Fentanyl Sweating (Page 3)

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I am a 33 yr old woman being treated by Pain Mgmt Dr. for chronic pain as a result of 3 failed elbow surgeries and nerve damage. My current dosage is 50mcg/hr every 48 hrs with up to 4 oxycodone per day for break through pain. I know the patch is suppose to be a good medication for pain control, but I am really considering asking to change to a different medication because of the sweating problems I have on the Fentanyl and I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem. I am constantly drenched sinced I have been on the patch. Dr tried hytrin to control sweating, but all that did was cause me to bloat. I tried HRT for a year to see if that would help...no luck, still sweating. I sleep with only a sheet over me and window open at night and still wake up soaked from sweat. If I do any physical activity at all I am drenched. The patch does seem to control the pain well, but I can't deal with beads of sweat rolling down my head all the time and my family is always freezing because I get so warm. Am I doing something wrong? I wear the patch on my upper chest, I use a tegaderm patch over it. I've tried the Mylan brand and now use the SanDoz brand. Has anyone else experienced this issue? I don't want to live my life in pain, but I can't take the sweating issue anymore!!! Is there a different medication that is time released like the Fentanyl Patch? My DR is a nice man, but doesn't always explain things too well and I don't have anyone to talk to about this. Thanks for listening.

69 Replies (4 Pages)

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41

I'm just going to get right to the point. WHY WOULD ANYONE LICK THE PATCH! Stop messing around just to feel high! Its not the medications fault that you stopped breathing and almost died its YOUR fault for misusing it. Come on! It's people like you that mess around doing stupid things that make it harder for the ones of us who are in serious pain and need these medicines. Furthermore, there is no way a you can alter your MRI so if your gonna make up a story at least make it a little more believable. STOP saying do not take Fentanyl because if you take it the way YOUR DOCTOR TELLS YOU TO it ready works well. Instead I will say stop being stupid and go to rehab! I have NO patience for this kind of stupid.

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42

Tammy (of #14 above), I was switched from oxycontin to fentanyl patch. I also have a sweating problem. My Dr prescribes oxycodone for BT. When I have sweating, and my pain is Over 6/10, the pain sweat has me...I then take half of my 4hour oxycodone tab, and have noted that when I have to take Without Water (& the med starts to dissolve in my mouth), my pain relief is quick enough that it usually Stops my sweating. However, before the 2 hours, when can take the Other Half of the oxycodone BT, my pain goes back up above 6-8/10 (This is when I am in bed, trying to rest)... I then take the Other Half of the oxycodone BT, let IT dissolve in my mouth, and my pain, AND PAIN SWEAT, then go Down Again. I do not know why, only that (for me) sweating can be closely related to my pain level. I WAS on higher fent patch dose, with Soaking sweats most of time, tho I didn't have much BT for self-controlling (which I was/am most used to, from chronic pain treated with oral meds & BT for over 20 years, followed by 6+ years of rollercoaster on oral time-released With No BT), & I realize that requesting that my fentanyl be Reduced--which has increased my pain level & my month of being able to sleep up to 2 hrs at a time was given up--that I may not have been in this position of having to use more BT, HOWEVER, THIS IS how I became aware that my pain sweats could not only alert me to rising pain, but also to learn that my BT could actually drastically reduce my sweating, & usually Stop the sweating, WHEN I AM LAYING DOWN to rest. HOWEVER, WHEN I'M UP, the pain sweats are much harder to reduce with the Half of oxycodone BT tab, tho it Helps. *I note that the 75mcg was less pain, tho Must mention that when I feel "cozy, warm & able to sleep," that BEING COZY/WARM USES MORE OF MY PATCH, & ALSO I WAKE SWEATING, IN STRONG PAIN, & also note that THEN my patches stop working sooner! So warm/cozy reduces my pain to let me fall asleep, but laying still allows pain increase on side I'm laying on, so an hour of sleep still comes with a high price tag in the long run of the two days, & I have to tumble dry all I'm wearing & my pillows. I have to keep tissues & cloths over my pillow & to wipe my face, head & neck (baby wipes for torso, if can't get up to dry my clothes), then take BT & start all over. My pain is not yet under control, but maybe my experience can help you in some way. (BTW, My fentanyl use has been about 9 months, now. I was put on Oxycontin ER for over 9 years, just prior to fent. Something which may be of interest: My last Dr insisted upon changing my "manageable" pain plan of 20mg Oxycontin 4 Per Day--1 every 8 hrs, & 4th at Bedtime, With BT Lortab, & he changed to 40mg, 2 per day...THEN when didnt work, he withdrew all BT "to FORCE" my brain to "LEARN" the 12hr dosing...I started into Withdrawal Symptoms twice a day, as a result, & sweated so much that I can't determine if All opioids cause sweating, as I didn't have the sweating problem WHEN PAIN was Pretty Well managed on the 8hr Oxycodone with BT Plan which kept my pain at about 6/10, unless I did too much to cause pain to increase (&, with higher pain, came sweats). NEW Dr. tried 30mg oxycontin ER every 8 hrs, but NO BT. So, while rollercoaster mostly gone, Still didnt have pain below 8/10. That's when I was switched to the Fent patch of 50mcg. It didn't last 3 days, so Dr. tried increasing fent dose from 50 to 75; but after a month, still the fent dried to me on second day, & my pain shot up, so we dropped to 62--a 50+12mcg--That kept me from feeling the med, which is what I was going for, but I lost a few points of relief, on pain scale, & patches still dried & was like Only on the BT by latter half of day two. NOTE: When patches arent working, the pain sweats Are NOT stopped by the BT (neither is pain). So now change patch every 2 days, but I still have so much pain in the last 8-14 hrs of day two, that the BT can't control the sweating. Don't know what Dr plans to try next, but must add that the oxycodone BT brand starting with a "Z" doesn't work quickly as the brand starting with an "A" does, so the sweating is not quickly reduced on generic "Z" (sorry, battery quitting & I can't remember the manuf.names...also pain is over 8 so sweating & is time for BT.) Wow, I hope this helps you, or Anybody! God Be With Us All, & May Each Reader Have More Days of Controlled Pain, Than Not!

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43

I agree since experiencing 5 spinal fusions due to car accidents I was given 100 much of Fentanyl. I have been on same dose now for 3 years and I also experience the same excessive sweating at times. I find a fan is the best approach to keeping the body from sweating, however the body after a period of time builds up a tolerance to this medication like it does to any med. It becomes less effective but works nonetheless. I plan to determine my Odin levels again by coming off the patch altogether and living with a level of pain over taking medication. I have determined this isn't a great quality of life to live with all the side effects and s society that labels anyone taking pain medication as an addict even those of us who have and are taking all pain medications as directed and never abusing the medication by taking more than prescribed. It isn't worth it to me and I would rather live with a level 6-7 out of 10 if possible in pain levels rather than living with a patch that reduces my pain levels to a 4-5. My surgeries were successful but any surgery will have a negative and permanent effect on the human body. Doctors and Surgeons are not Gods although some have Ego's equal to it when talking to them. I wish everyone well and remember we only have this one Earth Life and it is better to enjoy our children and posterity with a clear mind as is in free as possible than to deal with side effects that have such negative effects on our lives and alter our daily routines because of how the medications effect the human body. I have stopped this medication twice before following my first two surgeries however I was only on 50 mcg of Fentanyl however after a second accident where a lady ran a stop sign T-boning my car after kicking my son up from school the damage to my body was even worse. I was only 40 years old at the time, my last surgery was in 2013, a fourth fusion and second to my cervical C7 after one previously C5/C6 and two to lower lumbar at L5/S1 and L4. The less medication I am on the clearer my mind, my goal is to see how much pain I can live with and what alternatives I can find that will help me avoid the patch. Long term studies of Fentanyl show extreme dementia and cognitive deficits due to Fentanyl. I don't know about everyone else but so would rather live as long as I can with my mind intact having three wonderful children enduring pain than to live with this patch that has such dramatic side effects as the sweats, twitching, chills, fatigue and a huge loss of Testosterone which requires inj's. each week. For Men do not forget that all Opioids reduce your Testosterone which can lead to so many other problems you don't even begin to understand. It is Hell having to live with Testosterone levels at 53. Now that I take inj's. of 2cc of Cypionate every two weeks my levels are now between 500-625. Not bad but it helps so much believe me and if you have experienced the effects of Low T you know it is even worse than the sweats. I wish everyone the very best and whatever you decide do what is best for you and your Families.

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44

I had been on 75mcg fentanyl patch for over 15 years, plus Dilaudid for break through pain
Two years ago the sweating started. I thought it was hormones at first, but NO!!!
My pain mgmt dr confirmed yes the fentanyl will cause this side effect. They don't know why? I couldn't take the sweating and have been coming off the patch for 3 months. It has been brutal!!!!! To say the least. I'm at 8 weeks with no patch and finally starting to see improvement. Only a few hot flashes now, thank you lord!!!! I couldn't live that way. Now on dilaudid only for pain and trying to cope with more pain, much easier then the sweating. The sweating is debilitating!
My pain doc said definitely a side effect from all opiods. More pain but can cope. If I had to come off Febtanyl I would pay to go to a clinic for rapid detox, I will never go on fentanyl again unless I'm terminal, it was that bad!!!!
Good luck to everyone, there's no good solution. But at least I can get dressed and do my hair. Still extremely fatigued and get hot quickly, I'm told it will get better and better!!

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45

Kit yes! There have even been studies concerning menapausal women and extended release/abuse proof opiates, especially fentanyl! They have no business giving it to us due to hormone chaos and adrenal insufficiency. Unfortunately all they care about is being able to monitor us, not our health or safety!

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46

I too had the exact side effects from the fentanyl patch. It is truly debilitating and I couldn't live like that anymore. I tapered off the fentanyl, "brutal" took a complete 12 weeks before I felt human again. I'm just starting my 4th month off of fentanyl still taking 4-8 mg dilaudid. I tried going to vicodin, didn't help my pain enough. I have severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. I have had two days without one hot flash, thank you God!! It's absolutely horrible feeling like you're burning up from the inside out. I was in the fentanyl patch for over 16 years, the last 4 I began to have the extreme sweating. Thinking it was hormones I went that route for 3 years until I figured out it was the pain meds. Hoping I can stay in the 4-8 dilaudid or not sure what I will do for pain control. I live in a state where cannabis is legal for recreational use. I use the cannabis candy lozenges for sleep or whenever I feel I need it, much better than smoking it. Good luck to all its a brutal road to go down.

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47

Craig your doc is full of s***!! LISTEN UP FOLKS!!!! Extended release opiates cause adrenal insufficiency, gonadism and hypothyroidism....I stopped taking fentanyl and my breakthrough med use lowered....I was no longer fighting intradose withdrawal....The sweating??? A symptom of withdrawal!!! Oxy increases T levels so no all opiates don't ruin thyroids just extended release..without them I'm doing way better, and here I thought I needed 10 of them!!

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48

Paula Wenger you mentioned hysterectomy....are you on hormone replacement therapy??? I am on blood thinners and can't do HRT....I found out that, that also means no extended release opiates...Some pain docs don't care and will prescribe them anyway-I thinks it's called Medical Negligence..it can cause adrenal insufficiency and hypothyroidism....so be advised...

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49

I am 60 and have been on 25 mcg for several years. Recently I change patch to every 48 hours. Since I changed from every 72 hours, I am sweating terribly day and night. I have read it is terrible to get off this patch so I have kept it a low dosage but still suffer from chronic pain.

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50

That's what so difficult with this drug. I also changed my 75 patch every 48 hrs. For 15 years.
My sweating was horrible. It was dibilitating. I had to stop.
I too was worried about my pain, since I have had JRA since a very young child.
I have found the dilaudid is enough for now 4 mg, 2-3 times a day.
It's definitely difficult but so worth it to stop the Fentanyl. Good luck!

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51

No one should ever lick the patch, I have never heard of anyone licking a entire new patch unless your trying to kill yourself. The fentanyl patch is a timed release lasting between two and five days depending on your body, everyone is different. When you licked the patch, it negated the time release and you got a massive amount of the drug in your system and you over dosed, if you were not in the hospital chances are that you would be dead right now.

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52

Kassy, thank you for saying exactly what I was thinking! I'm in pain, looking for answers so I don't appreciate people wasting my time with phony posts and misinformation.

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53

I've been on fentanyl 125mcg every 48 hrs for almost a year for RA, Fibro, CFS, Lupus and Addison's. The sweating is very annoying.lts extremely embarrassing in public and a major chore to have to adjust your life constantly due to your environment and how your body will react to it. After my hormones were tested and finding out I was in the middle of menopause, I was put on the proper hormones. The sweating lessened a bit but I still run hot constantly, sweating everywhere, even when I'm cold. And having skin urticaria does not make it any easier being that it carries with it gives when your skin gets cold regardless if your burning up inside. And summers in Califirnia can be relentless at times. But, I can tell you this, if it's a toss up of being sweaty 24/7 but pain free opposed to no sweat and in constant pain to the point of not wanting to live anymore, I choose to carry with me at all times the proper tools to address my sweat and larger outbreaks of being drenched in public. It is nothing comparable to the debilitating life of chronic pain from the minute you open your eyes in the morning till you close them again at night. It's not living, it's surviving and I choose to live the shorter life I have left pain free. Being only 40 it's very sad at times to come to terms with the fact that this is how I am going to be for the remaining years of my life. But I have a family and I have missed way too much to allow sweaty O become a major factor in my daily life and to come between whether I am a burden to my family or an asset. To me it is merely another O sticks in life, a very annoying one yes, but it carries no pain with it. I can deal with that.

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54

I have the same problem and I really feel for you. I am on the 75mg/Fent Patch and
15mg Oxycodone HCL 4xday for breakthru pain. I need more but make due with what I have. I used to take 10mg morphine 4xday as base relief in addition to 10mg Lortab 4xday for breakthru. The morphine was helping a lot until I developed severe bile vomiting. Thats when we began to try other meds. The Fentaynal patch works for the pain good enough but the sweating makes my life almost unlivable. What a choice? Its bad enough we have problems that require us to need to meds. On top of that we have to deal with the side effects. Im not sure if its the fact that I'm just getting older or that my body is just refusing to cooperate with my attempts to obtain relief. If you find an alternative please share. This overheating is miserable. I live in south central Texas and its hotter than hades here. That being said it could be mid winter and I would still have the problem. My electric bill is ridiculous!!!!!

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55

I am also on fentaynal patches of 50mcg for fibromyalgia and arthritis and had double knees replaced. I also suffer with excessive sweating. I have to take showers 3 to 5 times a day and constantly changing clothes. I can't go outside because the heat will set me off. I have air conditioning on at 73 and still can break out just sitting watching tv. I am so flustratted I don't know where to go. I also have thought about going off patch. I think being in pain would be easier.

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56

I have been on fentyal patch 750cc since the last ofJuly2016 I developed spinal meningitis after my 3rd morphine pump was put in I'very weak losing wt. I don't have any interest in thing because of the profuse sweating. I take a bath and I can't get dressed cause I 'm already soaked again.Thanks for listening I thought I was the lonely one..

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57

I started to detox from fentyal 100mcg 5 months ago and the sweating is so horrible that i cant take it anymore..is this the drug coming out of me?

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58

My sweating did decrease when I was detoxing (dr care), it is so very difficult, took me almost a whole year before I started to feel better, hang in there, it is so worth it. Im now one year off the fentanyl, and definitely feeling better. I'm told it takes 2 years to feel your best. 5 months I was still feeling bad.

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59

I use Fentanyl patches by Mylan as well and have excessive sweating. There are times when I go out before I have even gotten to the door I have changed 3 times. I'm stuck with Mylan brand as I have problems with any other patch. I have discovered wayd to help combat the perspiration. After I shower I rinse with cool water. Then afterdeting I find if I lay down for 30 minutes then things get better. The perspiration is worse if I have to take a shower and run out the door for an appointment. If you are under pain management then you are always seeing some doctor for something. I realized this was a pattern and when I can I shower at night do I do t have to take.a shower in the morning. I find this is all related to stress as well. Hope this helps.

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60

Why on earth would you lick the inside of a Fentanyl patch? That is abusing and taking the medication in a non prescribed manner. Thank God your doctor walked in and saved your life. I'm just shaking my head in disbelief at the fact you licked the patch. The only people I have heard of doing this is addicts trying to feel high.

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