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MedHelp Member's Question

Duragesic Patch ???

by radioboy74, Mar 31, 2002 12:00AM
My father suffers from Chronic back pain and has been suggested to use the duragesic patch, what if anyone does anyboy know about this.



Also on my own, I suffer from testicular pain (it's not cancer, we know that) any suggestions on what I can take that won't put me overboard.  If you want to know how intense the pain is, imagine having a tooth ache down there.
Member Comments (26)

by alchemist, Mar 31, 2002 12:00AM
To: radioboy
I was put on a duragesic patch briefly (4 months) when my doc stopped using oxycontin due to all the hype.  The 25 ug patch gave me no relief at all, the 50 ug helped but allowed alot of breakthrough pain, other than that it was like any other pain med.  The only difference that I could tell was the patch may take several cycles (each cycle being 3 days) of patch replacement before one reaches steady state dosing.  So you may be in pain a week until the fentenyl in the patch reaches it full potential

by Francoise, Mar 31, 2002 12:00AM
To: alchemist
What about withdrawal from the oxy while you were titrating the patch?? No symptoms? No depression?



Francois

by confused.grl, Mar 31, 2002 12:00AM
I also used the patch for a short time th thing that i noticed was that it is supposed to last for 72 hours, but i was lucky if i got 48 hours good pain control, and the patch tends to fall off.

by radioboy74, Mar 31, 2002 12:00AM
To: Everyone - DRUG IDENTIFICATION ???
I have a pill with the id 78 on one side and Wyeth on the other, can someone please tell me what this pill is.  I've been told it was one thing but am not sure, and do not want to take it until I can back it up, hence the reason I'm not saying the name in the room either.  Your help is appreciated.

by 1fortheroad, Mar 31, 2002 12:00AM
To: radioboy
i would do a search on pill identification.  there are lots of sites that can probably tell you what it is, but i don't know the names of them.  



it doesn't sound like something you should be taking if you don't even know what it is.  are you looking to get high?  usually you ask about what a medication will do for you...sometimes i wonder what you are doing on a recovery board in the first place.  are you at all interested in getting clean?



i'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but i really wonder about your posts.

by skipper, Mar 31, 2002 12:00AM
To: radioboy
radioboy:

i fear that you feel i am unnecessarily on your case. i've been an addict for 35 years + (more if you count smoking jane). i tend to call things as the intuition in my heart and guts sees them. are you sure you are telling everything that's going on? if i'm wrong, i apoligise, but....



if you have pills that you don't know what are, you have 3 choices:

1) flush em down the toilet. i do this with oxy at times--it's

really a rush, in a reverse sort of way!

2) go to the library and get the PDR (physician's desk feference). you may have to ask for it as they usually like to limit acess for obvious reasions. you can also buy one for less than $100.00. it comes with a cd you can load on your computer. don't waste your time on any nurse's drug books- they have practically no usuable info for anyone (addicts and othe curious types).

3) ask a pharmacist that you trust. (they are there to help you).



best in luck with whatever your up to!

keep an angel on your shoulder

kip

by vikequeen, Mar 31, 2002 12:00AM
I am probably the worst addict out there, but I would never take just any pill especially not knowing what is is and certainly I would never accept that just  what someone tells me as the truth. you need to flush that pill, chances are one will not do anything anway. Also why are you afraid to tell what you think it is?

by mrmichael67, Mar 31, 2002 12:00AM
To: Radioboy
I was on a patch, 100 ug/hr, for a couple of months.  They only work for 48 hours, if that.  That means that pain control only lasts for 48 hours.  You won't go into withdrawal during the last 24 hours.  They are good for someone who doesn't have a lot of breakthrough pain.  Also, they take around 8-12 hours to kick in after application.  Short acting opioids are needed for coverage during this period.  I do question your sincerity, though.



Francoise,



I did not experience withdrawal when I was switched from oxy to the patch.  As long as the dose is right, there should be no problem.  I did experience withdrawal when I was switched from the patch to the oxy, though.  Fentanyl is very strong and is an excellent pain med.  I did experience some shallow breathing when I was first put on the patch.  It quickly went away.  The patch also gave me excellent sleep at night.  It has somewhat of a sedating effect to it.  More so than oxy or anything else I have been on.  I also had a hard time keeping the patch stuck to me.  I got around this by using a Tegaderm clear bandage over it.  You can get them at any drugstore.  They are called Nexcare Tegaderm transarent dressing made by 3M.  They come in different sizes.  The size I used was 4in. x 4 3/4in..  You put the duragesic patch on, then put the tegaderm over it.  It sticks very nicely and does last for the entire 3 days.  Actually, Janssen Pharmaceuticals gives the same transparent dressings out for free.  You have to contact the company and tell them that you can't keep them stuck.

by 1fortheroad, Mar 31, 2002 12:00AM
To: radioboy
i have been thinking about your posts some more, and i don't want you to feel like i am giving you a hard time without warrant.  you just sound like someone who maybe isn't into this narcotic thing too deeply yet...it sounds like you are experimenting.  and please, take what i am saying seriously...you do not want to get into this **** too deeply - it can ruin your entire life.  just read the posts here and see what people go thru.  it kind of irritates me that you jump into the middle of a thread where someone is crying out for help, who's obviously in total pain and ask about a certain drug and whether it will give you a buzz.  i for one do not want to give a person information on a med if their intention is to get high from it....sorry, that just isn't what i come here for.  i hope you get the experimenting thing out of your system and don't find yourself hooked (like me) - believe me...i am not happy.

by alchemist, Apr 01, 2002 12:00AM
To: Francoise
They did give me several roxicodone for breakthrough pain and I was basically "living" off of these, I don't recall having WD at that point, but lots of pain, it just didn't work for me.  I repeatily called the new doc in the pratice that change my meds from oxy 20's to the patch.  She wouldn't budge, just kept telling me to wait longer for the patch to start working (this lasted months).  I kept leaving messages for my regular doc about the situation by she intercepted them, and refused to change anything.  I started to think she thought I was "faking" it, looking for more meds, which was far from the truth.  I was able to specifically see a different doc in the practice who put me on ms contin and viola' problem solved.  I blame the people who made oxycontin (which I believe was a life safer as far as pain relief goes) a "dirty" word and for making all the doc's at my pain clinic stop giving scrips for oxycontin.

by RaspSwirl, Apr 01, 2002 12:00AM
To: Radioboy74
Radioboy, all your questions about pills and medication identification can be found online.  However, I hope that you are not just coming here to identify medications.  But, if you are usure about what something is, I think if anything, it's better that you know what you're taking before taking it.  Especially if you might be allergic to an ingredient in it.  If you're going to take them anyway, it's better to be safe and know what it is.  There's a website that I've found helpful, you can look up names of medications, and also there is a section where you can type in the numbers and/or letters on the pill itself.  Please note though, that I am not encouraging you to find pills and identify them, I'm posting this because you should at least know what you're taking.  I'm especially concerned because it seems that the pill you have with 78/Wyth on it, is the morning after pill.  

  The website is:

http://www.rxlist.com

There is a section at the top entitled "Advanced search."  You will find a few different ways to indentify what you have.  It's probably a better idea to do it that way, instead of posting here asking what it is that you found.



Again, I'm not encouraging you to take pills or drugs or whatnot.  I'm just trying to help you not take something dangerous to yourself, more dangerous than what you're looking for, anyway.  Good luck,

by J.B. to Brian and Vicky, Apr 01, 2002 12:00AM
To: Thread and radioboy
For those of us who don't want to spend $100.00 for a PDR to look up medications, I suggest visiting a used book store.  I have three PDR's that are pretty current(1998-2000) and they were $12.50 apiece.  Then, of course, you can always visit a library for free and get all the info you want.



Radioboy, I once found some odd looking pills in one of my daughter's bedroom and got pretty upset.  They were in a plastic box similar to what jewelry is packaged in.  All kinds of nasty thoughs of dread came to mind!  After an hour of checking and a call to my pharmacist, I found out they were simply generic Tylenol. The point is that it's better to be safe than sorry. This may sound a bit "holier than thou", but I would never take any med not prescribed to me.  There were times in the past when I didn't have this attitude and got in lots of trouble!



J.B.

by sinful, Apr 03, 2002 12:00AM
hi i am new here but have posted before,i'v too been on the duragesic patch and found that it very very strong.i felt the relief right away.BUT the only problem was that it was too strong for me, be careful with this, i weighed only 95 pounds and this patch nearly killed me.when i was sleeping, my legs were jerking, i think that meant that this was too strong for me, i lied about my weight with the doctors and pharmiscist bc they would look at me and ask "how much do you weigh"? i always said 110 or 115.anyways i had the worst withdrawals withthis patch. so please be carefull!! i even used to put 2 or 3 patches at a time so i felt numb.this is crazy!! just be careful!! ok so write back please

by alchemist, Apr 03, 2002 12:00AM
To: sinful