Need help getting off Fentanyl

[kate886]

I don't think it has been a year yet, I have been on 50mg fentanyl patch. You guys are scaring the hell out of me. I am 55 and have suffered with back pain for a number of years. I also have fibromyalga.  
My son is 22 and gas has been a user and abuser of Oxcotin 30mg soma and valium to what extent who knows. For years first becaususe of friends and then because he has a 3 hurniated disks bad, and this has just come to light. We have been trying to get him to get clean and I have gotten him to go to detox where they have perscribed him Saboxone. While looking for a site to help him I have come across this helpful site. When i saw how bad of a time he was having kicking his habit I strted thinking do i really need to be taking what I'm taking? I do not have a adictive personality and am very strong willed.  Since I haven't been taking tha patch for that long a period of time what do you think. I use one 50 patch every other day and I have noticed it doesn't seem to be working as well as it used to. A metter of fact when i mentioned to my doctor that I would have him wean me off the stuff before I increased the dosage his coment to me was " you won't like me very much" I wasn't sure what he mean. Aftyer reading all these post I now understand all to clearly. My husband is not a very understanding person either. Will the suboxone work for me or not with the  fentanyl patch. Does anyone know. One thing I do know is that you have to be in W/D before you can use the suboxone I read here somehwere that with fentanyl  Subutex is a better choice. Does anyone know for sure. Isn't their any way for mylan to help with this problem? It is horrible that just because you try a drug to see if indead it will help you with the pain you are a user forever. This reall creeps me out. I have insurance and I'm sure it will be a covered expense but I have no idea about withdraw. I don't want to feel as bad as I felt before the fentanyl. At least I can put in a productive day on it. What price do you put on freedom from drug use. I want to be free I rather be with the pain I had then be a addict the rest of my life. I have  3 sons and 4 grandchildren that I want to see graduate get married and all the sweet thing in life. I don't see that happeneng if I don't get off these. I never thought much about it until I started reading the posts on this site.

[kate886]

Any good Pain management Dr will drug urine test his patients at least every other month or so just for his own records.  I asked him myself why he does he said it he want to keep his practice he has to protect himself from this other scum out their. He claim they work just within the letter of the law.
Their are to many fly by night PM Dr's out their that give oxycotin , Roxies, soma xanax and valium out like candy. You can tell those Dr’s from legitimate Drs because those Drs will not accept medical insurance. cash only is how they work.
Ok i'll get off my soap box now but one of these dr's is how my son got hooked. My son went looking and by word of mouth he found a dr that gives you anything as long as you can get an MRI. The law has got to do something to protect our young from these preditors wrongly and losley who call themselves Dr's..

[kate886]

Thank you all for you words of comfort. I do appreciated it. I needed to hear a lot of what you all commented on. This Aug 2009 will be one year.  It is funny that after I started taking the fentanyl I called my sister to tell her how good I was feeling. I was able to take off 45lbs.I feel good again. I hesitayed to mention that I was taking fentanyl because my sister is a chiropractor and I love her dearly but she hates dr, that put peole on High end meds without telling them how bad they are in the end. I have been taking Acai berry and lots of good stuff as well. Shark cartlidge, colon cleaner and such. Trying also to keep my system clean of any anti toxins built up from medications. the only other meds I an on is HRT. I stoped taking all the colesterol stuff that was adding to the aches and pains I already had. I had been on opana and Kadian before and didn't like the up and down it made me feel. I liked the constant of the fentanyl patch. With my som I found that my meds were disapearing by the 10 and 15 . I was foreced into hiding them then i couldn't find them or he found them and took them. I was precribed valium and soma that I took occasionally as needed for anxioty and muscle tention. One day I found that they had done the disappearing act. I immidatly stopped getting them from the Dr I really had them if I need them. To me it was safer not to have them around. My son even broke into my safe to get them one time. back to me I will be what the dr feel is the best route from here i see him on june 30th . thank you all for the kind words. My son has been drug free I believe for 12 days and counting. he needs all of yours and my prayers. i will keep in touch..

[Mollyrae]

Hi Kate:

You cannot take everything you read to heart. Please don't let others scare you in such a manner. There is a ton of web based information out there for you to read on the Fentanyl and in your case, you should make good use of it. Everyone is different and reacts to the Fentanyl in many different ways. Some very good while others struggle. My relationship with the Patch has been wonderful and keeps me active so that I can participate in everyday life.

You had mentioned that you have not been on the Patch for a long time so I guess that I would recommend that you do that research and have a heart to heart with your Doctor as well. Come to a conclusion together. He will be the best person to really guide you to your decision.

Keep in mind the pain that you had also mentioned in your post. I'm certain that you don't want to go back there. Chronic Pain is a terrible disease and can devastate anyone. The medications out there are for your comfort.  You are not addicted to your medications, you are dependant on them as we all are.

I wish you well and hope that you can find peace within yourself in regards to your medication. Please take care.
Mollyrae

[Tuckamore]

Hi Kate,

welcome to our Pain Mangement Forum. Please don't let us scare you. You haven't read enough if you are frightened by the threads. You will find many comments on how opiates have saved and changed many lives for the better.

Both Sandee and Babs are correct. You should not mix up the words with dependent with addict. They are very different, very different. hey are not interchangeable.

The fact that you have been on the patch for a number of years and have not abused it makes you a chronic pain sufferer that is dependent upon opiates to function. It does not make you an addict. Many ppl get the two confused and we fight this stigma every day. Ppl that are uneducated on the subject do not understand the difference.

Everyone has to make their own choices. If you beleive that you can function and deal with chronic pain than by all means you should not be on an opiate. If however you are like many of us and life is not worth bearing with the amount of pain you experience without opiates than you should remain in the patch, regardless of what friends or family feel or believe. They are not the one in pain. Just because your son has had addiction issues does not meant that you have one also.

The suggestions for meds for break through pain is a good one. Have you and your physician considered that alternative?

Whatever your decision I wish you well. I hope our responses have helped you see the subject more clear. There are several articles on this subject is you would be interested in reading them. Most can be found on www. Best of luck to you. Please let us know how you are doing. We will look forward to your progress updates.

Take Care,
Tuck

[Babs1469]

Sandee is so right, you need to stop thinking of yourself as an addict. that word has such negative connotations and I believe it makes us feel worse about ourselves, upping our stress and in turn upping our pain levels.  There was a reason you started using the fent to begin with, remember what that was like, If you think it was bearable and you had a quality of life you were okay with and can deal with on a daily basis then you should absolutely stop the meds. Withdrawl ***** for anyone but you have used your meds correctly and not abused them so you will have a couple days or weeks of feeling pretty crappy but nothing you can't handle I'm sure.

I was on Fentanyl and have told anyone who would listen that it was horrible for me. I have found much better relief with different medications - Kadian 80 mg 2xs daily and Opana 10 mg 4xs daily. When I switched meds I did not have to go through withdrawl but everyone is different. Everyone reacts differently to going on and off certain meds. Whatever you do, don't equate your expreince with that of your son's because it will be your experience and therefore, different.

Whatever you decide, I hope you continue to visit and use this site for support. Please let us know what is going on, Everyone here, I'm sure, can offer you something in the way of information, advice, support, a shoulder, etc. Best of Luck

XO
Babs

[sandee1818]

First of all welcome to the PM community, we are glad to have you here.
You need to understand there is a HUGE difference between being addicted and being dependent on this medication for pain to function and have a better quality of life.
Your son may have addiction issues but from what you posted your taking this medication for the legitimate purpose of controlling your pain.
You can ask for a break through medication to help you instead of upping your dose, also you can try changing to a different medication.
As far as the suboxone you CAN NOT take this with the medication your on. You are right you have to be without it in your system before you even start on the suboxone or you will become really ill.
talk to your doctor as some have and do use the suboxone for pain control but thats not what it was meant for.
You just need to think back to how your life was without pain control and remember that your taking the medication for pain control.
Chronic pain is a disease just like any other disease and has to be treated. It does not matter what medications your taking you are simply treating your condition like anyone else who may have a disease. Diabetics have to have insulin and chronic pain Pt's need pain control it is that simple.
If you would like to try other options though by all means speak to your doctor. I just do not want you thinking your an addict because you need treatment for your pain.