Fentanyl Withdrawal Symptoms (Page 21)
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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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I've been on the fentanyal patch now for 4 years. 75mg/3days. I was in a bad car accident in 1986 I was 22, I had multiple fractures in both legs and arms shattered elbow and broken pelvis. I recovered from my injuries rather well all things considering but as I approached the 18 year anniversary from the accident and working in a factory doing a lot of heavy repetitive work I found the pain was intolerable. After a partial hip replacement surgery and the pain meds I was on not only helped the pain form surgery but also all the other aches and pains I was experiencing. I started off with percocets and then Fentanyl patches and Percocets for break through.
To make a long story short, this past summer I ran out of my percocet script early a month and 1/2 early. I had a script for 120 for 3 months. Due to a recent break up and a new job driving truck I abused the percs. I just grind and bared what I thought was pain til my next visit to the Dr. One morning about a month later I started to feel better, better then I had in a very long time! It hit me that most of the pain I was experiencing was that of withdrawals from the percs. Since then I have been weaning myself off the patch I am on 50mg/3days for a month then down to 25mg and so on.

My question is how has everyone's anxiety been while weaning off. Mine has been through the roof ever since I got off the percs. I don't want to take any meds for it as god knows they can be addictive as well.

It would be great to chat with anyone going through this process of being opiates free

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Dear dear pain pals How well I know your fears and experiences. I could be looking at hip surgery and I am frightened now. Please help me..give me some input!

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Hi fellow family-in- pain pals! I was started on the Fentanyl 25mcgs two months ago and a month ago my PM Dr upped it to the75 mcg. This was done after years of back and shoulder surgeries..the back surgeries were spinal fusions and alas I have sustained my pain issues with Hydrocodone and whimpers. i no longer am on the hydrocodone but do take Lyrica 150 2xday. My last back surgery was in March and to my horror, have now discovered that as my back has healed hip pain has now emerged. Mri's have revealed torn labrum and severe arthritic damage in both hips..yes I too have degenerative joint disease like my mother and her mother as well. Hearing the horrors of the patch should I ask to be off now my pain pal friends? What do I do? I tried life without pain suppliment and I can't properly function. I go back for a follow up with my PM dr in a few days..any suggestions would greatly be appreciated!

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you hit it right on the head. Have expierence everthing you said. It's all about the money these doctors don't seem to care anymore. Let's see how many co-pays we can get today

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I am tyying to get off Fentynal and would like to chat with like minded folks.Getting lower back surgery in the spring of 2014 and have to loose wt and get off the Patch. I am on 50Mcg Q3days.I've been on it for only 6 months

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First of all..your pain level is intensified when you are on pain meds. When you are off of them for a while, your pain level will get back to where you are not hurting as bad. That is why people get hooked on pain meds because it makes them hurt worse. So they need more and more. It is a gimmick from the makers to keep you taking the meds. You will have depression and if you were not depressed when you went on the pain meds, use this as a tool to keep yourself from getting depressed. Occupy your mind with positive things. That will help. God bless you for taking back your life. You deserve your life back.

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I was on this stuff for almost 2 yrs. I used a 125 mcg patch every 72 hrs. for chronic back and neck pain due to 15 yrs of working on the docks in Seattle WA. I ended up needing surgery where they fused C5-C6-C7 together with plate and bone marrow, I have a compression fracture in middle of back, severe degenerative disk disease with severe arthritis and bone spurs. I'm having more surgery in Jan. I've been on opiate pain meds for over 20 yrs. Mostly Vicodin/Norco and pot. My doctor put me on Fentanyl patches because I was still having pain even after taking 8-10 of the Norco a day. The patch worked great and I was able to quit using the Vicodin and Norco all together. I ran out of insurance and could not afford the $200 mth for the patches anymore and had to get off them asap. In the beginning I had to go cold turkey for about 4 days (which was the absolute worst experience I had ever gone through). But I started taking the Norco and smoking pot again. Between the two I was able to stay off the patches with little withdrawal effects. And I will die from pain before I put one of those horrible things on my skin again!! I can now manage my pain effectively with about 4-6 Vicodin/Norco a day and smoking pot. It's absolutely insane that pot is not legal for medicinal purposes everywhere in this country. It's a plant that grows out of the ground for god sake!! The many many benefits this plant has for medicinal purposes as well as "goods/products" are incredible!! It truly is "God's Medicine" The fact that it is illegal to have is a crime against humanity! And the reason(s) it is not legal to have are indeed a crime within itself!!!

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Hi, I feel i could do with some support from those who have been through the experience of coming off of Fentanyl. I was prescribed the patches due to chronic back pain. I have cauda equina syndrome. I have chronic kidney disease due to the declofenac so i am unable to take declofenac any longer. *(just to let others know that declofenac can cause kidney disease and kidney failure so be very carefull. ) I have been on 125 mcg of fentanyl changing the patches every 48 hours . I saw a pain consultant in bristol frenchay , i was having so many side effects i was literally so ill i was unable to get out of bed, I was told to reduce the patches by firstly spreading out the 48 hours to 72 hrs , then reducing the patches by 12 1/2 every 4 weeks. I have got down to 100 mcg , I have been at this dosage for 3 weeks and i am struggling. i feel really depressed. I have spent the last week in bed , i havent even showered for 5 days. I just feel so sick and i have so little energy. I have had withdrawal on two occassions in the last week. the muscle spasms. wattery eyes. and not being quite with it. i hate that feeling. My gp is supposed to be supporting me with coming off of the patches i have contacted her on 3 occasions i have been given her email address I have not had a reply, I called the surgery and got no reply. i have since found out that my gp was on anual leave for two weeks then training for two weeks back for a week and now on two weeks training then she is going to be off for another week. I plan to make an appt to see any gp at my practice i need to get some support with this. i havent seen a gp since reduceing the patches.
I am scared i have got such a long way to go I have only reduced by 25 mcg and have another 100mcg to go. I feel that i am alone at the moment.
I wondered if anyone else has experienced feelings of depression when coming off of the patches. also can anyone offfer any advice on how to over come the withdrawal episodes It usually lasts around 5 hours. i take a diazapam which helps loads but it is pretty rough still. Can anyone offer any advice. i am feeling very anxious about coming off completely. I am also really worried about the pain geting bad again too. I have had two major spinal surgeries , i was paralised by a central disk prolapse due to delay in treating cauda equina syndrome. i can walk a short distance , standing in one place is very painfull even making a cup of coffee leaves me in a sweat due to how much pain i am in. I have been prescribed Pregabalin(lyrica) 150 am and pm i droped back to 100 in the morning as i was like a zombie i just slept all day and night . I am better on the lower dose in the morning at present.
I am worried about how my pain will be managed as i reduce the patches. my gp and pain specialist say that the patches were no longer working for my pain. I think they were working .
so what i am asking is has anyone else experienced depression or low mood when coming off of fentanyl patches.
Also what did others do to manage chronic pain. when coming off of fentanyl .
And can any one offer any advice on how to manage coming off and the withdrawal side effects.
Thanks in advance.

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My husband (73) has been on this garbage for 15 yrs , and all he talks about, he allows it to dominate his life. I keep telling him to stop, but he doesn't. It's the source of all our arguments constantly. Any advice?

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Hello, I have been off the patches for over a year or a year and a half. It took me 7 months to totally get over them. Granted, the first month to six weeks were very bad. I had the trots, sick at my stomach, chills, fever, shakes, seeing things, and no sleep. After the six weeks, I was better but still could not sleep over an hour to two hours. I was so upset with everyone, doctor and pharmacy. The doctor nor the pharmacist, told me what to expect with these patches. Only after I called the pharmacist and asked him what was wrong with me, did he let me know what was going on. That was the longest six weeks of my life. And it was hell. Now things are a lot better and I am a lot wiser. Never will I just take what the doctor gives me unless I ask a lot of questions and do some research. Please do what you can to get off these killers. You are just as strong as you want to be, and if you really want to quit these, just do it. You can take some aleve and some melatonin for sleep. It helps, just be careful that you don't take too much. Ask the pharmacist what dose would be good to take. Tell him, or her, what you are going through and they will help with a lot of over the counter things that will help. God Bless you for taking this step and be proud of yourself for doing something that will benefit you and your family. They and you, deserve to be happy and well. Take care.

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Get professional help ! Fentanyl killed my son !

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What you are feeling is withdrawal! I quit cold turkey off of 75mcg fentanyl. I was on patch for about a year and on pain killers for about a 3.5 years. I found I was in more pain with the patch. I am on day 39 and feeling a lot better but still week and edgy. It was the worst experience of my life!! They say I need back surgery again but I will not do it for fear the pain would get worse. I will never take a pain pill other than Advil again! Doctors never discussed how bad your body and mind get addicted to the crap. I will never fully trust Doctors again!! As for how long it will take for your detox, everyone is different, at least a month. Hang in there and do yourself a favor and get off the patch as soon as possible.

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I have been talking to the admin of this site and want to warn everyone to not let someone exploit you into giving any of your info on your real name, address, or even you email address. I was exploited on this site and have been to the law and have met with the admin. of this site. This person used me and then sent me patches and then said I was trading them for herion. That I have never used. I had never hid anything from anyone. Even when I had been in prison, and the things I went through, were used against me. I am not the kind of person that would hurt anyone intently. I was so crazy about this person, they seem to have understood what I was going through. And still to this day the hurt of how they just turned on me is still fresh. I don't want anyone to go through this so I have been monitoring this site with the admins. official approval to watch and make sure this never happens to anyone else. I have learned to forgive but to forget is quite a ways off. Please, do not give anyone your real name, address, phone number, or email. There are some evil people, in general, in this world. So, please protect yourself and if you need any help. Just leave me a note. I talk to the admin. from this site a couple times a month.
I hope everyone a clean bill of health. I have been off of these patches for two years and the first 7-8 months were very rough. Now it is not so hard. I have been clean for a good while and now it is easy and I am very happy. Very happy.

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Complete detox can take well over a month. A week that's a joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then you will be very week for some time after detox.

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I am a 24 year old female college student. Last summer I dislocated and broke my neck in two places during college gymnastics practice. At the ER, my x rays were switched with another patients and I was diagnosed as having nothing wrong with my neck (found out about the x ray switch a month after I ended up having surgery, that was a fun conversation with the hospital btw). 6 weeks of hell later I went to the doctor and found out I really was actually injured, and ended up in surgery less than a week later because my spine was unstable and apparently that's not a good. I had a fusion and a couple other things done in there, not totally sure what they did actually, involved some screws and bone grafts and plates and rods, a shaved head, and a pretty 12 inch scar up my neck and head! A couple months after surgery I had complications because of the 6 weeks I went without treatment after the accident and was put on a fentanyl patch (which I at first thought was the same as those icy hot patches you get at CVS, obviously I did no research I just did what my doctor told me). I got sick and took the patch off after about 2 hours. Went back to doctor who insisted I try it again at a lower dose, which I did, and I have been on it ever since, about 8 months. I've been studying for my MCAT and am applying to medical school and it's been really tough with all the weird side effects of the patches and going into withdrawals if I just barely go past the 48 hour mark. I sat for my MCAT a couple weeks ago and had a full blown panic attack and completely bombed (after thousands of dollars and 6 months spent preparing). After that I had a mini nervous breakdown and kind of went into my cave for a week. While in my "cave" I missed my doctors appointment for my next fentanyl refill, whoops. At first I thought 'okay that's a sign it is time to come off this stuff', 3 days later I was in agony and called to reschedule so I could slowly taper down under my doctor. The nurse refused to give me an appointment because I had missed my last one. I tried to explain the situation and took responsibility for the appointment but she was reallllly mad and refused. Finally she agreed but wouldn't give me an appointment for 2 weeks (I truly believe this was done out of spite on her part, my doctor has always allowed me to drop in and will write me a refill because he knows my situation and I've been with him for awhile). I am positive my doctor doesn't know about this but I couldn't talk to him so I guess this means I'm detoxing on my own...So basically I guess I'm asking...when will I stop wanting to crawl out of my skin, when will I no longer feel like I'm going through menopause with these hot flashes, when will I stop feeling like a crazy twitchy junkie who can't accomplish a single task. I would REALLY like to be able to start studying again soon, but there is not a damn chance I could get through a page without thrashing my body around and having to change my sweat drenched clothes or take a hot or cold shower to shock my skin out of that creepy crawly feeling. I feel like if someone can just give me a time frame I could deal with this. But not knowing how long its going to last is KILLNG ME. I have been on and off opioids for years due to injuries from competitive gymnastics and have never had an issue coming off Vicodin or Percocet or anything else they've put me on. I just stop taking them and totally forget about it and moved on with life. But THIS IS DIFFERENT. Who prescribes this crap to a young college athlete after an injury before they even know if I'll have chronic pain or not. This seems crazy to me!

rant over... time for another hot bath so my skin stops crawling for 10 minutes. :)

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I have recently gotten off the patch I started at 100 and gradually went down to 12.5 and then cold turkey but in its place I am taking percocets 10 325 I'm supposed to take 5 a day, but I start to going to horrible withdrawal and I have to take more so I will run out of these and be in big trouble I need some help but how to get through the withdrawals I want all all this medicine too as the pain has got to be better than the withdrawal and the pain! Can anyone help me with some advice ?

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The symptoms your having sound like detox. They suck! I'm on day 15 cold turkey of fentanyl 75mcg I was on it for about 9 months. You got to try cold turkey it is the fastest way to get off the crap! Mind you I have been on pain killers for a bout 3.5 yrs. do to a broken back. Most of my detox is over but I still can't sleep and I am very week. Hang in there.

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Its not and I just paud 180 for a 1 1/2 monts prescripbczusevi lost ny insurance and im going nuts going off. My body is shaky and I cant stay still or sleep and my dr. Who didnt put me on it is amazinf. Hes overseeing this and us trying to make it easier for me.

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In day 8 withdraw is back in full force! Don't know what to do. Help!

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I took 400mg of nuronton caused me seizures.

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