Fentanyl Withdrawal Symptoms (Page 8) (Top voted first)

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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Hi there Enonumus, good to hear from you yes I do read the post on here and seems like we all want the same thing FREEDOM from the pain patch, freedom from the doctor holding us hostage with a percrription pad, having to call and ask for another months worth of patches, and as you said wondering if you have enough to finish the month out, because some fall off, and others, I have pulled off my body because they irritate me so much. I praise anyone who has completed the process of getting off fentanyl compleatly

I did alright getting down to a twenty five, but than hit a road block, after four weeks on the twenty five and having terrible withdrawal problems, and returning pain I chose to go back to the filthy until my life got back in order. Dealing with the wife's cancer and my Parkinson's I made the right choice for now. That being said I do still plan to try again, as we know you have to be honest to yourself and do what ever it takes to be in piece with our own body.

Sounds as though you are still working at it and doing well, I wish you the best, and cutting them works well if you have the right patch. I do read the posts on here, hope to hear from you. Rayman

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I totaly agree . I come off 100 patch after 4 years with no probs . I think you can really wind yourself for a hard time, but you need to stay calm and centred and things will work out good. I'm not saying it's always easy, I came off oxycontin 80's three a day five years ago and it was pure hell . Good luck to all having a go. Xx

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Stopping by leave another post for anybody following my effort to get off of these damn patches, and hopefully inspire somebody who might come along in the future who's struggling with getting off of these things, or considering starting the process. As my previous posts have indicated, I've been on a 200mcg/48hr prescription for several years now, starting with a 100mcg/72hr dosage as I was transferred from my first trauma center to a second hospital in 2003, following critical, near-fatal injuries from a skydiving accident. In late January of this year (2014), I'd had enough of these things, and built up the courage to try and wean myself off of them, after some internet research of course. I started with a very hefty drop from 200mcg/48hrs to 100mcg/48hrs, by cutting my 100mcg patches in half, and continuing with the same regimen of changing one patch each day (as opposed to changing two patches every two days, which always left me miserable on the second day). The withdrawals weren't too bad, no restless leg really, but it severely affected my appetite. Took me over 3 months before I was ready to step down again, and in early May (almost exactly one month ago) I stepped down to 66mcg/48hrs (technically 33mcg/24hrs).

Today I'm dropping down again, to 50mcg/48 hrs (25mcg/24hrs for my regimen). I still have a ways to go, but I'm very confident that I'll be off of these things this year, without any severe problems, though I'm definitely not looking forward what's going to happen when I stop completely. I told my doctor last month that I had started weaning myself off, but I didn't admit just how much I had dropped so far, since I didn't want him to cut my prescription yet (just in case). In the meantime, I've managed to accumulate 4 full prescriptions at my original 200mcg/48hrs dosage (30 100mcg patches/month). That's way more than enough to get me off of these things this year, or even halfway through next year, but the co-pay is a tiny fraction of what I pay for my insurance each month, so it would be stupid of me not to pick up the prescription. I did have my doctor write me a prescription for something to help with restless leg. He supposedly wrote me for Levitra, but screwed up and the pharmacy hasn't gotten it yet. Hopefully I won't suffer any major withdrawals from this drop-down before I manage to get the scrip.

Anyway, that's just my update. I'll be back to report on my next drop.

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The best way I could say would be to go online or in your case to your trusted doctor.Tell him of you restless leg problems and ask for tramadol. See if one tablet will do it or if not use 100 mg three times daily. You will find it has opiate like properties to give your receptors in your brain to end the withdrawal sickness,that is causing the restless leg syndrome.tramadol is not an opiate legally,but it certainly could stop the merry go round your experiencing with that fiery beast fentanyl. Your doctor should also know that tramadol has a calming effect and will work right away for you..Well I think if anyone deserves to stop these withdrawals its sounds like you need this fentanyl monster to go away. Good Luck God bless ,and I hope you try the tramadol right away. Rocket666.

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I have reduced mine by cutting the BACKING and not the patch itself. The portion with the backing still attached doesn't stick to you and is still good to be used later. I'm having great success with this method without running any risk that could be possible by cutting the patch. Only the portion with the backing removed adheres to your skin.
I do adviser taping the other portion in place as mine caught on my covers during the night and pulled the patch off. I woke up in horrible pain and withdrawals. Since taping I've had no trouble.
Hope that helps.

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Thank you Yvonne, that is a brilliant idea. Actually, with my patches, they have a divided peel off backing which is divided into two thirds and one third so I could use the smaller half later on as I reduce! And yes, I understand re the tape, I already always use a product called op-site to cover the whole patch which is a breathable skin and recommended here, after I lost a patch in the night early on.

To the other poster; I am not sure if you are writing in answer to my query, but if so thank you too. The methodone and addiction clinic solution is maybe a bit hard core for my little dependency problem, I'm just a little old lady with a bad back and didn't know whether to be horrified or hysterical thinking of myself taking such a hard line. Having said that, I appreciate that it doesn't matter if you are old or young, male or female, from whatever walk of life, we all just want to feel normal, pain free and in control, and hopefully everyone here who is struggling will make it in the end. Very good luck to you all.

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Five years ago I was prescribed the Fentanyl patch for a rare autoimmune disease that literally destroys your shoulder and hip and thigh muscles. The highest I've ever gone is 100mcg. For the first two years I was in heaven. No pain. But something else started happening. Yes, it numbed the pain but it also numbed every other emotion. No libido. No desire to be with friends or family. No desire to do anything but lay in bed and watch television. I would dose off in the middle of a conversation. I was also on very serious DMARDS which caused me to throw up, lose hair, etc. And like most of you, there were several times I lost a patch, or put one on too soon, etc. and ended up in withdrawals until I could get the new script from my PM doc. The worst withdrawals EVER. Three months ago I went into remission and immediately made the decision to come off the patch. I weaned down from 50, to 25, to 12.5, to Norco 5 in about six weeks total. I am now at the three week mark and down to 1/2 Norco 5 twice a day. I still feel terrible. The worst has passed, the creepy crawlies, can.t be still, the sweats and chills, the urge to jump, stretch, jerk, the sneezing, yawning, watery eyes, and the smell of it coming through my pores are for the most part over. But the pain in my legs and back are killing me, Nothing helps and I have tried everything recommended on this site. I still have no energy and I'm soooo depressed. My legs feel like they're encased in cement. The one thing that helped the restless creepy crawlies was Lyrica. I had to take a very high dose and it literally turned me into a drunken zombie for three days but at least I could sleep. Clonidine for the sweats. Trazadone to help with sleep, too. But some nights nothing worked, I was still wide awake, twitching and jerking but exhausted and just zoinked out of my head while doing it. If you can get a muscle relaxer and something like Klonopin, those help too. But the sad truth is, you just have to get through the worst of it. And it is hell. I've started walking and lifting very light weights. My doctor said it might take three to six months before all of the withdrawals go away. If you have any other option, do not start the Fentanyl patch. It is a hellish roller coaster ride I NEVER want to get on again. I also think it is very, very important to mention that if you wear a Fenanyl patch and have surgery, your pain will NOT be controlled post surgery by them adding a Norco 5 or even Oxycontin. To steal from another poster, those things are like Tic Tacs compared to Fentanyl. Unless you are end stage, please try every other option. I realize sometimes Fentanyl is all that works. It was the only thing that worked for me. It was a life saver actually. But then it turned into a killer of life. No one deserves to suffer needlessly. Just be very, very careful.

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I AM 51 YRS OLD,,,I HAVE BEEN ON FENTANYL PATCHES FOR ABOUT 9 YEARS,,,,LOTS 50+ POUNDS, NO APPETITE, SICK ALL THE TIME AND STILL HAVE PAIN,,,,,I CAME TO A REVELATION AND ASK THE DOCTOR TO WEIN ME OFF THE PATCHES, I WENT FROM 75MCG PATCH DOWN TO 50MCG PATCH AND THEN DOWN TO 25MCG,,,,,TODAY IS MY 4TH DAY AND I AM BEGINNING TO FEEL BACK TO NORMAL WITH LITTLE WITHDRAWAL,,,I AM TAKING EXTRA STRENGTH ADVIL TO HELP ME WITH THAT AND DOXEPIN TO HELP ME SLEEP AT NIGHT BECAUSE I HAVE NOT BEEN SLEEPING, JUST GONIG THROUGH HELL,,,,,DON'T GIVE UP,,,JUST DO IT, LIKE I DID,,,GO THROUGH THE HELL FOR A FEW DAYS ,,,,IT IS BETTER THAN STAYING ON THIS FATAL DRUG,,,,,BEST WISHES

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I'm having a setback but staying drug free. My disease causes weakness in muscles closest to the trunk, shoulders, hips and thighs, neck and over the past few days these symptoms have recurred. I'm struggling with stairs and washing my hair. My rheumy wants me back on Methotrexate injections and I'm sick to my stomach thinking about it. So far the pain isn't bad. Advil and Flexeril plus my daily bath soak are doing the job. But boy, I'm depressed as crap. Cried my eyes out all weekend. Found a 25 patch and immediately flushed that poison. Unless I get to endstage, that stuff will NEVER enter my body again. I like my PM doc but I think they should be required by law to detail how addictive Fentanyl is, how difficult it is to come off of and how HORRIBLE the withdrawals are. Keep up the good fight all. There HAS to be another answer.

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There is a medical term for it, Read on. .Akathisia, or acathisia kathízein - "to sit", a- indicating negation or absence, lit. "inability to sit") is a movement disorder characterized by a feeling of inner restlessness and a compelling need to be in constant motion, as well as by actions such as rocking while standing or sitting, lifting the feet as if marching on the spot, and crossing and uncrossing the legs while sitting. People with akathisia are unable to sit or keep still, complain of restlessness, fidget, rock from foot to foot, and pace. To me it is the most horrible wd symptom of all.

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Yes my little sweet Bichon Frise puppy almost died from biting one of my patches when it feel off my arm. If I hadn't have seen the tiny patch chewed up and rushed him to the vet for help he would have died. I am so thankful he didn't eat it or I would have never known what was wrong. My vet used a antidote that helped reverse the drug from his tiny system. He was admitted to the animal hospital for a day, released the next day feeling fine. Vet bill $800.00.

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Hi everyone. Dropping in on day 15 patch free. Have had some good days and bad days, but not bad in comparison to what they should have been. Mostly related to my condition. Still too much pain but that's why the patch was started. Its wonderful not worry about that patch.
Sid, that's awesome you're a couple of months in! I'm so happy for you. I've battled my mind about not being as productive, but realistically I was no more productive. Still taking two half hydrocodone a day, but it isn't the four I'm prescribed. I've never taken that many.
That's all that's new. Everyone struggling is in my prayers.

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Eunie, I'm just seeing your message for some reason. I'm sorry. No, I didn't have sweating, I was freezing all the time. Still am. Withdrawals are very cruel. Addiction is misery! I'm addiction free at this time, praise God! I've now gotten past the need for hydrocodone to get me through and three weeks free of my patches! It feels so good!
Cutting doses by 50% is too much. I left the backings on except for 1/3 of each patch and cut down by thirds.

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Eunice....ask your doc for clonidine , it helps with the chills and "creepy, crawly skin feeling" there are also other things you can try with that and that's potassium, magnesium, good multivitamin, vit B complex.......well, google this, The Thomas Recipe. I have heard good results from people in wd's from opiates. I won't say it will make you feel wonderful but I guess it does help with a lot of symptoms. Another thing is Gatorade which has electrolytes and immodium. Yes, it's for diarrhea but it helps with other symptoms as well. Good luck.

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I have finally made it! After a year of weaning myself off the patch and a couple of false starts I have been patch free for 2 weeks now. Physically the withdrawals have been doable but the mental part has been tough. Low energy, depression and anxiety can be brutal at times, all through out the weaning off process. Was wondering if anyone else is experiencing the something? I know it will take a couple of months to get it out of your system totally. I got off percosets last summer and I felt like crap for about a month and half and then one day everything just felt so much better. I'm hoping the same thing will happen with the fentanyl. I was on the 75mcg patch for 5 years, I don't know if there is a way to calculate the time in normally takes but I can't wait to finally feel normal again.

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Steve, sounds like you're having a horrible time! I'm sorry for all your troubles, your daughter etc. Seems to me that after a month it's hardly likely to be withdrawal from Fentanyl causing you this much pain and angst, but rather frustration, pain from your existing condition, stress and worry over your daughter and anxiety and depression, and who could blame you!! I guess you are in the USA and if you are I count my blessings every day I don't live there, your treatment sounds barbaric. In NZ we are treated like human beings, speaking for myself I am coming off Fentanyl after three years and am doing what Evonne, below, was doing (leaving small slivers of backing on the patch although the results are up and down) and also having counseling and starting at the pain Clinic next weeks for ALTERNATIVES to Fentanyl. You surely need some professional to discuss all your problems and tackle them one by one and I hope you get the help you need. Good luck!!

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Hope, yes, you are having more medication than you should, simply because you are self medicating yourself. If your patch is a 72 hour patch then that means 72 or pretty close to it. Not 48 or 60 hours. If you are having break through pain then if analgesia or other oral pain med doesn't help, you need to have a higher dose of Fentanyl over 72 hours. You can half them by removing half the backing.
To attach patches so they won't come off you can purchase something called Opsite (maybe other names there) which is like a second skin, very thin and breathable. It is also not expensive, you buy it by the metre here from pharmacies. It worries me that big solid things like band aids and so on are used as wouldn't they be adding more pressure and thereby heating up the active ingredient in the patch. JMHO

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P450,

Yea we do LOL.. u got to remember im just an old cajun boy from south Louisiana LOL

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Stephen,

Yep and throw em in the swamp the gators need a snack to remain in that water...

It's pathetic to even think to sell to helpless people kicking JOE.

Although I must be on Duragesic to walk and live (and if I do not get a physician soon will die).

As my deceased PM used to say an opiate addict can kick in 3 days he may not feel happy on day 4 but he's done with the sickness, those on Duragesic go through extended kicks, that is why I asked you where you put your patch to kick that fast.

I use mine in the renal area direct blood flow and was so skinny when pain was not controlled there was no fat now I have more normal BW.

P450

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I have also had lots of experience with fentanyl patch. Was on it for ten years so I don't judge anyone either. Some people need this narcotic to function as I did. The dosage kept going higher and along with oxyneo and Percocet. I became a Zombie. I lost those ten years as I spent them in bed. When I look back I lost so much and had no muscle left. Now I am off all of that and am much stronger. I can go out and do things. I can drive again! But most of all I have my mind back. I am not against fentanyl. I just think people should be more cautious. Yes both doctors and pharmacists should give more info on this drug. I'm on here just to give my opinion so maybe I can help someone. It is only my opinion. Fentanyl almost killed me. I hope I don't ever have to use it again. Don't get me wrong, it is a great pain reliever. Good luck to everyone!

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