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Percocet to Fentanyl Patch

I have been taking up to 12 percocets a day (sciatica) and now I've been given Fentanyl Patch (16.5 for a nominal in vivo delivery of 100 mcg/h fentanyl for 72hrs) and don't know what to expect, I'm alittle scared to put it on. Could someone tell me how they feel, I have 9yr old twins and don't want to be too zonked out. Thanks so much for any info, I'm so happy I found this site.
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Avatar universal
Wow I am suprised at the amount of people on here who are quick to demonize the patch. I have been on the patch for a few years now. I have been on 25mcg every 48 hrs and have not had to increase. I have also been on oxycodone which I am in the process of a doing a slow,taper. I have gotten off both before with the help of suboxone. , I had no issue getting off of them. PAWS was not anything I was acutely aware of and Iwas only on the suboxone for less about 6 weeks. I think that it is wise to be informed. I also think that individuals react differently to drugs and you are more likely to hear horror stories than not when you go looking for information online. People who are able to happily go along with their lives typically do not talk about their average mundane  experience on mesage boards. I do not deny for one second that fentanyl is strong. It is certainly not a drug for the opiate naive but for some peopke, like myself, it has been an option. Nothing is a great option when you need a med to function normally on a day to day basis. If you are facing the decision I think it is only fair that you hear experiences good bad and indifferent before you and your healthcare provider come to the best choice for you. My only advice is to expect to feel drowsy for the first week or so and don't expet it to work any better than any other opiate, it is just another drug nit a miracle
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Avatar universal
just had to pump put in do you think it will be worth the hassle?
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Avatar universal
Hi !   From all that I've read yours seem to the best Answer am looking for. I just started my fentanyl Patches 25mcg/72hrs am hoping this will do the trick of helping me with pain. I was taking 7.5 Percocet for about 3 yrs now and got tired of Chasing the pill so I asked my Doctor for a time release pain meds and he suggested the Fentanyl am hoping I made the right choose for my Pain..  It hasn't been a good 14 yrs living with back pain when all else failed I turned to meds relief was very well needed lets hope I don't regret it ..  Thank you once again.
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Avatar universal
I agree with DRBass. Percocet, norco is much stronger feeling and more addicted. You barely feel the effects of the 100 mcg patch. If the patch causing long term damage to your organs, you might of well continue taking the percocet or norco. Actually, oxycotin may work even better for you. Everyone's body is designed differently. The receptors in your body either attracts the meds or they bounce off. Morphine bounces off my receptors, so I don't really feel the effects of it. A lot of people to not response to morphine, I'm just one of them. I could easily overdose of morphine, because it does not affect me that way. So the patch is actually to me, an over-rated morphine. If possible, the best choice is nothing at all and meditation on God. #ImJustSayin
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1855076 tn?1337115303
This is a pretty old post.  I'm glad you got relief from the Fentanyl.  It can be a great pain reliever for some people.  The truth is, though, that Fentanyl is an EXTREMELY strong drug and used incorrectly can be very dangerous.  Generally it is not the best choice for a pain reliever for chronic pain.  You are very lucky you had no trouble coming off it because if you were physically dependent you'd have been miserable.  (Did you come off all pain meds cold turkey or just the Fentanyl.)  There are a lot of other long-acting medications that should be tried before going to something like Fentanyl.

Everyone is different and we all have different chronic pain and different ways to treat it.  But as CP patients,   it is up to us to do the right thing:  make sure we know exactly what our meds are and take them appropriately.   But we also, for our own good, need to take the least amount possible to try to keep our tolerance down.
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Avatar universal
I was on 75 mcg of Fentanyl following two failed liver embolizations after which I was given morphine.  Turns out the morphine spasmed out my sphincter of Oddi and did a job on my pancreas resulting in pancreatitis.  I was put on fentanyl for nearly three months.  I can't say that I ever felt addicted to it nor have I ever felt addicted to anything for that matter.  I had no problem quitting the pain patch and never felt anything while on it, but pain free.  
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Avatar universal
I am now seeing a Doctor who is trying to control my pain until surgery can be done early next year when I will have Insurance.  So far, I've had two epidural steroid injections, and take Ibuprofen, Neurontin and Tramadol.  Up until recently I was taking hydrocodone makes me nauseous.  The only relief I had from pain until recently was during the night.  Now I wake up in pain.  The doctor has prescribed 12mcg Fentanyl which didn't help.  He just prescribed 25mcg and I'm staying hopeful.  I will see the doctor again in 1 1/2 weeks so if it needs to go up, he can do that.
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Avatar universal
It was a chiropractor who messed me up, causing sciatica and an unstable spine.  I went to see him for lower back pain.  He took an x-ray and scared me half to death telling me about my sever arthritis.  Then he gave me the good news; he could keep me from having surgery.  I started seeing him in June, 2012.  By January 2013, I stopped seeing him because I was in such pain, I couldn't even drive anymore.  I finally had MRI in April, and learned I had spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis and severe herniated discs.  I now must have Surgery because he made my back unstable from the rough manipulations.   I would see a doctor first and get an MRI first if I were giving anyone any advice about chiropractors.  
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Avatar universal
I know this is an old post but I feel the need to reply to the gentleman who posted just above me. Are you HIGH? Fentnyl is NOT a downgrade to Percocet, its a jump from one end of the scale to the other. I agree that for some people it is very effective, but to suggest that going to 100mcg patch from Percocet is a downgrade is just plain stupid and irresponsible.
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Avatar universal
Percocet (oxycodone) to Fentanyl is a downgrade but may be a more effective way to treat pain.   The potential for abuse or dependence is greater with the Percocet.   The side effects mentioned are rare and fentanyl or Duragesic is a very effective way to treat Chronic pain,  especially in the elderly.
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Avatar universal
Percocet (oxycodone) to Fentanyl is a downgrade but may be a more effective way to treat pain.   The potential for abuse or dependence is greater with the Percocet.   The side effects mentioned are rare and fentanyl or Duragesic is a very effective way to treat Chronic pain,  especially in the elderly.
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1326416 tn?1370927001
Just follow your doctors instructions. if there are any problems let the doctor know, etc., etc.....good luck.   P.S.- I think it's great that a doctor is at least taking you serious with regards your pain. That's half the battle sometimes. Take the naysayers witha "grain of salt", as well as the others!!!!
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Avatar universal
Ive just recently been put on the fentenyl 50 patch.. I had been taken morphine along with the norco and they had been not working so well together.  So Dr thought we might give this a try in place of the morphine.  I have to say that it does seem to be working.. I have been dealing with lots of pain since the mid 90s when i injured my back.  Since then it has been down hill as now not only do I deal with the injury but degenerative disc disease, osteoarthritis, IBS, Chronic Pain Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, TMJ and Chronic Migrains along with some other issues.. I am concerned about the negatives I have read regarding the fentenyl but at this point am willing to risk them.. I have tried everything you could possibly think of with out much of a positive outcome.  I even tried the methodone and it didnt even touch my pain.. So all I can say to those that are questioning whether to try fentenyl or not, would be this.  Do your research and be seeing a doctor regularly that you trust and listen to your body and respond accordingly.  I can also tell you that I did try the oxycontin and after 24 hrs of being on that I called my dr crying saying I would rather go back on my loritab and be in pain than to deal with the effects that I was enduring with the oxicontin... That medication for me was some scary &*$%.. Once again I stand behind what I said previously.  Get you a reputable dr that you can trust and do your own research and then most importantly listen and pay attention to how your body reacts and communicate that with your dr.... Good luck to all of you trying like me to just be able to get through your days as normal and as painless as you can...  :)
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3149579 tn?1343225492
I was placed on Fentanyl 50mcg
over a 3 day period how many
5mg percocets would that equal
The Dr. also gave me hydrocodone
5mg for break thru pain. I had bladder
cancer which the tumor was removed
seems nothing controls the bladder pain
WHY ? ? ? What can I ask my Dr. for to
ease the bladder pain.
there are multiple questions here.
1.) How many percocet 5mg equal one 50mcg
fentanyl patch.
2.) Bladder pain, what will control it if anything
from cancer
my email is
***@****
plz reply
the patches keep falling off after
one day after I shower.  On the 2nd day
they are hanging half/off
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Avatar universal
Sorry.... Physically as well as mentally.  While I was on the patch I found out about two people that my family members knew who actually overdosed and died fro these patches! My mother was on them also after a terrible car accident. She had to change insurance and her new insurance company would not pay for them any longer. Now she had to take oral morphine as well as oxycodone every four hours. That is just to keep her from withdrawal! She does not even get the same pain relief she used to from the patch. I just do not want anyone to go through what I have had to go through. Not even my worst enemy! GoodLuck!
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Avatar universal
I know this may be a little late, but I just started reading post on this site and felt like I still had to post this: PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT stick that patch anywhere on your body! I was on them for two yrs. the very minute I started the patch my life transcended into a complete hell! I have not been the same since! I cannot even believe your doctor would start you on such a high dose! If you think your sciatic pain is bad, I had the same thing caused by two herniated disc, it is NOTHING compared to what that patch will do to you! Not only phisica
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Avatar universal
PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT STICK THAT PATCH ANYWHERE ON YOUR BODY! I had to have them for eight yrs. My life has been transcended into complete hell since that very day!
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Avatar universal
I was just switched yesterday from 5-6 Percocet 5mg to Fentanly. My stomach can not take the percocet, vicodin or any other oral narcotics anymore. I had an endoscopy done 2 months ago and they did not find anything wrong in my stomach. I end up going to the ER 1-2 times a month with severe stomach upset where I am in tears and barley walking. I have nerve pain in the left side of my neck and arm. I found a conversion calculator to convert any narcotic to fentanly to see what your starting does should be be. http://www.globalrph.com/fentconv.htm I am being started on the Fentanyl patch at 12mcg to see if this works for me. The calculator says 12.8mcg/hr. I don't see any other options for me as my stomach can not tolerate oral narcotics without serious upset.
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Avatar universal
wow, after reading all of these posts, I will stick with my oxycodone! My doctor mentioned the fentanyl patch in one of our visits and I said I would think about it and he did not bring it up again. This stuff sounds really scary!
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303824 tn?1294871401
By the way, the Fentanyl patch is supposedly 100 times stronger than morphine! At least that is what I heard on a t.v. show where a woman killed her husband by "overdosing" him with fentanyl, and she was a toxicologist! They were talking about how it slows your breathing and respiratory system, so if you do decide to get on them, PLEASE be careful! And be sure to come up with a good taper plan once it comes time to stop using them because W/D's from Fentanyl are NOT fun!
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Avatar universal
Again, Fentanyl is  100 x as strong as Morphine... NOT 81% and NOT 40%.  Call the pharmacy if you'd like to verify this.

You can get addicted to ANY Narcotic out there, from Vicodin to Percocet to Fentanyl....doesn't matter which one.  And ALL will cause w/d if you use them to "get high" and then stop suddenly.   It's not just the "Big Dogs" everyone....

Your body will develope a "TOLERANCE" to any Narcotic also.......and a Pain Dr. knows that and can w/d you safely and with no w/d symptoms if you need to be taken off anything.

Please do some reading - I specialize in Medication and would never give out info I didn't know for a FACT - a Narcotic is a Narcotic is a Narcotic - you can abuse them all and get ADDICTED -  or you can use them AS DIRECTED for pain relief and naturally, your body builds up a tolerance - which is NOT the same as Addiction.    I would throw away half of the advice given here and talk openly to your Dr.  Heck, print this out and show it to him - he (she) will tell you my information is 100% accurate.
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326947 tn?1252591233
My hubby has been on the patch  for 4yrs started at 25mg then up to 50mg and it workes fine for him. Maybe it depends on the person everyone is not the same.
That seems like alot of percs to me im on 4 a day of the 7.5 and im considering the patch, anything to have a better quality of life, Lots of luck.
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178107 tn?1315947630
I have been on Fentanyl patches for about a year.  I started on the lowest dosage and am now on 50mcg.  I have not even thought about what withdraws would be like.  It controls my pain better than anything else I've tried.  I know the dosage will continue to increase to control my pain, but for now that is all I can worry about "control the pain"  I must say that 100mcg is a pretty high dose to start out on.  I have two young children also, ages 5 and 8.  Starting on 100mcg will most likely knock you out.  I would definately call my doctor and question the dosage.  Good luck.
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2 Comments
I feel kinda bad admitting just how addicted to my oxycodone and that I am running out of my (7.5 X 4 per day) 7-10 early but I really need some advice, I have gotten oxy 30mg before when I ran out until I would get my own, this time, I could only get 100mcg Fentanyl, I took 1/2 the plastic peel-off cover off (so I have half of the un-cut patch on (for about 8 hrs now) my mouth is dry this last hour, but I don't "feel" overmedicaded and nerve pain in my feet/legs still somewhat there. I really didn't want to go through withdawls of my oxys again until the 1st, I am a bit ashamed that I can't be stroger about the pain,as well as withdraw. I have let my Doc know I am needing more pain relief and will be increased next visit. any advice? would be so thankful
I meant, I go through my oxycodone 7-10 (DAYS) early Plus, I should say, I take more like 6-8 sometimes a day, sorry,such bad typing
547368 tn?1440541785
Hello Sassylibra,

Welcome to the Pain Management Forum of MedHelp. I agree 100% with Mollyrae. She has a lot of experience with the Fentanyl Patch. I also agree that there is misinformation here.

Yes it is a bit of a jump form Percocets to 100mcg's of Fentanyl. Fentanyl patches deliver a continuous dose of the potent narcotic painkiller fentanyl for a period of three days. The patches are prescribed for chronic pain when short-acting narcotics and other types of painkillers fail to provide relief.

It is not true that most sciatic pain can be relieved by a chiropractor. A better statement would be that some sciatic pain can be relieved or temporarily relieved by chiropractic adjustments. You cannot "fix" most medical conditions by chiropractic adjustments.

You should trust your physician to realize the severity of your pain and prescribe the correct dosage. As Mollyrae said follow the package insert. I applied mine after supper so that when I woke I would have most of the effects of the medication. It takes awhile for your body to adjust to it. I had a allergic reaction to the medication and had to remove the patch. Other's claim, such as Molly that these patches are God-sent. My 75 year old mother is on 25mcg's. I would not be afraid to try the medication. If you feel it is too strong after a period of adjustment than you can discuss dosage change with your prescribing physician.

Please let us know how you are doing and keep in touch. I am glad you found us and hopeful that you will visit us often. We are here for you when even you might need us or just to chat. Take Care and best of luck, Tuck

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