Opioids Fent patch

[xtcgrrrl]

Hi, I have the opportunity to try a fent patch to manage my pain. I intend to use it THERAPUTICALLY, not to get high. I currently take oxycodone 5 mg 3-4 times a day. I was thinking of using a 25/mcg patch to manage my pain. I can pull it off if it gets to be too much and reapply later if needed, right? The reason I'm thinking of using this patch is because I recently had a terrible bout of the stomach flu and I was laying on my back for DAYS, nearly a week solid, and this has been TERRIBLE for my back pain (still recovering from back surgery and now that I'm back on my feet I'm very overworked and I need some extra relief.) I don't mind if I feel A LITTLE high off the patch but I don't want to be completely loopy as I have children to take care of. However, I do have help from my in-laws and if I end up nodding off they will just assume it's from the flu that I'm still recovering from. I know my children will be taken care of no matter what, it's just that I'd prefer to be able to do it myself. But my pain is preventing me from doing as much with them as I'd like to. Please let me know if you think this is a good idea or if I should try something different to cope. I'm already using as many non-drug pain remedies as I can: hot baths, heat and cold, massages, NSAIDs, my back brace, a wedge cushion to sit on, etc etc. thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Mr.Scagnattie]

What did your pain doctor say?

 

[5StarSquatHotel]

She does not understand Russian so she would not know -joke

What did your pain doctor say?

 

[xtcgrrrl]

Mr Scagnattie, my pain doctor is conservative in prescribing pain medication, as she should be. However I also tend to be the type who doesn't speak up for themselves, because I'm afraid of getting that black mark of "drug seeker" stamped on my medical records. So all I do is complain about how much pain I'm in, and she listens, nods her head sympathetically, and prescribes me the same thing every time. I usually do ok with what she gives me. I don't tend to take extra because I don't want to run out. I might take an extra if I've had a hard day and then make up for it by not taking a pill when I'm having a "light pain" day. But I've had a hard time because of the flu this month. The pain is really bad. I called her and told her about it and I was going to ask for more medicine because I was in so much pain but I chickened out and just lamely ended up telling her "well I just wanted you to know that this happened and I'm in a lot of pain." So she said she'd see me at my regular appointment. Sigh. It's in a week. I have the chance to get this patch NOW, use it just until the doctor appointment. Still not sure I should do it. My family is already impatient with me for being sick for so long; my husband needs to go back to work and I have to watch the kids.

My point is, I have no idea what dosage equivalent fent is for anything. is 25 mcg a lot? Would it be far too much for me? Or could I cut up the patch? would it work that way? I don't need to feel "good." I just need to be out of bed and functional. Please let me know.

 

[T. Calderone]

If you're not used to fentanyl, it might make you feel loopy. It's pretty strong compared to 5 mg oxy and really a big jump as far as medication goes. There's an equivalence chart here somewhere but fentanyl is so much more potent than what you've been taking. It could also take a while to kick in so you have to be careful about overlapping the patch with your oxy. So if you really want to use this patch, don't take your oxy pills with it. Try not lying down so much today and use the wedge cushion to sit up in your bed or on the sofa. That might help relieve your back pain. Hope you feel better!

 

[xtcgrrrl]

No, not planning on taking oxy and fent at the same time, obviously. The wedge cushion DOES help tremendously! Best invention ever

Having second thoughts about this fent. I want to be pain-free but not loopy. I have an 18 month old to take care of and I can't carry him around if I'm loopy (actually not supposed to be carrying him at all since my back surgery but I'm following all the other rules, not bending, not lifting anything else heavy, but when it comes to my son I can't help myself.)

Thanks for the answers. I think we can consider this thread closed.

 

[Mr.Scagnattie]

Problem is, if you go out and get extra meds on your own off the street, yes they will help your pain... but then your tolerance will get jacked up, and then the meds your doctor gives you legitimately really wont do anything, you see? Getting a fent patch, or any other opiates on your own, is a very temporary solution.. and unless you plan on continuing to sublimate your script with meds from the street (which is a dangerous game), you'll be screwing yourself long term because then you'll really be in pain after your high tolerance and the pills no longer even helping like they do now.

The solution, is to buck up, and sit down with your doctor to explain the situation. If you approach it calmly and logically, there's no reason for the doc to think you are drug seeking. If you keep coming back and asking for more meds, fiending out about it, then that'll be suspicious.. but there is nothing odd about a pain patient requesting more meds because they are in pain. So, just talk to her. Getting extra pain meds yourself is not a solution. It will hurt you in the long run. IE your post considering heroin to treat your pain....

 

[xtcgrrrl]

Mr. Scagnattie, only grief came of my brief experiment with heroin. My husband used my computer for something and read my posts, and now my entire extended family knows me as "that junkie strung out on heroin." I am realizing that a good name is something that cannot be retrieved once it has been squandered.

You make very valid points about tolerance. I guess I am just impatient because I am so TIRED of being in pain. Your advice to speak to my doctor is good, but I guess I'll just have to try and be brave and speak up. I'm not good at confrontation...I'm not really sure I can do that. I'm better at doing things where I don't have to directly ask or speak to someone in order to accomplish my means, you know? Like ordering things online or whatever....

I'm also not known for making the greatest decisions. But that's why I seek the help of an online community...so I can make better decisions....

 

[Mr.Scagnattie]

^^

Hey, most of us aren't known for making great decisions.. hah, which is why we're here. So, if you wanna talk about all the dumb things we've done in life, I can go on all day. I understand if you're the type of person who doesn't like confrontation, etc, but I think you're building up talking to your doctor too much in your head. It's a simple conversation that's all. I mean, isn't it worth it, despite maybe being a little nervous and uncomfortable? You're the one that has to live with your pain, ya know? Just go in and do it. Don't over think it. Afterwards, you'll be incredibly relieved and glad you did.

 

[moxi]

I myself switched to Fent Patch, per Dr, as he thought i needed round the clock pain management. Prior to that I as on 5mg oxycodone 4 times and day and one of the reasons I decided to give this a try is simply because I was tired of taking so many pills and also, I had been taking them, at the time for 7 years. So, switch I did, can't remember the dose, it was the lowest one and I can tell you, it did nothing for me. NOTHING! My back still hurt, psychologically, I guess, I was also missing taking an actual pill and the one thing it did do was drop my blood pressure. I feel like, or it least it felt to me like a demerol experience as opposed to an oxy experience. I also tried NuCynta and it litterally almost killed me, again, demerol feel, but dropped my b/p so low, I couldn't get out of bed. I agree with most, you should go in talk to your dr, tell him what YOU'RE feeling and if you seem nervous, tell him you are. That's what I did. My Dr is fabulous though. As far as getting things outside of proper channels, once you make connections, it's easy, but I guarantee, you will, at some point get in trouble. I was fine for 7 years, then 3 years, it seemed like just one day I woke up and was out of control. Have been struggling every since. Good luck to you. And, remember, whatever you do, don't feel ashamed, your pain med scripts came about legitimately, like most of ours did, in the beginning. Hope this helps, at least a little.

 

[xtcgrrrl]

Just wanted to update this. I ended up doing the STUPIDEST thing I could possibly do, which was trying to move around my bedroom furniture because we have mice and my in-laws (with whom I live) decided to put down POISON for the mice, and I needed to clear out all the poison because I have a 19 month old son who might accidentally ingest the poison. (This turned out to be moot, because after I cleaned, they had the housekeeper basically SCATTER mothballs all around the room. And I do mean scatter. I stepped on one. So I found myself in the ER with my son who had EATEN one of them. IMBECILES!!!) anyway, after moving the couch, the bed, the desk, etc, I was in SCREAMING pain and this was finally enough to send me to my pain doc in TEARS. She bumped me up to 10 mg oxy, to be taken 3-4 times a day. Sigh. Decided against fent patch. If taking pills becomes too much of a hassle, I'll ask about a very low dose fent patch. But REALLY, this can't go on. I have ZERO support from my family and I am expected to cook, clean, and take care of my three children. (Cleaning: just my part of the house. My in-laws hire a maid to come clean the rest of the house but selectively not the rooms that me and my children use, which is silly, they are on different floors and EVERYBODY uses those bathrooms, I just happen to be assigned to clean them to save money.) Cooking: I cook for everybody when I cook (not every single day or I'd collapse) and obviously my children are my responsibility but my in-laws are always saying how they don't think we're capable of parenting on our own. Hmm. Anyway, sorry for ranting. I also want to point out that I was switched to 10 mg BEFORE it was time for my 5 mg to be refilled and somehow not one of TEN pharmacies had it in stock. When asked if they could order it they said they could but it wouldn't arrive for many months. My bullshit radar went off and I looked it up. "Don't have it in stock" is what pharmacies are being told to say when they don't want to fill a prescription for whatever reason. It sounds less personal than "it's not time yet."

 

[T. Calderone]

Sorry you're having a rough time over there. That's good you got your prescription raised up, guess you have to wait. The business about your in-laws would piss me off and I would be ranting too. Probably better to use traps because with poison the critters will hide someplace and die. You won't know where til you start smelling them. But it's gotta suck having people scrutinize your parenting abilities.

 

[tricomb]

No you cannot remove the patch if it becomes "too much" and re-apply it later. If it becomes "too much" it is 13 hours too late, as your skin keeps fentanyl releasing and it's effect takes even longer to stabilize, is this your idea or your doctors?

Oxycodone at your dose is not very much, they make 12.5mcg per hour patches that your doctor should give you first if you decide to use fentanyl for chronic pain despite it's extreme potency and the only option left for you over the years thinking long term chronic pain treatment, I bet that you'll wish you'd saved fentanyl for when you get old, because once your tolerant to fentanyl, it's pretty much renders most other treatments ineffective.

 

[crumbyapples]

The fent will absolutely destroy your tolerance. Making other pills into shittles. Have you thought that if the pain meds are making you feel like you can move furniture around it may be to much?

Especially in recovery mode you need the pain to tell you what you can and can't do. Otherwise you risk screwing your back up more?