[Stardust1959]

My Pain Management Doctor has me up to 50mg of Fentanyl (patch). I don't need it any longer, as my Spinal Fusion has healed and I am no longer in pain. He told to see him today and he would help me. But when I got there, he said he doesn't remember saying he would help me and that (I am on my own!!).
I told him that I went from the 50 to the 25 like he told me too and within 6 hours, I was Trembling, Nausea's, the room was spinning and I felt so strange (my stomach & head) I thought I was going to have a seizure and had to go back to the 50's. He said too bad, that I would have to suffer with it like all his other patients.
But I can't. I have severe Panic Disorder and am curently on 5mg+ of Xanax a day, and 450 Wellbutrin, and it [u]WILL</u> send me into a seizure.
He still says too bad. In about a month I have to have an open abdominal surgery for severe Adhesions. I asked him (what about that?) And he said, there is nothing stronger than the Fentanyl and that I would be in [u]pretty severe pain </u>because no matter what they give me, [u]it WILL NOT work</u>!!
[u]How long does it take to get off this stuff? I have only been on it for 5 months. And how long in the future can I take something and it actually work again??I am really getting scared.</u> Thank's,
Stardust

[Stardust1959]

ANYONE? PLEASE HELP!!

My Doctor gave me a prescription for my pain medicine "NORCO" 5/325, They were white oval pills with blue specks. With one refill, they were exactly the same as the first bottle.
Today she CALLED in a new prescription for the same thing. I picked it up at the pharmacy and when I got home, I noticed they were rather large cream colored pills with the marking of 5161 on one side and nothing on the other side. I returned to the pharmacy and he corrected it, saying he was sorry. But when my husband and I had asked what it was, the pharmacist told us he did not know. He also asked me if I had taken any, I told him no, since they did not look like anything I have ever seen before.
Can anyone tell me what those pills were?
Thank You,
Stardust1959

[longblckwavyhair]

I also had my spine fused, then broken, then fused again. My pain management doctor gave me the fentanyl patch - worst mistake of my life. I am now off of it, however.
This is what I suggest you do: wean down from 50 to 25 to 12.5 to nothing. It was about a 2-3 month process for me...difficult, but very necessary. I am wearing something called a Clonidine patch, which is helping tremendously with the withdrawal symptoms. Small dosages of Valium will help with the anxiety and sleeping problems - both of which I am still feeling, even though I am 36 days off of the fentanyl. Cannabis - I strongly recommend smoking. If you live in Cali, you're very lucky. Otherwise, just do it. There are plenty of doccuments and articles written on the subject. Read 'em if you're hesitant, but it should really calm you, in regards to your unfortunate panic attacks (which I was getting a lot, a lot). Other than all of this, I suggest hypnotherapy. As strange as it may sound to many, I am a strong believer in this field of psychotherapy. Anyone living in chronic pain should be seeing someone, but a hypnotherapist gets to your subconcious and teaches you how to self-treat yourself, how to calm yourself. Yoga - another calming and head-clearing activity.
Basically, during the detox process, the last thing you want to do is to slap on another patch because you're feeling any of the incalculable withdrawl symptoms. Do anything you can to make yourself as comfortable as possible. Eat right, drink lots of water (no caffine), lay with heat packs, look into a TENS unit for the pain - whatever it takes!
Don't worry about how long it will take, because then it will never happen - you'll drive yourself crazy. Take one day at a time. This way, you WILL see differences in yourself. You only get better and better as the days go by. As soon as you wean down, your body will try and regulate itself as soon as possible. So, help it, but keep yourself as comfortable as possible - even if it means taking more oral meds. in the meantime (as soon as your body is detoxed from the fentanyl, you won't need to take as many oral meds.). I, for instance, was taking 10mg of percocet with the patch. Once I took it off, I was taking 40-50mg...now, I'm back down to 15mg...and every day I see new developments.
It's a very difficult process. Not very many people can detox on their own without going to a hospital. But, be strong! And, again, grass cures all

[Cats Meow]

Stardust, the pharmacist knew, duh, he gave you generic Vicoprofen (Hydrocodone/Ibuprofen)7.5/200

Wow, you sure have a butthole for a Dr!

^..^ ~~ ,
=´`= ___ )~~

[hawkman81980]

I'm sorry to hear that you have a rough time trying to get off fentanyl. I am in the same boat. I take 100 mcq every 48 hours. I started lower and made my way up to this. My doctor and I have tried lowering the doses, and it didn't work for me either. I went into withdrawals within hours. It is the worst feelings I've ever had in my life. Anxiety, cold sweats, yawing, tears watering. I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin. I felt so helpless. I'm told I throw myself around. I must blackout. I've tried several times to ween myself, but I always end up back on the 100. I try going down to 75. Supposedly there is a new patch that is 12.5 mcq. Maybe this would make it easier for us. My doctor treats me the same way. He says it's my fault, and that I'm going to be on these for the rest of my life. The nurse tells me I'm going to get the doctor in trouble. I don't care anymore. This is ruining my life.
I've heard of a drug called suboxone. They have a website suboxone.com It's a newer drug approved by the FDA. Only certain doctors can give it out, and it's easy for them to get certified. The have a provider locater, so hopefully they have a doctor near you. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm looking into it. Sounds like a miracle drug, and you can get a script for it. No hospitals. I hope this helps, and I'm sorry you are going threw this. I feel your pain, and I want you to know you aren't the only one. In fact I thought I was, until I read your posting. Good luck and let us know what happens. Your friend Andy

[ymccormack]

Originally Posted by hawkman81980

I've heard of a drug called suboxone. They have a website suboxone.com It's a newer drug approved by the FDA. Only certain doctors can give it out, and it's easy for them to get certified. The have a provider locater, so hopefully they have a doctor near you. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm looking into it. Sounds like a miracle drug, and you can get a script for it.

I agree...you may be a good candidate for suboxone. of course, then you'll have to get off the suboxone but I'm told you can taper it much more easily.

Keep us posted
YM

[les_ftc]

Fentanly was a life saver for me at first. It allowed me to work, drive, function normally. I increased from 25mcg/hr patch to 50 mcg/hr patch rather quickly. After several months my primary pain condition improved (4 level disk degeneration) and my doctor told me he was going to start my detox process. Upon hearing the word "detox" I was concerned. I didn't feel like an addict. I used the patches EXACTLY as prescribed. I never felt "high" or "loaded." I used the patch to treat pain only - my life is full and complete, I have no need for chemical repreive. But I had been on the patch every day for months.
After the doctor told me he was going to start to detox me, I went straight home and took the patch off. I was in full blown withdrawl the next day. Sweats, chills, pain, flopping on the couch like a fish out of water, vomitting. These symptoms lasted three days without subsiding. My wife wanted me to go to the hospital every minute of those three days, but I figured I had to be close to finished. After three days and I'm still vomitting I put a patch back on (50 mcg/hr) and my symptoms subsided about six hours later. I swore I'd never go cold-turkey again. I do not recommend it. It was hell on me and my family. Also very degrading. . .it's humiliating to be a successful, loving human being reduced to drug addition withdrawl. Very hard to get my head around. Junkies go through withdrawl under bridges, not good patients with jobs who follow their doctors orders!
Later my doctor had me return to my 25mcg/hr patch and prescribed me methodone 10mg pills. I was to take a methodone pill 4 times daily for four days, then three for four days, the two for four days, etc. until I was not taking any methodone. Then I was to remove the fentanyl patch and start the methodone regimen over: 4X4, 3X4, 2X4, 1X4, 1/2X4. then quit.
From day one I was determined to stop so I took my fentenyl patch off and only took the methodone pill when I felt nausea coming on. . .I figured I could live with the rest of the symptoms. I ended up taking about 2 - 2 1/2 methodone the first couple days. By day five I stopped all drugs - daily. I would use 10 mg methodone every other day to keep the "willies" at bay, and after a week to ten days I even stopped those. It's hard but possible.
I have been totally drug free for 12 weeks now. I know I sped up the doctors orders but I had great desire to get my life back. I kicked heroin 18 years ago and was very afraid I would lose all I have work for - family, cumminity, and self respect included. Fentenyl was a tool that allowed me to participate in life mostly pain free. Comming off the drug is a very difficult process the patient MUST be ready to participate in. I've read some tragic stories of those who have been unable to become free of the patch.
God bless you all. . .there is hope, I've lived it.
Les C.

[les_ftc]

Fentanly was a life saver for me at first. It allowed me to work, drive, function normally. I increased from 25mcg/hr patch to 50 mcg/hr patch rather quickly. After several months my primary pain condition improved (4 level disk degeneration) and my doctor told me he was going to start my detox process. Upon hearing the word "detox" I was concerned. I didn't feel like an addict. I used the patches EXACTLY as prescribed. I never felt "high" or "loaded." I used the patch to treat pain only - my life is full and complete, I have no need for chemical repreive. But I had been on the patch every day for months.
After the doctor told me he was going to start to detox me, I went straight home and took the patch off. I was in full blown withdrawl the next day. Sweats, chills, pain, flopping on the couch like a fish out of water, vomitting. These symptoms lasted three days without subsiding. My wife wanted me to go to the hospital every minute of those three days, but I figured I had to be close to finished. After three days and I'm still vomitting I put a patch back on (50 mcg/hr) and my symptoms subsided about six hours later. I swore I'd never go cold-turkey again. I do not recommend it. It was hell on me and my family. Also very degrading. . .it's humiliating to be a successful, loving human being reduced to drug addition withdrawl. Very hard to get my head around. Junkies go through withdrawl under bridges, not good patients with jobs who follow their doctors orders!
Later my doctor had me return to my 25mcg/hr patch and prescribed me methodone 10mg pills. I was to take a methodone pill 4 times daily for four days, then three for four days, the two for four days, etc. until I was not taking any methodone. Then I was to remove the fentanyl patch and start the methodone regimen over: 4X4, 3X4, 2X4, 1X4, 1/2X4. then quit.
From day one I was determined to stop so I took my fentenyl patch off and only took the methodone pill when I felt nausea coming on. . .I figured I could live with the rest of the symptoms. I ended up taking about 2 - 2 1/2 methodone the first couple days. By day five I stopped all drugs - daily. I would use 10 mg methodone every other day to keep the "willies" at bay, and after a week to ten days I even stopped those. It's hard but possible.
I have been totally drug free for 12 weeks now. I know I sped up the doctors orders but I had great desire to get my life back. I kicked heroin 18 years ago and was very afraid I would lose all I have work for - family, cumminity, and self respect included. Fentenyl was a tool that allowed me to participate in life mostly pain free. Comming off the drug is a very difficult process the patient MUST be ready to participate in. I've read some tragic stories of those who have been unable to become free of the patch.
God bless you all. . .there is hope, I've lived it.
Les C.[/quote]

[christinab73]

i'm a 34 year old female who has been taking pain meds for a bad back which i have suffered from since a child. my general practicioner started me on opiates about six years ago. vicodin, percocet, demerol, dilaudid, you name it, i took it; but my pill abuse was out of control, so i asked about the duragesic patch (biggest mistake of my life). for the past 5 years or so, i was using 150 mcg and seeing a back doctor who kept me on them and gave me percocet for breakthrough pain. I thought the patch was the greatest thing since sliced bread; but after awhile, my tolerance to it made it no longer effective, but i was not going to ask for a larger dose. at the beginning of october, i went to see my back doc for trigger point injections and to get my scripts. well, he told me i no longer needed to be on the patches, and gave me a weeks worth of methadone to detox with (hah). that first month was pure hell. my husband stood by my side, doing everything possible to make me comfortable. we discussed the meth clinic, but decided that trading one drug for another was not the way to go and that i didn't want to be a slave to the meth clinic. Well, here it is, late november and I'm still alive to tell my story. I quit cold turkey. it was the hardest thing i have ever done in my life, but now i am starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. You have to want to quit very bad, but it can be done. i'm lucky to have a wonderful husband who stood by me and cheered me on. to those of you who are going through this ordeal, i pray for you.

[eternal]

Originally Posted by Stardust1959

My Pain Management Doctor has me up to 50mg of Fentanyl (patch). I don't need it any longer, as my Spinal Fusion has healed and I am no longer in pain. He told to see him today and he would help me. But when I got there, he said he doesn't remember saying he would help me and that (I am on my own!!).
I told him that I went from the 50 to the 25 like he told me too and within 6 hours, I was Trembling, Nausea's, the room was spinning and I felt so strange (my stomach & head) I thought I was going to have a seizure and had to go back to the 50's. He said too bad, that I would have to suffer with it like all his other patients.
But I can't. I have severe Panic Disorder and am curently on 5mg+ of Xanax a day, and 450 Wellbutrin, and it [u]WILL</u> send me into a seizure.
He still says too bad. In about a month I have to have an open abdominal surgery for severe Adhesions. I asked him (what about that?) And he said, there is nothing stronger than the Fentanyl and that I would be in [u]pretty severe pain </u>because no matter what they give me, [u]it WILL NOT work</u>!!
[u]How long does it take to get off this stuff? I have only been on it for 5 months. And how long in the future can I take something and it actually work again??I am really getting scared.</u> Thank's,
Stardust

i hear ya! i am on fentanyl 100mcg and comming off methadone. i have three slipped disks sciatica and fibromayalgia(sp?) and i am very uncomfortable. the catapress patches work if you dont wear them all the time just right before your gonna go down. a trick i do since i know about sulinguals because i was on the fent. lollypops. is to put things under your tongue for instant sensation. so save your old patches sealed really good and the next day if your sick or in pain cut it in half on in three and suck on it. you will feel better if there is medicines still in it or you took it off after 48hrs. miss the lollypops but cant get it from this dr. i am really scared after reading some of these replys about getting off the fentanyl at the end of the summer.

[BetterOffDead]

I was on 100mcg patches every 48 hours at one point. I was able to taper on the patches down to 50mcg, then made a jump for a couple of weeks to hydros because the fentanyl was making me so sick. It obviously took a lot of hydros to make that level (my poor liver...), so my doc put me on methadone. I eventaully went to suboxone and tapered that down to nothing about 6 weeks ago.

If pain management isn't a problem, it is far easier to taper the suboxone. Detoxing off of sub is no picnic, but I missed a day on a fentanyl patch once and it was WAY worse than the suboxone. Maybe it would be a shorter duration, but I can't imagine how intense those withdrawals would be.

[Jesgrate]

To "Better Off Dead" - you have no idea what that means! My daughter died from an accidental overdose of the Fentanyl patch in February. She had been prescribed the patch by her pain doctor for neuropathy of the feet. She started with 50 mcg and moved to 100 mcg every 48 hours along with many other drugs like Vicodin. It is a very dangerous and addictive drug and I have had several friends tell me of loved ones who have experienced overdoses and terrible withdrawals from it. Do whatever you can to get off of it slowly and be as strong as you can because it can kill you. I am so sorry for all of you that are "hooked" on it and the suffering you must experience to get off but you must do so. If your doctor does not help you with it, then threaten to report him to the medical board. He's the one that gave you the patch to begin with. The manufacturers have recalled it as you may already know (6 days after my daughter died) because of over 120 deaths. And no you are not better off dead, believe me.

From a very sad mother

[o_my_god]

I heard the same ******************** from my pain Dr. too. Suboxone is the way to go it works well. Fentanyl Sucks; what was I thanking, if I new then what I know now , I would run like hell.

[Stardust59]

I am thrilled to be off the Fentanyl Patch, However now time had gone by, I now take 4- 10mg Percocets a day and it's pretty tough on my stomach. Sometimes I wish I could just stop those too. But don't know how.
Stardust

[Robert_325]

Originally Posted by Stardust59

I am thrilled to be off the Fentanyl Patch, However now time had gone by, I now take 4- 10mg Percocets a day and it's pretty tough on my stomach. Sometimes I wish I could just stop those too. But don't know how.
Stardust

Only two ways to do it ... either cold turkey or ORT (opiate replacement therapy). This would be suboxone like is mentioned above. It works for lots of people who don't wish to go the cold turkey route. I usually suggest to just stop and pay the price for a week or so and be done with it. But if that is not feasible for whatever reason then there is absolutely nothing wrong with going the suboxone route. If you need some direction on what to do to get on suboxone then post accordingly. The main thing is to make the decision to stop the Percs. Like Fentanyl the Percs are no picnic to quit either. Good luck.

[Stardust59]

What if I break them in half for a week and then stop them?
Stardust

[Robert_325]

Originally Posted by Stardust59

What if I break them in half for a week and then stop them?
Stardust

You can break them in half. That is fine. But if I was going to do a taper I would do it a little more slowly than one week. Breaking them in half is fine, but the total you are taking needs to be reduced every few days until you eliminate them from your system. It's hard to say exactly how many to take or how fast to taper with no problems. See how you feel and take them accordingly. I was never successful tapering. I had to do it all or nothing, but it may work for you. Good luck.

[Chaoticangel42]

I can absolutely feel for everyone coming off Fentanyl. I too thought it was the answer when I first was prescribed the Fentanyl patch. As with everyone else, after a period of time it is ineffective and the dose must be increased. I was on high doses of fentanyl for 6 months. I decided to kick it cold turkey. I would NOT recommend this for everyone. It is extremely painful, uncomfortable for three to four days. I vomited and had diarrhea, was in fetal postion and could not even do the simplist task....like brush my teeth. I saw a posting that it will not kill you. This may be true for healthy people, but I can tell you from what I went through, I thought I was gonna die, then I was praying for death to get some relief. I think someone with prior health problems have a good chance of dying from withdrawals.
I am 16 days fentanyl free and I still am having residual withdrawal symptoms that include....feeling of detachment, diarrhea and stomach cramps (off and on) , tiredness, cold and hot sweats, insomnia and just an odd all over body effect. I know that is not a great description but this is unlike anything I have experienced in the past and I have detoxed from Hydros and morphine in the past.
If I can do ANYTHING to help anyone, please message me! I would not wish fentanyl withdrawals on my worst enemy.
And anyone that has been off for several months or more, please give me an idea of how long these residual withdrawals will last. I have to go back to work on Monday and I am scared to death that I won't be able to make a 12 hour shift.
Peace to everyone and by all means, use the Thomas cocktail if you are going cold turkey, most of these things will bring some relief, esp. the hot baths and the marjuaina. Goodluck and let me know how it's going!!
Your friend and fellow detoxer, Chaoticangel42

[not me]

suboxone is just tradeing 1 drug for another. i was on it and i hated it. gave me bad headaches. ask your dr about fetanal suckers. they come in a lower dose which may help wean u down

[Robert_325]

Originally Posted by not me

suboxone is just tradeing 1 drug for another. i was on it and i hated it. gave me bad headaches. ask your dr about fetanal suckers. they come in a lower dose which may help wean u down

Suboxone is not trading one drug for another because you had a bad experience. Would be curious to know details. There is a reason why it didn't work for you. Opiate Replacement Therapy (buprenophine/methadone)has become the gold standard for treating opiate dependency. There is always a reason why things happen like they do.

Suboxone works great if it's used properly. Have to do it the right way though. LOTS of people on this forum have used it, are using it right now, and are doing very well while using it, during taper off and afterwards.

Fentynal detox totally sucks. Lots of people have a really tough time with it. Good luck to you. God bless.