[apopsshop]

Hello have a question or care to share re. the patch ....? Please send me a email to UDIDIT7@SBCGLOBAL.NET

Please know... Happy to talk re. the patch and would like to talk to someone using it as well .

I have posted some of my thoughts above and have had no responces yer Octorber 3rd -2007

Thanks.
John

[KarenGeorgeBSRN]

Hi Ya'll,

I was doing some research on the patch for I have been on it many years for NIP (nonmalignant intractable pain), and several other medications.

Without pain management my CNS shuts down; in short I will die. I have several disorders that rival end stage cancer pain; researched on the McGill Pain scale one is 82 x worse pain then end-stage cancer pain.

However, what makes me smile is a key facet or variable of patch administration:

(1) Fatty absorption; if you are thin (as I am) the patch does not
in the brand or Sandoz form absorb properly.

(2) My medications are 100% paid meaning after this time receiving
a similar batch of ineffective 50 mcg/hour brand Duragesic (about
killing me for 2.5 months) and luckily also use 75 mcg/hour (those
have not been problematic at this time I ordered Mylan.

Within 20 minutes I began to sense less pain and this is incredible.
I cannot tell you how I will react 10 hours from now or perhaps
in 36 hours for due to my low body fat ratio I require more. Please
alert your PM specialist to this; for the regular gel based patch to
absorb it must be put on fatty tissue, then the small blood vessels
pick it up in a time released fashion and eventually it is transported
to the part of the brain that is then tricked to believe you are not
experiencing "conscious pain."

I do run pain support lists and am a very busy person but for anyone
having difficulty you may email me at ToughYou@aol.com and our
pain forums are closed by interview only. Those in denial of chronic
pain lasting are not good candidates for our list(s) for we remain
small and are very hardcore painers as we call ourselves.

Chronicity does allow for a new identity but you must have quality of
life. Drug tolerance does not indicated ADDICTION which is a craving
for a substance in excess of it's purpose to the point of insanity,
overdose and death.

Furthermore one cannot blame those few incidences of death due to
overdose on all licensed professionals and or those few who do abuse.

Hope all have a wonderful, painfree, day!

God Bless!

Karen G.

[KarenGeorgeBSRN]

Hi Everyone:

My Mylan experience is not going well I just emailed
my physician.

1. Am having what seems to be physical reactions

2. Pain relief is not the same.

3. I use two strengths and did get brand on one which
does as it normally does.

I truly did not hope for this outcome but am sharing it.

Thanks,

Karen G.

[kpzeus3]

I am having a hard time with the mylan patch,my pharmacy changed brands and I can't remember the brand I was on before,They were bigger than the mylan ones and did not stick well but they took my pain away, you could see the gel on the middle. Does anyone know what generic brand these ones are ,Please let me know ,I think it may have been sandoz but not sure . Feel free to email me at kpzeus3@yahoo.com thanks

[PainfulCrash2005]

Let me start by saying, where have these Fentanyl Patches been all my life?! (Okay, not ALL my life, but since my wreck). They have literally been a saving grace. This is the first time in YEARS I haven't dealt with horrid pain on a daily basis! I had honestly forgotten what it was like. This is my first week on them, and I may be speaking too soon, but I'm amazed. For anyone scared to take them (as I was), if you follow the directions, you should be just fine. I do still have Vicodin for breakthrough pain, but haven't had to use them as I had been. The peaks and valleys I was experiencing are gone... I just can't say enough about them.

To those of you who have gotten relief from them, congrats!

For those of you who didn't/couldn't--I sincerely apologize and hope you find SOMETHING to help.

One question, though... I've noticed that some of you have said to clean your skin with alcohol before applying the patch, and others recommend using a hair dryer... On the pamphlet that came with my patches, it specifically says not to do either of those things. Any idea why? Will it cause too much of the medication to be released at one time? I'm asking because I'm having trouble with the adhesive (only around the edges) and need to try something--but I don't want to have to simply throw away any b/c of a technique not working. I'm hoping those of you who have been on the Fentanyl Patches for a long time could give me a few tips.

Thanks, God bless, && Much Sympathy!

[Timber]

Originally Posted by moodstar53

Hello,...................

.......As with my father, we didn't find out all the risks (the doctor did not tell us or get our informed consent) and before we knew it, my dad was starting to have symptoms which included sweating profusely, coughing, hallucinating, and worst of all, difficulty breathing, or depressed breathing and hypoventilation. These were warned about in the insert (I found out too late) and also on the Janssen website. .................................................. .................................................. ...................................... Do not believe that you can "cut" these things to lower the dosage--that is definitely a no-no. Janssen is soon to market a 12.5 mcg patch which is half of the lowest dosage. The 25 mcg proved fatal to my father, and there was nothing to "wean" down to. Most of all, MY FATHER WAS NOT IN ANY PAIN THAT EVEN JUSTIFIED HIM PRESCRIBING IT IN THE FIRST PLACE! These patches are being used to get high, as a murder weapon, and as a tool to commit suicide. My guess that before it's over, all these patches will be banned.

While I feel for your loss, I have to disagree with you completely. I have a very severe form of FMS and other issues and if you had it your way, I'd still bedrideen as a 27 year old. What a life I might have. Though I doubt I would, as the pain is so much without the fentanyl patches, I would have likely ended my life long before, as death would be the only relief left to me.

I read your post and it seems to me your father died more then likely from an irresponsible doctor who perscribed an inappropriate medication incorrectly without following FDA and manufactorer laws and guidelines. You're generalizing. ALL medications can kill if not prescribed or taken appropriately. According to you, your father wasn't in any pain to begin with. If that's true, then I have to assume he was not on any sort of oppiod prior to his hospitalization. Which would immedietly exclude him from fentanyl anyway, as it's not for those who are not already oppiod tolerant. Time and again you indicate that this doctor did not do his job according to the law and proper prescribing guidelines. He did not get consent. He did not prescribe appropriately. He obviously did not inform everyone of possible side effects and of the warning signs of overdose. Personally, I don't take any medicaiton without reading it's litature first, then go online and research it some more. And that's in addition to whatever discussion I had with my doctor AND my pharmasist. NO one should take a doctor's word for it, I'm sorry. They aren't god. They are human and make mistakes, your case a perfect example. I don't mean to be cruel, it just seems a lot of people dropped the ball on this, and your father died as a result.

As for cutting them...anyone whose cutting them is doing so inappropriate uses. You can't blame the patch. It takes a person to abuse it. Any medication can be abused, even tylonal. If we were to take your reasoning into account, we wouldn't have any medications, because someone might abuse them, a doctor might screw up, and someone might die. And just screw all the potentional good these medicaitons might do for thousands and thousands of other people who take the medication as prescrbed by a responsible doctor for appropriate illnesses.

[Timber]

My story
I have a very severe case of fibromyalgia and myofacial pain syndrom. After years of NSAIDs and other medications, at one point as many as 15 medications and drugged into a zombie state, I found my way to a great pain management doctor who understood that sometimes a single, heavier bat just might be better if you're swinging blindly with 15 smaller ones. This was before lyrica. For the first time in years, I had pain relief, and was down to only 3 medications. I could actually THINK! Hold conversations. GET OUT OF BED!!!!

I started on 50mcg, changed every 72 hours. But because I have little body fat, and have a tendancy to run fevers, we had to adjust that to first every 60 hours, then to every 48 hours. I now have the freedom to change it between 60-48, as it depends on if I'm running a lot of fevers and how many showers I take, etc. I'm not sure what body fat has to do with it, but my pharamsist made mention of a study that indicated those with little body fat tended to require changes sooner with the fentanyl patch. 4 years later, we did have to raise it to 75mcg. But I take no breakthrough medications, other then lyrica, which isn't really for breakthrough, but for the type of pain that fentanyl was never designed to treat. Compared to short acting opiods where the pain would return too soon before the next scheduled dose, with fentanyl, I've never felt the need or urge to take more medication then prescribed. In fact, during my good weeks, I can often push the scheduled change time for up to 8 hours later, depending.

Fentanyl Brand Comparison's: My Experience
I have tried several brands of fentanyl transdermal, including Duragesic, Sandoz, Watson Labs, and Mylan. What I've found is that despite claims to the contrary, in this case there are differences between them, in the types of plastic, adhesive, carrier for the medication and cell-whatever backing. What's important to understand is that those differences are highly specialized and subjective to the patient.

Personally, I prefer MYLAN brand over all the others, including brand name -- while several of the pharmacist's I've used over the years tell me very few of their patients care for it.

Personally, I prefer the MYLAN brand because the 75mcg patch is HALF THE SIZE as the other brand's patches. It is also made of a softer plastic - this means it tends to bend with my movement better (so it doesn't get ripped off the first time I bend over) and most importantly, it does not cut into my skin.

Because of muscle movement or my long hair getting caught, I'm very limited to where I can place the patches anyway. When I've been forced to switch back to one of the other generic brands, my skin ends up callused, sore, and cut up from the edges. My stomach becomes inflamed and red from the edges cutting into the skin. Not to mention I am also more prone to yeast infections on the skin because of the constant damp status of the skin under the patches. With the Mylan brand, I have 4 places on my stomach that can take turns, and only 2 with the other brands.

I found the Mylan brand adhesive sticks better on my skin then the others, rarely needing tape. But I also have several friends who found this not to be true, which makes me suspect it is subjective to your individual chemical make up, skin type, and what you secreate in your sweat.

And I rarely have to get out the adhesive remover (read: goop off); soap and water works just fine.

And finally, as far as pain, I personally found mylan to release the medication more evenly. Perhaps because unlike all the other brands, it is not filled with that clear gel as a carrier for the fentanyl? Not sure. It doesn't seem as affective by a hot shower or fever as the others. And just seemed to cover the pain in a more consistant fashion. But again, I've heard others say the opposite.

As for a difference between the other generics compared to brand, I did notice that some stick better then others, and some didn't seem to transfer the medication as well. I'm also not thrilled with Watson Lab's little tab on their patch, as it's just another thing to cut and irritate the skin, and to get caught on something and pull the patch off.

I did not notice any of the other more common side effects, like chronic constipation, dry mouth, etc, any worse or better with any of the brands.

I actually have to get my pharmasist to order my Mylan patches, because he only has 3 of us who prefer them while all his other customers like the others.

So I guess in the end, my advice to anyone who is on fentanyl patches: you may need to try several of the generics before you find the one that works best for YOU. Ignore the pharmacists or doctors who insist they are all the same. How can that be true of the carrier system (no gel) for the Mylan brand, for example, is completely different then the other generics? And it's plastic is different? And I'm certain the adhesives are different for all the brands. It makes a difference. It's just what difference will it make for YOU, personally.

[Timber]

Originally Posted by md2003

I just went for my generic, and it was SANDOZ...and not only does itlook the same, but so far it works the same, and I'm pleased with the $130.00 discount. My Dr. said there should be a geniric that you are able to cut in half, thereby able to wean yourself off slowly.does, or has any one seen or used a patch that you can cut in half?....I have a feeling it's the solid one, but who is the munufacturer of the solid one. I only know of 2 MYLAN, which is not what I recieved, and SANDOZ which idid recieve from LONG's Drugs . Are there any other generic'c's I'm not aware of?

I'm in the midwest USA and know of and have tried the following brands:

Brand Name & Origional Version
1. Duragesic

Generic's
2. Sandoz
3. Watson Labs (Same as Duragesic & Sandoz but it has a little tab on the edge which is suppose to help you apply it but in my experience is just another thing to cut into your skin and get caught on something, ripping the patch off)

4. Mylan (Different carrier system, not the gel. Softer plastic and smaller. But I haven't heard anything about cutting them.)

[Timber]

I'm reading a lot of folks who say they find that one brand or another doesn't seem to to absorb as well when they switch from another brand.

It has been my experience that this will happen with any of the brands. As if it takes a few days for your body to adjust to the different delivery system. I am unable to put my patches anywhere but my stomach most of the time, on those occasions I am forced to put it elsehwere, either because I haven't been able to get Mylan brand for a while, and my stomach is so sore and yeasty I can't bare the thought of slapping another Sandoz or Watson Labs there again, or I'm in a hospital and the nurse over rules me.....Because I use the same spots often, I've found that when I do switch, even if it's the same brand, I have trouble the first few days. I don't have any clue if this is the case, but it's almost as if blood vessles move toward the surface of where you normally where your patch, making absorbtion easier. Suddenly change to a completely new place, and it's as if you have to wait until the area becomes 'trained' to it.

It's been the same way with new brands, in my exprerience, especially when I'm forced to switch back and forth between mylan and sandoz/watson. If I've been on mylan for a while, and for some reason can't get it, and forced to use one of the other 2 generics, I have break through for several days, until my body adjusts. Then I go through it again when I switch back to mylan.