Question from new member.....

[sandee1818]

by fibrogrl
I have had fibromylagia for 4 yrs..started with elbow/arm injuries at "safe":office job.  Pain ranges from nasty irritating but barely manageable to off the charts, screaming in my brain, unbelievable....
Been on fentanyl 50mcg patches for over a yr, started at 25mcg.  Don't seem to get very much relief from them anymore ..have morphine for breakthru pain but scared to use it..so have only taken it once....have allergies to binding material in pills. Don't know what to do.Dont want to take something that doesnt help...  Have been trying to use water therapy, meditation, etc helps  some but seems that efficiency of patch is compromised...so thought maybe to get off this med slowly, ..Have flat type of patch and  this time, have  cut a very small slice off. Thought would do this very gradually...

[fibrogrl]

thanks for your suggestions...I cant use Tiger Balm cause it has something related to ASA in it and I am allergic to that too.....I used to rub it on  my son's forehead when he was around 10 yrs old and would get these awful headaches..  I love hot baths too...I use our building's hot tub...wish it was open 24 hrs a day...cant afford a soaker tub at home at this point.and I have to be careful not to get the patch wet.
I don't really know how to  get on the chat..I'm not even sure I am doing this right... I am not very computer literate..

[MontanaGurl]

I have never used the patches before but, i have heard not to cut or heat them, very very dangerous as you probably are well aware of.  My rhumatoid Arthritis really hurt me in both my elbows when it first started, and I hear of your fear of the pills, sorry about your reaction to the binding agents in the morphine.  I have morphine and it seems to be working quite well.  Anywho, getting back on track, when i only had to deal with the R.A. pain, i would take my pain meds and than i bought all types of creams and sprays to use on my elbows.  i bought a cream called tiger balm at walgreens, have you ever used it or heard of it, there are also patches called salonpatches at walgreens and they are kinda like / look like paper tape, anyway, i would alternate and use the cream for a couple of days and than use the patches couple of days, when i was hurting and having flair ups.   also, i tried meditation - cant really concentrate enough to meditate but, the water therapy, i found a nice hot bath really helped, our house was built in 2000 and we had installed just a regular skinny long tub, and when we found the hot water helped me we had the tub taken out and my hubby put in a jet tub and we most recently got a hot tub out on the deck and the hot water really did wonders but, once again we cant live in our tubs but, the water does help.  i hope you feel better, maybe talk to your doctor about the fear / reaction of the meds you have and maybe he can try something else with you for your pain.  i also talk to a therapist several times a week as needed for my syptoms, i am suffering from post traumatic stress disorder because of my accident but prior to my accident i was seeing my therapist due to my issues that developed due to my pain and discomfort from the r.a.  it really helps me to talk about things, when i get them out in the air it feels like i let out a deep breath i have been holding for a long time.   anyway, i will quit rattling on like this and i hope you feel better, keep us posted on what is going on and if you cant sleep, or need to vent jump on the chat....................montanagurl

[fibrogrl]

I think that I probably should just stay on the patches for now, with the morphine backer.   I have a lot of stress on me right now, and that is making pain a lot worse.  I am looking after others and trying to faze that out.but it is taking a long time...the cold weather is also BAD for me. .I feel guilty still, after all this time being on medication, pain is very real, and I don't know,I feel like I should be handling it on my own, but I can't. it isnt about addiction thank goodness. I dont have urge for it at all and have never had that issue. I feel for those that do.  
sorry  I guess I am still trying to deal with - Am I weak to have to take pain meds.

[nick30]

Hi.
It's always a good idea to get off meds that aren't working, especially ones that have high potential for abuse and other probs. I don't think you should stop trying to get help with the pain though. I used to give up coz nothing seemed to work, but now i'm pretty happy i persevered coz things are quite good at the moment. Did the patches used to work? If so maybe you should try a stronger one or experiment with how you apply the patches (as it can make a huge difference where you put them as well as the preparation before application). When you used the liquid morphine did it work? If yes then why not talk to your dr about using it around the clock instead of fentanyl. If you have any more info please tell.
Nick

[nick30]

Hi,

I was on the 100mcg patch for about 4 months and went down to the 50 about one and a half weeks ago. before i was on the patch i was taking 80mg oxy a day. it wasn't working well at all so i switched to the patch and it's been very good for me.

Nick.

[fibrogrl]

I have liquid Morphine so binder isnt problem. How long were you on the 100mcg before going down to the 50mcg?

[nick30]

yep, tuck meant fentanyl is 80x stronger than morphine. If you have an allergy to the binder in morphine then obviously you shouldnt take it. I recently reduced my patch from 100 down to 50 and had no side effects. I think you really need to talk to your dr about this. perhaps methadone would be better than the patch for you. I dont know anything about fibro so i cant really help much. sorry, good luck though
Nick

[fibrogrl]

Thank you for your response....and thank you for the warning...This patch doesnt have the fat pouch  like the durogesic brand  but  after reading all the documentation with it, it does warn not to use if damaged  etc....aarrrghhhh.....I guess I better go back to dr again....Can you review your answer...you said Fentanyl is 80 - 100 times stronger than Fentanyl...I think you meant Morphine in one of the spots? Has anyone tried going from 50mcg to 37.5mcg ( that wd be a 25 and a 12.5)?

[Tuckamore]

Hi Fibrogrl,

Welcome to our community. I am so sorry to hear about your pain. All of us here know how horrid chronic pain is and how it disrupts our lives. Often we struggle through many days as well as nights coping with CP.

I know that some Fentanyl patches are made differently but I would never cut one. Please call your pharmacist to discuss this practice, now. Don't wait. It can be deadly.

There is much controversy regarding the cutting of these patches. If it contains a reservoir of fentanyl it can cause death due to over dose of this very strong narcotic. These are made to be time released and any tampering of this can change the intention and delivery of the drug.

Fentanyl comes in a 12.5 dose. I would encourage you to request a smaller dose if you are trying to wean from this medication. However if it is simply not effective for you it may be time for an increase or a change of medication. Please discuss this with your physician. One of our members has a lot of experience with the patch and I am sure she will be here soon to help you with your questions also. I was allergic to the adhesive in the patch and could not use it.

Once you are able to discuss the cutting of the patch with a pharmacist and get this straightened out I would encourage you to use the Morphine as prescribed. Fentanyl is 80 -100 times stronger than Fentanyl, depending on which article or physician you believe.

Morphine is not a synthetic drug and is considered much safer than Fentanyl. I take morphine. I had the same fear that you express before I took it but I have not had any major side effects from it. It does cause some constipation or I do get a headache now and again with it. But all in all it has been worth it for the pain relief.

Please let us know how you are doing. I will look forward to your updates. I am hoping that you will become an active member of our community. Take care and best of luck.
Tuck