Just a corner lifted up. Does that ruin the effectiveness of the patch?
What happens if my butrans patch gets wet underneath from the shower, is effectiveness ruined?
Question posted by Cookwheeler on 9 Sep 2013
Last updated on 28 September 2023
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
6 Answers
Official Answer
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Nov 2, 2020.
Butrans skin patches contain buprenorphine, an opioid pain medication. They are used for around-the-clock treatment of moderate to severe chronic pain that is not controlled by other medicines.
The patch is designed to cope with water from bathing or showering. If a patch comes off before you are due to change it, do not try and re-attach it, use a new patch instead.
Cookwheeler
10 Sep 2013
Thank you. I was recently (2 yrs ago) diagnosed with rhumetoid arthritis and finding pain management has been a tremendous struggle. The 20mg patch is working great but only for the first 4-5 days. 7 days is laughable but changing too soon leaves me short 4-5 days on my script. I have a script for 2 hydrocodone a day but I desperately need those in the morning just to get out of bed. Any suggestions?
obl0503
12 Aug 2014
I'm on butrans and was having this issue. My dr prescribed me to replace them every 5 days. The trick is to get 2 boxes one month and 1 box the next, that way you have 6 patches every month since the store won't open a box. Hope this help.
MeggieGirl
17 Sep 2015
I would say you need to put on a new patch and then, after applying the fresh new patch, put a Tegaderm over it... Butrans was a short-lived experience for me before I switched to the sublingual pill form. It has a half-life of a day and a half, and I take it twice per day. I went from ten of the Butrans to four of the sublingual overnight, and was so scared that my pain would be out of control, but it was better controlled than ever before. That's how I've maintained the last two years or so. I also split the pill into smaller segments in case I needed to take a small dose mid-day.
Robyn7903
6 Nov 2015
They don't give me enough to just use a new patch then they won't last!
MeggieGirl
6 Nov 2015
*When* you apply a new patch, put a Tegaderm dressing over it.
Robyn7903
6 Nov 2015
I'm going to get some right now ty.
MeggieGirl
6 Nov 2015
Just make sure that you maybe take a unopened Butrans with you to the store so you can compare it against the different sizes of the Tegaderm. I don't care what anyone in the store says I pop open those boxes and have taken the Tegaderm out to look at it. The boxes are really easy to open. You want to buy a size of Tegaderm that allows you to have sufficient margins around the sides. It's unfortunate that the Tegaderm is on the more expensive side, so you're more inclined to buy the smaller and cheaper ones, but if you think about it they're not just like simple Band-Aids, they are breathable membranes that will help you potentially keep your patch on more securely and help you manage your pain better. If you have a pay flex account these bandages are covered. When I'm referring to the margins what I mean is that you need a bandage that allows more than 1/4 inch around the sides, bigger than the patch, because otherwise it really just won't stick.
It will curl or lift. You want something that is maybe an inch wide on all sides around the patch, then you should be good to go.
DM_Mc
17 Dec 2015
Many intractable pain patients aren't RX'd enough patches, (either Butrans or Fentanyl), in a month to allow for the use of another patch, or to properly relieve pain, to reach a decent "quality of life" degree.
If one falls off, it's a long, rough month.
I had to switch from a "Pain Specialist" to a GP, who is paranoid about RXing pain medications, & he cut me back to 1/3 the amount of Fentanyl patches I was using, which was the amount I needed to get decent pain relief.
I have to put 2 patches on, (instead of one), & continue to wear the old patches, after adding another patch, & taping them on, as long as possible, in order for my RX to last a month. I'm not suggesting it's the right/best way to go, but if you want to have a life worth living, sometimes you have to "tweak" things a little, unfortunately.
MeggieGirl
17 Dec 2015
That is outright agony! I SINCERELY recommend you consider the one I talked about above, but in sublingual form only. It works MUCH better for me than anything, and I have tried it ALL; maybe because of the thirty-six hour half-life. Consider looking into it. It can be prescribed *specifically* for pain mgmt (it also helps people trying to quit the REALLY strong illegal stuff), but like I said, Dr. can put on the bottle "for pain" and that can help you with any feelings of stigma.
Cometome
14 June 2020
It doesn’t stop the effects but it could keep it from sticking
rdaniels76
17 Sep 2015
I was on the Butrans patches for about a year. They still work, but don't last as long as they should. They always "ran out" around day 4 or 5. (I could feel the difference in the effectiveness) no matter how hard i try to keep it dry, it would get damp sometimes. The only time the patch worked the full week is when i was hospitalized and couldn't take a shower. Hope this helps..
sara12345
18 Sep 2015
I'm wondering if you might try putting the temperature down some when you shower. That's because they warn against taking hot baths, sunbathing, saunas, heating pads, etc. or overdoses can happen. I'm thinking that you may alter the dose when you take hot showers and then run out sooner than you would otherwise. Good luck.
22yrconstantpain
27 Oct 2013
One possible way to deal with that is by using a specific kind of medical tape, and putting it on the top and bottom of the patch, but NOT over the medicated area at all. If you are worried about it getting wet at all (I kinda am. The main ingredient in it is water soluble.) then you can place plastic over the entirety of it, and then place tape around the edges of the plastic wrap. Not sure if it needs too be a specific kind of plastic, but its what I have started to do. Just started the patch yesterday though.
coridavi
26 Nov 2013
Check with your pharmacist about putting plastic over the entire patch. I think there are special covers you can get to cover them that allow the patch to"breathe". Plastic may not allow for this and i could be wrong, but i think it affects the absorption of the medicine.
Miss Nikki
24 July 2014
Tegaderm tape saves my life. The insert says if you try taping just the outside and like with me it didn't work and you want to cover whole patch with tape that you should use clear tape. Tegaderm is about $6 for 4 where I live but today my pain Dr gave me some for free after I got done getting my injections. Maybe yours will have some for you to try.
stcyrbl53
28 Sep 2023
I too use home plastic wrap, doubled up, to protect my pain patch when I shower. I seal the edges with some medical tape I had on hand. I remove this after I dry off.
sara12345
10 Sep 2013
If it's just the corner, there should be no problem since the medicine is about 3/8s of an inch in from the edge. Showering has never been a problem for me. If you're having a problem with the duration of the patch, are you placing it on your upper arms, just under the collar bone or the top of your back as shown in the directions? That's what my pharmacologist told me would give me the highest absorption. I myself cannot tolerate them in those areas except my upper arms. And you cannot place them in the same location for 4 weeks. So I place them on my upper legs. The patches work great for me for the whole 7 days and I can even keep them on an extra day sometimes to eventually store up more patches--:) Sorry that you're having problems with them. The Butrans patches have mostly kept me out of the ER. What a god send for me.
Cookwheeler
11 Sep 2013
Thank you so very much for the info. I will most certainly try the tip when I change out my patch. It really does work wonders for me so I want to maximize very ounce of medicine out of it! Thanks again and be well.
sara12345
11 Sep 2013
You're so welcome. And be sure to really press on it for about 20 seconds or more so that it will adhere as much as possible. BTW, not to scare you, but when I asked about getting off of it, which it turns out that I don't need to, my doctor told me that I would suffer with chills, fevers, nausea and vomiting. I told him that I could tolerate all that, but asked if I would probably get severe migraines, which is what it treats for me. He said, yes, probably. He said that I would need to go to a Detox clinic to get off of it. No matter to me. It is worth staying on it.
Miss Nikki
24 July 2014
I was reading through this looking to see if there was any info I hadn't learned before. I just started my 3rd month on butrans. I found the tip about the upper leg a to be a very useful tip since I only have two application sites that is usable for me. I use tegaderm tape. I used to work in nursing homes and we used them for certain wounds. Come to find out butrans recommends that particular tape. The patches never stay stuck on me as well as regular medical tape but tegaderm stays on much longer than necessary so now I will finally have a full month now! Really excited about the whole upper leg thing. Thanks! Before butrans I was having to take 2 of 4 norco in the am to get outta bed and the other two as late as I could and hope my Lunesta kept me asleep all night. After so many years all I can say thank the universe for my new dr!
sara12345
24 July 2014
Did you mean that you keep the Butrans patch on for a full month? They are only supposed to be good for 7 days. Yes, you probably don't get the full impact of the patches on the upper legs, but I haven't noticed a difference. If you have any other problems with the patch, let me know. I had itching, but my new neurologist found a solution. Good luck.
Miss Nikki
24 July 2014
No. My first two months I was short one week a patch because one would fall off. I left my last one on last month for a couple of days longer due to being out and my pain management Dr won't replace any "lost" medications. So now that I found the tegaderm tape I will be able to use all four pathese with no worries of being short because I know that each one will stay on four rhe full 7 days.
Miss Nikki
24 July 2014
By the way you said you have itching... I do to that is why my first month on it o last the 2nd weeks 0 arch. I accidentally scratched it off. Lol. What did your neurologist suggest since it is still quite itch for me?
sara12345
28 July 2014
He wrote me a prescription for Fluticasone Propionate nasal spray, but you put in your skin where the patch is go on. Let it dry, then apply the patch. Works wonders.
sara12345
28 July 2014
I meant put it ON your skin, not in your skin.
DM_Mc
17 Dec 2015
The nasal spray works wonders!
I used to get nasty, red, cuts & marks from the original Fentanyl patches, until I tried the nasal spray trick!
sara12345
18 Dec 2015
Yes, it's a little known fact. My first neurologist didn't know about it and referred me to a rehab specialist who was going to try it by mouth. Fortunately my next neurologist did know about it and said that taking it by mouth might likely have caused irritation to my mouth. Plus the rehab specialist didn't know what dose to give me. He said that it was experimentation to find out!
Kaps77
26 Nov 2016
Just a corner of my patch is also coming up. I put a piece of Johnson's Hurt Free tape on just that corner. Do you think that would be safe & effective in keeping the rest of the patch from coming off?
Kaps77
26 Nov 2016
Just a corner of my patch has started to lift off. I reattached it with a piece of non-absorbent tape to keep this corner from spreading. Is that safe? I've read that the medication is in the center of the patch, my problem is just with a corner. Thanks.
Inactive
10 Sep 2013
I am on Fentanyl patch and deal with the same thing. After a day or 2 the patch starts to curl up around edges, but as long as the biggest part of patch is attached, you will be fine. Here is an idea I read on here and it really makes a difference. Placing the patch on upper inner thigh. Rub your hands together to create heat and lay on batch till heat disappears. In this area, the patch does not curl, and is seen by very few, not that we have to hide anything. I was sceptical, but it works very well. The higher the better. Absorption is good and as close to the heart as if you put on upper arm. I was shocked at the difference.
Cookwheeler
27 Oct 2013
Did you try the Butrans patch before the Fentanyl patch? I developed an allergy to the butrans patch after about 10 weeks which is a huge bummer because it was really working. Now I wonder if I should try the fentanyl patch. My dermatologist confirmed is was a "developed allergeric reaction" to something in the patch but couldn't pin point what without a bunch of testing. Thoughts?
DM_Mc
17 Dec 2015
I also use Fentanyl patches, & have the same problem. I used to wear them on my lower abdomen, but was advised to put them in as low a body fat area as possible, & I started putting them on my near center on either side of my backbone, mid-back. I lean forward a bit, when applying them, to give them a little "slack", so they don't pop off when bending down. I lean on a heating pad on low for about 10 minutes after applying them, which helps too.
Also, you can buy large plastic stick on covers at some pharmacies, which helps them stay on better, & seem to help them last longer also.
K6sister
6 May 2017
I have used both Butrans 20's & Fentyanyl patches 75's. The Fentanyls work much better for me and I rarely have to take a pain pill for breakthrough pan. With the Butrans patch I still had constant pain and was having to take more pain pills.
Related topics
pain, chronic pain, butrans, patch
Further information
- Butrans uses and safety info
- Butrans prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Butrans (detailed)
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