/drug addict (nearly 22 yrs w/o drink) who is currently going off fentanyl patches. I have been so freaked out by all the withdrawal!! I started on 100s, 7 years ago due to failed back surgery syndrome. I went to 75s changing every 48 hours after 2 years, then 2 years later down to 50s which is what I was on until Aug '09 when I got another new doc and I told him I wanted off of this drug! My titrate has been every 30 days on a new strength, right now I am on 12.5s and my body is SCREAMING!! The jumpy legs, the anxiety, the anger, the fear...it's gotten way worse now that I am on just 12.5s. Doc gave me hydroxyz and clonidine, voltaren for pain plus I take neurotin and Savella for fibromyalgia. I just want off them ALL but your information that this too shall pass is MOST helpful! THANKS!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

i have post surgical lower back pain. was in 50 mcg patch and had side effects and so decided to wean off. i finished wi...

311 REPLIES

I have been on the 100 mg patch and Percocet for my Crohns and Colitis for years. Last week I went cold turkey on my own...

36 REPLIES

Aloha from Hawaii- this is my 6th week off fentanyl patch 100mg and breakthrough oxy 40mg day for several years. Also wa...

27 REPLIES

My husband, age 77, developed severe acute pancreatitis and has been in the hospital for the past 8 months. He has been ...

18 REPLIES

Hi, About three years ago during treatment for rectal cancer, I was given Dilaudid and Fentanyl as part of a pain manage...

5 REPLIES

I was on 25mcg Fentanyl patches for about 2 months. I went down to 12mcgs to wean myself. After the 12s ran out, I was e...

9 REPLIES

Hi all. I have seen a lot of posts in the drugs forum about Fentanyl withdrawal. I too have been struggling with the wit...

17 REPLIES

i have post sirgical lower back pain. was in 50 mcg pat. ch and had side effects ans so decided to wean off. i finished ...

16 REPLIES

My question is that I have titrated down from 75mcg to 50 and had some times that were NOT fun, I must say, but I figure...

13 REPLIES

I have been on Fentanyl 100mcg/hr, In vivo delivery of 100mcg/hr for 72 hours and I change them every 2 days instead of ...

9 REPLIES