Mallinckrodt Fentanyl Patch (Page 4)

Does anyone know how it is made? Does it have the medicine woven into the fabric of the patch or is it in a pouch form? Thank you.

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I was placed on the fentanyl patch 50mcg after a serious injury. Originally I was given the Actavis gel reservoir type, which I secured with tegaderm. This work fabulously for me; I could always tell it was working within about 3-4 hours and it seems pretty close to working the full 3 days (I am fortunate and my doctor and insurance allow me to switch at 2.5 days to avoid the "tail end" withdrawal feeling and increased pain). My pharmacy, in an attempt to save money (we are assuming) switched me to the matrix Mallincrockdt 50 mcg. I.e. No gel reservoir and completely different delivery system. It took nearly 8 hours for me to feel ANY sort of relief, and the relief I got did not even cover as much pain as the Actavis gel patch had been. I was able to switch my patches back to the Actavis after raising a bit of hell. I am currently awaiting my "switch" time so that I can return to the Actavis, and I am extremely queasy. I cannot keep down a meal to save my life. Needless to say, I am extremely disappointed with my experience with the Mallincrockdt matrix patch and will never be using them again. If your pharmacy tries to switch you from something that was working to a different kind of patch, you have a RIGHT to say something and know why they switched you. Please avoid Mallincrockdt matrix patches at all costs!

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Is the Mylan working better for you than Mallinckrodt? Also, does the Mylan work the full 72hrs & does it seem stronger?

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Never purchase a medication made by Mallinckrodt. I don't know how they get away with it. But I have tried several medications made by them and finally changed drugstores. I have felt not effect from any product that they manufacture.

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I have found the Mylan brand by far the best, but that said, if you go onto their site they do indicate that for some people the patch needs to be changed every 48 hours. I copied their information, shared it with my primary who agreed and now I change the patches every 48 hours. Since I am allergic to every other option I don't worry about possible addiction of the body. My body no longer gives me any adverse reactions to narcotics like the nausea or spacyness you can get at first and now I only get the pain relief. I wish you well in your journey with whatever pain issue you have. I reported the Mallincrodt to FDA along with serial # etc of the useless medication I had. We should all do the same.

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Mallinkroft is absolute crap. I have tried them in different strengths and it doesn't matter. You will feel like your going through withdrawal plus be in the worst pain for whatever your ailment is. To get any rèlief what so ever I had to goto the er daily and get a shot that lasted only a few hours anyways til I could get in to see my pain doc.IF THAT IS THE ONLY BRAND THE PHARMACY CARRIES GO ELSEWHERE.

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If you want to report your experience with Mallinckrodt to the FDA here is their contact info. If enough of us do, someday perhaps they will take action against their expensive and useless product:

301-443-0572
1-800-741-8138

OC-Advisory Committee Oversight and Management Staff
Food and Drug Administration
10903 New Hampshire Avenue
WO32 - 5129
Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002

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CONSUMER BEWARE!!! I do understand that the post I'm responding to is 3 years old but I couldn't help myself. I am just hoping to help someone...anyone who may read it and be forewarned. I originally began a search for any information on the Mallinckrodt brand Fentanyl patch. I've been on the patch for over 10 years and have been at 100 mcg for about 5 yrs. I've had many different brands some with the gel some without and they all seemed comparable in function and effectiveness then along comes mallinckrodt. I had a brush with this brand quite a while ago when I was still at 50 Mcg They didn't work at all then and I recently got stuck with them again. They were the only thing available in my small town at the 2 pharmacies. In retrospect I can see why they were the last to go. There is definitely something wrong with these patches!!! I started to suffer withdrawal symptoms at about 30 hours after the first one applied. Ok, defective patch, operator error? Not unheard of so, stuck on the second one then peeled off the first circa 1/2 hour afterward as directed when you change them at 72 hrs (Duragesic, P.A.R brand both state in the directions to do so) Changing any other brand I've used at 30 hours like that would have sent me into sweating, nausea, vomiting (Sorry had to say it) all in all an overdose. I ended up in a s*** storm with my doctor thanks to this P.O.S substandard product. To be totally fair I should have pushed the panic button before the second patch but I mistakenly tried to muddle through and maybe try to remedy the problem somehow myself??? dunno what I was thinkin there and 9 days later solved nothing and put my ass in a sling with the doc. Him thinking I was trying to OD and commit suicide or that I all of a sudden decided to start selling my script or God knows what. There has been so much bad press over the fentanyl patch deaths that most docs are skittish concerning them and rightly so it seems. BE CAREFUL! IF YOU GET THE MALLINCKRODT BRAND AND HAVE NEVER USED THEM BEFORE!!! If you do and notice any sign of trouble contact everyone involved immediately: Doc, nurse, pharmacist, shout it from the nearest mountain top and know this for a fact: IT IS NOT YOU - IT IS THE PATCH! I ran on and told you all that just to tell you simply THEY DON'T WORK!!!

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You are absolutely correct - they do not work. My pharmacist knows I won't waste my $ on anything other than the Mylan brand and I remind them every month. In my post in Sept I listed the contact info to report them to the FDA. The time I was given them I even sent the unused patches to them.

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I have used fentanyl for 14 years but I went up from .25 to 100 now the so called big shots want me to slow down to a lower patch...So I dropped to the 75..Now the pharmacy tries to give me the dry patches that stick good but as for pain relief...What the heck is that crap on the patch...No..It is sickening...It turns my stomach because it is a pseudo (fake) fentanyl...Like the so called fluoride in the water...No it is not flouride...It is a poison that supposedly changes to a good substance to help our teeth... Ha... Goff goff...Hey...I am tired pf the bullogna being passed around with the synopses that it is the same...No...No it...No it is not the same...This is wrong with putting the patient into serious danger!!! This change can cause heart attacks (for those with atrial fibrillation like myself) I am on a tight string here...Knowing the effects are life threatening no joke folks...I am upset with manipulation and lies...Eggs are good to eat and will not kill you...Also the medications I take say do not drink grapefruit...Crok of you know what...I drink it every day...Only once did I get a reaction...As I did not get any for two or three months..Lies...We need grapefruit as (I am a type 2 diabetic by the way) well as oranges...I feel so good eating the orange pulp and all!!! Holistic is the way to fly...Braggs apple cider vinegar kicks aspirin...Read the label...Ha...Yes I am scoffing at the so called medical community... Come on...The dr's are so buffaloed thinking they ate doing right...The first dr I went to put me on 850 mg of metformin or gliberide and it almost killed me right there...Three days I felt so crappy...I returned and asked the dr what did I tell you I took for stril fib...He looked it up and mumbled to himself all the way back up to his office to re write the script...Akkk...Akkk the martians are here...Quick get the music out...But that stopped the killer bad feelings... Whew... Oh... Eggs... Fat on the meat it's all good for you...Eat it fried in bacon grease...Yum!!! (unless your vegan)...But google the terms with holistic after what your lookin' for...Honest answers kids...Yup...Tumeric, vitamin k2, zucchini and fish oil with out soy...Gmo killer food with roundup infiltrated into the foid...Now they are after wheat...And more...Its a lie...Gmo is not feeding the planet its killing it (us).

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Okay, it's not just me.. I've gone from 75 mcgs of PAR brand gel filled every 48 hrs for years to now 25 mcgs 72 hr Mallinckrodt brand in 8 months (to fast IMO). I'm being sent down and off by the pain clinic that started this mess with me because pain pills bothered my stomach! Anyway, I dropped to 62.5 mcgs Mylan Brand and did fine.. Then 50 mcgs Mallinckrodt brand not knowing why; I had itchy skin, headaches, irregular heartbeat horrific stomach troubles not to mention they DO NOT last even 48 hrs I didn't know it was the "BRAND" until now! They dropped me to 37.5 mcgs Mylan brand and all the added problems vanished I never considered it was the brand! Can't say I didn't have withdrawals, still do. Now they dropped me to 25 mcgs and back to Mallinckrodt brand and all the miserable added side effects are back.. No, I wasn't expecting or anticipating them to return because I never connected the dots as to what caused them before. Mylan cost 4 x what Mallinckrodt brand does for a reason they don't work and don't make you sick.. Possibly the carriers in this brand don't agree with some, I know something does it. I can't afford Mylan out of pocket so I'm stuck! What can we do if the Co. doesn't care?

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The medication is inside the all over glue that makes it stick. Old kind were bigger with gel/liquid reservoirs and glue on the edges but they were easily abused by addicts taking the liquid out so they came up with this type. I'm fine with cutting down on easily abusing a medication, however the Mallinckrodt Brand has carriers (I'm assuming) or a synthetic med that wreak's havoc with your body!

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Mylan last the full 72 hrs but no it's not any stronger, it's more of a level release. I had some withdrawals everyday on the Mylan in fact. I liked Mylan because you never get the rushes of highs and lows. Mallincrockdt in any dose releases to much day one makes you sick and groggy and there is absolutely nothing left after 48 hours so withdrawals and pain are magnified 10 fold for about 24 hrs! It's a vicious vile medication with obviously many flaws and should be banned! PS: Mylan is still a generic for the brand name Duragesic.. They just work so well they over charge by about 4 x's so most Insurance won't pay.

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Paying the extreme high price in CA need not be...Senate Bill 383 to pay the same amount that Medical pays...please look this law up as it is so helpfully on our side...ok...not sure of the year it was passed...

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My insurance covers it, but makes me jump through some hoops. I had to have the doctor fill out a form saying that it was needed and another saying he approved it. I asked them what part of his signature on the prescription doesn't already say he feels it is needed and he approves it. I have been on narcotics for pain for 12 years now, ever since we determined that I am allergic to every other option. Other meds kept landing me in hosp with pneumonia over and over again. I was very thankful when the connection was made. Sadly with all the abuse of meds my life can be very difficult abiding with all the regulations. My doc and I were just talking about "personal responsibility" being a thing of the past in our society. It used to be if a doc wouldn't prescribe they could be sued for not properly treating the person's pain. Now if the doc does prescribe he can be sued for causing the addiction. Garbage. If you know you have a tendency to take too much, then you have the responsibility to tell yourself no.

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I just switched to mallinckrodt from Avius I think is how it's spelled but this one is a lot better then the other.

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I know this is an old thread, but I have tried them all. Since I have a high co-pay, I must use a generic fentanyl patch. I am currently on 100 mcg/hr every 2 days. The Mylan brand does have the drug mixed in the adhesive. However, the Mallincrodt has the adhesive, a rate controlling membrane, the drug, then the plastic backing, so there is a difference. It is in the literature that comes with the medication.I find the the Actavis gel reservoir patch works best for me, it all depends on your body and how well you absorb the medication. It is best to put it on an area that has some body fat, as that is how best the medication is absorbed and dispersed throughout your system. I have been on pain meds for a long time, with the patch it's easier than the highs and lows of taking a bunch of pills.

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I use the 100mcg patches also and the patch is the membrane type... I do not like the powder style as they DO NOT work as well. I had to learn the type to get from the pharmacy...the only problem with the membrane is they tend to come off in hot weather from sweat...the powder type sticks the best... but I only get two days of relief from them... My pain is from hard work for a National glass company, you see the ads on tv... slaves we were... yes I am not the only one damaged... There are legal suits from that company... but this is patches not glass...Thanks...

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I only get 2 days relief as well and you will find on the manufacturer's website they recommend some people need to change every 48 hours so I now get 15 of the 100's and 15 of the 75 ea month. I find tegaderm covers help with the sweaty skin problem some as well as not putting the patch on the trunk of the body if you can help it during hot sticky weather. Sadly I am allergic to every other type of pain med and thankful I can take this to keep going to work.

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I am sympathetic to your pain. Seems the chronic pain patience are always feeling the worst end of the political rd tape. the addicts still get theirs, but whoa the true folks in real need of relief to have some quality of life and to be able to work and provide are under attack more so than ever. I am so sorry that addicts die, that patience die while either abusing or adverse reaction to taking meds correclty. lets face it. taking meds away or at the very least make it an ordeal so bad that we as chronic pain patience we just dont want to deal with the BS. We did not ask to be in pain, we did not ask to have to depend on help. We go to work, we work hard to provide and all we seem to recieve is more grief.

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Keep the unused ones...I do just in case...better to have extra so in case one comes off in the shower etc etc..ok...

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Is there any way of finding out which pharmacies contract with certain distributors? My pharmacy informed me when I went...

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Is there a way to find out what brand pharmacys cary without calling them all? I am alergic to most but Mallinckrodt doe...

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I will be walking and look down my 50 mcg mallinckrodt will be on the floor only after putting it on the previous day. H...

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i have post surgical lower back pain. was in 50 mcg patch and had side effects and so decided to wean off. i finished wi...

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CAN ANYONE TELL ME HOW TO KEEP THE PATCH FROM COMING OFF AFTER SECOND DAY ? I SHOWER A COUPLE TIMES A DAY AND ON THE SEC...

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I would like to know WHY the FDA has not taken the Fentanyl Patch off the market? This drug is being handed out like can...

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Hello. I am on the fentanyl patch, 125mcg every 72 hours. And ever since starting the patch I have been able to once aga...

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I have been on the 100 mg patch and Percocet for my Crohns and Colitis for years. Last week I went cold turkey on my own...

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I have been on fentanyl / Duragesic since 2005 when i was not longer able to take oral opioids as my stomach lining was ...

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my patch keeps coming off prematurely. can you recommend a solution? ## You can buy Tegaderm at Walgreen's, it's...

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