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Avatar universal

New member...

Hello Everyone,
I don't seem to have a "join" button on the normal page, so have joined you all this way, so please excuse the lack of a question!!
I've been reading loads of your previous entries in the process of researching help and advice for assisting my partner who is planning to taper off her fentanyl Durogesic patches, which she's been on for 11 years for on-going back pain. She's finding life intolerable due to the hideous side-effects and withdrawal symptoms she suffers due to now being dependent on them, so now wants to risk the pain and get gradually off them.
It's been hugely reassuring to read that she (and I) are not alone and that people do come out the other side of the misery that these things cause.
We live in England and there is very little help to be found here, and this has been the best resource I found so far, after months of looking.
Thanks
Best Answer
1235186 tn?1656987798
we are glad you found us too. what type of pain does she have?
she has a very high tolerance and dependency from being on the patches for so many years. the s uc king of the patches is addict behavior.
opiates can create more pain, it is called hyperalgesia. please look it up. please take control of her patches and administer as directed.
has she looked into other means of pain management? massages,chiropractor,acupuncture,hot and cold patches,exercise?
how are things going today?
we are here to support and help
keep the faith
debbie
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Avatar universal
Yes.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you, your kind words are so welcome.
She has thoracic and low back pain, but I have heard of the hyperalgesia, and really hope that this is the case with her. She also takes co-codamol but has not had any other treatments such as osteopathy or acupuncture for years, as they didn't help.
I know that she won't agree to seeing a doctor at the moment (because she won't admit to sucking the patches), but she said a few days ago that she wants to stop them, but doesn't know how.
My plan is to spend a few more days getting together a plan that she hopefully will accept, involving passionflower, valerian, etc. Then I am going to give her an ultimatum and otherwise go to her doctor myself and tell him what is happening. I hope that the threat of his involvement will spur her into action. If she agrees to try, then that's a good start I think, but it will be with a time limit and if the plan doesn't work, then I will insist on doctor input. That way, I think she will accept it better, and as it has been going on for so many years, I can't see that a couple more months will make that much difference.
I know the ideal way would be with doctor input now, but by giving her a clear ultimatum I feel it's the best way to avoid antagonising her, and letting her know I'm there for her, but have had enough of the status quo.
Thank you again for your help and kindness, it's easy to feel like the only one in the world in this position.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you everyone.
I feel so guilty that I've not acted sooner to take control of this bad situation. Because she's on them for pain, it's been so hard to know whether her symptoms of feeling awful were due to pain, but I now realise that so much of how bad she's feeling is due to the horrors of fentanyl.
I wish I'd found this website years ago.
Helpful - 0
2107198 tn?1336136106
Fentanyl isn't anything to play around with.  I would recommend also you get the doctor involved, that's a serious dosage.  You guys Arne in the rights path to want to get it squared away, that's super positive.

Bryan
Helpful - 0
495284 tn?1333894042
COMMUNITY LEADER
Is she in control of her meds?
Helpful - 0
1235186 tn?1656987798
the patches are slow release. it can take up to 12 hours for the patches to begin to work. this behavior and practice that your wife is engaging in is very dangerous. she is on an extrememly high dose of fentanyl. i think it is the highest.
please encourage her and help her to use them correctly. please have her leave them on for the prescribed amount of time. she will most likely start to have withdrawal symptoms. she will need to treat those.
encourage her to talk with a therapist.
we are here.
sending prayers and strength
debbie
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
She's on 150mcg/hr every 48 hours, but gets through them too fast (usually 3-4 days early, which her Dr currently accommodates by prescribing early). However, she ***** the removed patches in order to get her through the feelings of withdrawal, which makes it worse in the long run. She's never been close to overdose by doing this, as some people on here report, but this misuse is why she wants to do the beginning phase of tapering without the doctor's input, because she's ashamed to admit to sucking the patches. Therefore, her plan is to stop doing that, and then to taper herself down to using the patches in the way and at the rate that they are supposed to be used, and then to get doctor's input if needed.
Helpful - 0
1235186 tn?1656987798
hello and welcome.  
please speak with her doctor.
she needs to be tapered down.
what dose has she been on?
Helpful - 0
2120911 tn?1350922661
Welcome .....there are people here with Fentanyl experience,,,,stick around..
Helpful - 0
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