Fentanyl

[f1swede]

Hi Folks! I been on various painmeds for almost 5years now. I also been on Suboxone but it gave me no painrelief. After going off the Suboxone i was put on Vicoprofen 7.5/200mg 120 monthly. The Suboxone has really kicked my tolerance up. I'm having a hard time following the script. I went to my Doc. today and he wants me to start on Fentanyl. I tried this once before and i got very tired so i thought this is not going to work for me. If i remeber right they were 12mg patches. I also been on Vicodin ES, Percocet, MS Contin, Suboxone, Vicoprofen. I'm wondering if this is a drug that you can function on as far as work and also if 20mg patches are to strong to start out. I know i'm very tolerant to painmeds but have no real experience with Fentanyl. The last time i did not stay with it. When i started MS Contin i also got very tired for about a week very much like the Fentanyl i used before. Hope fully some one has some input on this. The Doc. seems t think this is a good drug for me. I'm thinking about the jump to the "big gun pain med." so i'm a little leary about this. I have bad pain but i dont know about this. Any help on this would be great. Thanks, F1swede

[f1swede]

I will let you know what happens. What can i expect as far as the side effects. The box is petty universal. Like i said before i noticed being very tired and being able to sleep some really long hours. Thanks again. Kent

[Mollyrae]

Hey f1swede:

You Doctor will calculate your dosage by the amount of pain meds you take now and your weight. The 25mcg patch sounds about right for the amount of meds your taking now. You really have to be patient with the patch. Many ppl won't give it a good chance due to the side effects. Like I said, you will not feel that euphoria that you get with the vicodin and some ppl don't like that but I'll tell you that it works better than anything I have ever had. If you do choose the patch, please let me know how you like it.. Remember, be patient with it, the sides are unpleasant.
Take care,
Molly

[luppygirl]

Thanks for your input.  I value the opinion of someone who has been on it and has been there and done that.  The doctors have book knowledge but i am sorry but actually using it is more reliable knowledge to me.  You pretty much confirmed my fears and what I was thinking it would like from the research that I did on it.  So thanks a bunch all input is appreciated.

Deborah

[f1swede]

Thanks for the feedback. Mollyrae i talked to you before i remeber now. I hope this works out with few side effects. He started me on 25mcg and i'm wondering if this is to strong to work on?. I know it sounds funny asking that but that is what i'm mostly worried about. Also has it changed your personality in any way?. Luppygirl! If you are in that kind of pain i would not start on Suboxone. My experience with it was good as far as W/D goes but no painrelief. My PM doc. started me on it mainly because he thought the painmeds fooled my mind into thinking i had more pain than i actually had. I started good because it took the W/D symtoms awaybut after about 2weeks the pain came back so we new it wasn't that. Now the 2nd part of Suboxone that when going back on my regular painmeds. they did not work very well at all. In my case i'm pretty shure my tolerance got kicked way up and also the blocker in the Suboxone seemed to stay with me a long time. In your case that would not be good if you get that kind of pain. This is my experience with Suboxone and i'm in no way a doctor  just wanted to tell you my story. I think Suboxone is a great med. if you are abusing opioids  but it does not offer any painrelief at all (in my case).Hope things work out for you luppugirl.

[Mollyrae]

Hi f1swede:

Sorry to hear that your meds are not effective for you. I have very good experience with Fentanyl. I use the 100mcg patch along with Morphine for breakthrough and I have found that this combination works great.

The Patch is not like the pain meds that you're use to. It will make you tired and so will the morphine but that is a small price to pay for the relief it gives you. You do not get the euphoria that you would get from the Vicodin. Fentanyl is 80x stronger than Morphine and once you're on the patch, you will most likely be on it for the rest of your life.

You mentioned the "Big gun med" Yes, it is one of the strongest on the market today. The side effects can be unpleasant for the first month or so. You may get nauseated, dizzy or sweaty but this will pass as you body becomes accustom to it. Believe me when I say it works. I have intolerable pain and this has made my life tolerable in many ways. Please take care and good luck with your meds.

Molly

[luppygirl]

I don't know much about fentanyl but my dr wanted to put on suboxone for pain management but i have leary of trying it.  I just don't think it will work well enough.  I am scared that if i go on it i'll wake up in the middle of the night ( this happens to me a lot) crying uncontrollably because the pain is so bad and I won't be able to do anything about it because i would be on suboxone and i couldn't take anything else.  that just terrifies me.  And reading that it didn't work for you really makes more afraid to try it.  I hate when everything is so confusing.  Sorry i am rambling about myself on your post.  I hope someone with knowledge about the patch will be with you soon and can help you.  Take care and keep posting.