Fentanyl

[HelpNY]

I need help...
     I had back surgery when I was young for Scoliosis... I was doing great for a while with my back and three years ago, it really began bothering me.  I have to have another back surgery within the next 3 years for my scoliosis has worsened and my rods have bent (yes steel bends- who knew)  My doctor prescribed Vicodin 5/500 for pain, which was increased to 7.5/500 and I took it every day for 2 years and I began needing more and more... Blah blah blah (you all understand)... I began taking it even when I did not need it for pain and became addicted and tolerant to the medication... About 5 months ago, I got on Fentanyl Patches at 25mcg then increased it to 50, and now am on 75... I need to get off this and tried last month and I couldn't, it was too hard... My question is, what is the right way to get off of the Fentanyl without wanting to die. I am a registered nurse and am getting my nurse practitioner degree and will be done with my masters degree shortly... I could lose everything I have worked my *** of to get...  This **** is ruining my life and I am so afraid of what can happen... I have true, horrific pain, but I think that it could truly be releived by Motrin, but I am now addicted to Fentanyl... I need to get off of this without going to a doctor and have to do it by myself in strict confidentiality... My family doesn't know or my husband... They have no idea- although I have changed a ton since 3 years ago.  This **** is ruining my life... I feel as though I am done, that I have no options and am very depressed and stressed out... Please help me everyone... I need to get off of this stuff...  I am at my wits end... Thanks for all and any comments...

[Suckers]

Just to let you Know it takes 30 days for withdrawal to go away but like one stated suck it up and deal with it and further more I dont recommend meds to anyone due to the fact People are like rats to the industry that make pharmacy meds lol

[LANEYlew]

Hi my heart goes out to you. I know exactly how you feel. I got so mad at my doctor at one point I screamed at him DO NOT GET ON YOUR HIGH HORSE WITH ME MISTER YOU ARE THE PERSON WHO WROTE ME THE SCRIPT FOR THIS STUFF I SURE DID NOT DO IT MYSELF SO GET OVER YOUR ARROGANT SELF!!!!! He did not like that but knew it was true. I am starting a transition from Fentanyl to Morphine I am hoping it goes ok. I know it will be rough I did a cold turkey about ten years ago and it was awful so hopefully this will be better. Now I have a cool doctor who seems to care. You never know though many of them lie and treat us like trash. Please accept my sincerest hopes for your recovery. All of us out here who have the same problem feel for you. Addicts are the strongest people because they have to suffer to get by everyday. Love to you and Christs blood is the way, no offense to you if you dont believe like that you have a good soul I can tell.

[9969]

You have no clue either you must be a nurse Jackie to steeling all the pain pills that patients need when there in acute pain!!! I will never feel sorry or tell you my heart goes out!! Never did your nurse friends do any thing for people when they are hurting and needing relief be for a bullit goes in there head o well there is a drug addict dead! Never let god here you say or think that god is always watching you and you need to handle it on your own no pitty party !! Suck it up and you will under stand what people go though!! I hope the withdrawal is the worst for you!! Have a great night!!

[ariley13]

Hi there and welcome! This is an older thread. If you go to the top of the page and hit the 'post a question' link, you can start your own thread. It will help you to get more answers to your questions and more support. I don't have any experience with Fentanyl, but there are quite a few folks on here that do. Hopefully someone will be along soon that can add more insight. Good luck to you!

[Lbrown68]

At what intervals do you go before stepping down? Ie, I'm on a 100 mcg every 48 hrs I can easily go 72 hrs do I do this for a week or two before I jump down to 75 mcg go 72 hrs for a week or two? That's my main question I read many people say they've tapered down but what is the time frame for each dose 1 week, 1.5-2weeks no one seems to mention that. I've asked doctors to help me cut down they say no you don't need to but every month it's refill time and now they want to put me in an inpatient rehab with reviews you wouldn't wish on hitler. Texas is insane, doctors no longer care about first do no harm or just being human they've become lackluster if I can call it that nurses they've become too detached and want a specialist to do everything.
SICKENING! I have a torn labrum medius and minimus rt hip +3 yrs, I need full replacement of left hip +13 yrs, had l5/s1 partial discectomy/laminectomy in 2005 failed recent discography shows same level bone to bone nucleus ruptured from front to rear + epidural leak, had c5/6 fusion autography in 2001 now I have problems with instability at c/1 c/2 plus ?? C2 down ruptured discs posterior and anterior down to c7/c8?- t1, stenosis spinal canal narrowed to 7 mm a year ago, typical or more pronounced lordotic curve plus more.  I'm in a great deal of pain and bed ridden & regardless what I do or don't take.  But I can't take the way most especially Texas or military texas doctors are every month I call in for refills every month this huge battle, I'm always telling any decent dr I want off the meds they say no they TDY now these jockeys want me to go for inpatient rehab! I don't want the meds if the saw the stock pile I have for not taking them they'd know. I have to come off this wak stuff

[starlyte2]

I don't know if you have sublingual fentanyl, but maybe you could stay on the dose you take when not working and use the sublingual (Abstral here, France) in addition to the half patch when you work. It's easier to reduce the quantity you need, as obviously, it doesn't last so long. I cut the patches, not gel filled either, and did find it a good way to reduce. Maybe you could try that.
For me it worked until I had a car accident, on top of my "regular" problem, and the dose was increased dramatically. Now I'm stuck on a high dose, as there is a problem of your body getting too used to the dose. I tried cutting down, but went too fast, and I'd agree that it's a very difficult product when you want to stop, and you need patience as it isn't a rapid operation. But if you can try to stay on your non working dose and help the pain relief with another product you're well advanced, and it'd be a good start. Good luck.

[BrokenNeckBlues]

Maybe I missed it in what you have said (plus I recognize that the last post to you was in 2008) but if you weren't a chronic pain patient, how did you come to start using something that requires a doctors prescription to obtain?  

As a nurse, I would think that you would realize that using something like this, when you have no legitimate reason to use it, would only cause you grief.

[reginac1520]

Wow...I am also an RN of 10 years (ER&ICU) and I am a recovering addict.  Chronic back problems caused me to begin using hydrocodone(Lortab) which led to daily ABUSE..anywhere from 6 - 18 Lortab 10Mg per day!  I am in the final stage of my year long recovery program and am doing well managing my pain with Ibufprofen and find my pain isn't as bad as when I was taking the Lortab!  I have GOD to thank for giving me my inner strength as withdrawals were a nightmare!!!!!!!!!! Ugh...thank GOD I don't have to worry about running out of meds and those vicious withdrawal symptoms!!! I am truly blessed and hope you find the strength and courage, if not from within, but from your higher power to manage sumhow to find the peace of sobriety I know deep within ur heart u so long 4.  I for one, have my life back!  I pray you find that to!  We worked so hard to get where we are..we're only human..work in exteremely stressful environments but can you imagine your life without nursing? IT''S JUST NOT WORTH IT!!!!!!! BestofLuck & much love from one RN 2 another!

[HelpNY]

I have been a nurse for 7 years and at this point only work 1-2 days a week and they are always blocked together!  I do not take the Fentanly properly, so I believe that getting off of it will be a little easier than most... I have 3-4 days off in a row and when I have the days off, I cut a 75 in half and put it on my body... When I have to go to work (i work night shift) I take the patch off in the AM and then go to work in the evening...  When I get home from work, I sometimes put the other half of the patch on to sleep or put a little strip in my mouth... I have never worn or taken fentanyl at work, although I am sure it is still in my system a little... I feel WD at times at work...  I am the best nurse there it... I have been for 7 years, and Like the last poster said, I never miss a beat! I love my job and am an excellent nurse!  I usually only work 1 day a week because of graduate school!  I have NEVER worn a 75mcg patch at one time- I got violently ill when I did it and I felt horrible.  I used to  use the 25's then 1/2 the 50's and now I 1/2 the 75's but do not wear them consistantly or how I am supposed to...
      I am thinking that the best thing for me to do is to get 25's and wear those so that there is at least some in my system and taper down...  There is no one in my area that prescribes sub, so tapering is my only option!!  Thanks for all and any comments!!

[worried878]

if u have a scrip then it would not be an issue and i am sure a tolerance has been built up and u dont appear high...been there and done that...not with fentanyl but i could take a bu11 load of oxy or hydros and no one know...never missed a beat and was always on the ball at work...just my patience frew thin and as a nurse, we know that cnat hapen...jacquii tapered off the patch but i  odnt see her post often...as a nurse u know u can cut them...some try to go an extra day longer then cut back to the 50 then to the 25...it is a tapering process...some go on hydros at the end to take them on down..or sub...i would not try subs unless i had too....there are alot of ways to do it and ur doctor would be the best one to help u get off...he can taper u down safely and give u meds to help u with the wds....slow process and there are articles in the health pages like the thomas recipe and tapering that can help.....keep posting and i will try and contact jacquii to help u///she is a nurse as well

[feelingcrazierbytheday]

Just out of curiosity, how are you working as an R.N. while being on the patch?? Do your associates or nurses/doctor's in charge know that you are on it?  I work as an R.N also and we get tested randomly for these kinds of things.....I know that if I was to be prescribed it, I would still have to stop working.  They wouldn't revoke my license or anything, (as long as I was forthcoming about the situation from the beginning) but I would be out of work until the problem was solved and i could manage my pain without fentynal....i have friends who take vicodins here and there at work...but i've never heard of anyone working as an R.N. legally on the fetnynal patch every day....i know for my place of work it's too much of an impairment on judgement and outweigh many risks for lawsuits, mistakes, etc........I just recently graduated and have only been working for a year so i'm sure there's LOTS of things I don't know yet.  I guess I'm just curious as to how you work with this problem....wishing you all the best.  

[extrmeski]

Fentanyl is a horrible drug and is 80 times stonger that morphine.  I did a conversion once when I found a table online and was shocked to find out that the 100mcg patches  I was on are equivalent to over 200 mgs of oxycodone.  That's some bad stuff to get off of and there is no easy way that I have found.  I had the cheap mylan patches (flat and not jell filled)  so I ended up cutting them so I wouldn't get the full dose and tried tapering a bit.  It wasn't easy at all and I finally just did the cold turkey thing.  I was miserable for over 10 days, and even after that it was difficult.  Everything that I have read says that it takes months even up to a year to feel normal after being on that stupid patch.  
If I were you I would taper but suplement with percocets if you can, I know you are replacing one drug with another but I had greated success getting off of oxycodone rather than fentanyl (ie; Duragesic).
Good luck if you want to pm me I would be happy to help you in anyway that I can.

[kim715]

I don't know anything about fentanyl,but there are people here who can help.It's a holiday weekend so it's a little slow,but hang in there,this is a wonderful place for help and support,someone will come along....Peace...Kim

[mojojerry]

I thought is was fairly easy to get off fentanyl. It was harder for me to quit smoking. I used the 100 mcg/hr. patch. After a few years every time I thought that my pain was getting better I would decrease my dosage by 10 percent when I put on the next patch. If that worked? I would decrease it another 10 % . If my pain got worse I would add 10% back. so on and so on. Since the patches are designed so that exposing 100% of a 100mcg/hr. to your skin will give you 100mc/hr. It is easy to cut the peel off cover in half . Put  one half back on the patch. now you have a 50 mcg /hr. patch. Be careful not to cut your patch itself if it is the jell type. Mojojerry