Fentanyl Patch Withdrawal Symptoms And Duration (Page 14)

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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Thanks for the info! I have only used the sleeping pill Belsomra for just 9 days. My Dr and I decided as you said just a short time like 18 days. Sorry to hear you went back on them Fentanyl that is for pain.

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I have been taking loratab 10 mgs for 4times a day for year's. ( for ibs,fm and ARTHRITIS. Than THEY gave me fentanyl because it worked through the skin and not. Cause so much constipation through the gut. and it would be easier on my colon. Now my doctor is taking it away. He said law states, used for cancer patient. So here comes the withdrawals. He took me from 25 mg to 12 mg every 48hours.and turned around and said sorry ,it's law and keep on walking . Didn't give my husband or me a chance to even sink that information in. The reason we started patch was because of my ibs system. Very painful. And going to the 're for digging it out is awful sounding ,like my sister had to do. And what are they going to do with the pills lessen them to? So far ,the doctor mention some kind of blocker shot in the back last month and I said no thanks. He must of knew something was up. Am feeling am not going to have to many choices. Not fair. The patch was perfect. The last doctor also mention surgery,with a system inserted in you stomach and linked with electronic device that went to the back and disposal meds that way. Wow. THANKS for listening.

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Check with a Dr. but I know there is a tablet with morphine or oxy combined with naloxone that stops the constipation. I have forgotten its brand name.

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Kathleend,
Yes the Withdrawl from fentanyl will be horrific even under the best of circumstances I hope he gives you assistive meds to ease the abstinence syndrome. I would expect he may transition you to the medication you were on previously.there are new drugs available that can ease constipation in chronic opiate based medication users but they be contraindicated for those with ibs.If your doctor had treated you with such disregard I'd seriously consider a change in treating medical providers. Yes there are new laws in place but there are processes that can assist in the Withdrawl symptoms of need be.

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I feel for anyone that is trying to get off Fentanyl! I was on 100mcg every 48 hours for years. It actually worked great for my pain but then all hell broke lose and *****s starting overdosing on Fentanyl! Canadian government steps in and tells all doctors to lower doses unless the person is in palliative care. This is when my nightmare began. She started reducing my patches rapidly with no regard to my health. I went from being able to live again to back to major pain all the time. Within two months I was taken from 100mcg x 48 hours to 50 x 48 hours. This is when my withdrawals started and I'm now completely off the patch and am down to 60 mg morphine a day. My life is a living hell and it's now 5 months since I had my last patch on and I still feel daily withdrawals! At this point I am convinced I could be someone that after being on it for so long can't live without some in my system? I don't know what is the worst symptoms, major anxiety 80% of the time, insomnia at least two to three nights a week, restlessness or restless legs (I also get it in my elbows), or the lack of desire to eat? They all really bite and like others say I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Well most anyway lol. My biggest problem with this entire process is nobody ever explained that sure this is wonderful for pain but you will want to die when I take you off it. It's way worse then any street drug out there so tell me what you want to do? I would have said screw that and find something else! Good luck to every poor person going through this living hell! I feel for everyone of you.

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I've read many posts on here regarding the use of fentanyl patches. I have been on fentanyl (Duragesic patches) for 10yrs. I have been on 62mcg for most of that time. My highest dose was 100mcg however I felt it was too much and reduced to 75mcg and then back to 62 mcg. Just over a year ago I decided I'd had enough of the side effects. For me it was sweating, night sweats and a load of general issues like dry hair and skin, insomnia, irregular heartbeat etc. also a feeling that my body was just not my own. I had numerous occasions where my Dr went away and left me without a script. This meant having to go explain everything to another Dr and hope they would write a script. I also had more than enough occasions where I was in hospital and had to go through hell to get my patches and OxyContin. Each Dr with their own opinion of whether I should be given it or not. Often left for days without. Not good. There is such a stigma attached to opiates. Often treated like a drug seeker etc just because you are on opiates. I can assure you I have never sought drugs for either pleasure or habit, but Drs can be quick to judge. Being left without is unbearable. Withdrawals from fentanyl for me became life threatening on more than one occasion after being left too long without. All this lead me to the decision to wean myself off this nasty drug. I was never told how bad it would be. Only that I would need it for the rest of my life due to the pain conditions I have. I've had a broken back, degenerative disc disease, neck problems, migraine, wide spread pain from muscle degeneration relating to stroke, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, work injury that left me with a brain injury which in turn results in pain, tendinitis and arthritis, the list goes on. Fentanyl was given by a pain specialist who I trust. He saved my life. I had tried the roller coaster of Drs and treatments, nothing worked. Yes fentanyl worked. I was able to get up and move, dress myself most days, shower and even do small daily chores. It was a miracle or so I thought. I got to the point though where it was not as effective. I had to make the decision to either go up in dosage or add more OxyContin or similar. I wondered what would happen when that too was no longer helping. What then? All this helped in my decision to wean. I started by doing what we all know you shouldn't do. I cut the patch. Just a corner to try. My patches do not have the gel so I thought I'd try. It was okay. I got down to 50mcg. I cut more and eventually stopped putting the 12mcg patch on. Withdrawal wasn't nice. At times almost unbearable. I continued until I was down to about 30mcg. I was pretty crook. I went to fast and the effects were awful. I stopped and left it for a couple of months. I adjusted. I continued to approx 18 mcg, or so I thought. I was on about one and a half 12mcg patch. I've been that way for a while. I couldn't seem to get further without unbearable symptoms. I also became really ill with Epsteen Barr and a tick born illness. I ended up in hospital and had to come clean with the fact that I wasn't on my prescribed dosage of fentanyl. I thought it was time I told my pain specialist. I was surprised by his reaction. He was proud of me for trying to help myself, even though he didn't agree with my decision. He told me that by cutting the patch I wasn't really reducing the mcg's. It still delivers the patch amount eg: 12mcg but it just doesn't last as long. That explained a lot! he agreed to help me wean completely. I'm now on 25mcg for 3 months, then down to 12mcg with increased OxyContin etc to help withdrawal symptoms, for 3months, then down to no patches but increased OxyContin for as long as it takes to recover. Then I'll evaluate my pain levels and coping, and decide if I wish to stop the OxyContin which I know I will. My pain levels have been horrendous while reducing the fentanyl. I have added illness that doesn't help. The sweating is relentless but I had it on the full dose as well. I'm hoping it will go when I'm finally off the patches. I can't take much more. I'm scared about reducing by larger amounts. My body responds to even just being an hour overdue for a patch change. I have changed them every 48hrs for 9 years. I just hope my specialist can help make it bearable. I'm sure he will. I'm still petrified. I've been left without before and ended up having a heart attack. I don't look forward to life with unbearable relentless pain like before but it's bad anyway now. I'm not sure what I'll do. I meditate etc to help, and I'll revisit some other methods I've tried in the past. I cannot wait to be opiate free. Even though my health has gone so far downhill I'm hoping I get the chance to be free of these drugs. They have taken so much from me and my family. I'm an empty shell compared to before. I've aged so quickly in body, mind and looks. Has anyone experienced the relentless sweating before? How did you cope and what helped? I've tried so many things. Vit C, and others, amytriptylene, estrogen (had gone through early menopause) natural remedies. Who knew this drug could take so much from you! The pain relief is great but the added side effects even after 10 yrs are too much.

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Keep up the progress slowly you will get there if you are patient. The other choice is continual suffering worse than the pain. I was on fentanyl patches for 10 years and cut the patches like you do. I got down to 12 mcg and moved to Kapanol and slowly reduced that to 20mg twice daily. If I cut further I get pain. NA keeps me motivated.

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I'm on day 7 of fentanyl 50mcg. Patch detox I did myself. It was... Hell. Still not right. Was on for 3 yr went up as far as 100mcg for over a yr. I'm 65 and I don't know when I'll be alright. I'm Blessed but worried.. JUST DON'T PLEASE.

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Can anyone tell me if the way I am feeling is withdrawal from the drug? I'm not trying to come of the fentanyl patch 75 mc but the surgery lost my prescription and due to having a couple of faulty patches made me use them up quicker but the foc wouldn't issue another script as they say I was over using to cut long story short I have had to go 2 and a half days without a patch on and the depression is awful. I'm on them for fibromyalgia and went cold turkey a couple of years ago to come of morphine etc and feels bit like this. I feel everyone's sorrow and pain even if I don't no them is from TV news or even fictional so it has to be right? I am a mother of five having 3 young ones still living at home. Now I have the patch on again today will I start to feel normal again v soon. Thank you

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May I impart the courage, comfort and strength for all those pulling off of Fentanyl. It may seem like you're going to feel awful forever, but I promise... I swear, you will eventually feel better.

Remember a time that you had the flu or equally nasty cold? That you thought you'd never, ever feel better again? Then a couple of weeks later, you forgot how bad you felt?

Sort of the same thing, but a lot worse. It will probably be the most difficult experience of your life, but I swear... it will get better. Not as fast as you'd like, but... it WILL get better. I promise, I promise, I promise, that one day in the near future, you'll wake up, and for a while, not even remember the hell you went through.

Then, another day, and another, and yet another, you won't define yourself by what you went through.

You are stronger than you can even conceive, you will get through this no matter how much it sucks at the moment - you WILL win. You are not alone, you are incredibly powerful, and you'll learn that you are unbreakable, your strength is beyond measurement, and when you eventually pass through this time, you will be left with the knowledge and will to achieve anything you previously thought was impossible.

I believe in you.

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Call company that's makes patch they sometimes give them to u for free

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The writer who is having restless legs after tapering off Fentanyl, should as his doctor to put him on Pramipexole. I have been suffering with restless legs for many years and Pramipexole works 80% of the time

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I'm also withdrawing from fentynal. I'm down fro 50 to 37. Having stomach cramps and nausea. Sleeping a lot. Very anxious and I'm alone and have no one to talk to. I may have jumped into a conversation. I'm just looking for some help.

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It's withdrawal. Try suboxone. I've been struggling for 3 years at 10 100mcg a day. It was the worst feeling and I detoxed and had paws for so long (60 days) and can't feel my skin or fingers. I wish I never tried. I probably spent over 3 million on that and treatment centers (13 of them); and I got kicked out of them all.

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I am sure it is withdrawal problem that is causing your restless legs. Ask him to prescribe PRAMIPEXOLE. I know how you are suffering because I have just come out of 2 days ago and I feel fine. It's hard I know, but it will pass. I also found that a hot bath helps with the aches and also the Restless Legs. Good luck. I would be interested knowing how you get on. Another thing that my doctor prescribed for me was Diazapam and that also helped. Regards. Roy

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Alice, ur going to go nuts and maybe suicidal. Well I was. Try going to a Na meeting or aa meeting, they help. As long as u don't touch it again ur ok but as soon as I take one it's non stop and have to do a 2 week detox every time. It's so hard to get off. My back's f****d up also. That's what started me from 50mcg a day to 1000mcg a day at my worst. It's like a living HELL.

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Thank you I am now on 25 patch and still feeling sick. I won't give up until I'm clean of this awful drug. Why oh why don't doctors tell you what's in store for you if you stop taking this drug.

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Hi. Im 49 yrs old been on fentanyl patches with the gel 100mcg. My dr. Stopped me cold turkey. Been on it for 2 yrs .im needing to know when the withdrawals start. I have been sick at my stomach and a major headache since taking it off. I was suppose to put a new one on in its place today. Plz help

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Sharon... About your fentanyl patches... It's illegal for him to stop your opiates cold turkey. People across the nation are suing their doctors and medical clinics... Now... To deal with the withdrawal which is most important right now. Reply to this and I will be alerted. The sooner the better, I assure you I will help you through this and its 100% legal. I'll be checking my email regularly.
If necessary go to the emergency room. I can't tell you they'll give you fentanyl patches or the mcg but you do need to be monitored bcuz what your doctor has done has put you at serious risk and the more medical evidence of what you're going through as well as the risks the better. This is why it is illegal! Once we get you over the worst part I will still be available to you to point you in the direction of how to increase his malpractice insurance dramatically!

Regardless of the reason or reasons for cutting you off with no taper has absolutely nothing to do with harm he has caused you!
Chronic pain patients absolutely need to come together to cease this war against us. If I were you I would go to the emergency room after you go to your local head shop and buy something called Kratom... You want red md or red bali, red meang da... Considering the dose of the fentanyl you will need good quality and unfortunately the head shop doesn't sell the best and it is expensive but you're going to need to dose about every 2 hours. Get the Kratom on those opioid receptors sooner rather than later so I'd buy it and take my first dose before going to the emergency room depending on where you are in the withdrawal. You need a good and trusted, caring vendor.

Good news is that although the patches are 72 hour pain relievers they do last up to 5 days. This is why there are such strict procedures on disposal of old patches. There is still medication left in the patch. You can slower your detox some... In the meantime look up Kratom on YouTube. But please do not purchase from Google regardless of the reviews... I know people who have come out the other side of fentanyl, methadone, suboxone, all of them with little to no withdrawal but you have to get ready. You also need Imodium or lopermide, this is an anti diarrheal and it is also an opiate and works in the stomach as an opiate. You need to be put in contact with people who have gone through what is happening to you now. You absolutely can walk through and away from this.

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Sharon. I know exactly how you are suffering. I was taken off Fentanyl too quickly, suffered terrible withdrawal problems. I went to see another doctor who was staggered that my first doctor had taken me off the Fentanyl so quickly. So gave me Diazapam, plus Pramipexole for the restless legs. Within two days I started to feel better. Hope this helps, Roy

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