I've posted several times on these forums the strength of fentanyl as it pertained to heroin and totally agree with Gary in that it commands respect. A few years ago several heroin addicts died of OD when their supplier gave them fentanyl instead of heroin.

My patch has ran dry on me during an HBO dive 30 minutes in to a 3hour dive...I gutted through it but came out of the tank a shaking, sweaty ball of addiction when I got out...thank god for carrying break through meds at all times or I'd have been in real trouble.

I'm still having issues with my lower dosage I think, the last 3 days I've been pretty much bed ridden with exhaustion issues. I'm refusing to pop oxy to give me the lift I used to get from it to function "normally".

I'm trying to get off all the drugs, sleep aides, opiates...all of them really, I hate being chemically imbalanced.

Thanks for all of the input

Eric

According to the Indications For Use, Fentanyl patches have a residual buildup in the blood for around 24 hours so patches can be removed and replaced and a correct therapeutic level maintained. Possibly you are taking too many break through meds? There is a titration formula where the Fentanyl dose rate is increased based on the consumption rate of breakthrough meds. Please do not alter your meds without clearing it with your doctor.

There was also a problem with some lots of patches with the adhesive, causing a low dose rate.

Cancer fatigue is a well known side effect of treatment. And probably only distantly related to your pain meds if you have been on them for a while.

Eric

I hear you loud and clear. Despite my hippie/liberal arts/seminary background and 60s/70s adventures in "better living thru chemistry", I never liked any of the opiates and always found them to mind numbing not enhancing anything. My current condition is only a minor reflection of what you are going thru as I stepped down from the 50mcg patch to the 25mcg and just feel exhausted all the time. Not helped by a infection of "necrotic tissue" from surgery that has put me on antibotics and totally eliminated the constipation issue.
Yes, I find a little pick me up of percocet helps but like you, I am resisting it. Sorry brother that I have no helpful clues or tips or tricks, just empathy and best wishes. You are STRONG enough to work through this tough patch. Again, thinking positive thoughts and sending them your way. Hang in there and keep posting about your progress.
charm

With all of the narcotics I took during and post Tx, I would have LIKED to get a buzz - but it just didn't happen. A funny thing happens when you are getting drugs for pain management - it manages the pain and not much else. Some people talk about getting "loopy" but that's typically when the pain meds are started before the brain chemistry readjusts.

I too was a 60's -70's "better living through chemisrty" person and I was a hippy and lived in Haight Ashbury during the Summer of Love. My world views changed dramatically after my military service in the early 70's.

Charm - they also have a 15 mcg Fentanyl patch to aid with weaning off.

Gary,

With all the talk about the Fentanyl patch on here lately, I went back and tried to find a thread that included PharmGirl. I think it goes back well over a year. I remember learning from her and the other posters, and NOT Dan's doctors or pharmacists, that there is some precautions people should take with the patch when it is hot or they are running fevers. Gary, do you remember the details around that. It was an eye opener for me and I thought it would be good to re-post it.

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PublicHealthAdvisories/ucm048721.htm

Probably not a good idea to wear a transdermal patch in an HBO chamber either.

The above link was in Pharmgirls thread. To find it use the search term Fentanyl, go back 2 years

The only thing any of theses did to me was get me constpated. Fentanyl , percs oxys, none of them did a thing. I have some of about anything stashed or trashed.

Heat (like in a bath, sauna, in the hot sun, can increase the rate at which the medicine is released from the fentanyl patch so that's something to be careful with.

This topic is a fear of mine. I was never on the patch but had the oxy and all sorts of other pain pills. They are very hard to come off of. After my last surgery in February the pain was so bad that those drugs were not working. My family doc actually presribed Tramadol which was awesome. It's not a narcotic but feels like one. It helped more than anythng. Unfortunatley, I still take 1 or 2 pills a day. I feel terribly guilty about this. But, when I'm not taking it I get the restless leg feeling and I can't sit at work or relax. When I pop that pill I can concentrate and feel "normal" just like Eric says. My doc said it's ok if that's all I'm taking, but I feel guilty. Not to mention the Lexapro I still take for my anxiety. I'm starting to ween off of that and that scares me.

Suzanne,
I know that I felt some anxiety when it was time to wean off of the pain meds because, quite frankly, I didn't know what to expect. It was more about the pain returning then the fear of withdrawal or addiction. Anti-anxiety meds are also addictive and require a phase out as well when it's time to quit them.

My MIL has has RLS and there are medications for that. More than likely your RLS is more of a mild symptom of withdrawal, especially if you didn't have it before your Tx.

Withdrawal, even a long phase out will have 2-3 days that you will feel a little shaky and unsettled and that is normal (a mild withdrawal should feel like taking in too much caffiene on an empty stomach). Remember that it is only for a few days, then you'll be done with it. Be sure that you discuss this with your doctor and the two of you should agree to a phase out plan.

Tramadol may be a non narcotic ("narcotic like") but it must be treated as one and has the same contraindications, risks and dangers. Many narcotics on the market today are synthetic and do not contain organic opiates (derived from Opium poppies from "morphine base"), like Morphine Sulphate or Codiene. Fentanyl is a sysnthetic narcotic.

In the words of FDR "There is nothing to fear but fear itself".