Fentanyl Withdrawal Symptoms (Page 73)

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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Yvonne, so sorry you're discouraged and join the club! I am so torn, I am thinking what next. Able to function for about four hours every morning when I race around baking, walking round the block, bit of housework or gardening, then I'm done. Lying down for next six or so hours, come better about 7 and bed at 11. The pain is hard to cope with, I use Panadol 4hrly and Celebrex (in NZ it is not funded and costs $70nz a month) and not sure if it's even doing a dang thing anyway. Sometimes, just sometimes I look at my packets of Fentanyl and want to give in, but I won't! most of the time I had limited movement and not great quality even when on it and at least no sweating and brain fog now. I hope you get some good days again as I wish for all of us. Take care. (Hope this posts as the site hasn't worked for me for ages until yesterday. Just wouldn't accept my posts. )

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Thank you for advice but cannot take it due to high blood pressure meds. Apparently it is too dangerous. I have settled at 25 mcg Fentanyl now for the winter. When trying to reduce for second time a horrible flare up of FM occurred and kept me in bed. At this point it seems lesser of two evils.
Thanks again for trying to help.

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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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I was on 125 fentanyl patches, I had 100 patch and a 25 patch. I easily cut down the 25 patch by snipping little bits of every couple of weeks. I have started doing the same with the 100 patch but now that I'm at about 85 percent of it my back pain is coming back. I went to my gp last week and explained what I was doing and that my pain has increased and that I'm feeling really tired and stroppy all the time. His answer was to go back up to 100 percent and that I'd be best staying on fentanyl forever now I've been on it nearly 4 years and am worried about what it is doing to my insides. Also when having gallbladder surgery a few months back the pain killers they gave me were like eating smarties, they didn't touch my pain from surgery so they had to give me high doses of morphine. They said I had a extremely high tolerance to pain medication and needed extremely high doses now. This also scared me and made me want to come off fentanyl totally. My only problem now is .....what other pain free methods are out there for me, my gp and hospital pain management have said there's nothing else they can do. I have had nerve burning twice, inj's. 3 times and several other medication and fentanyl or morphine are the only things that work. I'm in a real difficult position and was wondering of there's anyone else in the same situation. I'm at the end of my tether now and could do with some help please and advice

HellsBells

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I came off the patch in July after four years of wearing from 150 mcg to 25mcg. It is now November and I still do not feel completely normal. I take Norco as needed. My doctor will put me back on Fentanyl any time but I refuse to give in. I've read it can take from six months to a year to totally reset your body. Don't give up! Keep on moving forward!

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Can anyone please tell me the best way to get off of Fenanyl 50 mg patches without all the major withdraws? My doctor and I talked about rehab but my local rehabs said they only use clonidine and that didn't help be with the major effects. I still had restless and serious feet pain couldn't sleep just going from 50mg to 25mg. I went once without my patch for just 24 hours when my script couldn't get filled and had to go to the emergency room. I would appreciate any help.

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Try using a 25mg and a 12mg patch which adds up to 38mg. This will help you wean off slower and help with the withdrawal. It's what I did and the clonidine worked wonders.

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How are you doing coming off patch?? Unfortunately he took me down to 25mg then after 3 days I could put back on another for 5 days then leave off. We, my husband and I , decided too why come all the way down and start again ya know??
It has been a real nightmare my ulcers and ibs were already in a flare up then this... Anyway I started this on thurs. by sun. I was in ErR for severe abdominal pain and stomach was burning,knowing, burning, cramping that would not stop. Sat.night I was throwing up and oh my word it hurt so bad..... They did help me and stopped it all went home later sun. and actually got some sleep.... My new pain management Dr., is the one who did this the doctor in ER also, said I had developed shingles, which I have had prior episodes..... Just one more thing with this yea me such is life prayer and scripture cold packs and my loving husband is the only thing to get me through this...... Yes, he, the Dr. In ER did give me something to take home for shingle however we discussed and so as to not break my contract with PMangement Dr...I did choose not to take home anything and would get in touch w/PmanageDr.. Saw mon. My internal medicine Dr. He wasn't sure that he felt that I had just started or caught at end of shingles. Is now tues. morning P/manage.Dr. still has not contacted pharmacy about new script of Lyrica or anything else.. Have to wonder does he really care?? He took me off 5 meds.. in which I had a F/Patch
Of 50mcg. Which always lasted 2days then a 25mcg. for 11/2 days, I too was having severe side effect of patch... Sure will be better but for now more lost sleep and pain... Good luck with urs be praying for u...

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Hi, I feel for your pain and troubles. I have been thru all the same s*** with Fentanyl. I was on 150 mcgs plus oxy neo and Percocet. After ten years of feeling like a zombie and still having pain. I got real sick from missing some doses and finally went to emerg. They took me off all narcotics. After 3 weeks of extreme withdrawal and I quit smoking I left the hospital. It's a sick cycle because my back pain started to get worse again. I refuse to go on Fentanyl again. I highly recommend staying away from it at all costs. Now I am taking long and short acting dilaudid. Still not helping but I have a brain and can make better decisions. I really don't know if one is better than the other. Usually once u start it u just keep going up in dosage. Good luck and God bless us all.

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Hi I've been reading lots of post on here and wanting to see if everyone could give me the best way to come off fentanyl patch 100 I don't think its helping a real lot with my pain I have a undiagnoised muscle disease with lots of severe muscle spams and the muscle will knot up and stay forever and they are even in my scalp so bad I've been on these for approx 3.5 yrs and I had no ideal what my dr was doing when she put me on these I didn't know they was so hard to get off of or any of this I also take percert 10 for break though pain I don't take but maybe 2 a day but I'm still having loads of pain but seems like its worse in some ways than before I started AS I SAY IN SOMEWAYS but I'd love to get off this stuff as I'm terrrifed of what I've done and didn't RELIZE what the dr was getting me into please if anyone knows best for me and where I can read or how's best way to ask my dr to do this she's only NP doctors I don't think she would know how to do it I'm so sick knowing what I've got my self into as I've never used drugs before this all happened to me in my muscle s I would feel great to just know how's best way to do it so I can direct her somewhat are know what to do about each withdrawn please help

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Sunshine ( and all coming off Fentanyl patches). After 7 years of increasing doses and frequency of Fentanyl patches I am 9 months free and have my life back. I did it on my own, as the drs said I couldn't do it without suboxone or methadone. I refused that. I did this by, instead of removing the entire backing before sticking it to me, I'd leave a sliver of the backing on, where less of the patch stuck to me. Each patch change I'd leave a little more backing so less and less patch was stuck to my skin. The drs said it wouldn't work. It did work. As I was able, I increased the time between changes. Within two months I had such a small sliver stuck to me I had to tape it on. I left the last sliver until it dried up and cracked. I took it off Sept 3rd of last year and am still free. I had some horrible restless leg for two weeks after, but it was because I was out of my hydrocodone. I quit that as well. It can be done! Good luck quitting!

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I just to congratulate you on your quick success. Yours is very good information but one should bear in mind that you were so very, very fortunate to have few withdrawal issues. Regardless, very positive uplifting information. Horror stories make everyone apprehensive. It is good to have as much info as possible though because when withdrawals cause so much discomfort, it is comforting to know what others have gone through and succeeded.

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Hi Mary, I'm Sandy. I can identify what you are going through as I came off 150 mcg of Fentanyl. Yes it is a sign of withdrawal. If I may suggest, I would try to get your mind off it. Maybe a hot bath a massage and look into meditation, breathing exercises and tapping. Google tapping and learn how to do it. It will really help. I would also suggest you rip that patch off now. Get off all the s*** cold turkey. That's what I did. I took a lot of gravel for a few weeks but I have my head back. Stick it out sweetie. It's been almost 2 yrs now since then and I feel great! You can do it too! Don't start a new drug because you will get addicted to that too. Try the stuff I mentioned. If the restless legs continue ask your dr for a sleep study evaluation. They can analyze that and diagnosis it and I'm sure there is something you can do for it. I hope I have helped in some way. Good Luck Mary!

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I have multiple herniated disk in my neck,and have suffered for 15 plus years,I'm 54 years old,veteran. So I started going to a pain clinic in a near by town and they started. Me on fentanyl 50, been taking them about a month. Well I sweated one off and my oldest daughter stolen one and yes we called sheriff and yes we are pressing charges. I promptly reported both Incidents to the pain clinic,they offered zero solutions!! So I called back and ask them can they suggest anything I can do to relieve wd? They said take aleve,yeah that's right, again I called back again they offered no solutions, nothing for the w.d. is this doctor really this bad? Or is there truly nothing they can offer,oh they did say go to e.r. which the clinic is a part of this hospital. My wife is aware of my attempts to seek their advise and I'm kinda freaking out because I'm reading it can lead to heart attack,death etc.etc. I'm asking, reaching out for something,anything. I don't know I guess if something does happen to me ow theirs a record of it,maybe that's all to be gained. I am beat down with doctors non stop pain now this.just last tues I had to go to emergency room, because that's what pain clinic said to do,yet another emergency room visit. That of course will be held against me I. Some way, and yes we do have a copy of the police report,hopeless!! I'm to the point of desperation. {edited for privacy}. Is there anything anyone out there? My pain is crippling and now w.d., thank you for reading.

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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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I have been on fentanyl 50 mg patch for almost a year now. I suffer from Chronic back pain and need to have a second surgery on my back. That surgery will put me out of work for 6 months so its a last resort. I hate the Fentanyl. It has taken over my life. I can't enjoy anything during the summer months due to heat. A hot bath in Epson Salt soothes the spasms in my back but I can't do that anymore due to the patch. I sleep ALL the time. I will fall to sleep and not even notice it until I wake up. It has my family scared to death because of the side effects from it. Help! What should I do and how can I get weaned off this and placed on something else?

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Hi Mimi, I can relate to your pain as my back is messed up but there is no surgery to fix it. I was up to 150 mcg and slept away ten years of my life! Then I got sick and forgot to change my patch and went into withdrawal and got sicker. I passed out and took an ambulance and thank god I got a good doctor. I stayed there 3 weeks coming off everything cold turkey. I even quit smoking! It has now been almost 2 yrs and I am still off that damn patch! My pain did get too great to not be on anything so I now take dilaudid. I'm not happy about that but I do have to function. I really wish you the best! Good luck!

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Yes, one really has to wish to be free, otherwise, it won't work............Best of luck to you. I dropped off the patch in June, and am free of it now. The doctor tried to give me more, but my body won't accept it......It is bad stuff, and it can kill.......why they pass it around like candy, I will never accept their reasons......Seems Oxy and Fentanyl are the acceptable drugs to the doctors.............I cannot take either, and because I cannot handle entire drug, they don't want to deal with me....Oxy and Fentanyl disagree with me, so they don't wish to take care of me............I find it hard to believe they are only allowed two choices........Disgusting.

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MG, I couldn't agree more! Have they not offered dilaudid as an option for you? You shouldn't have to suffer with pain. Even Tylenol 3 would be better then nothing. Good Luck!

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My insurance did the same thing but my doctor cut the prescription from 50 to 25 and the insurance paid for it. The detox is awful and I am doing it at home alone... all I want to do is sleep to avoid how terrible I feel. Doctor has given a type of valium which helps at night... I need something during the day. I will see doctor tomorrow and wish for a solution. I feel like I would look me to go to a detox center.

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