how bad is it going to get

[Jinx_777]

i have been wanting off this fentanyl patch for months now and finally had the courage to talk to the doctor about switching to an equivalent ER opiate.  i am currently on the 50 mcg patch every 48 hrs.  
she wrote a script for 10 mg oxycontin 2 times a day.  
i asked her if she had a table for conversion she could look at and she said 'yes' because i was NOT wanting less pain relief. actually, have been needing more the past few months.  it stopped working and gives me a horrible depression where i don't even want to get out of bed.  if forced to be out of bed for 8 hrs, i literally fall asleep as soon as i hit the bed exhausted.  this is no quality of life and may as well be in pain because i am not living anyway.  but, in all the charts i have read the minimum she should have put me on was 30 mg 2 x a day.  i have a feeling i will be in severe withdrawals

[Mollyrae]

Hello Jinx,

Yes, fentanyl has horrible side effects, I was once on 150mcg's every 2 days. I asked my Doc to take me off of it, it was killing me in every respect. It took me 3-4 months to wean off of it but I did it. Unfortunately for you, switching to a different drug will not ease the depression for you. The only thing that will help the depression is getting off all opiates.

I now use Cymbalta for my pain and it really works. My pain meds were actually causing me so much more pain than I actually had and was shocked at how I felt after stopping the opiates. Now this process took at least 6 months to really feel better and it's a tough road but I have had 6 back surgeries and am now using OTC's for the pain.
Anyone can do this. they just want to need it bad enough.

My best,
Mollyrae

[Jinx_777]

plan was to switch me to an EQUIVALENT oral medication so i could stop taking the fentanyl which was giving me too many unwanted side effects.
the answer to my question is NO 10 mg of oxycontin is NOT equivalent and after about 24 hr i am in full blown withdrawals.  no sleep at all last night due to EXTREME RLS in arms and legs and the pain i was being treated for hurts like the day it happened.  i am sooooooooooooooooooooooo angry.  my pcp prescribes my meds and maybe she is not knowledgeable in this matter, but either way.  not happy.  i have always taken my meds as prescribed so not trying to detox at this time.  in the future??  sure.  just not now.  
cross tolerance doesn't apply here since i have always taken percs for breakthru pain.  i have 2 patches left and it is taking all my strength not to slap one on.