Fentanyl Withdrawl

[bordergirl]

Hi I am 30 yrs old and I have been on the fentanyl patch for over a year because of a shoulder surgery that got messed up.  I started of on 25 mcg and now I'm on 125 mcg that I change every 48 hrs.  I am also taking any where from 6 - 8 percs a day and I also take 20 mg of a muscle realxer called baclofen 3 times a day.  My husband and I decided to try and have a baby which means I have to bite the bullet and just deal with the pain and get off all the drugs.  I have never abused my meds and always followed my doc's orders... which I know really doesn't make a difference in the grand scheme of things since abused or not I know I will be having a ***** of a time getting off these things.   I had quite dilaudid last year cold turkey to see where my pain levels were at which was absolutely horrible... I think it probably was the worse experience so far in my life.... which I get the feeling coming off all this **** is going to be far worse than the dilaudid was.  I guess all I was wondering is how long will these withdrawl's last and if anyone has any advice on what is the best way to go about coming off this stuff.  I will be going to see my doc about it but any personal experience at what I'm facing would be greatly appreciated...
Thanks

[leeisgettingclean]

Dependency:
As a Schedule II controlled substance, fentanyl can produce drug dependence similar to that produced by morphine. Fentanyl has the potential for abuse, often leading to physical and psychological dependence, but may be a necessary evil to control chronic pain. Your doctor will have to take these factors into account before prescribing this drug.

Tolerance is when ever increasing doses are required to produce the same degree of analgesia. Tolerance is initially manifested by a decreased duration of analgesic effect, followed by decreases in the intensity of analgesia. Tolerance develops over days, weeks, or months. The rate of tolerance varies among patients.

According to the FDA, addiction is characterized by compulsive use, use for non-medical purposes, and continued use despite harm or risk of harm.

When patients no longer require Duragesic, they must work with their physician to set a gradual taper schedule to avoid acute withdrawal.

Withdrawal:
After the patch is removed, it takes 17 hours or more for a 50 percent decrease in serum fentanyl concentrations. If you are planning to discontinue use of Duragesic, a gradual dosage decrease is recommended since it is not known what dose level the drug may be discontinued without producing the signs and symptoms of abrupt withdrawal.

Do not stop taking Duragesic without first checking with your doctor. Regular use will produce physical dependency in a few weeks which can lead to severe withdrawal if use is suddenly stopped. This can generally be avoided by reducing the dose gradually over a period of time before stopping treatment completely.

If during withdrawal, you experience any of the following symptoms, contact your physician:

Anxiety, body aches, diarrhea; rapid heartbeat, fever, runny nose or sneezing, chills, sweating, yawning, anorexia, nausea or vomiting,; nervousness, irritability, shivering or trembling, stomach cramps, insomnia, and weakness.

After you stop using this medicine, your body may need time to adjust. The length of time this takes depends on the amount of medicine you were using and how long you used it.

Of Note:

Duragesic may cause physical dependence. Physical dependence results in withdrawal symptoms in patients who abruptly discontinue the drug. Withdrawal also may be precipitated by the administration of drugs with opioid antagonist activity, such as naloxone, nalmefene, or mixed agonist/antagonist analgesics (pentazocine, butorphanol, buprenorphine, nalbuphine).


Treatment:
Due to the fact that Duragesic is only prescribed for long-term, severe pain problems, patients must taper down slowly under a knowledgeable physician’s care, or, enter a detox center for 24/7 treatment. With a moderate to severe addiction from relatively long term use, an in patient detox in a hospital or medical supervised setting is highly recommended for its multi- disciplinary approach. Dependence resulting from even a few weeks of regular use can usually be handled under a physician’s supervision with minimal discomfort. Treatment will ultimately depend on the degree of addiction.

However a person chooses to free themselves from the clutches of a drug, there is one constant everyone needs and that is support. Narcotics Anonymous remains a successful choice for many addicts, with world-wide availability. The "information age" has produced numerous on line support forums, popular with many recovering addicts, useful to some addicts as their sole means of support and for others, as adjunct therapy. Drug addiction is treatable, with help out there for everyone.
I copied and pasted this from a google search on addiction

[leeisgettingclean]

"If during withdrawal, you experience any of the following symptoms, contact your physician:

Anxiety, body aches, diarrhea; rapid heartbeat, fever, runny nose or sneezing, chills, sweating, yawning, anorexia, nausea or vomiting,; nervousness, irritability, shivering or trembling, stomach cramps, insomnia, and weakness".

HAHA ......thats w/ds, why are they saying contact your doctor, those were present during my loratab w/ds so i am sure they could be expected with this drug. Like I said this is copied and pasted off a google search

[ImGettingClean]

i would discuss with your doctor and see if u can wean off the patch and the other meds...i think to come off everything @ once will be pretty tough...

since u have been taking them as prescribed, i'm sure u can work some plan out with your doctor. Having a baby is definitely a blessing from God, but in my opinion, you should take care of yourself and health first before u have a baby....u dont want to be on pain meds and relaxers while u r pregnant...

just my 2 cents

Nick

[ImGettingClean]

lol.... Lee ..."HAHA ......thats w/ds, why are they saying contact your doctor,"...
we should ALL get on the phones and call our docs! =P

[bordergirl]

ya.. I think my doctor will laugh at me if I go in saying I have all those... And I am going to go off all the meds before we start trying... But in my opinion..Dealing with the horrible experience of w/d and dealing with the pain will be worth it to  have a baby.... Well I'm hopeing it is lol.. Thanks for the info

[leeisgettingclean]

it will be worth it! You seem to be a really strong person, you are going to do good. Stay here and post as often as you can. people here are great and are here to help you. You are doing the right thing

[bordergirl]

Thanks.... Needless to say since I have gone through w/d before I am scared ******** and I am glad I stumbled upon this website... I had no one last time I went off my pain meds... hubby was working mids and was sleeping or gone most of the time and as for everyone else I wouldn't let anyone see or be near me... That is one thing I didn't want my family to see... me at my worse... so its nice knowing I have a place to talk and vent and have people who may understand what I'm going through