Fentanyl Withdrawal Symptoms (Page 8)

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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Tessie, I'm sorry to hear you have stomach problems on top of everything else, that sucks big time ! But have you tried VOLTAREN EMULGEL ? It's a gel, sort of like Rub A535 or BENGAY, but with non-steroid anti-inflammatory properties. It's the only type of rub that helps me. It's Voltaren but in a gel version. Try it, it's surprising how it helps ! You can look it up at WWW.VOLTAREN.COM. And its available over the counter ! Look it up !

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Big Ben, Have you quit everything or just the Fentanyl?? I feel that your post was directed at me concering a friend of a friend..I have gone through opiate withdrawl many times. So I am speaking from experience. Now, if you are taking all of your meds except the fentantyl that is why you feel ok. but if you quit everything and are feeling as good as you claim you are, then you haven't even begun true WD's yet. Take this from a chronic pain sufferer who has been on opiates since 1972. And no, not EVERYONE can do this. You are giving out medical advice that can hurt people. U can share your experiences but you have no right to tell people that going CT is a snap...What about people who have died from WD's in jail? What about people who have seen no other way than to kill themselves. Stop talking for everyone.Speak for yourself only..And Please let everyone know if you have quit all drugs. I know in Canada you can buy codeine OTC, 12 days off of everything. You haven't felt anything yet.And BTW, why weren't you dreaming? Opiates don't have anything to do with dreams. And sorry for your heart problems but I am very curious, what opiates cause your heart to fail?? I haven't ever heard that unless you had a bad heart to begin with

Pat

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please ,,help with withwral symtems.i would like to hear honest and best way ,Im on 2- 25 patches.for 3 days 72hrs.then i will do 1- 25 and i will cut a 25 in half .then 72 hours i will do ame..the next 72 i will only put 1 25 .then in 72 i will put 1/2 of 25 thn cold ..should that work....i didnt know how powerful these were and that you can sell on street ..what would peoply pay for these .i guess the fat is people are loosing there homes to by this crap ..if they really neededit wouldnt the dc subscribe .....i tryed before cold tyrkey and lasted 3 days ..the withdrawl was ooooo bad ...someone said beforwe on the post that they had to mastubate 6 times aday to hep with jidders ..has that happened to anybody else ..please forward any positve help ..i feel like im going crazy ...i would not have gone on this if my doctor would of explained

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If I Would Of Known, talk to your doctor or pharmacist right away. If they can't help, call the manufacturer of the patches you're using. DO NOT CUT the patches unless you're positive that they're the Mylan strips. If you cut into a gel patch, the dosage dump could kill you. Really.

I found Benadryl (1 pill every 6 hrs) helpful for the wakefulness, itching & twitching I suffered when I stopped using 25mcg patches after one month. If you're taking other meds, read the fine print & check with your pharmacist before taking Benadryl. (And never mix it with alcohol; ugly things can happen.) It took 2 weeks off fentanyl till I started feeling like myself again.

Get professional help. You don't have to go through this alone.

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Jenny, I think # 144 is a troll..I have gone through WD's many times and the LAST thing on my mind would be masterbation, and hus/her WD's lasted a whole 3 days?? If only it were that easy..Looks like you are doing pretty good Jenny!!! My thoughts are with you

Pat

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This is to everyone...I just want to let all of you know that I only share things that I have been through myself..I would never give anyone my suggestions or an opinion unless I have been there myself, I don't go on about a friend of a friend told me how bad this can be or how easy this willl be. Sure, when one of my best friends committed suicide I had to share that, but other than that, I have been through everything you have I have been on opiates since 1974. first as a chronic pain sufferer then as an addict/ chronic pain sufferer, When I see BS, I call it, that is just how I am..I can tell you one thing, if you have been on opiates for a very long time, and you want to be off of medication, after you talk with your doctor, listen to Jenny, Tessie, Maui Girl,Happy girl. And I hope I didn't leave anyone out..If you want to learn how live drug free these ladies have done a good job, It is true that WD's are Hell when done CT and believe me, unless you haven't been on opiates for a long time the WD's will not be long gone in 12 days of course unless you are taking other opiates and there is nothing wrong with that if you are taking them as prescribed..I just don't want anyone to suffer because of someone saying that this is a piece of cake, it isn't a piece of cake. When someone is on a long acting opiate such as methadone and fentanyl the drug is still in the body 12 days after stopping.. This is a hard road and if you are committed to it, I applaude you, but please don't listen to someone telling you it is in your head. Talk to your doctor, read up on dependence/ and or addiction because they are really 2 different things..And listen to the advice of the people who have been here a long time. They have knowledge, they care, and it proves they are sincere because they are still posting...Rose are you still here?? I hope you are ok!!!!!

Pat

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THANKS TONS!! Big Ben!!! That's what I needed to hear!! I didn't know there was a rub, I shoulda had stock in icy hot, aspercreme, ben gay, etc for the last 25 years, I'd be rich off myself!! FYI there is an RX anti-inflammatory patch, called flector, lasts twelve hours but you can only put one on, might help with your back, no narcotics just goes thru skin its like the icy hot soft white patches, also there are RX lidocaine patches because I have some nerve damage in hip from arthritis I get radiating pain down right leg, this numbs from the top and kinda works its ways down, again only topical, no narcotics!! You guys are awesome, Pat I don't think you left anyone out and I have a brother who can totally relate to you. You gotta do for you and have a clear head. Pat is right. Jenny, Maui Girl, BIg Ben, and others she mentioned are all thinking correct and level headed for the circumstances!!! We SHOULD ALL BE PROUD OF OURSELVES!! thanks for the continued help and support. Ben and Jenny if you want info on these alternative topical stuff let me know, I didn't have exact maker, dosages, etc right by me. Have a GOOD DAY every one!! My quote for the day WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER AND BETTER!!! HANG IN. LOVE AND PRAYERS, TESSIE

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Thanks, Rose & Tessie. My pain is manageable with Celebrex (200 mg 2x day), a nightly dose of 1 Flexaril tab (can't remember if it's 5 or 10 mg) and frozen gelpacks.

I couldn't tolerate any oral opiates, which is why I was on Fentanyl. I have the Lidoderm patches and they do numb the pain, but Lidocaine makes me so speedy that I feel as though my heart will explode. And forget about sleeping!

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I never said i was only in withdrawl for thre days.I said after 3 days of hell .i put 2 25 patches back on .now my doctor wants me to do 1-25 and -1-10 for 3 days and then 1-25 for 3 days and then down from there .i have never felt so mych torture in my life .It is really hard when u do not have any support .i really feel like Iam going crazy .......have people really died from the withdrawl....

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Jenny ......did u go cold turkey after the one 25 patch ...what withdrawl did u have ? and you said it lasted 2 weeks..how did u manage to function??

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If I Would Of Known: I'm sure you're having a hard time with withdrawal if you've been using 2 patches (50 mcg total) instead of 1, as I was. I was bedridden after lumbar spine surgery, so wasn't functioning much anyway.

As I wrote previously, I took Benadryl every 6 hours for the itching. It made me a little sleepy, which was a good thing. I also take 4 capsules of 5-HTP (similar to tryptophan; available at many places that sell vitamins) at bedtime, which helps with twitchy legs. So does massage--even if you have to do it yourself.

A few days into withdrawal, I was REALLY tempted to cut a patch in half and taper off slowly. But I resisted & was OK after 2 weeks. However, that's just my experience. Since you were at a higher dose for a longer period of time, it's going to take more time to wean yourself off the fentanyl. Consult with your doctor. Good luck.

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If I Would Have Known: Just taper slowly...I went from 50mcg every 72 hrs. to 25mcg every 72 hrs for at least 3 weeks! then got 12mcg patch and did it for 72hrs for a whole month. then folded it and went for another 2-3 weeks at 6mcg per hr. It's not easy having all the nerve feeling happen at once. I was numbed for 4 years total, including using the oxycodone for the first 3 yrs or more. It does start to get better. I have been off all opioids since Aug 6 and still have restless legs at night. some sleeplessness too. but maybe I have actual damage to nerves...who knows how poisonous that stuff is. Hang in there and be patient.You will feel better.

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Happy Girl..Seriously, try putting a bar of soap under your sheets where your legs are. My husband says it is the only thing that helped his RLS, I know it sounds crazy,but what harm can it do?? And it may help you too.

Pat

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Pat...honestly, I couldn't care less about what you think ! I know what I'm going thru. You're inforcing an urban legend by saying you can die from withdrawls...I asked a coouple of doctors and it's not true. I'm no longer taking anything and I'm feeling bettrer already. Why I'm no longer writing ??? Because I've got better things to do that sit in front of a computer and listen to myself whine !!!!! Go on with my life, be with my family & friends.....LIVE! So to anyone else outthere, at least try...You can't be worse off that now...and you can't die...TRUST ME !

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I'm saying goodbye to this forum, because I'm now free & clear from fentanyl wd symptoms. Thanks to all for your helpful advice. And for those who are suffering, I hope your troubles are over soon.

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bigben how long did it take you to get off fentanyl? i joined discussion just last week, please tell me your story ..... congratulations !!!!! jen

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Jenny, I wish you would at least come by once in awhile to help people who are trying to taper because you can help those who are suffering now to let them know that even though it is bad now that some chronic pain suffers can be prescription free. You are honest letting everyone know how hard it was but it did work for you, Just think if the only ones who come here are the ones who want to try and taper and then there is no one here to tell them that they can succed..Like Someone said, I come here to let people know about those like me who use opiates responsibly, and knowing that is ok, and you are here for the people who don;t want to take opiates anymore. You will be missed if you leave

Pat

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For BigBen I don't really care what you think about me, but if you talked to a couple of doctors that said you CAN'T die from opiate WD's then they are LIARS. I too have a life and only get here once a week or so, so I don't have time to prove your doctors are liars. so here is the website with proof. www.atwatchdog.org ...

There you will see newspapers that tell names of people who have died, from WD's and people who have died doing UROD.. I am not the one here telling anyone to do anything UNTIL THEY SPEAK TO A DOCTOR. Everyone except you had WD's and their thruthfullness helped a lot of people. You are the only person who had no WD's.Either you are lying or you weren't taking opiates for as long as you said. And where do you get off telling me I would be better off trying to quit. I never said my life was anything but wonderful. Me thinks you are spreading the NA message..Get off my back and stop telling people they can quit without any WD's unless you have an MD after your last name....Thats all I have to say to you
Pat

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help .please !!!!!!! im loosing my mind .. im down to 25 {1 patch} the withdrawal's crazy ,, im ready to give up and put a 2nd patch on ... pharmasist told me today its going to be a long road ... any advice would be greatful ... prayer is bcming a hourly or minute thing to do.. i know gods listnng ... but im praying for miracle ....

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To If I Would Of Known: You are in my prayers this Thanksgiving Day. I hope that you will stay strong and endure. This too, shall pass...

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