fentanyl patch

[predestyned]

i have  been talking hydocodone for about two yrs. for back pain. it got to the point that the hydro;s no longer had the same effect , so i asked my dr. to change meds. he has put me on fentanyl patches 25mcg and  oxycodone 10/325  3x a day for breakthrough pain. i havnt taken  any of this med. yet. i am a lil aprehensive about taking the patches. it states on the package "for use with  opiod tolerant patients" im not sure but i did a lil research and most people dont make the jump from hydocodone to fentanyl. most go to morpine oxycodone etc... i dont like the idea of extended release i mean if i have a problem with the patch sure i can remove it but it still will take up to 17 hours for the meds to stop working. i guess my quetion is has anyone had any bad experiences with this amount of fentanyl?

[Jaybay]

I went from 2 or 3 hydrocodone a day (over 2 years) to the 25 mcg patch.  Honestly, it was a miracle.  I felt a little woozy the first couple of days, but after that I never noticed a thing.  Just felt normal.

What I don't like about the patch (and other long-acting meds) is the slow detox when (or if) you no longer need it.  Not impossible, but not as easy as detoxing from pills.

There are pros and cons to any medication.  For me, the pros were the 24/7 relief and no side-effects.  There are more cons, but most are minor: adhesion problems, if you're an outdoor person, heat and sweating can cause it to dispense too fast; having to see the doc every month because it's a triplicate scrip that can't be phoned in.  Sometimes it doesn't last the full 3 days, and an understanding doc will write the scrip to be changed every 2 days, but that's unusual.  Again, everyone reacts to meds differently, so you won't know until you try it.

I think most docs are avoiding the 12 mcg patch right now because it's not yet available in generic, and extremely expensive.

Hope that helps a bit.  You'll know in a few hours if 25 mcg is too strong, so just take off the patch if you think it's too much.

[Kathi50]

I have the SAME question...but no one on the other forums could answer it in regards to Hydrocodone.  Anyway, I was given the 12mcg patch but STILL feel it is a giant leap from 1-2 Vicodin a day!  But I know why my PM wants me to try it because of a multitude of issues including spinal (cervical and lumbar).  Anyway, what he said about the 12mcg was that it didn't much matter how much Hydrocodone I was taking but moreso the LENGTH of time I have been taking it.  In other words...I am opioid tolerant.  I was also afraid I would quit breathing.  That insert is enough to scare anyone!   But he and my Neurologist both think it is the way to go.  I just haven't done it yet...too chicken I guess. :)  Oh, and I do like the extended release aspect.  He also said with the patch you wouldn't have the peaks and valleys you would as in the short acting meds.  He's probably right.  But I have also heard stories where the patch wears out quickly.  But that seemed to be the generic type and not the real deal.