Fentanyl 50 Mcg/hour Transdermal Patch (Page 8)

I WAS PRESCRIBED THE 50 MCG/HR FENTANYL PATCH FOR CHRONIC BACK PAIN & DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE. I WAS GIVEN THE PRESCRIPTION SEVERAL WEEKS AGO. I JUST GOT IT FILLED 2 DAYS AGO BECAUSE I'M AFRIAD TO USE IT. I HAVE READ ALL THE PATIENT INFO, RESEARCHED IT ON THE NET & TALKED TO SEVERAL PHARMACISTS AS WELL AS MY PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN. ALL OF THE PHYSICIANS & PHARMACISTS TELL ME THAT THE PATCH WILL HELP ME WITH THE DAILY PAIN. THEY SAY THAT THE PATCH SHOULD NOT CAUSE ME ANY HARM BUT THE ONE TING THAT'S STOPPING ME FROM USING IT IS THE RESPIRATORY SIDE EFFECTS & POSSIBLE OVERDOSE. I'M SEEKING SOME ADVISE FROM PEOPLE THAT HAVE USED THIS DRUG BEFORE WHETHER IT WAS A GOOD OR BAD OUTCOME.

I AM OPOID TOLERANT BECAUSE I'VE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS PAIN FOR THE LAST 5-6 YEARS. WHEN I HAVE A BREAKTHROUGH OF PAIN & HAVE TO SEEK EMERGENCY TREATMENT OTHER PAIN MEDS GIVEN (IV OR IM) DON'T WORK ANYMORE. ER'S HAVE GIVEN ME MORPHINE & IT DOESN'T EVEN TAKE THE EDGE OFF THE PAIN. DILAUDID DOESN'T WORK UNLESS I'M GIVEN MORE THAN 3MG'S & THAT WEARS OFF AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR IF IT LASTS THAT LONG. WHEN I'M IN SEVERE PAIN MY PRESSURE RISES. I'M AFRAID OF THE PATCH B/C I DON'T WANT TO FAINT OR PASS OUT FROM A DROP IN MY PRESSURE. I'M CURRENTLY TAKING VICODIN 7.5/500 EVERY 4 HOURS. I HAVE NOW BUILT A TOLERANCE FOR THE VICODIN AND IT HAS BEEN CHANGED TO PERCOCET 5/325 & SOMETIMES I CAN TAKE UP TO 3 OF THEM EVERY 4 HOURS.

I'M ALSO ON OTHER MEDS THAT I BELIEVE WILL INTERACT WITH THE FENTANYL. I TAKE LEXAPRO, ATIVAN, CLONIDINE DAILY. I NEED SERIOUS HELP!!!

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I agree it takes me at least 20mg oxycodone to help relief the pain of chronic pancreatitis, its probably bc ive built up somewhat a tolerance though. I take the roxicodone without they asprin, so that helps my liver. I dont know if I really feel that fentanyl is the best long term pain med for me. I just dont seem to absorb the medicine, or its inconsitant. Talking to pharmacist he mentioned some people have resitant skin absorbtion rates, and gardening and arizona heat probably doesnt help. He mention to ask doc about trying oxycontin extended release, so I might ask him, but they say not to mention a drug by name or it looks like drug seeking behavior, but maybe since my doc told me to ask the pharmicist about if I was applying it right...maybe I can mention it as part of his response?

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Teresa,
I hope you see this because I have almost the EXACT same problems you do!
I think it might help us both to kinda compare notes and well, just be there for each other.
I'm not sure if I am allowed to put my e-mail out there,...{edited for privacy}. LOL

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you must have medical help to get off pain meds of this type you cannot go thur it by yourself, i was on oxycoton and morphine for 6 years and had to be hospitalized to be given the proper medication to withdraw...course this was after i tried to go off of them myself, after 4 days in the hospital i was a new person ( no withdrawal symptoms etc)...but of course the pain came thru...

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Ive had severe severe chronic pain for 7 years due to a severe neck/spinal cord injury. Ive been on opiads since about then, due to that pain never went away. I actually started the pain meds about 3 months after the injury and went through hell before I finally succumbed to meds (Fentanyl, 50 mg and Oxycodene for breakthrough pain)
MY FEAR--is this any of yours???? Im only 50 and fear I will be on these for the rest of my life!!! It helps for about half of the day then I have to go to bed to rest off the pain. I kow people get off of pain meds, but some of us may need them for life.
DOES THIS SHORTEN OUR LIFE SPAN?
How dangerous is this?
HOW DEPReSSING IS ThIS?

My sister and my family think I can just do this in a natural way, but they have NO IDEA of how intense my pain gets!

I feel stuck in a hard place for sure, signed, “Sometimes really DEPRESSED"

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Sorry to hear about your situation. First, depression is a very real result of the changes that have occurred in your life. In 1996, at the age of 42 i went from being the CEO of a major financial services firm to being a pain-ridden recluse due to degenerative disc disease. I went on fentanyl 10 years ago. Yes it does really reduce your pain but you will be on it for life! I've tried to get off but failed several times. Since you are relatively new to the patch, may I suggest you look into being fitted with a pump? Since the meds are introduced directly into the spinal cord you will need far less of drug. This may help improve your life while getting you the drugs you need!

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Unless someone has your type of pain they will never understand what you go through daily. You look and act fine, but really you want to lay down and never wake up. If I didn't have kids I'm pretty sure I would of bit the bullet by now! So, all I am saying your pain is not imaginary and yes hurts more than what people can imagine. Fentanyl is your best bet and laying down with a sleeping pills as an aid works for me. Not the best life, but you know the alternative!

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Dave, you summed it up 100%. People without pain can't understand that suicide is our constant companion, our best friend. The Doobie Brothers had a lyrics"You'll always have a chance to give up, so why do it now". That's what keeps me going-I can always make the choice and end this captivity so let's keep going. A sad way to sum up 59 years on this earth, the last 17 under the claws of degenerative disc disease pain. Not even my wife of 23 years can possibly understand me as well as you probably do Dave.

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How are you taking 50 MCG/HR FENTANYL PATCH 3X Daily?? Just curious because I am on this same patch and just one is good for 3 days lol

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I've been on pain medicine for 15 years. I never knew what an opiate was, until I went to the pain clinic, it was the new drug. The new clean drug with no side effects. I got up to 3 80 milligrams a day. my tolerance is so high, that when I went in to have a procedure like a colonoscopy they couldn't give me enough medicine without overdosing me. I asked my doctor to take me off of them. He told me I have been taking them for too long. After asking to go out of network he got mad at me. He walked in one day and said you're on too much medicine. I'm going to lower the dose. He didn't want to have other doctor see how much medicine I was on.so then he put me on fentanyl. Well the withdrawals from the oxy cotton was nothing compare to the fence in a withdrawal. I went to the pain clinic to have the nerves in my neck and my lumbar spine burned because nothing else would work. It was the most painful procedure I have ever had. He kept telling the nurse to give me more medicine several times when I got into the recovery room per se my girlfriend was there waiting thank God. I stopped breathing and I kept falling asleep and when I fell asleep I wasn't breathing the pain clinic overdosed me. I will never let myself get on that much medicine again I even don't like I'm on a small dose of fentanyl 37 milligrams every 72 hours and I'm in withdrawal after 48 hours. You need to get yourself a good doctor and get yourself down to a low dose are you going to get over dosed either unintentionally or someone else will unintentionally overdose you.

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if your to worried about taking them then I will take them for personal use as I need them and am lasy and asking my doctor to up from 25-50 /72 hours is too hard LOL

Australia. email {edited for privacy}

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I have been using Fentanyl 50mcg for 3 years for pain from rheumatoid arthritis and have had wonderful results. The pain is almost gone but you have to learn to live with some pain. You should not be afraid as long as they are used as prescribed.

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dude i've had a few lets say for the officials, (unfortunate ACCUINTENCES ) who have had them H blues man, U know the un-prescribed blu's blues. Anyhow, both have said the same thing. If one could harness the consistency and availability of the H to suit their (obviously) self prescribed intake, they could keep their pain to a minimum for less then, one said $10.00 & the other $7.00 a day. And lets (for all its worth), say to all you people who have really been thru the s***, some two & some three unsucsessfull operations, Allthough these words are all very true, I am by no means sugjesting self medicating with anything. Nor am I premoting experimenting w/ any drug FOR ANY REASON other then its dr. appointed directions!!! simpilly trying to confim my mans statement on pharmasuitical company's controlling (GOD ONLY KNOWS)& to what extent what meds we can & cant take,STAY W/ ME HERE AND REACESS THE POWER GIVEN TO THE BIG NAME DRUG COMPANY'S::::: (lilly, mylan, phizer) ext.ext....(#1.)The testing,(#2.) Long & short term effects OF THE ACTIVE INGREDIANCE, SAME TESTS FOR THE OTHER DRUGS PUT IN TO STABLIZE THE OTHER, (NO.3) THE S.I.D. OR HOW DR.S PRESCRIBE EACH MED. (NO,4) OF COURSE AND TRUST ME I MADE A HUGE JUMP TO GET TO HERE, THE $$$$$$ PRICE$$$$$. I BELEIVE THEIR THE BIGGEST SILENT AND UNCONTROLLED PUBLIC THEIFS IN THE NOT SO FREE WORLD!!! SO, And no joke here folks, I leave you people & with a few things to ponder at, and maybe, if only just for a few breaf moments some of you will have, while reading this and attempting to tie my misspelled words togather got a minute or two of relief while I attemted to take you with me thru the front doors of what this great country calls its gathering of great minds. OR WACKED OUT SCIENTISTS. If only someday & for the whole day they knew what it was like to have little or no money and a son or daughter that needed on going treatment and had no insurance!!!! OH NO WHAT THEN PEOPLE????

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Way too much acetaminophen each day. Your setting yourself up for liver damage. Its safe to put the patch on. I would suggest putting it over your kidney on your back (lower back above your pelvis bone and below your shoulder blade either side of your spine). Your doctor wouldn't prescribe it if it were unsafe.

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Ive been on same size patch for ten yrs w no increase. If i cld go bk i wld NEVER have started. So hard to get off. Cant Wd is too much

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Can you drink alcohol on them?? I have been on Norco 10 Mg 4 times a day and drink whatever but was unsure about the patch it is 50 cmg???

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I'm so totally sure that your not suppose to drink when taking any pain relievers, even just Tylenol, your not suppose to drink. I stopped taking the fentanyl after two patches. They wouldn't stay on. They shrunk up on my skin like bacon. Would not stay flat. Returned them to the surgeon in my care, and had him put me back on percocets and oxycontin's. Had two surgeries. One on my L5 and one on my L4. My L4 didn't heal. Fusion failed and now need surgery again to fix my L4 again.

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ive lost part of my left lower leg in a car crash if you look at my leg it looks like a shark took a bite out of my leg im on fentanyl 50 mcg and I have a lot of releif

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I wear the patch its fine works very well, a lot of the stuff is people misused them. If you began to sweat then cool off, keep out of heat,and what ever the directions say. Clonidene lowers blood pressure, why are you taking that? Its mainly used for withdrawl. I would not take ativan right before bedtime, take it during the day if your anxious. I was very hesitant too, and have been dealing with 4 bulging disc neck, top of spine and 2 in lower back. And servere arthritis. So don't fear don't get shampoos on the patch. I have gotton mine wet, indirectly. Make sure you get this tape and this tape only, it works so well anyone who says they don't stick something is wrong, my skin is naturally oily and I sweat very Easley. (Tegaderm) is what its called, have the pharmacy order them, if they won't go to a pharmacy that will, but most pharmacys have this tape. I would get off as much of the other stuff and see if you need breakthrough. Write down when you have breakthrough and keep away from Oxycodone, its not worth how your tolerance goes sky high. I was on 25mg and my worst most debilitating pain was is completely gone, but my lower back has hurt quite a lot. So they are putting me on the 50mg. Sometimes they will let you wear two 25mg this way if you are still in fear if one happens to be defected, then you won't get the whole 50mg. But they are made pretty complex. Read up on this patch. Don't let fear rule you. If you believe pray God keep you safe and the patch works like it should, and they work fine.
Blessings I hope things workout.

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I AGREE 150% WITH YOU ON THIS PAIN MANAGEMENT BS!!!! I STARTED GOING IN AUGUST OF THIS YEAR, THEY HAVE PUT ME ON NEUROTIN 300 MG., MORPHINE 15MG., AND CELEBREX 200MG., THE 1ST DAY I WENT, DIDN'T HELP, 2ND VISIT, STARTED OPANA ER 5MG, 1 WEEK LATER, HAD STEROID INJECTION, DIDN'T HELP. SEPT., INCREASED OPANA 10 MG., ADDED LIDOCAINE, VICODINE 15MG/200MG. HERE IT IS ONLY THE BEGINING OF NOV., NOW HAVE TO STOP VICODINE, START FENTANYL 50 PATCH! I AM HONESTLY SICK AND TIRED OF BEING A GUINEY PIG! I AM SICK AND TIRED OF TAKING THIS AND THAT! I AM A HUMAN BEING, NOT A RAT!

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I have been with the fentanyl patch for about three years and I'm on several medicines I have had no respiratory problems to this day has not done anything to my blood pressure or my breathing. Hope this helps

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