Fentanyl Transdermal Patches (Top voted first)

I've been using the 100mcg/hr of Fentanyl Patches and I've been using them for a long time. They stick well and they last almost 3 days and I'm prescribed every 2 days, so I get extra relief by putting the new one on @48 hrs with the first one stil on; and I take 100mg of roxicodone, but the pain still is killing me and I've looked on the internet at the Patch by Par drugs, has anyone used this brand and would you give me a critique on them; how long do they last? do they stay on well?? I get my script of 9 boxes Monday and I need to make a decision.

thanks,
lakebum

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Insane pain,
I do not have cancer, I am sorry that you do. However I do suffer from chronic pain on a daily basis that began over 20 years ago. The fentanyl duragesic patches have been a life saver for me. I am not satisfied with the Par generic patch that I am forced to use due to insurance. I like the Mylan patches. My body temperature is usually around 97.1 but varies. The delivery system is not as effective for me. I am not a drug seeker looking for a high. I have never abused prescription or any other drug. I am offended by your post. If I was not in constant pain I would never choose to use any medication. My life as I knew if was taken from me, just as I am sure yours was due to cancer. Please do not assume because someone is not terminally ill that they go to doctors seeking prescription meds to get high. I have never tried to "eat" the patch or misuse in anyway. There is a huge difference between drug abusers and people that depend on prescription pain meds so they can hold a full-time job and take care of their family on a daily basis.

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I have been on Duragesic Fentanyl, then insurance had to ho to a generic. I was using the Watson brand for past several yrs. without any problems. Now it seems No one can get this brand from the manufacturer. I just got Par and they are by far not big as the Watson and they are not the huge bandade size matrix brand that caused me to have eithdrawls & intence pain. They work fine and I have severe chronic neuralgia from Cancer surgery. Shame on you people who ty to use the strongest pain meds available for recreational high. It's people like you that "eat" or God knows what to abuse this medication, that makes it hard for us who desperately need this medication just to barely funtion. This still has the gel and lasts almost 72 hrs like they are supposed to.

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you are absolutely right, I'm so sick of being on forums or whatever & it's people just talking about how to feel high off the pain meds.. its disgusting. I live with trigeminal neuralgia, occipital neuralgia & ATN. These types of pain are no joke. I've had brain surgery at the age of 22, I've had these very rare diseases since I was 16. These patches get me through the day. & even then I'm still in pain. I'm glad I came on here.. not as much talk about how to feel high, it's about informing people about the medication & you can call it a support group as well. BTW I'm a 25 yr old male, life's been controlled by pain since I was a junior in high school.

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Kattladie, you brought up some excellent points about the reservoir style patches. I usually put them on my sides or "flank". I hate that term, makes me sound like a slab of meat. You mentioned the patch coming off in bed and sticking to your husband's arm. I have a 2 1/2 year old grandson. Of course there would be no reason for him to see that part of my body but he is playful and can get rough. The patch which doesn't stick well could come off and slip out the bottom of my shirt. I would never forgive myself if he was exposed to the medication and my daughter-in-law would probably never let me see him again. I hate these patches. I liked the Mylan patches best and my doctor prescribed them by name until the insurance refused to pay. Par pharmaceuticals make the patches I currently use and interestingly the company is located in the same county in which I live. I wonder if that could have something to do with forcing people in this area to use this brand. The patch is huge, much larger than the Sandoz brand which I hated years ago. As the gel is absorbed the patch starts to make a "crackling" sound. The word FENTANYL is printed in huge black letters on the patch so I must be careful not to wear sheer or light colored tops. It's like a "Scarlet Letter" telling the world I am using opiate pain meds. As if people are not judgemental enough. I realize that it's important in emergency situations for first responders to be aware of medications but I do feel branded like a cow on a ranch. I pay a portion of my healthcare cost, my employer pays the rest, and of course there are co-pays. I don't understand why I can't choose the best brand of medication for myself. My doctor did try to get the insurance company to allow me to have Mylan. He explained the irritation, they didn't stick as well, and that my normal body temperature is lower than most (96.8 or so) which definitely can slow absorption. Nothing helped. Hopefully a change will come. I have breakthrough pain around 60 hours after application or sometimes sooner but I have never experienced euphoria or being "high" from Fentanyl. I have never abused the medication. It's rare that a patch lasts 60 hours especially in warm weather.

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i've been on the patch for many years for a serious medical disability, so i have some experience with the different types of fentanyl. the brands i've had with the reservoir, or gel, are duragesic, par, actavis, sandoz, and watson. the mylan brand is more like a sticker, where the medication isnin the glue and there's no gel. for me, the reservoir type works much better. i don't notice a huge difference betweenbrands, but i like watson, duragesic, and par.
i'm on 100 mcg, but i replace the patch every 48 hours. it never lasts until the third day and this is common. if you find yourself in pain after day 2, ask your doctor and he or she may give you 15 a month instead of 10. this made a huge difference in my pain management. i also take 4mg of dilaudid for breakthrough pain, but the fentanyl does the heavy lifting. pain is miserable, and i hope you find the relief you need. good luck.

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The tegaderm covers are not large enough to cover the 75mcg/hr Par patches. The Mylan patches were much smaller. In the event one was not sticking the tegaderm did the trick. I have tried using 2 tegaderm covers; one on the right half, one on the left but they still do not stay put. It is very frustrating.
For the record Matt, pain is serious. People with drug seeking behaviors should not be posting here. We are using prescription pain meds prescribed by pain management Drs. just to get through the day. Anyone looking for a recreational high should not be posting comments here. It insults the people suffering with chronic pain.

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Jerry, I have the same problem with the Par patches. They are huge. If they stick I get sores around the corners. In the heat and humidity they slide off within 12 hours so I use 2-3 tegaderm covers to hold them in place. The longest they last is 48 hours. Often I rip them off sooner because my skin is burning from the adhesive. I worry about the absorption rate in the heat. My insurance will no longer allow the Mylan patches which were much smaller and stayed on most of the time. If not one cover kept them in place. At least I am not the only one that dislikes the Par patches and gets horrible skin irritation. Many people prefer the reservoir patches. Not me!!!!

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This post is old, but I see people are still talking, so here's my story. I've been taking 100mcg fentanyl for about 15 years or so. This was a life saver for me after I begged my dr to take me off of OxyContin. I couldn't handle the ups and downs between doses. To be fair, I was only given 40mg twice a day, because dr's in my area are inundated with dope heads lying to get them because of heavy addiction.
Anyway, I was thrilled when they stopped using the large reservoir gel patches, they never stayed on regardless of brand, and the crinkly squish just announced to everyone that I was on opioids. Around here, that makes you a target for theft, break-ins, etc.
Ive been using the Mallincrodt brand for, I'd say, a year. They are small, and stick well. They stay on the 72 hours they're supposed to, although my third day always feels kind of crappy. (I don't know who's dr says you can change them every 48 hours. I've had more that three dr's over the years, and even though I've told them about the "third day syndrome", the never say I can just take them every 48. They're way too frugal about them for that here.)
My pharmacy recently started using Sandoz brand. They're bigger, and much thinner than the Mallincrodt brand. My first three days on them were spent felling like I was in w/d, and I couldn't get one to stick longer than a day. I went through a month of misery, since I'd opened both boxes (I combine them once at home so have less bulk in my med drawer), my pharmacy couldn't switch them out, even though I was willing to bring them every unused accounted for patch. My doctor couldn't do anything because of prescribing laws. Even if I'm robbed at gunpoint, they apparently can't replace them. I have to say I just "love" the directions they give if one falls off. "Do not try to reapply. Fold in half and discard the patch and put on a new one". Really?! That shorts me patches, makes me sick and in unbelievable amounts of pain when I run out, and then dr's just look at you like you've been abusing them. I'm very meticulous about not using more than I should, why would I open that can of worms? It's a never ending cycle of never having enough. I've seen it in other people.
In the end, about five days from the day I know I've got an appt. for refills, I call my pharmacy and have them order the Mallincrodt brand just for me, which they are happy to do. I won't go through that mess again. I reported this all via a lengthy report to Sandoz. My pharmacist wondered if they offered some kind of cover like tegaderm, even though those didn't help me.
The only thing I take other than the fentanyl is Lyrica for neuropathy, and the pain is controlled. Not gone, never gone, but controlled. I really wouldn't welcome anything else in the way of opioids in addition to that even if my dr offered it to me, which she won't. Just wanted you guys out there to know, if you communicate with your pharmacists, they can do this for you. If you have a brand that works for you, don't be afraid to ask for what works best. I am lucky that I work with a pharmacy that is locally owned, and they are happy to help me in order to keep my business. I wouldn't go to CVS unless it was a rare emergency.
Take care, ladies and gents. Keep the peace.

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Kattlady, I believe every word you shared about being able to get the brand of fentanyl that works best for you. However where I live, my insurance will only pay for the type with the liquid that makes the crinkly sound. I hate these Par reservoir patch. They never last 3 days and I get adhesive burns from using covers that are too small to cover the huge patch. For many years I was using Mylan brand. They were a square about 1" x 1". If they got loose 1 tegaderm cover would cover the entire patch without a problem. I feel the meds were absorbed at a more even rate. I have begged doctors and pharmacists but no matter what is written on the script my insurance only pays for these horrible patches. I envy your ability to choose the best medicine for you. I think all of us deserve that right because we pay a lot for our insurance. Good luck.

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Which did you end up getting?

Learn more Fentanyl details here.

While you can ask the opinion of others, what it really comes down to is which one works best for you and that can be a matter of trial and error.

And if you have a problem with them not staying on, there are solutions for that, they do sell overlays now that can help.

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I use Actavis Pharmaceuticals for my Fentanyl Patch. It is a resevoir type. I've tried the so called "matrix type" where the drug is in the glue. I could not tell that I had apply a patch. So, I go with the Resevoir type. It works great for me. Thanks to all of the postees. If anyone has any questions, I've attended the school of hard knocks and would be glad any questions
Regards,
Kevin

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actavis is no longer around its only watson now they merged. watson, par, and duragesic by jenssen are the resivoir type. also Sandoz if you can find them.

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*correction... sorry, i typed duragesic as a reservoir in my nprecious post and that was an accident. also, sometimes brands change their delivery systems without notice, so i always chack with the pharmacist that it's the gel-type patch when i get my prescription filled. since they work so much better, it's important i get the right ones. it could be a miserable month otherwise. some people like the matrix type better. good luck

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It dosent show unless specifically tested for, my doctor actually thought I wasn't using my script and yelled at me, I googled it and said test me again right now.

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DO NOT GET Mallinckrodt generic patches! They provide the WORST relief of any generic on the market. Their generic Norco is alright, but ANYTHING else Mall. has been terrible for me and every chronic pain sufferer I know! This must be just one of the few who has had a good experience with them. If you need oxy or fent for pain management, please dont get Mall. Many doctors wont give you a new script and if you do, your insurance likely will not cover it. I didn't even know Mall. was inferior or anything about them until one time my pharmacy was out of Actavis, and gave me the Malls. I took them not knowing the change and got 0 relief as I began to panic. Thats when I noticed the "M" on the pill. The pharmacies EVERYWHERE could not get my usual Watson fentanyl patch last month, and I was forced to get Mall. since they couldn't even get a different generic. It's been a HORRIBLE month of pain :(

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I hope I can help some of the pain suffered souls using par brand. I have used just about every brand known to man as I have had 13 back sugerys over the past 15 years. I have had the patches fall off and I was buying techaderm patches UNTILL I called the 1-800 number on the back of the par box and talked with them. The company itself will send to your door enough patches and then some for your script. You need to call them each month and give them the lot and control numbers from your box's but its better than having to pay for them. I looked into it a bit more and a few of the name brand manufactures will do the same thing. So if your buying techaderm patches do yourself a favor and at least try the company your using, it can't hurt.

As far as the last post looking for patches in VA, I suggest for you to ask the pharmast at the pharmacy where you got your last RX filled. I know that if a drug store can get it once they can get it again. I usually pre order par brand the month before with our local drug store. I know CVS has Par brand or can order them as I have vacationed in several states and have had to order them out of town (with a RX from my home DR) but it takes time if your out of town (about 2 weeks to get the RX filled) I hope you get what you need. If you can't find them call par directly and they will tell you who sells them by you.

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You really don't want to use the patch by Par. Its just like a sticky adhesive on the back of the patch that contains the medicine. It doesnt work great for me. I usually stick with the Mylan brand, but If i can get the Johnson & Johnson I would rather have it. It actually stays on better and lasts longer. The Mallinrockdt brand is terrible, i wouldn't recommend to anyone.

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I'm trying to stay off opiates since I've been on pain meds for vulvar cancer. I smoke marijuana and can not pee for myself,my questions are...Can you place a patch in clean urine so the urine test shows positive for fentanyl? And, I have seen some posts saying fentanyl DOESNT show up in a dipstick urine test,I need to know if this is true or will Fentanyl show up?

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Mine stick perfectly, and only 50mcg works for my worst pain. Must USE TEGADERM TAPE NO OTHER TAPE WORKS. HAVE YOUR PHAM ORDER THEM IF THEY DON'T HAVE THEM. Most pharmacys have them. I'm not going be on any breakthrough right now but I'm going wait and see how many times and how often. Then I will take a low dose of anything but oxys. Oxys are strong but not worth the fast tolerance, the nasty withdrawal. So if at all cost use that tape no other. I have even gotton mine wet, indirectly and it stayed and I litterly had to peel and pull my patch off. I do think your taking way to many breakthroughs. To many of these cause what is called rebound pain, it makes your pain worse. For some reason no one what's to believe this. I had to get off all pills and I have been on everything. My pain was getting worse, I was like what is going on. So I got off all the pills, got on patches and my pain is controlled. Think about how much meds your taking.

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D-ironically I discovered that I live in the same state and county where Par pharmaceutics is located. No wonder they are the least expensive for my insurance company to cover. Surprised they don't want me to pick
them up in person lol.

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