Fentanyl Patch Withdrawal Symptoms And Duration (Page 3)
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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 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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Call company that's makes patch they sometimes give them to u for free

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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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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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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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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'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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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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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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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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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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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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Richard, I am glad you were able to get off fentanyl. I want to warn you about the meds they will prescribe to help with the insomnia. You can develop a tolerance and dependence to them that is just as serious as the fentanyl. Don't let it be a long term solution. Congratulations again - I failed, I had to go back to the fentanyl because the alternative pain meds had so many side effects that I couldn't do it.

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For those of you going through or preparing to get off fentanyl patch get professional assistance to do so. My pain Dr removed me in July. She reduced me from 50 mg to 25 mg second month then 0 fentanyl third month. I have also been on low dose of oxycodone 10 mg 4 x day for years since I had Cancer n a bone marrow transplant in 1995. Well I ended up in the ER where I was treated like a drug addict. It was the most horrible experience I ever had and the pain and suffering lasted for months after. They did prescribe colotopin. The same med used for heart disease. It did little to help my Pain Dr said that I was not having these withdrawals and that no way could the side effects be that bad.... I was stuck between decision of changing Dr's with the fear of being treated like a addict since my pain Dr. decided it was my fault that I had such bad withdrawals. I am still in process of trying to find a good pain specialist...Please go to a facility who will give you the best care don't try this on your own.It is 7 months since this began and I will never trust my pain Dr her main objective is to give steroid injections at $2000 dollars or more it's like an oil change place patients in and out in 20 mins I can say on days she is giving shots at least 20 or more getting them I am sure it's more do the math she is making hundred thousand dollars or more a week giving these shots!! I pray that God will forgive her for what she does......

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beware the benzos you are going to take for sleep - coming off them can be worse than opiates for some.

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I was on 50 mg of Fentanyl patches for ten years. My doctor informed me that my insurance wouldn't pay for it. I think it's because they wanted him to fill out a history and he didn't want to do it. He then put me on Hydrocodone 10mg/325mg I was going threw bad withdraws so bad he suggested I go to detox with medical staff. I went on 1-27-2016 to 2-1-2016. I'm so glad I'm off of all opiates and will never let any doctor put me on that devil drug again. The only thing that is bothering me is insomnia. I'm going to the Dr. tomorrow for some ativan / lorazepam. I just wanted to encourage. Any who, thanks. You can't get off this devil drug.

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I had cancer 3 times. I am now after 16 years detoxing from fentanyl 100 mg. The pain is unbearable from the waist down. I can't take the pain. Vicodin 10/325 and lyrica are helping the pain but I am high as a kite. I am afraid I am trading one drug for another. I don't have a doctor to help as we got in to a bit of argument and quit her. She is the worst doctor I have ever come across. I am just in bed trying to detox. I don't know if I am doing this right but I can't get off this fentanyl without what I am taking. {edited for privacy}

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Lifeinruins reply to 251,
It's been a couple months since you posted I just wanted to share the following. Without benefit of a thorough history a specific recommendation for what procedure or protocol would best assist you would be hazardous.
There are very effective options available today for your issue.Id highly suggest you consult with a local specialist.Most require inpatient induction however good out patient assisted treatments do exist.I sincerely wish you the best I interact with walking miracles on a daily basis so don't give up.God speed.....

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Hop,
You are correct about clonodine we utilize this medication for opiate/opiod like abstinence syndrome and is actually classified a hypertensive RX which is not considered a cds.Klonopin however is a CDs and not so easy to procure for purposes of fentanyl Withdrawl.ALL PERSONS CONTEMPLATING THIS DANGEROUS PROCEDURE OF FENTANYL WITHDRAWAL SHOUL BE UNDER MEDICAL SUPERVISION .

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If it is withdrawal a small dose of clonodine might help. It is not a controlled substance. Klonopin is useful for restless legs if it is not related to withdrawal from fentanyl.

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Slow slow reduction worked best for me. I do not like suffering.

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