Question/Comment:

I have been prescribed every type of fast acting, controled release and transdermal pain therepy medication known to man. I have MMD (myotonic muscular dystrophy) Duragesic has been wonderful for me. I can manage my pain levels enough to where I can play with my kids and maintain a semi-functional lifestyle. I also have to take OxyIR for break through pain relief. My doctor has found that you can change them out every 48 hours instead of 72 hours. This is for people who are tolerant of the drug and know the side effects and risks pertaining to it. Also, all Duragesic users go today and buy yourself a box of Tegaderm. It can be found at any pharmacy. It is the same adhesive used to hold and seal an IV line. (the clear thin plastic put over the IV site itself) It will hold the patch in place until the next patch is replaced. Also, go for the generics that DO NOT contain the gel. This is where people have had the most problems with accidental overdose. There are manufacturers that market the drug into the adhesive. This reduces the risk of damage to the patch itself and potential damage to yourselves. Hope this helps some of you. I was a Nurse/MedTech for 7 years before I fell ill. Please feel free to ask about your medications. I will try to be of some help to you or will help you find the answers you are looking for.

Answer/Reply:

Please DO NOT adjust your dosages based on my doctors findings. You will need to discuss this with your pain management doctor to see if this option is available for you. Trying to "self adjust" dosing can not only lead to a potential ovedose, but can be a contract breaker between your doctors pain contract they have planned out for you. Use your medications as prescribed! This can help limit the need for premature dosage increases and over dependence. Again, I will try to answer any and all questions I can but, rememberthat your doctor must have the final say to maintain your health and safety.

Question/Comment:

There have been several Law Suits out against this patch. My husband was on this and his body absorbed it so fast and he had sweat issues and other issues as well. This drug almost put him 6 foot under. He tried getting in on this Law suit but since we live in North Dakota the Law firm couldn't help us. He heard of the Suit threw television and in newspapers. So if doctors want to prescribe this med I am like "NO WAY!" My husband has tried many pain meds and other things like shots, accupunture, and chiropractors and became adictive to opiods and on other phsycotic meds that they thought he needed. Doctors kill more patients than pain meds! Like someone said on here, Doctors don't understand pain! My husband has had 8 surgeries for his back: 3 for discs, which the Doctor took one out but never replaced, two stimulators, operations to sew then to his spinal sack and sides. Now scar tissue has grown around bone and presses on nerves not to mention scar tissue hardens. If they were to operate the Doctor said he'd be worse off. He is on Morphine Sulfate and that has helped a lot! Cymbalta doesnt work for his pain but helps depression. I would be very careful using this patch, it is an awful one to get off of and can be dangerous!

Question/Comment:

I have been in considerable Spinal Stenosis and Lung Cancer pain for some time; consequently, a plethora of pain medications have been tried. In my case, I find that almost immediately I can tell whether or not the medication has efficacy. If it does not and/or it has some side effects, I terminate it's usage immediately.
Doctors know too little about pain , at least the majority of them, to insist that continue to try a medication that you as a patient know is simply not for you.
Too bad if it's a bit of trouble for the doctor to either prescribe another medication or adjust the dosage - that's precisely what you need them for. Don't allow yourself to be thought of as 'drug-seeking' or potentially addiction prone or problematic. You're the one with the pain and you deserve all the respect possible as a living, suffering human being.

Question/Comment:

I take fentanyl and it helps I alsotake percoert for the pain but when the time for the patch is do on the third day I know I need to change it. I get antisy or go in to a weird panic it's the same with percoert,But with either I could not stand the pain My doctor wanted to take me off all pain meds so he sent me to pain managrment they wantedn to put me on morphine ,I was in the Hospital am few mounts ago and the gave me morphine and i fliped out on them so i am glad i am not on that,but other than being hooked on what i take i have no other side effects.



Male 56yr.

Answer/Reply:

Been there and done exactly that...lol

Question/Comment:

I had some sort of reaction to this 4 years ago, that ended up making my overall pain much worse, and disabling me.

Has anyone ever heard of anything like this before?

I liked it the first 3 days, and was even thinking of asking the doctor of doubling the dosage, but then I started having some burning pain, (I initially dismissed this as one of my regular symptoms, it was Friday) then on Saturday I woke up feeling like I was about to come down with something, and I had my entire body feel like it was on fire burning from the bones out. I almost ended up calling an ambulance, then it eased up after 4 hours, so I waited, (My 2nd big mistake behind not ripping the patch off after the first sign of trouble) I had some easing of the severe burning for 2-3 hours, then the severe pain repeated, in sort of an on off cycle.
I also experienced, nausea, chills, sweating, and an instantaneous depression, the worst of my life, but I knew it was drug induced.
I told the doctor who just blew me off saying my body just might not be able to handle it, and that I was probably going through withdrawal from my old medication, and placed me on 3 times my old dosage, to which I felt nothing. I was in at minimum 3 times the pain I had been in the first place, only now nothing really helps. I also seem to have developed chronic fatigue like symptoms , where I have to crash after doing a task for anywhere from 30minutes to an hour, I could work 2 hours tops before nodding off.

The depression passed after 3 weeks of me having to rationally convince myself it would disappear, and the burning and fever like symptoms slowly cycled out over the duration of a month, but the decimated stamina, as well as my now constant worsened pain level have been consistent ever since November of 2004 when this happened, I was fired in early 05, and just recently gotten on disability, but I had to go on Medicaid, (now Medicare) and start over with all of my doctors, and none of them believe that I am in the kind of pain I am in.

I don't know what else to do. has anyone ever heard of anything like this where a medication seems to have induced a permanent change in the one using it?

Answer/Reply:

Yes, I was permantly damaged by the drug synthroid. Within a few weeks all of my teeth had loosened, twisted, and fallen out, also darkened later on the surface which I could not remove while still in my mouth!!! I happened to see a television program from doctors telling that there were 5 drugs one should always be aware of when prescribed. I do not remember what the others were for when I found out the synthroid I had started taking was among, I immediately turned all attention to that drug. The doctors told that synthroid (for thyroid) affects all of the body's systems by removing calcium that each system needs to function properly. Then the doctors said that the above tooth lost which I describe could happen. There should have been a huge blackbox warning about this from the manufacturer and the doctor who prescribed this drug to me should have warned me about this and let me decide if I wanted to take the risks. And to top it all off, I've just found out that this synthroid was prescribed to me after the manufacturer had lost TWO CLASS ACTION SUITS!!! MANY THANKS FOR YOUR WARNING AND DESCRIPTION OF SIDE EFFECTS YOU HAD FROM FENTANYL!!!