Just Switched to the Patch

[labar914]

Hello, everyone its been a while. Had a hard time finding the place since all of my links didnt work, and my user name and password didnt work too.

Just had a brief question. I switched 24 hours ago from Oxycontin 20-30 mg per day with no relief, to the 12 Duragesic patch. I have a pretty low tolorance for pain meds so I know these amounts are tiny compared to some. I waited till the weekend to switch so if I would experience any side effects I wouldnt be at school with the kids. It seems from reading a current post regarding Duragesic that I should notice pain control within the first 24 hours, which I would agree, this is the first morning in 2 years I have been able to get out of bed without crying! I am doing a happy dance:) , well half a happy dance, I still feel it but just not extreme. Can this be or is it just a coincidence and my mind is playing tricks on me because that is what I want to believe?

I was hesitant to start because of all of the side effect, but as of now I am just a little heavy/dizzy in the head. Is there a time period that most experience drastic side effects, I guess i should ask, am I pretty safe after 48hours? I would hate to leave for school tomorrow and get really sick 70 miles from home.

Thanks for the input,
Michelle

[dadsgirl]

Hi Michelle ~

I don't know much about the patch ~ I was only on it for a short time when I had a really bad case of the stomach flu and couldn't keep any meds down.

I would think though, that after 48 hours you shouldn't have any new side affects though.

Hopefully someone else will be along soon that knows more about it than I do ~ I just wanted say to welcome to BT2 ~ and I hope you continue to get pain relief!

Love,
dadsgirl

[Idealist]

Hi Michelle...:)

I was on the Duragesic patch for a few years a while back, and it never caused any really serious side-effects for me. There was the issue of feeling out of it all the time, and that never really got better for me. I think it's because the medicine keeps entering your blood even while you're asleep, so you wake up in the morning feeling groggy and disoriented.

Duragesic was a fairly effective pain reliever for me. From time to time is tended to cause me some slight stomach upset, but my PM prescribed Phernergan for that, which really helped. I was drowsy a lot, and didn't trust myself to drive. Fentanyll actually causes less problems with constipation than other narcotics do, because it doesn't enter your body through the digestive system. But I did read that with extended use, it causes real physical changes to occur to the muscles of the lower digestive tract, and can result in mild abdominal cramping.

All in all, it's not as bothersome as many of the other painkillers I've had experience with. You man have to experiment some to find your optimum dose on it. I hope it works well for you, Michele, and helps restore some of your freedom of movement. Good luck...:)

[sallyb]

Haven't tried oxy, but have always wondered. But, I do have lots of experience with "no relief". Recently my doc doubled my dose of ultram, and I think it is helping...but, I feel like death warmed over...dragging. I would imagine that you will eventually get use to the dizziness, etc, and it will be better...don't you think?

sally

[labar914]

I would imagine that you will eventually get use to the dizziness, etc, and it will be better...don't you think?
sally

I periodically have vertigo like symptoms and am having an acute period for the past 2 weeks, so it is very hard to tell if my dizzy feeling is from that or the new duragesic. But it hasnt increased since I started so that should be a good sign. My chiropractor feels the sudden boughts of dizziness is from anxiety, I hit a deer last week and almost hit a bear on Monday, but the family doc feels differently. Now I have a patch for motion sickness on top of everything else.

It is so hard to tell what causes what when you have so many issues coming from all directions. Next week when I get back form vacation I am scheduled for a CT of the sinuses, an eye doc and an ENT to rule out a whole bunch of stuff related to the dizziness.

All in all I can say my pain levels have dropped since starting the patch, although I had to take it off today because it was irritating my skin horribly, so I wil put a new one on when my hubby picks them up from the pharmacy. I will take a constant pain level of 2-3 anyday instead of a 5-6.

Take care,
Michelle

[Harryinny]

Haven't tried oxy, but have always wondered. But, I do have lots of experience with "no relief". Recently my doc doubled my dose of ultram, and I think it is helping...but, I feel like death warmed over...dragging. I would imagine that you will eventually get use to the dizziness, etc, and it will be better...don't you think?

sally

Please watch the Ultram, It makes your Blood Pressure so High its not good. Ask your doctor to watch it very closely.

Harry

[jane2]

Maybe it is working better for you. It's very hard to compare doses between the patch and pills. The jumps in different patch sizes are so much bigger. So maybe you are slightly more.

I had some side effects with both although I didn't really notice it with Oxy, it was making me act out of it apparently and I did have some joint stiffness, that I did connect with the Oxy until I got off it. On the patch I felt really wired.

That's just my experience and ended up doing better on morphine. I think it's a crapshoot for everyone and you're lucky if you find what works for you and maybe this is the right drug for you.

[Tbackpain1]

If you're still getting irritation from the patch, make sure you are rotating the placement sites and see if your doc will give you a script for one of the nasal sprays, like Flonase. I apply a squirt of flonase and let it dry, and then put the patch on. The small amount of steriods in the flonase is just enough to keep my adhesive allergy from getting bad. Before I used to have burns/blisters from the patch...kinda made it hard to find a place with intact skin to put the next patch on.

Theresa

[labar914]

I have been finding differnet spots to place it and it seems to be working. Although trying to get is filled is becoming a problem. Any pharmacy I can find says they only keep 5 on hand so I would need to get another 2 prescriptions for 5, and pay the copay 3 times for one month. It sjust so frustrating.

My daughter just spent 5 days in the hospital so I am hurting from sleeping on a chair. She is non weight bearing on her one leg for the next 12 weeks, I am taking off but I have no clue as to how I am going to move her around unitl she gets good at the walker for steps and such. She was hit by a car and had a complete open fracture of the tibia and fibula. She has rods and pins. Hopefully we will get back to normal soon.

Take Care,
Michelle

[Tbackpain1]

Michelle,

Talk with the pharmacy manager. I got the same story from the pharmacist, but I was going to be coming in at the same time every month for the same amount (15), so there was no reason for them not to order them just before I came in. The old pharmacy manager (fired) gave me such a hard time about it that I called her boss (district manager) and he straightened it all out. The new guy is an absolute gem, even making sure to have the correct brand in for me, since there's now multiple generic forms of the patch.

If it's a "mom-and-pop" type place, they're usually alot better about making sure things are in stock, versus the big chain pharmacies. Just be assertive if you have to. But there really is no reason for them not to have the medication in stock, even their anti-theft policies don't apply, if there's a customer coming in within 72hrs for the medication (at least, that's the case for CVS).

Wishing your daughter a speedy recovery. My dad broke his leg a couple of years back the same way, pretty low on the leg (they acutally ended up fusing part of his ankle, as well as pins and plating on the tibia and fibula). After about 2 weeks, he was doing much better getting around with the walker and the pain was significantly reduced. Take care of yourself.

Theresa

[Idealist]

Hi Michelle...:)

I was on the Duragesic patch for a few years, mostly on the 50mcg. It was a pretty effective pain reliever, but I still had to take Dilaudid along with it. The biggest problem I had was feeling drugged all the time, and found it very hard to think. I finally stopped using it voluntarily because I couldn't take it anymore.

There is a think that fentanyl does to your body when you use it for long periods of time. It causes a change in the muscles of your lower digestive tract, and can lead to feelings of wierdness and discomfort there. When I went off the patch it made my abdomen feel uncomfortable for a long time, until the muscles could repair themselves. But since you're on such a low dosage, it might not be an issue with you.

I hope you continue to find lots of relief with this product. There will surely be an issue of tolerance that may lead to needing a slightly larger dose, but still...it would be worth it if it gives you that much more freedom.

Take care, and feel better...:)

Idealist

[labar914]

Honestly, the patch had been working really good, untill Tuesday when I had to start moving my daughter around. My pain levels are back up to where they were before and then some. I just dont have any choice but to do the things I am doing. When my husband and step son are around I have them move her but she wont let them get her from the bathroom and help her to change. She gets upset when they try because they are not as gentle and they hurt her. She is having a hard time with the walker since her entire side is bruised up and she cant put pressure on her arm/wrist either, it appears to be soft tissue pain nothing broken. She is only 60lbs. but it is killing me. I try not to show her since she is being very emotional, but it is getting harder every time. I am off of work with her for the next 3 months, I am hoping we can get a system going to limit my lifting of her. She can at least get her leg up on the couch most of the time, so that is progress. I am also going to beg the doctor to try and get a lightweight wheelchair for her, I cant get this one in and out of the car without screaming.

Enough complaining!:o It doesnt get you anywhere. Maybe the patch needs to be upped to the next dose, or I just need to add more of a breakthough med., who knows. I will call on Monday and see what they have to say.

Thanks again,
Michelle

[Tbackpain1]

Hey Michelle,

Are you using any assistive devices to help you move her around? Like when you have to get her into a standing position from sitting, are you using something like a lifting belt? If not, PM me, and I can give you directions on how to make one out of household items and directions on how to use it properly, so that you minimize the load on your back.

Make sure that your showing her how to log roll to get in and out of the bed, rather than you just sliding her over. There are lots of ways to modify her movements and your own to minimize the weight bearing for both of you. Its just a matter of knowing which movements to make for each situation. Yes, its easier for you to just pick her up, but in the end, you don't want to get yourself hurt...then both of you will be laid up, and your hubs and son will be the only one's able to help.

Make sure you're letting her do everything by herself that she's capable of. Its easy to fall into doing everything yourself, but she still has to "help" as much as she can. Everyone likes to be taken care of when they don't feel well, but she does need to realize that you can't do everything for her.

Please feel free to PM me anytime. I check the boards frequently, so I'll get back to you asap. I worked as a nurse's aide while I was going to school for nursing, so I learned all of the different way of moving people out of necessity, since most of my patients outweighed me by at least 50 lbs, if not more (the patient that busted my back up was a little over 400lbs).

Don't forget to take care of yourself, ok? Make sure you've got some time at the end of each day to soak your aching bones, hopefully without interruption. There never is much of "me time" when you're a mom, is there?

Theresa

[labar914]

Are you using any assistive devices to help you move her around? Like when you have to get her into a standing position from sitting, are you using something like a lifting belt?

I am an Occupational Therapist and I do have some gait belts here, but I havent been using any. Believe me I am trying to do everything with proper mechanics, it just doesnt work real well when I cant bend my knees. I am heading out to Walmart to get her a basket for her walker, and a couple sports bottles so she can get herself drinks. She is getting better about rolling and then pushing herself up, but she is really scared, and I am petrified she will knock a bone out of place and we will back to square one. I have a hospital bed coming today so hopefully she can reposition herself with the electric controls a little better. Our couch is also so low to get her off of is horrible. The bed will be higher and will be much easier I am hoping.

Thanks for reminding me, I cant do everything:( . Its hard with the little ones.

Take Care,
Michelle

[gambles]

First, I was getting married and really wanted to figure ot my pain meds so I could have a decent honeymoon. A while before the wedding, my doctor suggested I try the Duragesic patches. After about a month, I was lying in bed, cancelling my wedding and trying to figure out how to commit suicide. I was just done and beyond depressed. Apparently 5% of the patients that use Fentanyl become suicidal, and I was one of the lucky winners. I'm adding on to this old post because that seems important enough to notify patch users about. I did get off the patch and had a wonder wedding and am married to an incredible man.

Also, I had a patch on my arm burst once. It had been on for about 6 hours when I realized my skin felt wet. I thought it was just sweat, but I checked anyway. The fentanyl goo was all over my skin. I immediately called the company who pulled that whole batch from the shelf and they sent me to the hospital for an overdose so they could test my blood and take steps if any were necessary. Just be aware that is possible.

Good luck,
Suzanne