fentanyl worries

i have recently started using fentanyl patches for chronic pain i have had for over 2 and a half years. when looking on this website and others i have found lots of articles suggest these patches could be dangerous and have many side effects and long term problems. i just wanted to ask whether others have found them safe to use?

[k118]

From k118
in addition to my previous question. i have also been told that as i am only 22 i will have to come off them at some point when i want to start a family. are these patches easy to wean off?

[Mollyrae]

Hi k118:

I don't want to worry you and you have every right to be worried. Fentanyl is one of the strongest pain relievers on the market and to come off of them is about the hardest thing a lot of ppl have ever had to do. If I don't replace the patch on it's intended day, I start w/d'ing right away. The lower dose of breakthrough meds that I was taking had to be dramatically increased as the Fentanyl is so strong that my body has adjusted to a very high dose and it now takes me triple of what I used to take.

I am older and am no longer in the child bearing age but with what I know now and if I were at the age where I wanted children, I would definitely not want to have to come down from the patch to do it.

Fentanyl is a funny thing...your body doesn't feel like it's getting the medicine but in reality, it's getting a lot. It just goes into the blood stream so slowly that you really can't tell until you don't have one.

You said that you haven't been using the Patch for a great length of time and that is good. I would suggest that you talk with your Doctor about changing your pain medication to something less potent. Most ppl that use the Patch will be on it for life. Their pain is so severe that they do not have an option. You are very young...too young in my mind to be using the patch. I'm quite frankly surprised that at your age, your Doctor put you on the patch.

There are a host of other medications you could use for pain that in my opinion are a much better choice for you your age. Try an extended release mediation like Oxycontin. That worked great for me for many years. I also had a breakthrough medication to go along with it. Do you have a breakthrough?

Lat but not least, if you don't mind me asking, what are you taking such a high dose of pain medication at your age for?? I would be interested in learning what ails you.

If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me by way of a Personal Message. Click on my screen name and that will take you to my profile page. From there you can leave me a message.

Please take care and know that I will be thinking about you.
All my best,
Mollyrae