Fentanyl for Breakthrough Pain User Reviews

• dug...
• February 27, 2009

Fentanyl "I was in a terrible car accident and kept having chronic back pain. I finally found out I had herniated L4 and L5 in my lower back. I was given so many different medicines by my pain management doctors. Nothing was working, not even the epidural steroid shots, until I was put on Duragesic. I have been on them for 3 years, and I wear two patches. I am on 125 mcg. I was basically almost hopeless until I was put on fentanyl. Now I have never felt better. At 27 and a single mother of a five-year-old, I could not afford to be in the pain I was in. I wear the patches every 48 hours, and I still have breakthrough medicines. I'm thankful for this miracle drug."

• bla...
• December 6, 2008

Fentanyl "This medication was like a miracle for me. I'm on two other narcotics, but they hardly touch the pain. With this, I feel as good as I did 13 years ago before I became disabled. Use responsibly as your doctor prescribes. This is by far the most relief I've ever had."

• Alm...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 12, 2014

Fentanyl "I was prescribed Subsys after being on the fentanyl patch for 6 months, 100 every 48 hours, and as my cancer progressed and treatments happened, which caused more pain, I needed something for breakthrough pain really bad. I would be put down to my knees from the pain and just lay in my bed moaning like a child, but Subsys works within minutes, eases the pain where I can feel it just literally fade away. I'd be in a wheelchair without it, or bedridden."

• Don...
• September 16, 2016

Fentanyl "Used several years ago. I was prescribed the fentanyl patch for 72 hours (3 days). Actiq was prescribed for breakthrough pain. What a Godsend! Finally, research supported that people have differing degrees of metabolism, and my patch was changed to every 48 hours. Still, fentanyl in the patch for around-the-clock pain control WITH the Actiq lollipop-type medication for 'breakthrough' pain was a lifesaver. I was a mother of 3 boys with the severest form of neck, back, and fibromyalgia, putting my pain level off the charts. This med allowed me (after taking a dose of Actiq) to 1) go grocery shopping, 2) take, pick up, and volunteer for a whole hour, 3) cook dinner and go to church, and lastly, 4) participate in activities lasting 1 hour."

• Anonymous
• December 8, 2008

Fentanyl "I have sinus cancer (twice), and I am left with recurring 'ice cream headaches.' The relief from Actiq has been virtually miraculous. It takes effect within minutes, and it doesn't make me feel as medicated as I did with Vicodin. One of the best things about Actiq is that I can regulate the amount of medication to match my breakthrough pain level. I don't have to take a pill, wait 45 minutes, then realize that it isn't working. Take yet another pill, and (another) 45 minutes later realize that I am over-medicated relative to my pain. When my doctor asked me how I was getting on with the Actiq, my answer was, 'Actiq gave me my life back.'"

• pod...
• October 12, 2011

Fentanyl "I have MS, and one of my symptoms is severe pain with muscle spasms. It gets so bad as to completely debilitate me, where I am unable to stand, sit for long periods of time, and walk up or down stairs. This medication is life-saving for me. It has allowed me to return my functioning so that I am mobile again. I can walk up stairs, work out for short periods of time, and live a fairly functional life where I can go to the store, walk around, and attend family functions."

• rsd...
• June 2, 2010

Fentanyl "I'm in the same situation, my insurance stopped paying for Fentora. Their response is that Fentora is used only for cancer patients. If there are more people in this situation, please write. RSD is a terrible illness, in my opinion."

• Anonymous
• January 9, 2012

Fentanyl "I have a type of neuropathy that basically cripples me. I was taking oxycodone for years, but it just made it so I could function. When my doctor prescribed Fentora, it was like a miracle. I can live now, not just get by."

• Pud...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 25, 2015

Fentanyl "I was enrolled in a clinical trial for Abstral 7 months ago. This worked well for me, so my pain doc started giving it to me. Now my doc is being told I am not allowed to use it because I don't have a diagnosis of cancer. I have lupus, fibromyalgia, and rheumatoid arthritis, which are quite debilitating most of the time. If I am not having a lupus flare-up, I'm having a fibromyalgia flare-up, or a RA flare-up, so I never know when I'm going to have a hard day or a good day. I don't wish for cancer, but I do wish the pharmaceutical companies would realize that cancer patients are not the only ones in chronic breakthrough pain. Abstral works well and works in five to eight minutes."

• ano...
• February 8, 2010

Fentanyl "I have used Fentora for breakthrough pain due to RSD, which is a nerve disorder. The medication, when I can take it, makes a huge difference in my daily routine. Unfortunately, the last 2 years, my current insurance will not pay for it, so my family has been paying for it. Initially, we paid $4,000.00/month, which quickly became impossible. I am currently taking 1/4 of my daily dose I should be on. Needless to say, my daily routine now causes me to spend a lot of time in bed, pain, and nonproductive."

• Kos...
• May 9, 2016

Fentanyl "I was given Subsys as a replacement for 30 mg instant release OxyContin. 800 mcg 4x per day instead of 4x 30 mg OxyContin. My usual opiate regimen is 3x 80 mg OxyContin, which has been at this level for 16 years now. Combined with the 4x 800 mcg Subsys, my pain is controlled more than ever has been (since 1990 when it began), but the dosage is so strict that there are times when I have to live with unbearable breakthrough pain for up to 8 hours. Is my pain under control? Yes, but I live with a pain level of 7-7.5 24/7/365. Without Subsys, my pain would be unbearable."

• DPa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 23, 2017

Fentanyl "Four major back surgeries. All failed to relieve severe chronic pain. Dozens of outpatient procedures, nothing worked. Finally diagnosed with severely permanent damage to nerves and discs (three removed, two destroyed) in the sacroiliac and upward area containing nerve and disc damage that cannot be resolved with surgery, "failed back surgery and severe chronic pain syndrome". High natural resistance to opiates since childhood, made worse by tolerance to opiates at a faster than normal rate. During the 20+ years of severe chronic pain, the introduction of Actiq was pivotal. Best things: 1. You control relief level (save rest of sucker for later) 2. Speed! Very fast relief from breakthrough, debilitating pain..."

• Jew...
• May 30, 2010

Fentanyl "I have used fentanyl for about one year for breakthrough pain when using Embeda or 120 mg of oxycodone as the primary medication. Actiq works extremely fast and quickly takes down the pain and related panic. I can also easily moderate the amount of fentanyl by removing the lollipop once pain relief has been achieved, thus avoiding overuse. I do not get the typical drowsiness of narcotics from fentanyl. My only complaint is that it is relatively short-acting and usually worn off at about 2.5 to 3 hours. As a result, I often have to use a less effective medication for breakthrough pain and need to ration the fentanyl."

• amb...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 7, 2013

Fentanyl "Overall, it has been good. I'm on OxyContin three times a day, long-lasting, then Actiq for breakthrough. It works much better than oxycodone, and I don't get sick or loopy from it. However, I do on occasion need to take two lozenges, as my doctor refuses to up either my long-lasting or the Actiq. Don't understand, as I am on very low doses and have been responsibly taking pain meds for more than seven years now. Overall, a very good pain med."

• JRC...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 21, 2018

Fentanyl "I am tremendously grateful for Fentora and the people who make this med possible: the manufacturer, my pain physician, and my pharmacist. I continue to battle esophageal cancer, have had a full esophagectomy and a thoracotomy on each side. This drug works within 2 minutes, doesn’t present any side effects, and allows me to complete many tasks I couldn’t do without this medication. The cost is outrageous; however, Medicare and USPF provide an unbelievable level of support to me financially!"

• Dav...
• September 4, 2014

Fentanyl "My PCP doc had increased the amount of OxyContin I take from 2 to 3 a day when they changed the formula in order to get the same amount of relief. The downside was he said I was maxed out on my pain meds now and took away my meds for breakthrough pain. He suggested seeing a pain management doctor after a car accident that was making breakthrough pain unbearable. The pain doc started me on a P-STIM and wanted me to try the Subsys. With such severe pain, I agreed to it. I will never look back at my decision to try it as it has been a lifesaver for me and will take my pain from a 10 to a 2 very quickly. The only setback I can see is you have to wait a 1/2 hour before you can do another spray."

• Jac...
• October 23, 2014

Fentanyl "Mostly good, but my pain would be worse at night when trying to sleep. I would take a dose, and due to the 20-minute time to dissolve properly, I sometimes fell asleep with it still in my mouth, which over time has done massive damage to my teeth nearby the cheeks in every quadrant of the mouth. The dental work required is in the ten thousand dollar range, which I can't hope to afford. As a middle-aged man who is divorced, this causes problems with the ladies, and I don't blame them."

• Dia...
• September 8, 2016

Fentanyl "I had pelvic surgery from the best uro/gyn surgeon in the Houston area. He royally messed up my surgery, leaving me with pelvic aneurysm. My pain is at 10+/24-7 without meds. I have not found any meds that would bring the pain below a 7 before I found Subsys. My only issue with Subsys is it only lasts 3 hours... never more. My Dr. has me on 800 mcg. He is very careful and will not increase it. Subsys is great... it's just not a free-for-all."

• 22m...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 19, 2014

Fentanyl "I am on methadone for cauda equina nerve pain and CRPS/RSD. If it was not for the Fentora, I would be dead years ago. I needed something to knock out the pain fast, as I have bone-on-bone/nerves in my lower back, no hardware, 2 emergency lamies, nerves entrapped. Opana for breakthrough took too long, I waited as long as I could, 45 min to 60 min. Be on the floor in a ball with shocks every 6 seconds and toes and feet sawed off. Body would jolt. I would take another dose of Opana, and a couple of times I almost woke up dead in my own excrement. The only complaint I have on Fentora is that it is like a sweet tart, and you're not supposed to suck on them. I also have sore areas in my buccal area now."

• lou...
• April 25, 2010

Fentanyl "I was essentially mis-prescribed Actiq when I should have been getting fentanyl patches for my cancer pain. This caused problems with both bolus dosing (transient overdosage) and the build-up of opioid tolerance with the Actiq that have not been nearly as great a problem with fentanyl patches. Other patients may have different experiences; however, for chronic cancer pain, the patches might be considered before the use of Actiq."

• abs...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 2, 2016

Fentanyl "This drug merely gives a feel-good factor and feeling of energy to do things that never happen. It is highly addictive. The withdrawal symptoms are awful, and the NHS do not know how to treat patients withdrawing from this. It should be used at the end of life or for inpatients only."

• Spu...
• December 14, 2009

"Fentanyl is a miracle pain reliever. I suffer from pinched C-6 with nerve damage; hand, arm, face pain, migraines, loss of feeling in certain areas. I also suffer severe pain in my hip and lower legs from an unstable ileum, with loss in certain areas."

• Dee...
• October 15, 2014

Fentanyl "Works for the flares better than the rest of the medicines I've tried."

• leb...
• August 21, 2009

Fentanyl "When on this medication, along with a long-acting pain medication, I feel this helps to wean down my pain levels."

• Dan...
• March 10, 2012

Fentanyl "Fast onset. Works very well for relieving pain. Lasts about 50 mins."