duragesic transdremal system 100mcg/h

Posts: 1
Joined: 2006-11-02

higha folksCool

i've been a chronic back pain suffer for more than 10 years now and have tried almost EVERYTHING to relive my pain. iam currently on hydrocodone ( norco)   10mgs, up to 5 a day, soma compound and this new drug to me: duragesic patches. i have been on the patches for a few months now and there OK, just OK. the problem with them is the time it takes for the meds  to get into you system and start to work, whitch can be like up to 8-10hrs!  not good when your rolling on the floor in savere pain, and know you have hours to go be for the patches kick in!

so, i guess my questions is this: is there ANY way to speed up the release of the meds into your system?

these patches are killin me from the time i put em on, till the time it tskes them to work/kick in????????

any thoughts, thanks in advance...

S2L





quahog's picture
Posts: 281
Joined: 2006-02-15
Unfortunately, if you try to

Unfortunately, if you try to speed the release of the medication  it could lead to a dangerous situation later on.  If too much of this medication is released it could lead to an overdose. 

If you are replacing the patch every 3 days you might want to speak with your doctor about switching you to a 2 day schedule instead.  It seems with some that the patch just doesn't last for 3 days.

It might also be a good idea to speak with your doctor about placing you on breakthrough medication until the new patch takes effect.

Good luck



Posts: 157
Joined: 2006-04-24
Fentanyl patch....

You should never try to speed up the release of the patch.  A good friend of mine does occasionally, but it's dangerous.  He will rub the patch to warm it up from friction, or take really hot showers, anything to open up the pores in his skin and absorb the medicine faster.  This really increases the chance of overdose, something that happens quite often with transdermal patches.  The warning label tells you to avoid situations which would raise your body temp. or cause sweating etc.  Plus, the faster you use it up in the first few days, the littler the effectiveness on the 2nd and 3rd day.

You've only been on a few months and you're already up to the 100 mcg/hr???  That's unusually fast for this type of medication.  It should be stepped up slowly, but a lot of doctors aren't familiar enought with fentanyl to recognize the dangers and to know how to prescribe it properly.  Normally, the doctor will start you on 25 mcg every 3 days, then as your tolerance builds (over a few months) it should go to every two days, then up to the 50 mcg every 3 days, then every two days, and so on so forth...  They even make a 12.5 mcg patch now that helps slow the stepping-up process.  At your pace, you are going to develop a tolerance so quickly that it will take a very large amount of the drug before long to help you.

My advice would be to take quahog's advice and ask your doc for a breakthrough medicine.  And then ask him about laying out a schedule for up-ing your dose, using the 2-3 day method and also the 12.5 mcg patches.  But please, please heed my advice.  Fentanyl is a very, very potent drug and should be respected as such and not taken for granted.  If you overdose on fentanyl, the drug can continue to release into your body up to 17 hours after the patch is removed.  Misusing this drug could be deadly.  You really should thoroughly read the information sheet provided with the prescription.  Fentanyl is a very effective drug for chronic pain when taken correctly, but it is also very dangerous and has high dependency and abuse risks.  Please talk with your doctor about this, and if he's not familiar enough with the drug to prescribe it properly, then he should refer you to a pain management doctor or someone else better qualified in pain management.  Please take care and keep us informed.

 




thatswhatsup's picture
Posts: 259
Joined: 2006-07-17
if you put the patch on at

if you put the patch on at night you should be in pain relief by the morning.I don't think the patch is that great of a pain remedy. although is contains an extremely potent narcotic.



Posts: 5
Joined: 2006-11-21
Please do not try and

Please do not try and control your fent dosage yourself!

I almost died doing this.  Seriously.  I fainted, hit my head, choked and had my older daughter going to get my neighbor to give me CPR (directions over the telephone by 911) until the police got there.  My heart stopped and the police (showed up before the ambulance) used the defibulator to restart it.  I was only on the lowest dose. 

Please, please, please call your Dr. if you are in more pain than you can handle or if you feel you need more pain control.  Call 911, get into the ER they will call your pain doc and get you pain control.  Please, please, please.




thatswhatsup's picture
Posts: 259
Joined: 2006-07-17
I take it that you are not

I take it that you are not still taking the 5 10mg norcos, I have never heard of someone getting that dose of fentanyl to start.  I would personally try to get on an oxycodone or methadone product.  Personally the patch isn't that great I dont think.  Plus it never releases all the medicine, in my opinion.