September 17, 2009 - 9:29pm
Hi everybody jeffrey here my frist post so please be nice I have been on the methadone for 5 maybe even 6 years I have been taking 40mg 3 x day as needed so thats 120 mg a day my pain management said that is the max she can give me because I have been telling her the methadone just don,t last as long as it did at first I would all so like just to say we talked about the Fentanyl patch 75 befor but I could not take it because of the cost $333.00 and the methadone less then $60.00 bucks do you think the patch will work ok for me and how long will it take for the patch to work and do you think that will be all I need i,m 49 years old thanks for reading and any info you can give me....jeffrey aka littledog
September 17, 2009 - 10:27pm
#2
Hi again I take the methadone
Hi again I take the methadone for back pain as I have been told by at least 3 dr they will not even try to fix because it is in such bad shape now .........
September 17, 2009 - 10:49pm
#3
I've heard nothing but good
I've heard nothing but good things about fetanyl but it is likely that you will require a secondary medication to take for acute pain that might not be managed by the patches.
September 18, 2009 - 8:47am
#4
Hi Small Canine, Q here . . .
I've been taking Fentanyl, the 100 mcg p/h patch, for severe cancer pain for about 8 months now. I will sing it's praises for the rest of my life! It lowered my self-reported pain level from a constant 7.5-8.5 to a 3.5-4.5 in just 3 days. That's the first drop in over 2 years! There is Zero euphoric side effect, just a big time drop in my perception of pain which, as every CP knows, is sufficiently euphoric in and of itself. I don't want to upset you here LD, but if you are one of those sort of misguided individuals that judges the efficacy of an analgesic by it's euphoric side effect then Fentanyl will be a BIG disappointment. However, if pain relief is what you're after, stick with the Patch!
Q
PS: The Mylan brand is by far the best choice as it is simply a 2" X 1.5" piece of plastic with the Fentanyl in the adhesive whereas all the other brands have a "reservoir" pouch which is a big time pain in the azz.
September 18, 2009 - 9:10am
#5
Hey Quincy
Really great to see you back up and running so to speak. Thanks for the input on the Fentanyl Patches. Sounds like Jeffrey needs a little guidance and you may have provided just that. Thanks again....
The Herrball!!!
September 18, 2009 - 11:22am
#6
Yeah
Yeah Q they were all worried about you. But back to this person. Fentanyl Patches are phenominal with pain. Thats the way you should go. Maybe a discount program or something to that effect. Its a great pain killer but highlly expensive but not like Fentora or those Actiq's which are super beyond expensive. good luck.
September 18, 2009 - 1:51pm
#7
Q, Ortho-McNeil redesigned
Q, Ortho-McNeil redesigned Duragesic, the name brand fentanyl transdermal system, after the Mylan generic, they too now use the adhesive absorbption rather than the resivoir. Of course the cost is significantly higher than Mylan but if an insurance covers it, or someone wants to pay for it, it is now as good an option as Mylan. I agree with you that the resivoir patches are a distant 2nd in comparison to the adhesive delivery. Just plain easier, and far less worries. One of the main reasons for the redesign was for safety, and the potential for a damaged patch to leak a lethal amount of fentanyl. I also agree with you on euphoria not being a key player in its effectiveness! The one exception being the one time I forgot and took too long of a shower and the warm water raising my body temp released extra meds....but even at that it was not severe euphoria. For me, unlike all the other pain meds, fentanyl actually gives me energy, and is the one medication that makes me feel like my old self. Ill admit that somtimes after a lot of pain the relaxing effects of oxycodone combined with soma is a nice retreat from misery, but on a regular basis I would rather just feel like my normal self minus the pain. My only problem is I sweat alot during the summer, Im really sensitive to heat and the patches tend to fall off too soon. Hopefully it will cool off enough for me to get back on my patches soon.
Glad to see you back......
"Q Here"
Flyer, I just about fell over the first time I saw how many THOUSANDS my insurance forked over for Actiq! It does do the job though, probably the most "true" break thru med there is.
September 18, 2009 - 4:34pm
#8
Fentora $$$$$
Yeah, Flyer 'n MrMan, the cost of Fentora etc. is through the roof!!! I just received my approval for #120 per month of Fentora (dosage strength will depend upon the titration results) from my HI Company. It took almost a month but that's fine by me 'cause the retail price would be something like $2,000 a month.
The Zero euphoria of Fentanyl is wonderful . . . after 30 months of the Oxycodone fuzz brain I had had ENOUGH of the buzz. Like you said B-Man, a little euphoria can be pleasant but not as a 24/7 lifestyle choice, thank you very much.
Q
September 18, 2009 - 5:00pm
#9
Mr. B, I would suggest you
Mr. B, I would suggest you try a bioclusive for the problems with the patch adhesing. I also would add, that despite the package insert, I would clean the area of skin you are going to use as dead skin is constantly falling off of you body, and will cause it to fall off very quickly. The Bioclusives are about .50-.75 ea in packages of 100.
September 18, 2009 - 5:20pm
#10
Thanks for the info. I do
Thanks for the info. I do find cleaning the skin helps adhesion and I have used the 3M tape around the edges of the patch, its the tape that cheap ER's that dont use tagederm stick over your IV to keep it in place. The problem is that it sticks too well and pulls off a layer of skin when I remove it. I think an adhesive that covers the patch does seem to be a good idea as the 3M tape is kind of thick and doesnt flex, the patch comes when I move around and is only hanging on by the edges and not really touching my skin. Sometimes the patch will stick perfectly without any tape or anything which is really weird to me, I wish I knew what I do right when that happens. LOL
September 18, 2009 - 6:06pm
#11
Patch Adhesive . . .
Thanks, K, for the info on Bioclusives . . . I've neither heard of nor seen the things though. I guess a good pharmacy would have them, huh? I use this cut rate dressing bandage called Dura-Aid that I got lucky on at my little grocery store. They're 2.5" X 4", just right for the Mylan patch. Like I said, I got lucky on these . . . I bought up the whole store's stock at just .20 each. The e-address on the box is www.edaint.com and they're made in China. I totally agree with you on the cleaning bit K, what I do is clean with soap the night before and then clean with filtered H2O in the AM . . . I don't scrub but I do rub a wet soft cloth on the intended application spot pretty thoroughly. The filtered water is 'cause of our well and that's all I want to say on that subject.
Oh yeah, all you patch users, in a serendipitous moment I discovered that mechanic's hand soap, like Goop or Klean-Hand, just so long as it has Lanolin in it, works great for getting both the patch and the dressing adhesive off your skin. I've been using Acetone but, obviously, I prefer the Lanolin. MrBMan, I'm sure you've tried this but . . . I just pull the dressing off as slow as I can and I usually don't have any trouble with flaying myself. Also, wait an hour or so after you remove the patch before you try to clean all the gunk off your skin . . . I've found that I damage myself less that way. Enjoy the weekend folks . . .
Q
September 20, 2009 - 11:17am
#12
Thanks for the pointers Q
Thanks for the pointers Q man.
September 20, 2009 - 1:27pm
#13
the patch
i have had excellent results with the fentyl lollipops for breakthrough pain do about 6-10 a day the work fast also..
Do you mind sharing why you take pain meds and what your pain is like? So that we may better help you. Fentanyl is an excellent product in my book. It does look like you might be under dosed a bit, but that of course is for your Dr to determine, I am simply going by the dosage instructions for Duragesic, the brand name patches. According to the insert someone on 120mgs a day of methadone should be on the 100mcg Patch. The range for oral methadone is 105mg-134mg a day should use the 100mcg patch, and 75mg-104mg a day oral methadone should be on the 75mcg patch. A short acting medication is often used in conjunction with the fentanyl patch which can include anything from Norco to OxyIR. These are know as "break thru" meds, as they treat the pain that "breaks thru" your baseline med, in your case the patch. Fentanyl break thru meds are Actiq, Fentora, a new one that is like a listerine strip, cant remember the name.
The rate at which your body absorbs the medicine in the patch varies and levels off between 12-24 hours. Peak concentration is reached between 20-72 hours and by the end of the second patch, 6 days if your doctor has you change the patch every 72 hours (some people need to change after 48) you will maintain a more steady absorbption & concentration level. Once you remove the patch the remaining medicine in the skin will release over 20-27 hours. You can find this information at www.duragesic.com
I wish you well, good luck!