Butrans for Chronic Pain User Reviews (Page 4)

• MSt...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 15, 2016

"I was put on Butrans 10 mcg after getting them painful shots. I still had some 5 mg oxycodone, I thought the 7.5 hydrocodone worked better than the 5 mg oxycodone. The patch never worked for me with the 5 mg pill with it, but when the pill was gone a week or so later, I thought I would walk down to the store. I didn't take my cane, and I hurt so bad I just wanted to sit. I continued to wear the patch until my next Dr. appointment. I told the nurse it didn't help my pain, they didn't want to give me a low dose breakthrough pain pill. I told them to keep it, I don't want it if it don't work. Then the next appointment, he does shots again and doesn't write me anything for pain. I thought that was what they're supposed to do: help with your pain!!!"

• Cat...
• March 13, 2017

"I have moderate RA with sacrum fractures due to my low back fusion and hardware. I have cervical fusions as well, with scar tissue and pain. I was taken off my current medication for pain (been on for 6 years) and was put on the Butrans patch 20 mcg/hour. I became very ill, extreme migraines, stomach pain, fatigue to the point I could barely concentrate on anything. I literally felt like I had the flu. After a 2-week period on the patch, it did very little to control my pain and made it difficult to be active during the day. I couldn't take this medication after the two-week period. I do not recommend this medication for people who have moderate to severe chronic pain."

• taa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 24, 2015

"I became unconscious, and somehow showed positive for cocaine. Don't really understand how this can happen. I've never taken 'street drugs.' As a result of the false positive, I can't even get any meds. The doctors are running so scared with all this misuse of painkillers that they won't give it to the ones that need it."

• jjs...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 14, 2016

"I have sacroiliitis on my left side, there's a bunch of stuff going on in my back that boils down to the narrowing of my canal, so there's contact at L5 and S1 nerve roots. I'm 37 years old. The pain started out of the blue upon waking one morning, mid-Nov '14. I'm grateful for this medication because it makes life bearable. I'm able to get in my car. Before this med, I oftentimes had to lift my leg in because it hurt so much. I can grocery shop for 20-30 mins and not feel so bad making my husband do everything. I can cook! My only gripe is that it only seems to work for 5 days."

• hop...
• January 10, 2016

"I have suffered with RA from the age of 5, so for 45 years of pain. I am starting at the lowest dose with good results and limited side effects. Will probably need to incr. dose at the next visit. But finally have some hope for a pain-free day."

• car...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 21, 2015

"I have had spinal fusion, done with 6 discs herniated and a fractured vertebra and a spinal stimulator put in and about 36 injections, but was never a pain med person until I could not walk. So I broke down and took the lightest dose of Percocet 5mg. It worked for me, but after surgery, the pain was really, really bad. So the doctor started me on Butrans 5mg, but it didn't do anything, so I went to the 15mg but got very, very sick, sluggish, unmotivated, just felt lousy, BUT got rid of the pain. I have gone back down to the 10mg and stayed on that for about 6-8 months, but I have just gotten tired of feeling lousy and sluggish, so I went to the Percocet 10mg as I need them, and I have found what works for me. I hope it helped out."

• Wea...
• January 12, 2021

"I had surgery a few months ago, and the nerves in my back legs are excruciating. I can hardly walk without a walker. I really have no quality of life because of the pain. I can’t sleep, it is hard to get out of bed just to go to the bathroom. I'm on the patch, and neither one of them works. I see a pain management doctor, she can’t understand why they’re not working, so I don’t know what the next step is. I go back in February to see her. I start physical therapy next week. I sure hope that helps some."

• mom...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 22, 2015

"Fibromyalgia for 16 yrs, also have osteoarthritis. So much pain, I was given 5 Norco, 4 Soma daily. Worked for pain, but wore off at night. Would wake in severe pain and mild withdrawals, Norco only lasts 4-6 hours. Was given Butrans 10 mgs, upped to 15 mgs in 1-2 months. Woke up with no pain, at first!! Was allowed 3 Norco, 3 Soma for breakthrough. Patches wore off often on day 5-6. After 18 mo., wake in pain again. Breakthrough meds not sufficient. Have gained 30 lbs, I sweat until my clothes are drenched with the slightest exertion. I wake 2-3 times nightly, I am exhausted all day. Sleep for 2-3 hours after kids go to school. Side effects seem to have become more of a problem, and pain relief has lessened. Hard to keep patches on."

• Azp...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 30, 2015

"I saw in the comments that someone had an allergic reaction. I thought it was interesting. After 10 weeks of wearing the patch, I developed some itching around the edges. The next week, I had intense itching as if bitten by mosquitoes. I removed the patch and tried one more patch. The reaction started after 2 days, mild itching to a very discrete raised red patch the exact size of the patch. I don't know if it's the patch or the medication, but I will have to discontinue use. Too bad since it really worked well at alleviating my pain at night."

• CPG...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 6, 2022

"These patches don’t work at all! I have suffered for nearly 10 years with pain from osteoarthritis, which has caused numerous severe painful disorders such as stenosis, spondylitis, spondylolisthesis, radiculopathy in both my spine and neck, with painful cysts and bone spurs in both areas along with MS, and I am not even 50 yet. I have tried these patches twice now in the last 2 years, and as another reviewer said, you might as well stick a Band-Aid on. I was started on the 7.5 mcg and told to put on a second patch in a few days if that wasn’t helping. Other than a very bad headache after applying the second patch the first night, I have not experienced any other side effects, and I am so sorry for the people who have. In my opinion, these patches are absolutely useless, and it’s so sad that we all have to suffer. Good luck to all…"

• wil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 9, 2016

"I have chronic Lyme disease, which has caused chronic pain. The doctors have tried just about everything, but nothing seems to help. I was on 125 mcgs of fentanyl with 32 mgs of Dilaudid and still in full-blown pain 24/7. I was detoxed off the fentanyl with Suboxone (not a pleasant experience), and the hope was the Suboxone would address my pain, but it didn't. The doctor seemed to think the BuTrans patch 20 mg might help, so I started on it six days ago. I don't feel a huge difference pain-wise, but I have had nonstop headaches and a total lack of motivation to do even the smallest of tasks. I really don't know if I should continue on it, whether the headaches will slowly subside, or if I should tear the patch off so I don't have to go through withdrawal."

• sev...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 21, 2023

"I have had osteoarthritis lumbar and cervical for the past 30 years with no significant pain relief. I saw a pain management team who at first refused all opioids but was finally prescribed Butrans 5 transfer patch. Remove the foil package and hold the patch in your hands to warm it up for at least 30 seconds. You're warming the glue on the patch up, nothing else. Make sure wherever you're placing the patch has been thoroughly cleaned beforehand. Once it's on, you cannot remove it for 7 days. The intense itching was irritating. I used a back scratcher to gently scratch around the patch. I started to feel sick on day 4, then I had an intense headache. I now have to take an anti-sickness tablet every day to stop feeling sick. I have no pain at all because of this little patch. I can now start to walk a bit more."

• Cla...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 3, 2017

"I was on tramadol for 3 years, and that didn't work. I was also taking Gabapentin for fibromyalgia. I started on the patch, 5 mg, then 10 mg. The 7-day patch helped a little for 3 days, then became very itchy and very sore and gave me an allergic reaction to my skin, raising it, going red and tender for 2 weeks after the patch was removed."

• Sha...
• March 21, 2017

"Honestly, I can't even believe this drug is still on the market. Sure, it may work for a couple of weeks, but after I was on this for 3 months, back ending in about 2012, I had every side effect listed in the brochure. I literally had to stop by the fire station on the way home from the pain clinic because I felt dizzy and like something wasn't right. My blood pressure was 184/142. The problem was it took over 6 months for it to come down, and now it's like 130/85. This medication also turned my urine black, like blackened blood, that smelled putrid. I got off the medication, then heard it was pulled due to a class action lawsuit. Then I just stumbled on this... Wow! I guess if you're going to be on it, I wouldn't stay on for more than a month."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 19, 2017

"I am on this patch, 5 mg, for three weeks. I have been on tramadol for 13 years and maxed out. I am in miserable withdrawal, anxiety, leg cramps, and diarrhea the entire time. So fidgety and miserable, I cannot sleep. MD has nothing to say. Do I quit? I want to forget it and go back on tramadol."

• pok...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 13, 2016

"Just started the 5/hr, a little less than 24 hours ago. Not sure, but think I may be noticing a minimum amount of relief, but bumped up with another 5/hr on my own after the first 12 hours because it is the lowest dose AND checking with pharmacists that know my long history of dosages of narcotics and it being the weekend, so my PM doctor is only available for emergencies. Basically, my fibro muscle pain feels slightly less but has not touched my back, neck, knees, or nerve pain YET. I am hoping, though, since it is early still, according to other readings on here. I have nothing to use for breakthrough, so I'm really missing the 30-60 mg total daily intake of oxycodone that this is supposed to replace with better results. Noticed bad NAUSEA! Jittery the first 1-2 hours when applied."

• Tra...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 22, 2016

"Patch worked great at first. Now I'm on the 20 mcg, and the itching is killing me. Now I am having a hard time urinating after being on this patch for over 3 years. Guess I will have to be in pain again. Don't get me wrong, at first, this was amazing, but it's just not giving me the relief I need. Had to start using more breakthrough meds."

• Bel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 14, 2019

"Unfortunately, I had to give this medication a low rating because before I could wear the patch long enough to see if it would begin to help my pain, I broke out in a bad rash in the location where I had the patch. It took probably about a week after removing the patch for the rash to clear up, and my doctor ended up switching me to Belbuca instead."

• cla...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 26, 2016

"Works most of the time, but I still take Tylenol 3 for breakthrough pain. Works better when placed on the upper body. Tried it on legs and butt and had lesser effect. Worst part about Butrans patch: the plastic medication patch is square. It digs into your skin. By day 2, I start to itch from the jabbing. When I remove it, I have 4 puncture wounds from each corner. Make it round!"

• rjj...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 6, 2017

"I suffer from RA 34 years, chronic head pain 48 years, nerve pain 10 years, and diabetes 23 years. I have been taking pain meds since I was six years old. The 1000 mg metformin I took twice a day almost killed my kidneys, leaving me with only 50% kidney function. This caused me not to eliminate a large dose of morphine I take and almost killed me. Now I cannot take any pain meds metabolized in the kidneys at all, scary I know. So last week my PMD put me on the 10 µg Butrans patch. It doesn't seem to work for me at all. I can feel the drug in my body because of a constant stomach ache since the day after putting on the patch. Now, actually, my state is worse than before the patch."

• All...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 4, 2021

"I had a bone spur operation in Achilles’ tendon in September 2020. Still have chronic pain in heel bone. NOTHING takes pain away. Can hardly walk now. Have a new bone spur in the other heel. Achilles’ tendon pain is more than chronic in both heels. Dr gave me a 5 mcg Butec patch, then 10, now on 15 mcg. They have done nothing. Pain is excruciating."

• Moi...
• April 3, 2016

"Woke up early in the a.m. 36 hours after applying a 5 mcg patch on a Sunday for the first time; knew it had kicked in. Thereafter, pain relief so-so. By Thursday, definitely not impressed. Pain doc's office said it was OK to take hydrocodone 'as I had been' prior, and the patch at the same time. Don't think I want to spend the rest of my days out of a hot tub, doubtful that I will renew this Rx after one month. Some constipation."

• Nj ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 15, 2016

"I switched from 15 mg methadone for my chronic pain to a 20 mcg Butrans patch 2 days ago. I was sick of taking pills every day, and I liked the idea of a patch. I wouldn't say I got a buzz from the methadone, but it definitely helped my pain, and it gave me a little kickstart. I've worn this patch for 48 hours now, and I have had a horrible headache and stomach pains since I started this. The pain is under control, but no 'kick,' and the headache is miserable. Going to try something different next week with my PM :("

• Joh...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 7, 2017

"So I started Butrans Thursday noon, and currently, it's 48 hours I've been on 7.5. I could feel it trying to help my chronic pain, but it just doesn't seem strong enough. I'll need to see about a higher dose. Otherwise, I've had no, not one side effect. I sleep great, but the stronger dose will be necessary for my morning pain. I worked Thursday and Friday with some relief, and I wasn't limping quite as much. The breakthrough med, tramadol, doesn't do squat for me. I feel the patch is a good fit for me. I just need a higher dose. I'm actually bored not having to take pills all the time. Thanks!"

• Tin...
• June 24, 2021

"After 32 years living with fibromyalgia and exhausting medications, I was sent to pain management. Placed on the lowest dose and had immediate relief the first time in 32 years. I no longer take any medicines. My cocktail usually was one drug to counteract the side effects of another. Until finally, the scenario got really out of hand. Due to a rash that I've had since 2007, I was taken off at my next visit and put on Buccal. That was a nightmare with extreme sweating to the point of dehydration. I stopped and was put on 10 mcg Butrans. It started causing sweating and mid-back pain. Not sure if it's the Butrans or that it's the higher dose. Removed, and after 2 days had to go back on. Bottom line, if you have fibromyalgia, I highly recommend giving it a try. I'm waiting on my next visit to lower the dose and hopefully get rid of this sweating. Being out of pain and able to sleep and enjoy life again is worth everything. Wish I had known about this somewhere in those 32 years."