Is It Okay To Chew A Fentanyl 50mg Pain Patch? (Page 2) (Top voted first)

I've been prescribed fentanyl 50mg pain patches and i was just wondering if it's okay to cut one in half an chew on it?

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Hello, I'm 29 years old. I broke my back two years ago and have had 2 major open back surgery's. I've been prescribed every kind of pain and nerve medication there possibly is, desperately trying to find the right medication to help cope with the pain. Just recently my Neurologist/Pain Management doc took me off my 10mg Oxycodone ,10 mg valum and switched me to a 50mg gel Fentanyl patch. I was also given a prescription of 10 mg hydrocodone for break through pain. ( I have a very high tolerance for pain medication because of the amount I have been perscribed) It took a while for the patch to kick in. On the third day I had begun to notice the slight deference in the level of my constant pain. I've never totally been 100 percent out of pain due to the severity of the injury. When it came time for me to change the patch I decided to chew it hoping to stretch out the ability of the medication. It didn't make me high at all!! The only side effects I had from chewing the remainder was a little itching around the facial area, and a slight dizziness feeling. I must say I did notice that my pain had significantly decreased. Later that evening, my tongue had broke out into canker sores. (Has this ever happened to anyone else?) I imagine that was from chewing the patch, but not sure. As I'm reading all these comments I realize so many have different opinions about chewing the patch. But my question is...Is it harmful to chew the remaining gel that is still in the patch? Could I continue doing this process without the fear of dieing to help with the extreme pain? I'm not an attic, or I'm not buying this medication off the street, I'm just someone who is always looking for a way to dull the daily pain I endure. Also, the people speaking of their loved ones who have passed, I'm so sorry for your loss. I truly am, but did those specific individuals die from chewing a new patch? and was it more than just one? Did they have a low tolerance for opiates? All tho I don't live my life's decision's by gathering information on blogs it is nice to hear others opinions and wisdom that have had experiences. Thanks so much for any responses!

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Joseph: Go do something better with your time and your drugs, doesn't seem like anybody here wants to listen to you. Also, that advice you just gave was COMPLETELY inappropriate, seeing that it was not ASKED for.

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ok first off id like to say to all you hypocrits who talk down about people that use drugs & those in recovery trying to better their lives...first off WE dont ruin NOTHING for YOU!! im 24 yrs old and am a recovering addict and have been for over a year now. i have a great job, great life..everything. there was a point in my life when i was in active addiction that i became so sick, i was fronted one of these patches and was told to chew it and it would help me from getting sick, allthough i knew nothing about these as an addict in the middle of my addiction i did not care, i needed to keep from getting sick. nothing happened to me but it took my aches and pain away. allthough i am DEF NOT happy about what i did and how i would hae taken anything to keep me from getting sick, i didnt care at that point. luckily nothing happened, and anyone who knows anythign about addiction would agree! secondly i wanna say to all those people out there that say they have been on this and that (narcotic pain meds) for so many yrs or months and still continue to say "YOUR NOT AN ADDICCT" are truely lieng and are just in plain DENIAL. not saying anyone who takes narcotic meds are in active addition, but after so long your tolerance increases and you need more/higher doses. you start out by taking more than perscribed. if you cannot take narcotic pain meds without going through withdrawls..sorry to say people..YOU ARE ADDICTED, whether its mentally or physically. there is nothing wrong with being a recovering addict..those of you who decide to CHEW this patch, i could carless if you LIE and say "oh i want it to be more effective w the pain" are just in DENIAL like i said, i dont care how much of it you chew or what the circumstances are, if you feel you have to CHEW a pain patch that is made to release narcotic in your body over a certain period of time and say you are not trying to "get high" your all LIARS. even with my tolerance for narcotics when i was using, i chewed it and still recieved a bit of a high. so to the guy who brought this up in the first place, honestly with all do respect, if you are even QUESTIONING whether or not you should or shouldnt chew a strong pain patch suck as this one ..you have doubt in your head that its not right, and most of the time you should really go w your gut feeling bc majority of the time thats the right decision, and coming from a recovering addict...sorry to say hun but if you even have to throw in that paragraph "you are not an addict" you really are, and thats your concious. now its your life and your decision what you choose to do and im not putting you down in any way, shape or form. now to ALL YOU STUPID PEOLE who are supposadly "nurses" omg!! seriously...are you that stupid..ok well first off if anyone has ANY education and knows anything about drugs period..you will know that is an UBSURD thing to tell people. they are a curse from the devil. they have no idea what they r talking about and why they would tell anyone that, is completly beyond me. i am a RN. not to put my s**t on blast, and not to make myself look good to anyone bc i know i dont need to impress anyone. im just truely upset by what you said about how its ok basically to CHEW pain patches, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU JUST SAID!! if it was truely ok to chew a pain patch, dont you think it would be prescribed to you that way. come on now people, dont be that stupid, anyone with a brain knows better than this. I just had a really bone chilling scare with my big brother/cousin, just thursday 10/28/10, him & his gf both are addicts and in active addiction, ive tried everything, and i mean EVERYTHING i can to help them. but i cant and wont jepordize my recovery to help someone who is not yet ready. so thurs night at 8:30 pm i got a phonecall from a family member saying he was found in his vehicle and was unconcious, his gf found him, and when she found him, she found a fentanyl pain patch hanging out his mouth and it had been chewed up. then there was another one on the floor that he had to already have eaten. so she called 911 and they told her to put him on the ground, and she did so. 911 got there just in time, once he was at the hospital, the only thing keeping him alive was the peramedics keeping oxygen on him. he got to the hospital and was ceasuring and convulsing, foaming from the mouth & had no airway to breathe. so they put him on ventilater & shortly after that he was in coma, let me tell you something, for those of you who have never experienced such a thing as a family member dead and the only thing keeping them alive is the machine it sucks and will change ur whole perspective on live. anywho..now he has came to, and it delushional. he is very confused, talks off the wall crap, and may have severe brain damage due to lack of oxygen to the brain, my brother/cousin's bday just passed and he was unconcious for his bday. you wanna talk about hard on me and my family. experience something like this or worse (which i dont wish on anyone) and then you will understand. granted he took more than usual but even ONE could kill you, you know how they say "ITS JUST ONE" well it can/will kill you. just like they say..i only had sex "one" time and got pregnant..its true. allthough he was taking xanex on top of it, it sstill dont change the fact that that sent him over the edge, take NO CHANCES..thankfully he is still with us today but may never be the same again, so please anyone out there who are even thinking about this or who have done this, dont go against med advice. any dr on their right mind will tell you DO NOT CHEW THEM. if you do its your will to die. whether you do or not, well lets just say..thats up to the lord above. do the right thing, and anyone who is going this far with a patch or even in any kind on addiction, PLEASE SEEK OUT HELP! it can and will work. you may think you have no other option, there is and you do!! it wont be easy, but like they say..NOTHING IN LIFE WORTH FIGHTING FOR COMES EASY, AND WILL GET BETTER WITH TIME..GOD BLESS AND GOOD LUCK.

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hey guys look i feel for everyone that has a family member or loved one that has die as result of this drug..iam someone who likes opiates alot but this drug is strong..I have a tolorence to opiates and even i cant handle this stuff.. I have been abusing pills and heroin for years. I live in new jersey wich has the purest and cheapest heroin in the united states you can get a bag of heroin around here for $5.00 and all the kids around her including myself do it. but fentynal is stronger then heroin. I was going through detox once and i wanted the pain to go away. my mother gets 100mcg i took and chewed it and it literally took my breath away. i did not get high though. i was hard to breath and i could feel my heart trying to keep me alive i swear before god. i have a $150.00 dollar a day heroin habbit im not proud of it but i do..I was not able to handle this so my advice to you is this please dont play with this drug. you are playing roulette with your life. thank you for reading this and make the right decision..

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There are all kinds of pain meds. There all come in different strengths as well... I suggest you cut a small piece at a time. If it doesn't work in an hour its safe to say it wasn't enough. Do another piece equal in size. You'll find the right amount and you'll have a basis on what you can handle. Always remember its better to start with too little than too much.

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well said. very well said. i'm glad your able to go out and enjoy yourself now. the people on here that "know everything" don't know what helps YOU! they don't know what you do to make YOURSELF feel better. everybody is different, so for one person to tell you your wrong for doing something that HELPS YOU!?! thats not right. if you want to chew that little piece of fentanyl and its going to make you able to enjoy yourself, go out, cater to your needs instead of being in pain in bed then by all means DO IT. its your choice your life, you know what works best for you. hope you continue to be able to enjoy your life and stay free from pain as much as possible.

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I am now using Fentanyl 75mg as of this monday. I know that I have a high tolorence for opiates. I have read so many articles on the Fentanyl patch that I have become dizzy. I know that it must be very tempting to use them the wrong way. But I would rather have some marijuana than to O.D. I live in California and I have a medical cannabis card and have now started growing in my basement due to the expense. I know that in the long run it will be a great deal cheaper to grow it, Plus I can control what goes in my plants thus what come out in the end product. a $1000.00 investment for the equipment will reap me unbelievable results. They cannabis strains just for pain. I also have a license to grow for medical MMJ usage.

I am already a little over a month in my grow and in another month and two weeks I should have enough until summer if I were not to grow any more for awhile.

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Ever heard of the poison dart frog? You touch it. you die.. Period... No way not to absorb that s*** into your system. All it takes is for you to graze the damn hopper, and you end soon after. If you squeezed a high dose patch, or even a low dose one and the med push between the silica gel, and the film, or foil, or plastic, whatever, it COULD very well kill someone. Be it an infant, or someone with no tolerance, it could. I do however agree with all of you in certain ways. People are gonna get high. Better to help them than let them find out the dead way. Better to for sure. But 25 mcg's is pretty much enough to drop someone. So everyone that keeps telling people s*** that they THINK is right is just what you people are.. STUPID. Well some of you. Oh, And I used to smoke thc myself, and there is nothing that s*** will make pain more tolerable than a GOOD Dr. AND a GOOD patient. The reason your meds don't work is because you don't take them right. (In most cases) People get 90 -120- -180 even, lortab, percocet, lorcet, whatever, and by the 2nd week they're out and sick, lookin' for more. Doin anything to relieve that damn monkey, even thinking of s*** like chewin' a patch... There is a lot of meds in a 3 day patch.. 3 days worth to be exact.. So, basically chewin' one would be almost like swallowing 3 full days or every narcotic you are prescribed, and for some that's a lot. You take three days of meds that I see people take, at one time, and you my friend are 1 dead ass. So, be wise, safe, and use the part of your brain that's not in withdrawal mode. That monkey will make even the most sane person insane to find a way to cure his ills. Once you know that you are feeling the way you do because of not having, it makes it 10 times worse. Because you know that 1 little thing can cure your ails. Always have something for the next day.. Everyday. Even if it is very little, it is better than none, and you won't be sick. That's what causes people to do stupid s***. Wanting to get high hardly ever kills. Getting high can kill you. But ODing because you are trying to shake the dragon, will kill you. Desperate people do desperate s***. Desperate decisions kills people. I hope I have helped, if not, I am sorry. But it is your life. Live it to your own, and to each his own. cesm

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DONT DO IT I JUST GOT RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL FROM CHEWING ON PATCH, MY MOM FOUND ME ON THE FLOOR NOT BREATHING AND PARAMEDICS HAD TO REVIVE ME....

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I get 25mcg patches and sometimes 50mcg patches. I chew them all the time and have a very high opiate tolarence. I have never had a problem with overdosing! So I don't see what the fuss is all about?

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I have been on the patches for four years now. I was on 200mcg/72hrs but after loosing a little over 100 pounds now am prescribed 125mcg/72hrs. Prior to the patches I was on OxyContin but my body stopped processing them so the Dr suggested the patches. Anyhow the patches do not make me feel high, the OxyContins always gave me a buzz but the patches WORK. I am still prescribed Dilaudid for the breakthrough pain which thankfully I don't take very often because the patches do work so well. I don't get any elevated feelings from the patches and miss the OxyContin high but am glad that I am no longer in pain!

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I hope you chose not to chew/cheek the patch. I want to share my experience here in hopes that it will help you and others that are considering this. I was prescribed Fentanyl for a back injury, but it was taking awhile for it to kick in by wearing on the skin. I made the mistake of looking up how to make it kick in faster than wearing it. I started cutting into the patches and putting a drop of the gel into my gums, which was very effective for awhile. The problem is, in NO TIME at all, your tolerance will go through the roof. For example, the first time I did this, a drop slightly smaller than a pea was perfect for me. Within a month, it was taking 3-4 drops at a time, which was about half of a 100mcg patch - which I had seen in other forums, people have DIED on this amount. Long story short, the next 3 years have been a fight for my life as my habit grew to needing 2 full patches a day. I have overdosed twice, the last time I was unconscious for about 2 1/2 hrs and they almost had to put me on a ventilator. I have been clean for 6 months now thanks to rehab, a loving family, and a massive daily dose of Suboxone, but the long term damage Fentanyl does to your brain chemistry is staggering. (even if it's not all physiological = some can be mental, emotional, etc) I STILL have a very difficult time feeling joy in everyday life, and sometimes it's almost a full time job just fighting the urge to return to the Fentanyl. And let me tell you - withdrawal from this is HORRIBLE. It's a fast acting drug, which makes the initial withdrawal usually only a few VERY MISERABLE days, but for me, it's been the extreme post-acute withdrawal that is worse. At almost 50 days clean, it hit me in a wave that as so strong it made me throw up. The doctor said I will have weeks at a time that may be great, but that I can expect up to 2 years of getting small recurring bouts of sickness like this. He has been right so far. Also, Fentanyl being at the top of the "food chain" so to speak, it makes other pain meds almost completely in-effective. I found this out when I had a procedure done on my back finally. They gave me 3 shots of Dilaudid in the hospital and it didn't touch my mind OR my pain. I should have been fast asleep, and instead I walked out of there on my own two feet with ALL of my pain and wits about me. For goodness sake, please don't get involved with Fentanyl unless you are sure you'll never have to come off it.

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If I were not on the fentanyl patch I would suffer everyday of my life with chronic nerve pain in my legs and feet and would rather be dead but because of the patch I have a life and can actually be comfortable and even work and I have tried it all so I disagree.

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To recovaddict712...thank you. I am on the fentanyl 50 gelpatch and have toyed with the idea of other methods for better results and calling a spade a spade always helps if ur being honest. I'm a recovering addict and yes, I follow meds as prescribed for legitimate medical issues and severe pain. It becomes relapse when these thoughts of 'other ways' pop into ur heads so I guess I have now. Realizing that of couse its not ok or it would be prescribed and hearing about 9 hours of sexual torture from another post....nope, its not for me...still curious but not considering. Peace out.

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This is to recovaddict712:

PEOPLE CANNOT DIE FROM ACCIDENTLY QUICKLY TOUCHING A FENTANYL PATCH, EVEN IF THAT PATCH WAS A MILLION MICROGRAMS, TOUCHING IT FOR A SECOND IS NOT LONG ENOUGH FOR THE MEDICINE TO ABSORB IN TO YOUR BODY. Hence the reason for this blog. People want to know how to more efficiently, effectively, and quickly use their medication for faster results. They are asking for that because it takes nearly four hours for the body to absorb the medication.

Next, just because you are, or excuse me, were, an addict, it doesn't mean that every legitimate pain patient is seeking a high from their medication. I agree that "chewing" an entire patch is completely idiotic. However, in the most EXTREME cases I do believe it's okay to "chew" your patch in increments. For example, my Sandoz patches are about an inch to an inch and a half long and I use scissors to cut slivers off at a time and I suck on that sliver for a few hours, spit it out, and wait until I may need another sliver. This has helped immensely and after four years of bed rest, has finally allowed me to live a normal life. I'm able to go to Disneyland with my boyfriend now, I'm able to go to the movies, and I'm finally able to go on dates and walk around outside and even finally cater to my own needs rather than having depend on someone else for food or drinks. I definitely do not advise people to "chew" their patches however if they do it it the way I do by cutting pieces that are less than half of a millimeter in length it's okay. I'm not a doctor or an alleged nurse like everyone on this thing but I have cut and sucked on my 25mcg patch for 6 months and I love it. It helps immensely and has in fact eliminated the need for breakthrough pain meds. If your curious on how to make it last, just use no more than half of the patch on day one and then the second half on day two. If your patch is supposed to last three days, I would suggest talking to your doctor about lessening the amount of days. Peole like you, make all GENUINE PAIN PATIENTS SUFFER.

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HI, i am seeing what you say but when you are in pain 24 hours a day you turn to desperate measures to try and relieve yourself of pain ,you will go to any measures, dangerous or not to try to relieve pain and lift depression that you get after 18 years of pain. If anyone can give a glint of hope without going down the road of illegal drugs i would love to hear from you. There must be thousands of people out there with the same problems (Degenerated discs, Spinal stenoses, Arthritus of the cervical spine and brittle bone desise. I would love to hear from any one in this world with these problems to contact me to see how you manage your day to day life.Kindest regards, ALAN , And thank you again in advance

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I don't chew any part of the patch although I have chewed a used one. I cut a strip about 1/2 inch wide out of a 100 mcg long way and put it in my lip and teeth I keep it in for about 6 or more hrs then put a new one in. I want to know if all the meds are realeased at once I thought it was going in like patch on skin but faster. But I don't know any ideas on the realease of meds. Yea I know it's not right but. It's the only way I can deal with pain and I don't like doing it so please no preaching about o.d. And stuff. I just want to use less but I don't know if it is slower than chewing and lasts as long good luck to all y'all dealing with pain I know it has made my life hell

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i'm sorry to hear that. really not fair that this happens and it happens a lot. just because someone is young or something the doctor automatically assumes they are going to be abused or sold (which does makes sence) but they are doctors, they are trained to know when main is there...so they should understand you need pain meds. good luck in the future hope you find a doctor to fill your pain needs

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..."They should take Fentanyl off the market"...???-What? I can't believe that people are soooo narrow minded they actually believe that garbage.

Really hurts people like me in chronic pain that need strong pain meds to function.

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Punky - It's blatantly obvious to anyone who reads any one if your rambling ranting posts that you are HIGH AS A KITE while you're writing. You have so much displaced anger and you're ABUSING not using fentanyl. Whether or not you want to face it, your conduct reveals that you have a severe drug addiction.

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