Severe Fentanyl Withdrawal

[aakh87]

My husband is on the 100mcg fentanyl patch and has been (on various doses) for 3 years now, he is going through something terrible, we are constantly in the ER because he has withdrawal WHILE WEARING THE PATCH. Recently his doctor decided that he might get in trouble for what he's doing to my husband and cut him off cold turkey. My husband was throwing himself around screaming and moaning, blacking out for a moment and then back to the moaning and throwing himself around again, and i dont mean restless tossing Im horrified hes going to hurt himself or worse. We went to the Er on Thursday morning, they gave him oxycontin 20 mg every 12 hours and sent him home, They were gone within a day and a half, should have been a 5 day script, we ended up back in the ER, laast night, by ambulance this time because he couldnt stand it and was throwing himself around again. They gave him 3 patches to last until Thursday, which is a nice thought but they never last him the full 2 days. He is on the second one already, I am honestly in fear for his life the hospital told him not to come back because they wont give him anything else, while he was in there last night for 7 hours before they gave him the patch, again moaning and throwing himself around, they screamed at him to "knock it off" before he woke their other patients. I dont know what to do anymore, I love this man so much and I am so afraid for him. He is a good guy, not  a common street junkie, the doctor told him that he "might have a little trouble getting off" when my husband asked, he never wanted this med. We cant afford suboxone and I think that going cold turkey, the withdrawal will kill him. I just really need another health care professionals advice on this. Please help us.

[1234betterlife]

honey, is there any way you can get him to an inpatient detox facility? i really think this is the only alternative for him at this very difficult time. as you noticed, the emergency room will not treat his problem. obviously, they are not sensitive to his needs.

[uphill7584]

I am not a healthcare professional, but I think you need to find an addiction specialist, explain the situation and figure out a tapering regime...And as future attorney, I think you should consult with an attorney regarding what your husband's first doctor did to him. That has negligence and malpractice written all over it. Ecspecially if your husband was only following his directions. A doctor cannot get you into a situation like that, then cut off care. That is negliegence. If you husband has done nothing wrong, he really doesnt deserved to be dropped like that. Especially from fentanyl. That is very dangerous. I can't beleive a doctor would do that. I wish you luck. And I hope things get better.

[Nia24]

Oh my word.  The hospital staff and doctors don't sound like they are very sympathetic, or helpful, at all!  I'd be furious.  I can't imagine someone telling me to knock it off when I was going through so much pain.  Even if they don't see a life-threatening situation, they should still offer you some kind of reassurance or help or advice or something!  Sorry.  I guess I'm just a little sensitive about this right now, I've had a lot of pain, too.  Rolling-around-on-the-floor kind of pain.  Not nearly as bad as your husband, though, I'm sure.  I agree with BetterLife, try to see if he can get help elsewhere.  Find professionals that have a lot of experience working with this kind of stuff.

[johnnykelly]

I hear a lotr of (I cant afford) regarding the Suboxone/subutex route taken that to be the case,how did he afford the fentanyl patches as there more expensive than say percocets/ocys etc.You seem to be able to categorize that he is not a street junkie.Going to E>R>s and crying like a baby and then useing the RXs in ONE_DAY THATS definately someone out of control.That performance is worse than most (STREET_JUNKIES).JOHN

[pmsobx]

Get him into a inpatient care center.  It might be expensive, but most of these places allow a payment plan.  Just think of all the ER visits-the ambulance, all of the new prescriptions/patches etc.  He ISN'T going to get better at home because he is still out looking for something!  ER visits! They have to treat you and your husband knows it.  I know!  I played that game as long as I could. In inpatient, they will give him other medications to help with the symptoms he is having now.  Ask his doctor if he could prescribe other medication for his withdraw symptoms.  But however, he'll probably abuse them too seeing how miserable he is.  You don't have a choice!  Have him admitted to a hospital for treatment before he hurts you or himself.
p.s. Suboxone is much cheaper then ER visit and ambulance service!!!!!   THINK!!

[pmsobx]

Sorry that sounded mean!!!  I don't want to be mean!  I feel for you and I know your confused because your husband is soooo miserable!!!  And you love him so much you want him to stop hurting!  Sit down and think of all the advice we have given you.  Good Luck.  And PLEASE keep us posted!     Your friends!  We're always here for you.

[nogie1717]

First of all, I am so sorry to hear about your plight.
Second, I think pmsobx is right on the money.  Most physicians, ER's, see repeat patients that come in early as "seekers" or "doc shoppers".  Unfortunately, many of these people are undertreated for pain or in your case wd's.  Many in the medical field feel a sense of triumph when they send an addict packing without what he/she came for.  It is too bad, but the true addict has ruined it for the millions of people with legit circumstances.
I think a detox facility might be a good idea, but first you need to consult a doctor.  In my experience, most doctors are sympathetic to suffering (that whole Hippocratic Oath thing) and will help, regardless of the reasons behind the pain.  They will best be able to guide you through your dilemma.
In the mean time, no more ER if possible.  Find an acute care clinic or an on call doc and explain everything to them in the most honest way possible.  Good Luck.

Luke

[Summer123]

Does your husband have any other kind of meds?  I was a pain patient and at one time was taking 75 mcg patches of fentayl and 30 mg of percocet daily.  After that, I went on oxycontin 40 mg/day with 30 mg of percocet.  Later I tapered to 20 mg oxycontin with 30 mg of percocet and so forth down to 7.5 mg of percocet before going off.  Perhaps if your husband presents a doctor with a plan for tapering (if he can), the doctors will be more sympathetic.  If he is using his medicine before he is due for a refill, unfortunately the pain doctor has every right to cut him off.  The DEA is getting tough on lots of doctors now.  If he can't taper, perhaps there is some way he can find an inpatient detox center.  Best of luck.

[NautyOne]

I went to the ER and was there for 1 hour after a concussion.  600 bucks.  My insurance paid for all but 100 dollars.  And the ambulance bill was 400 to go less than a mile.  Ouch!  haven't got that bill yet, so......I would call some sub doc's quick.  Fentanyl is an awful drug to withdrawal from.  It sounds like he is not strong enough to handle this right now.......I am worried.  Please make some phone calls.

Nauty...................

[Shattered]

Not a good idea. The reason many come to this is for privacy. Without it the forum would be useless. Although I commend your efforts to fight addiction, recovery of the addict should come first.

[Shattered]

Sorry wrong post!!

[NautyOne]

I hate when that happens..........:-)

[aakh87]

My husbands insurance covers fentanyl, er visits and ambulance rides not suboxone or other humane treatments, I did not mean to offend by using the term street junkie however i never used that term in the hospital, and he was not crying like a baby please dont post back with insulting remarks like that and then ask me not to catagorize people as street junkies, he was lied to when he was put on the script, he never used anything before in his life and he doesnt deserve this at all. Im sorry for feeling that there is a difference between someone who's bored or sad and wants a buzz or wants to party and someone who was put on a horrible medication by a trusted healthcare professional and then lied to about the side effects or after effects. Although i feel everyone deserves help I think there is an obligation to those who never wanted to use and certainly never intended to abuse. Also as for the comment "think", don't you think i have? he has welfare insurance for his illness and we unfortunately cannot decide what these people will cover, while they have no problem paying the couple thousand dollar hospital and script bills they will not pay a penny for any of these humane detox treatments like suboxone.

[Ga Guy]

You need to get your husband's insurance card, call the numbers on the back, and hound the living heck out of them until you find a solution. Call your husband's previous doctor and tell them to REFER you to someone to help him or you're calling every lawyer in the yellow pages hunting one to take your malpractice lawsuit. If you have to, sell something and find a cheap Sub doctor and do a month Sub taper. Fent is a nasty drug, but a month or shorter taper could save his life. Lean on the people here for help...God bless you..please check my profile page and email if I can be of any help..

[avisg]

Nobody derserves to be an addict .As IBK stated there are indigent programs for people with no insurance.
Have you looked into them ? Its sounds like he will need a detox center.
Good luck
avis

[aakh87]

i also forgot to point out that i never called anyone on this site a street junkie i think that may have been a little over sensitive, i came to this site because i felt that many of you were in much the same boat as us good people given a bad hand
please understand i am a 20 year old practically newlywed without much experience as to the caregiver thing, not a holier than thou wench out to call names and insult, i was what i considered a "junkie"  someone who took an illegal STREET DRUG (coke)  just for play when i was 15ish, and i can say that it was my fault and i probably deserved help less than someone hooked on pain meds due to a drs ignorance (and there is a long story with that too the dr gave him bad info and insinuated that he should "do whatever made him feel good") , I think you should read things a little more closely, i came here for help with something and you just turned around and picked out something stupid i said when i was sitting here crying and used it to make me feel bad
sorry but thats not what i came here for

Anyway for those who were kind enough to post something supportive, I would like to let you know that my husband should have a bed in a local Rehab monday or tuesday of this week, and as long as he doesnt decide he "feels good" and doesnt really need to go hopefully we will be able to start the new year on a clean page. If anyone has info on what i can do b4 he leaves and after he gets back to make this easier on him i would be very appreciative
Thanks a lot and God bless

[mayk1]

I feel so bad for your situation, and I know exactly what you are going through.  I was badly injured in June of 2006 and have been on a 50mcg patch since.  I go through withdrawals every two days and I know what it does to my wife.  I hate how I feel, I hate what I don't feel, and I hate how I act and react to situations.  I've tried to ween myself (which doesn't work) and I've tried to go cold turkey (which really doesn't work).  The sensation of the withdrawals are horrible - the pin-***** sensation on your skin, the sweats, the aches, the laying in the fetal position unable to care for yourself, much less my 17 month old son and 10 year old daughter.  It is horrible.  I pray everything works out for you and your husband, and just remember he loves you and right now, he is not his self.

[Badman400]

Your husband is lucky to have a wife who loves and supports him the way you do. With your help and understanding he will kick this thing. It'll probably get worse before it gets better, but you seem like you are very committed to him. And that goes a long way. Hang in there. Good luck to you and your husband.

[notsowise]

I know just how you're husband  feels. This is the first time I've posted on any board, but I had to.  So it's going to be brief. Once I know that I'm doing it right, I'll have more to share with you.  But suffice it too say, my heart goes out to him.  How's he doing now?

[khakigirls8]

it took me atleast 6 months to get off fentynal. i was on the 150 patch for chronic debiliataing pain in my back and for facet syndrome.
i could hear my brain telling my eye lids to blink. i was hypersensitive to everything. i couldn't concentrate on any thing for more than a minute or two. i ended up suicidal. the dr told me i had no neuro transmitters that were functioning. all i wanted was 6:00 pm to come around so i could legetimatly get into bed and pray to die.i was living with my parents at the time they rejected me and said that they couldn't accept withdrawal as a reaon for my anti social behavoir to them.a wonderful friend took me and my daughter in and nursed me for 6 months!
it was  all i could do to open a can of tuna and eat it before i fell into a lethargy that no one could understand. much less me! this is serious and the need to be labled a prescription addict because you have pain that diabliltates you or if you are doing it for recreational puposes is stupid. the drs put us on it. i asked if i would have to go thru withdrawal and the dr said yes, and i said ok if you will help me withdraw.
well i had no idea of the horrors of withdrawal. there is no info out there that can descirbe the symptoms accuratly. i was in hell i had hallucinations. hot flashes. throwing up diahreah, super vigilalence to the degree that i jumped evertime somone said anything to anybody. couldn't stand sounds because they hurt my body!
it took 6 months of this pain and agony to finally get to the point where i could actually talk to people again. i was a business owner and because of the withdrawal i lost my business and my family of origin. we are slowly trying to integrate now. i don't trust them after ther way they traeted me when i needed them the most.
withdrawal is hell if took someone 3 months to get over it they can count themselves lucky!
kim

[worried878]

Kim....i am glad u came out of that with your life...i know it was hard...that patch seems to be the dickens for people to withdraw from...i am sorry your family was not there fore u...i think it is difficult for people who have never experienced addiction to even have a clue on what is involvedso maybe cut them some slack if they r trying to reconnect with u....family is so important...u may want to post a new question as this is an old thread

[gustaria]

Its been awhile sinne you posted. I hope that means that your husband is well now. I was on 200mg patchs. I am on day 5  now and doing well. I did cold turkey but my doctor adviced me against it and said he would taper me as slow and long as i wanted. Also make damn sure you recognize that your husband is not a street junkie (under his circumstances) there is a big difference. I am 50, took the scripts for two years and DID NOT WANT THEM ANYMORE I wanted me back. that subject could go deep, all i can say hear is "see creator for more details" Best to you all

[mr.lucky66]

I didn't know that fentynal withdrawl was that bad or long. It doesn't surprise because it's synthetic like methadone and suboxone. These drugs are nothing to play with and unfortunetly a lot of docs don't really know what they are doing with these drugs.

[corey411]

Old post

[tyke1956]

i finnaly found what i was looking for,
i am currantly on the .75 fent.,and am very concerned about withdrawals,at least now i have found someone who can relate to me and my concerns,your situation is very serious,as i know mine shall also be.
i experiance withdrawls nearly every time it is time to change the patch,that may sound stupid,but it is very true,i think the worse part of them has got to be the thrashing around in bed,it's like i've no control of my body,like my insides are trying to come out of me. i fear that the worse is yet to come,as time goes by,i am quite certain,that my body will build a tollerance, which can only mean that the .75 will jump up to .100 and so on.

[GoingToMakeIt]

Welcome to the forum. You have posted on an old post. Just copy your post and go to top of page and 'Post a Question'. This starts a new thread just for you.

[joshuaryan]

I was on two 100 mg Fentanyl Patches and 200 mg of Oxy a day for 2 years.
I'm not lying either. I looked around the net and couldn't find anyone close to that dose.
I stopped cold turkey.
well kinda, I left the last patches on.
I wore them for about a week.
It hurts really bad and I know what your husband is going through.
I don't know if taking him to the ER is a good idea.
What happens when he really hurts himself.
What happen when he really needs pain meds.
They won't give them to him.
Taking him to a detox center is a cool idea, but it is usually expensive.
Way too expensive for me.
My advice is help him ride out the storm.
It gets better, It really does.
Sure it takes time, but I started feeling better about 6 days out.
I've read that is takes months to get better, but I just don't believe it.
Months? No way. Sure I didn't sleep for about 4 days, but it will pass.
Here is what I do when D (detox) day comes.

1.) Buy a whole bunch of fluid to drink. Powerade and stuff like that helps. Drink them even when you feel like you are going to throw up.  
2.) Avoid caffeine, it will kill you. Not really but it makes you feel terrible.  
3.) Walk a lot. It ***** while you are doing it but you might be able to sleep after you tire yourself out.
4.) What ever you do, don't lie in bed all day. That makes the nights terrible.
5.) Have someone rub your legs if you can find them. It helps with cramps.
6.) Take 10 showers a day if you need to. You feel a little better when you are in them.
7.) Buy a heating pad and use it on your legs.  
8.) When you start to get the diarrhea, take some anti diarrhea medication. You can't afford losing all of that liquid.
Dehydration is usually what makes you feel so bad.
9.) Take some Kava Kava. It helps with sleep.
10.) Some people have luck taking benadryl, but I don't know about that because it increases you blood pressure, which is what is making your legs hurt so bad.
11.) Eat, force yourself to, because if you don't you will feel bad.
12.) If your doctor will give you Lyrica it helps a lot.
13.) Pot helps a lot too. It seems to take your mind off of it. It works  way better for withdrawls when you eat it. Remember it doesn't work  unless you cook it...Brownies!
14.) You can take some over the counter pain meds. Some people say they help a little with the restless legs situation, but it never worked for me.
15.) If you know someone with Calonapine (Sp?) the blood pressure medication who is willing to let you have some, it helps a lot. The reason you legs and body hurt so much has to do with your blood pressure. Narcs push your blood pressure way down. When you stop taking them your blood pressure shoots through the roof.
16.) Go tanning in a tanning bed. For some reason it helps with the hot/cold flashes that come. It also helps with the sleeping issue.
17.) Don't take off your last patch. Keep it on as long as you can.
Here is a big one.........When you start feeling really bad, take the heating pad and put it on the old patches you still have on. It cooks the drugs out. Keep in mind you can only do this about three times  so save this trick for when you really need it.
18.) Set a timer for 72 hours. Start this timer the second your last patch runs out. When the timer runs out, you are already done with the worst of it. It gets better after this as long as you aren't dehydrated.
I hope this helps some of you out there in detox land. Don't worry it won't kill you. It just makes you want to kill yourself for a little while. The first 72 hours is the worst. Ride out the storm.
You can make it guys.
Good luck and post back if you have any questions.

Joshua Ryan from Oregon.    

[shadowlane]

My Mom is on her third patch of 25 mg.  She gets upset easily at night and sometimes is terribly sleepy in the morning.  She is on other medicine cd #4 but the problem often happens after she has a glass or wine or 2.  I don't think that she is eating enough either.

[professionalwithdrawler]

I was on 150mcgs fentynal for 5 months. The withdrawl was the worst i ever went through. Ive been on alot of painkillers and very high doses and fentynal was the worst to withdrawl. All you can do is try get him back on the patch and gradually reduce it. i left the patch on for 6 days instead of the normal 3 days. drank gallons of water, try to eat some rice or something. drink cranberry juice till your farts smell like cranberry...lol...longh hot showers so you sweat it out. It'd not fun, not only that but i got severely depressed for over a month. I almost checked myself into the psych ward because of depression. but going cold turkey is PURE HELL....leave the patch on longer gradually reduce the dosage. You might have to take some kind of benzodiazipine to help too.....good luck.....i'll pray for him and feel for you both

[OSUZYQ4ME]

  I am sorry to hear that you and your husband are going through so much. I know how horrible this is.
Your husband needs a GOOD pain Doctor, one with empathy. He can help with this, and find the right treatment for his pain. Also the thrashing and the moaning are not from pain it is from the withdrawals.
I hope my suggestion's help. The company who makes fentanyl makes a dose of 12 mcg/hr. If your husband is still on 50 mcg/hr he should ask the Doctor for a few of the 25 mcg/hr and the 12 mcg/hr a total of 37 mcg/hr. After he has adjusted to this dose and is withdrawal free then he should lower the fentanyl to 25 mcg/hr. Again when he has been withdrawal free for about a week then he should go down to 12 mcg.
  Then when he is ready he should stop. This will not be easy, but the withdrawals should subside in three to four days.
Also his Doctor has a legal responsibility, he cannot just stop this medication, this is called abandonment, know your rights believe me he does.
                                                                                                                 Hope things get better.
P.S. Jushua has some helpful                        
advise look it over again.

[Mollyrae]

OH MY, I too an on the 75mcg Fentanyl patch. I change mine every 2 days. I can't believe a Doc would take him off cold turkey! That's life threating. And for the ER to give him more and send him home is horrifying. I feel soooo bad for your Husband. INPATIENT PLEASE. He could die. Take Care and thinking of you, Mollyrae

[MaiJeanne]

After about a year on 100mcg patches every three days, I began to have  withdrawal symptoms at the end of the second day. My doctor says some bodies use the fentanyl at different rates, therefore if my insurance would pay for it, we could try every two days.  It helped very much at first, but now I am feeling the symptoms almost all the time: running eyes and nose, icey cold, sweating hot, uncontrollable yawning and facial spasms, flu-ish, resless legs, writhing in bed, in bed most hours of the day. Have lost a lot of weight, can't eat.
Does anybody know what this is all about?
Thank you.

[GoingToMakeIt]

Welcome to the forum. You have posted on an old post so it is getting ignored. Sorry it took so long to get back to you. There are some here that are quite familiar with Fentanyl. I need you to copy what you wrote and go to top of the page to 'Post a Question' Then start your own new post.

[unicorn257]

Thank you all - I am currently going through Fentanyl withdrawal after a GI surgery.  I am allergic to other pain medications so this was the only choice.  I have been on the patches for some time tapered from the 50 to the 25.  I was so sick of the side-effects that when the three days where over I took off the patch and didn't use the 12mcg to taper further.  Now I know how stupid and uninformed that was to do - my heart goes out to all of you suffering.... I know what you are going through... take care..

[Davidatp]

Thanks to everybody for their comments. I just went through the weaning process to get off Fentanyl 200micros/hr. It's taken about a month. I've had some sleeplessness and the restless feet/legs/hands stuff. I've found that walking and drinking lots of water and also st johns wart and Ibuprofen have both helped me a little bit. I'm into my fourth day without any Fentanyl and the withdrawals seem to be diminishing. Hang in there everybody...
David