Fentanyl Patch Withdrawal Symptoms And Duration (Page 2)

i have post surgical lower back pain. was in 50 mcg patch and had side effects and so decided to wean off. i finished with the 12 mcg patch a week ago and am still suffering from periodic nausea, irritability, daily joint and muscle pain, but the worst is the consistent restless legs. it is driving me crazy. my doctor says that is not withdrawal. is he right? i don't think so. if it is withdrawal, what can i do about it and how long will it last? i am going crazy.

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Sorry to hear you're still having problems withdrawing, but your doctor, while probably a pretty good doc, is close to being an idiot about Fent withdrawal. RLS is a potential side effect of withdrawal from any drug. Keep in mind that ANY narcotic can have all sorts of side effects. I was on Dilantin to prevent grand mal seizures following a stroke. I tried to get my doctor to change my Rx to something else, but he insisted that I remain on it. As a result, I now have permanent damage to my nervous system. I have spasmodic dysphonia which messes up my ability to speak and I have difficulties controlling various muscle groups in my body. The idiot neurologist had never bothered to turn the page on Dilantin. I was so angered that he did not understand that I was getting neuropathy from the darned drug that I TORE the page out of his PDR and showed him all of the negative things that were happening to me. Take a look and see what the warnings about the drug are. Because walking is IMPOSSIBLE without my patches, I will be continuing on them.

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stick with it.......and vinegar bath will help

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I'm not a doctor but have been taking pain medication for 6 yrs and at times have stopped taking them for up to two weeks so that I can lower my tolerance. What you are describing is exactly what withdrawal is. Typically my withdrawal would last approx 10 days, the worst being the first 4 days but after that the symptoms were much less severe. While I was going through them though I still needed something for my pain so I continued to take my tramadol, which helped with the pain as well with the withdrawls. I've been taking tramadol for 11 yrs and the oxycodone for 6 yrs. I've had 4 back surgeries since 2006 and am worse off now than I was prior to surgery. I'm actually shocked that your doctor doesn't recognize your symptoms as withdrawl, it's odd because everything you mentioned is classic symptoms. Good luck to you.

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Methadone is not the way to go i had to quite cold turkey i was sick for two months first 16 days i didebt sleep five min getting off meth way harder then the pach im going thhro the w/d right now and compar to the meth not comparable just my point

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This morning at about 4 am, I had to head for the emergency room. My doctor went on vacation just as I ran out of Fentanyl patches (50 mcg/h). After three days sans patches, I went into withdrawal so badly that I thought my back was going to break. Fortunately for me, the hospital and my clinic are associated so the hospital knew I had been on Fentanyl for an extended period of time and they gave me a patch to tide me over until I can strangle my doctor (just kidding, she's one of the best I've ever had) but SOMETHING is going to have to happen. This is the third time she's been out when I needed a refill. Even my pain doc will not Rx me for more than five patches but when I needed him...yeah...he was on vacation, too. SOMETHING needs to be done to be able to register people who legitimately require opiate drugs so that physicians can write the appropriate 'scripts when required. The PROBLEM is that the prescriptions have to be ORIGINALS but only are good for about 72 hours. If the prescription is not filled, the paper is just so much paper. This was the first time I went into withdrawal pain because of withdrawing from Fentanyl, however, when I had to get off oral Morphine, that was...well, a b****!
I'm seriously considering starting a program of some kind that will never put anyone else at risk for being forced into unnecessary withdrawal pains.

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One of the things that I've learned about arthritis and its associated pain: Do not use pain killers. I'm using Naproxen, 500 mg twice a day.. I'm on Fentanyl 50 mcg/hr and it does NOTHING for my back or shoulder pain, however, it is the ONLY thing that works on my neuropathy. It seems to work only on nerve pain, but others have used it for other pain, so ???

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I don't think it's true about a prescription for Fentanyl only being good for 72 hours. The doctor wrote me a prescription the first time for 2 weeks worth (5 patches). He wanted me to come in for a consultation with the nurse practitioner to see how it was working out. After that appointment she wrote me two prescriptions, one for the next 2 weeks and one for a month and I will have an appointment with my doctor towards the end of this month for another prescription and to have him check in with me. So anyway I was allowed to hang on to that prescription for 2 weeks and turn it in and get 10 patches for the next month.

I wrote in before saying in the past 6 to 7 months I have gone from 8 to 9 30 mg oxycodone pills a day to a 50 mg Fentanyl patch only. I am worried from things I am reading that these patches will be harder to withdraw from than if I had continued with the withdrawal going down slowly strictly with pills. What is the easiest route. What do others think is the best form of opiates to use for withdrawing with the least suffering. I can't hardly believe it when I read that someone on here says he just stops taking his pain meds for 2 weeks to lower his tolerance. I have not tried recently, but in going down from the huge amounts I was taking, that would not be worth it at all for me. When I ran out early the restless legs and other withdrawal symptoms were horrible. I hope it will be easier withdrawing from a lower dosage.

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Denise, I have been on Suboxone for over a year and it works very well for the withdrawals. You also will see an amazing turn around in your life. I don't even take as much as the doctor scribes to me. I don't have to because I see now that I don't have to "have" anything for the pain. My Sub doctor told me my pain level intensified when I was on pain meds just so I would need more pain meds. The company makes them like that so you won't stop using their products. Now that I have been off the pain med for over a year I see a difference in my life. Good luck.

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I just got off 50mg. Doc gave me perks and said take one every 4 hrs. The sweating and anxiety, restless leg AND BODY! My whole body jerks around bad! DRIVING ME CRAZY. Been up for two days. Getting nothing done because I'm so tired. No energy at all. Praying this restless BODY stuff will stop soon. I think that is my worse as far as the withdrawals. If I try to get sleep, there goes my body jerking all over and sweating. I don't know why doc didn't give me something to KNOCK ME OUT COLD at night. DONT USE THE PATCH! They are bad. Falls off, itches so bad...leaves little welts looking like square marks all over my body. Hope not going to stay like that all over me; patch marks on my body I mean. JUST WANTED IT OFF. Didn't help much with my pain. I was still a level 6/7 pain always AND WAS NOT GOING UP OVER 50 This patch messes with your emotions bad. My husband also on 75mg and other things. Have a feeling these patches cost us our marriage. We are no longer together. Only been a wk we left one another. Got abusive and not going to try to repair this marriage. Too much bad that can't be washed away now. Just I really think these patches changed us some how and they are just bad. NO PATCHES FOR ME EVER AGAIN. I CANT WAIT TILL THIS POISIN IS OUT OF ME. so sick of always wanting to sleep very
Deep DEPRESSION.... not eating... Heart pounding out of my chest at times.. There are other things we can take or do to help this pain. Good luck to you all with and don't give up. I want the real me back. My children need me. I'm a zombie with raccoon eyes..I CANT STAY STILL AND IM GOING NUTS. THEY ARE BAD. Going nuts for sleep. Wish could handle cleaning or something SEEN IM UP but can't....zombie right now.

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Dee, do you have any benzos, such as klonipin, or valiume? This or soma will help with the restless legs. I was on zanaflex (simular to some) and it help but dropped my blood pressure. Clonidine, for blood pressure help also. but be careful taking that. Good luck and hope you do good...I have been clean off thesse patches for over 1 1/2 years..and got my life back....woohoo...

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Question: Who do you think knows more about a medicine, you are someone who spent years going to school to learn to be a doctor? DO NOT FART AROUND WITH FENTANYL!

It DOES expire in 72 hours, but there is a window of carry-over when the pain will stay where it is. But the DRUG expires in 72 hours because that is the way it works.

I've over five years experience with Fentanyl. Do NOT try to go lower than what your doc has recommended because you will NOT get a refill at any other dosage. Fentanyl is a controlled substance and requires a physicians ORIGINAL Rx slip to get a refill and it is good for about 2 or 3 days and then the prescription expires.

ANY strength of Fentanyl will cause withdrawals at any strength. If you NEED 50 stick with it. Your doc will lower it if he/she thinks it is appropriate.

I'm one of those people who cannot use any other narcotic except IV Morphine for pain relief and that only when I'm in a hospital setting. Essentially, Fentanyl only works for nerve pain, at least that has been my experience. I have peripheral neuropathy in both feet, Fentanyl is the ONLY drug that has made it possible for me to live.

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Yes, my doc gives me 15 a mth and so low. Not working at all for the body restless twitches. Going nuts and 3 days now with no sleep. I need to sleep. No energy..... Cause no sleep and not eating right cause too tired to cook. How much longer? Am I almost there? Only been 4 days off. I will never put a patch on my body ever again. I had no clue and just wanted the pain to go away. Needed too many surgeries and couldnt do them all at once. Pain level much better I WANT THIS CRAP OUT OF MY BODY and need this restless leg and BODY JERKING STUFF TO GO AWAY. I need sleep.

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BEVMAR, who are you mad at?? The world>??Or yourself??...you must be mad at your self because you in your wee little mind can not control others. First of all, I have had prescriptions that I held on to for weeks that did not expire. It is the sole direction of the pharmacy if they want to "expire" at script. And they must have see just how desperate you were to get your script. I have, on numerous time, been givin a script for narcotics, and some of these were patches, and did not get them filled. Even the pharmacy would hold them sometimes for a couple of weeks for me until my insurance would pay for them. Please don't come on here and try to "show" your authority by screaming about knowing it "all". You don't know it all. And screaming and telling others what to do doesn't do anything but show your ignorance. So please don't scream at anyone. Thank you , and have a great day. Us who want off this deadly patch, good luck and stick with trying to come off. Oh, and BevMar, if you don't want off the patch, and think it is the only thing that will help you, what are you doing on a blog about "fentanyl withdrawal, and what will help with the withdrawals"? Don't slam someone that is wanting to come off this drug and get back their lives....have a good day..

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I interested in what you wrote about Sub

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Nutty: My question to you is if Suboxone is a good way to withdraw then why are you still taking it for a year and a half. I went from 240 - 270 mg of oxycodone per day to the 90-120 mg per day in 2 months. I have heard that it gets harder when you go to the much smaller amounts. I am scared to switch to Suboxone because I have heard it can cause you to feel withdrawal symptoms to do that too. The doctor at the Pain clinic switched me to time release Morphine 3 per day and then to the Fentanyl 50 because I was running out early. I will say that Fentanyl has stopped that problem, but at some point they want me off them and I agree, as I think if I could get rid of the physical and mental addition and just take something on occasion as needed I would be better off. For my back pain I feel it's true that you just get used to the drugs and then they only help so much and then make you have more pain due to the way they work on the brain.

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I was the one who wrote that I at times will stop taking my oxycodone for 2 weeks so as to not build up a tolerance. For those 2 weeks all I take is 2 x 50mg tablets 4 times a day, so 8 pills. These prevent me from going into withdrawl. Don't get me wrong I do experience some wd's, but not even close to what I would if I just didn't take anything. I get a little irritable, and I loose my appetite but that's about it. I don't sweat, I don't get cramps, I don't shake or experience anything that I hear others go through. 30mg oxycodone works very well at controlling my pain and will venture to say that I have tried many other pain medications and they just don't work as well or I don't like the side effects of the others, so in order for me to remain on the oxycodone and not build up a tolerance I must do without now and then. I have taken oxycontin and was on those for just over a year and I decided I didn't want to take them any longer, I was offered the fentanyl patch but I didn't think I needed anything that strong and I had heard nightmarish stories about getting off of them so I decline to use those, I can't take morphine as I am allergic to it and vicodin is for me like taking tylenol. So my PM doc and I have decided to just continue with what has worked well for me and as long as I am not abusing them by taking more than allowed then we agreed to just stay on those. By skipping up to two weeks now and then I am able to remain on them and still get plenty of pain relief. In the end you just need to find out what works for you and also figure out how to continue to stay on them without becoming tolerant and for me I figured out that the 2 week absence works . Good luck to you in finding out what works for you.

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Correction on last post...... should have said that I take 8 pills a day of Tramadol when I stop taking the oxycodone. For whatever reason Tramadol did not get put in on my post.

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Your doctor is wrong. Ask an AODA therapist. What you have desribed is typical withdrawl and it is terrible. Benzos about 8 mg will help. Also 30 to 40 mg a day methodone.

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Denise, I take suboxone because the desire I have for pain meds in general. Suboxone, does not mess with your liver, it can make for a new way of life and I am not in the bed all the time like the patches and oxys put me in. I now get up and move, go to church, and have a life. It may not be for you, but it is for me. Just like patches is for Bev. I was just telling her to be respectful of this site. It is for those who don't want to be on the patches any longer and she can't or don;t want to live without them. Then she wanted to tell someone that you could not hold a script past 3 days. That in my state is up to the sole discretion of the pharmacy. Sorry I was just telling that to have a easy withdrawal off the patches Suboxone was the way "I" went, no one else. but me....

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Danise. Sorry, I had to go read your post one more time. I was in a big hurry when I thought it was you getting on to me for the way I answered Bev. The Suboxone, was the best thing I have ever took to come off of the patches, or oxy's either one. I used Subs for both. First it was the patches, then when I come off the patches I had a setback on the oxys. I should have never agreed to try the oxys. My mistake and doctors mistake. I went back on the Subs. I get 90 a month but only take about half that much. I don't need the rest but in my addictive mind, think I need to keep the other in case of things that have not come along my path. Don't get me wrong. I just hate to tell the doctor I don't need them then mess up down the path and not have something that will ease me out of it. I have not had anything tempt me in the 1 1/2 year. But it could come along at any time. That is what I call addiction. The subs just don't work like other opiates.

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