Fentanyl Withdrawal Symptoms (Page 15)

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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I have recently been put on the 25mcg patches and i am having terrible headaches and the pain is still not gone they are talking about moving me up to the 5omcg patches and i was wondering if anyone else has problems with headaches and if the 50 mcg patches seemed to help them with their pain i have osteoperosis and fibromialgia and some days it is terrible if anyone can help me with these questions i would be very greatful thank you all and god bless you

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@PAULA & KRISTINA
First of all Kristina, my ADVICE to you: GET off patch NOW. Yes headaches are completely normal with the patches and YES you will get used to the headaches but you don't want to use this medication in my opinion. There are HUNDREDS of pain meds out there, I TOO HAVE fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, back damage and I need knee surgery. The PATCHES were first made for TERMINALLY ILL CANCER PATIENTS, go back ad ready through these posts from the beginning, whether you want to be out of pain, or just plain high these patches are NOT the way to do either. If your doc tells you I'm wrong and that they're safe and better than pills ASK HIM if HE'S EVER USED THEM!! MY OPINION ONLY. READ THE PREVIOUS POSTS!!!!

PAULA, hope you're doing better, I always struggle MORE in the spring for some reason...I LOVE the sun and spring and yet from what I've studied, read, heard from docs spring can be one of worst seasons for depression, thus more pain, thus more stress, thus more pain, etc. Hang in there you will get feeling better, ALOT better mentally then decide how YOU want to deal with the pain, I take an occasional vicodin being about 7 months off of patch now, I have found with my conditions though stress is my worst enemy and I have to try hard to not pick up the bottle of valium, xanax, for high stress situations, NOT that I have ever abused it but in retrospect I have used it more than needed because I just wasn't thinking to myself, breath, leave the room, walk and calm down and then see if you really need a pill, I just took the pill cuz docs prescribed it and cuz it helped and that was the easy way....Its HARD making life adjustments, changes, etc., but think how/what you want your life to be DESPITE PAIN, and then do what you gotta do. GOOD LUCK and love and prayers to all!!

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Thank you Paula. My Dad is now 18 days down to 37.5 patch from 50 mcg. He still has withdrawal symptoms; mainly weakness, shakiness (possibly his way of describing anxiety), no appetite, depression, and malise. He is supplementing with Oxycodone. Now he seems to be craving that.

He is already on 300mg of Neurontin twice a day. His blood pressure is very good so far.

I took him to his doctor yesterday. He was useless. He said to alternate 50 patches with the 37.5. That doesn't sound reasonable to me. So I told him I am giving it another week and we will see how he is doing and then make a decison to return to the 50s or not.

I would like to get him to a better doctor, but its almost impossible to get an appt. immediately while he is dealing with this. My dad is also of a generation that he doesn't believe too much in mental health professionals.

Since he is 84, I am not overly concerned of him becoming dependent on or addicted to a narcotic. pill or patch, but I just want him to have pain relief and be functional. This was the case for the first two years on the patch. It was a godsend.

Given what he has gone through in the last 2 1/2 weeks, I don't think I can possiblely wean him down further as orginally planned. At his age, I think the withdrawal will kill him directly or indirectly.

For those that weaned, can you feel better at a lower dose or do you have to discontinue completely to feel better (e.g. have an appetite, have energy)?

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My jaw is on the floor rite now. As I read all the posts and we all have the same problem with this fentanyl!!!! I have been on this patch for 4 years at 125mc. I asked the doctor to help me get off of this patch because I feel I've been on it way to long. Same as all of you I was told to wein dwn every 2 wks 25mcs. By the 3 week I was so bad with the withdrawls I wanted to die. I went back and he then put me dwn by 12.5 every 2 weeks. Honestly I am dwn to 75mc and I still feel sick. My theory is if we go to the doc because we are having withdrawls then shouldn't they give us something else as we are dropping dwn? If our body is craving the fentanyl and we are already having the withdraws then won't it just use up the next patch quicker? Feels that way to me, and I am so upset that we are not warned about how hard it is to get off this. I would of never agreed to use it, I have 3 kids that I need to be focused on every day. Not to mention if they ever found out I was going through withdrawals I would be mortified!!! I am so upset and I just want to scream at all these doctors who just don't care. It is so dangerous to have your body go through withdraws and they do not care!! And ps- Mala....PLEASE PLEASE if your dad is still going through withdraws take him to the doc and let that doc have a piece of your mind. I am 42 and it is horrible going through this. I would literally kill myself at 84 god bless him. But you are right the withdraws can kill him, so please make his doc give him something to make him not go through that. These doctors should b ashamed letting anyone go through this, especially him at 84!!!!!

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ty for the advice i was on percocet for over 2 years and the doc wanted me off them because they are checking me for liver and pancreatic cancer i really didnt want to be put on the patches but they would not take no for an answer and i am so worried i sit yeasterday and read all of the post about the withdrawls and i am so scared now that when they take me off of them that i will do the same as everyone else that has been on them is there anything else out there that would be better to take i am allergic to vicodin and cant take that and i am also allergic to demoral i just hope that i can find something else that i can take for the pain that will be safer i have a hard time doing daily activites and i have 2 children i just want to find something that i can take that is safer than these patches and be able to have some quality of life with my children and my husband if anyone has any suggestions please let me know thank you all so much and God bless you all. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!!!!!!!!!!

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I know that Fentanyl is some serious stuff but its been the only thing that has made me feel like I can function daily. Before getting my RX for this I was in severe pain 5 out of 7 days and the other 2 were moderate in pain. Now I can go many days without a wince of pain. But I'm not saying its a total miracle drug b/c I do get some withdrawl feelings on my last day (I wear it for 3 days) when its time to change it. I get jumpy when trying to go to sleep and I feel like I need to keep rocking back and forth. Even when I start to fall asleep I sort of twitch and jump around a lot. My partner can't barely stand sleeping in the same bed as me -- she said its like sleeping on a boat. I grind my teeth a lot and I just have this feeling in the pit of my stomach like something is wrong, even though everything is OK. I also find it hard to concentrate at work and even on stuff for home. But I compare how life was for me before the patch and I'd rather deal with these side effects than deal with constant pain. I can't imagine not having my patch - I can't go back to 6 days of hellish pain, so bad that I could barely get myself out of bed and dressed. I guess its the lesser of two evils.

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Mala!
Yes most definately to your Question to feeling better on a lower dose . I started being different almost imidiately from 75mcgs to 50mcg ( orriginnally 150mcgs) I would stay at the 50 w/ ur father at least for now I believe you are correct that at his age less withdrawl is better, if I didnt have my 3 young boys or my age to look forward to I would have died due to withdrawl. It is unless you never knew from older post from others 100 times painful withdrawls, than if he were to go off Heroin!
Keep this in mind, keep him on Neurontin, dont listen to the Dr telling you to swap to 50, then 37.5 thats stupid ur body knows the diff.
Prayers!!

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To Nikim!!!!

I want you to LISTEN up!!! I don't know your whole story but like Mala says: go back to the begining and read ALL of these post! Every person has their own situations and You have yours but I am familliar with almost every type of pain killer out there. I have been medicated for 15yrs, On FENT for over 4 years straight. YES in the begginning it worked great! But after 2yrs the side effects started showing through, I had vicodin for breakthrough pain. I need to say before I go on, Fent still NEVER took all the pain away, I tried 3 times to ween and saw my pain grow, it just took my pain and allowed me to bare it daily. I was not looking at how it baddly was mixing with my other meds. and slowly starting my downward spiral to depression, anxiety, fear of people, so much more and my 3 boys all under age 14 now were being punished for being kids when they were around me!

Slowly this Drug will show it's evil face to you and it might be too late, I don't want to sound mean, it's your choice, your Pain, your situation. I just want to let you know I as I sit here barely dealing with my pain, I have to say, I said what you did for so many years afraid of dealing with my pain, afraid of how bad it has become , will it be worse? Will I be able to make it without? But as I am still dealing with some withdrawl, I must say each day the symptoms do lessen! Yes, the pain grows, I will be going to a specialist at 1pm on Monday the 19th and I am so scared, I feel inside it's all I have left, but I promised myself I wont live the rest of my life doped up on vicodin, xanex, valium, percicets, antideppresents, and what ever else I popped! So Praying hard for God to intervien and work through this new Dr.

All I can say is if you choose Fentanyl be prepared that eventualy it will change dirrection and you will suffer more with it than without!!

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TO ALL: Paula is SOOOO totally correct. Listen to those of us who were on it for four to five years, first one is great and does help and you do think, well this is better than pain but eventually you need more and more and more and then they give you crap for breakthrough pain and then stuff for anxiety. I am 43 years old, have four children ages 19 down to 12. I MISSED 4 years of their lives and MY LIFE on this stuff, it got to where I THOUGHT I was functioning, thought I was doing okay but I didn't even get out of the house for weeks on end!! IT WAS GREAT at first, DID help pain, I had more energy, thought wow this is okay, better than being in pain. YOUR BODY GETS USED TO IT TIL YOU NEED MORE AND MORE AND MORE and to get off it is worse than heroin ASK anyone whose done both, I PERSONALLY KNOW THREE PEOPLE WHO USED HEROINE, got off then were given the patch, used it, wanted off, and said it was 100 times WORSE. I never used heroine so I don't know but I went to doc to get off, Sorry, can't give you stuff to get off, thats against the law, oh but, you can prescribe the crap that I'm on that I'm having SEVERE withdrawals from and THATS LEGAL, I COLD TURKEY QUIT these wicked patches and I know that was a bad way to do it, however for those of you who believe in God and spiritual and physical and mental enlightenment AFTER the pain, itching, rocking, cramping, spasms, vomitting and diarrhea for 7=10 days It was a good experience and one that I LEARNED FROM that: I WOULD rather be mentally present, even if I'm in pain and I have to sit on the couch and listen AT LEAST I CAN FEEL with my mind! There are other pain meds, and YES I've tried most all of them, if you give your body a break from ALL of them, even 30-60 days, you'll find how fast your body adapts and I can honestly now take and tylenol with codiene or a vicodin and get as much pain relief as with the patches. Just know that if you decide to start these and you have them in your system very long you aren't gonna get off them easy no matter how you do it....DOCS ONLY READ ABOUT WITHDRAWALS, THEY DIDNT EXPERIENCE THEM. READ ALL THE POSTS, then like Paula says, if you wanna take this crap, go for it but I almost wrecked my 25 year marriage and relationships with my children and extended family and ITS NOT WORTH IT. TRY accupuncture, try homeopathics, try the new meds for nerve damage or whatever but I'm saying this stuff isn't good, DOUBT IT, read ALL the previous posts and this is only a handful!!
PAULA, hope you are doing well!! IF you would like my email address let me know and I will see if I can get this sight to send it to you, I'd be happy to help and support any way I can!! Love to all!! God bless!!

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MARIA:::: Yes it is most definitely a form of withdrawals!!! I am sorry to have to tell you that, although the only thing you can personally do to feel better is to put more fentynal on. Don't go back to what you started but maby 12mc or 25. If you get the mylan brand ( and ONLY the mylan brand) you can cut them. But don't cut any of the other brand names they are made different. If you cut a 25, or 50 in half or even quarters you can add it on with the patch you already wear. This should stop that feeling. Sometimes it takes a month or 2 for the body to ajust to the loss of the med when we drop dwn. And doing it to soon will cause really bad withdrawls, I've been there. I to am having some trouble and had to go back up a bit, I like you just could not take it. I am still planning on getting totally off this patch as soon as I can. Had I known it would b this hard to get off, I would of never started it!! I am so thankfull I found all of you here, you have All given me some peace of mind with it.. Sometimes just talking with others going threw the same thing helps more then you know. I want to say THANK YOU to each and every one of you! Your posts have helped me so much. And I would love to smack my dr ri in his mouth!!!! I wonder if this was his wife,mother, or father living through this would he just say........YOU WILL BE FINE, CALM DOWN??

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MARY C::: my post that is to maria is to you, I appologize I spelled your name wrong.

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Hi all, sorry thats post sounded so mean...I GET SO ANGRY at these stupid doctors who can prescribe the crap but don't have a clue in heck what withdrawal really is or does or how it feels. RENEE, you are absolutely correct about difference in patches, I unfortunately quit cold turkey on the 50 mcg SANDOZ brand, which can't be cut. I know when I first started wd's and found this sight in about Oct there were posts from a few people who had used the Mylan and cut and decreased and a couple did fine, I don't know however if they said how long they'd been on them, the longer you've been on the harder it is, my opinion. Anyway good luck to all of you. If you're presently tapering or withdrawing I FEEL YOUR PAIN, I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH...If I can help in any way let me know. I CAN TELL YOU ITS TOTALLY WORTH IT!! Hang in there all!!

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Do not cut the patches, to reduce the dose. They are in a timed release, and if you cut the patches, it can deliver the complete dose all at once, rather than over a 72 hr. period. Death can result, if patch is cut or punctured on application. Had a pt, that the dog ate a used patch, and the pt spent $800.00 to revive the dog.

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Hey I hope everyone with the withdraws are feeling a liitle better. I am going through it right with you. I have been off of it cold turkey 72 hours but the first 24 hours were the worst. hot flashes, anxiety, insomia, I felt I wanted to kill myself! But my fever was 102 F I ended up in the ER. Which turned out useless by the time the DOC saw me I was feeling a lot better. but he did recommend to make sure the fever does not go higher than 103 F. He gave me a script for Vicodin and send me on my way which does seem to be helping me a lot. Its easier to get off of vicodin than fentanyl! I will never do it again. I rather suck up the pain than go through this again! I wish the best for everyone!

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RB, MYLAN patches according to my THREE docs can BE CUT, SANDOZ patches can not, Sandoz have gel, Mylan DON'T. ANY PATCH used and even left out for days will KILL/MAKE VERY ILL any small child or pet or anyone NOT OPIOID TOLERANT!!

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Tessie,

I would love to have your e-mail or by chance are you... {edited for privacy}.

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Paula, I posted reply with my email but they are reviewing it. I looked you up on facebook, I sent three friend requests with info about Tessie from PDI forum, if you get one my last name is Stevens. hope we can get together on facebook.

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Thanks for all of the post guys. I was rapidly weened from the patches starting about 3 weeks ago. I went from 75 down to 25 in 3 weeks and I have just gone to zero! I can't believe how bad I feel. I have never, ever felt this bad. For those of you considering taking the patch on a Dr's advice.. Do Not Do It.. and find a new Dr. This stuff is dangerous! I was on it for nearly 2 years and just kept needing more. I suffered some serious side effects pretty quickly after taking it but as it has been mentioned, the relief from pain and feeling more alive than I had for some time, I kept eating the forbidden fruit. My withdrawals started as soon as they started weening me, and I pray they end soon because I'm not sure how much longer I can take this.

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Wow, I'm glad I found this discussion. I am having an absolute horrible time getting off the Fentanyl patch. I won't bore your with why I'm on it..lots of surgeries and pain history. On 75mg, then 50mg, and currently trying to make 25mg last 48 hrs. Not working well. I had to change the patch every 48hrs anyway. Come to find out I'm one of the 5% that shouldn't be on patch anyway. My body was absorbing all the medicine in less than one day and by 24hrs I was sweating like a pig, weak as water and feeling horrible pain. I thought something was wrong with me! Turns out, the patch is my problem. God help me get off these things with out hurting somebody...lol I take clonodine and ativan to help with withdrawals..given to me by the Dr. and still take oxy and opana. Why am I still miserable...Fentanyl is a horrible horrible drug..Yes it works for pain but its just not worth all the drama! I can't wait till I'm off the crap! Thanks for letting me share.

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Whoa ... I cannot believe I stumbled across this website (it started by looking up something about the pain meds I'm taking while being weaned off the fentanyl patch). Wow .. everyone here seems to be in the same boat as I am. About a month ago my doc started weaning me off the patch. Have been on it for about one & a half years due to a back injury ... started out low @ 12 mcg, gradually increased to 75. I decided that I wanted to get off them for several reasons so my doc gave me a one month script for 50 mcg and another month for 25s. I'm about half way through the 25s and hopefully I can get off them completely w/out having to resort to an even lower dosage for a third month. My MAIN withdrawl symptom is the dreaded leg twitches and shivers. They are unbearable. To take along with the reduction in patch dosage, my doc prescribed hydrocodone apap 10mg/500mg. I can take 2 every 6 hours and they seem to help control the twitchy feelings somewhat. Anyway, here I thought I was the only one going through this and ... WOW ... look at all of you ... going through it too. I've been sitting here reading these pages for over 2 hours now - I feel like I found a whole new set of friends that can relate to what I'm going through with gettin' off these nasty patches !!! I wish well to all and will be sure to check back to this site now and then to see how everyone is. :)

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