Hi Guys, I am looking for a little advice on getting off the patch. A little history: I have a bladder disease, that after my pregnancy and c-section, became so painful I was unable to get out of bed. I started on Vicodin 3xday which helped, but not much, and after having two consecutive surgeries, My pain meds were upped to 25mcg fentanyl every 72 hrs and 4 10 mg Percocet. My next appt, I was put on two 25 patches. So I started just applying the second one as needed, and the pain just became increasingly worse so I ended up having to put both on at the same time equaling 50mcg. Soon after, I started a daily therapy of bladder installations at home which have reduced my pain dramatically, so now it's time to get off. I am still on 2 patches every other day, so I'm wondering if that is still the same thing as being on 50 mcg? Also, when I reduce the dosage again, should I do 12.5 every other day, or just eliminate the second patch? According to my friend who is a post open heart surgery nurse, I can cut the kind that I have in half without any potential danger because it is not the gel kind. Once I am down to 12.5, do I stop that cold turkey once my body has adjusted? Or is there a way to continue to taper? Maybe I should do 12.5 every other day at first, let my body adjust again, and then take away the second 12.5 for 2 or 3 weeks, then stop? I'm not quite sure how to approach this. If anyone can help me figure this out, I would be greatly appreciative.

Thanks,
Anne :o)

Hi Guys, I am looking for a little advice on getting off of the patch. A little history: I have a bladder disease, that after my pregnancy and c-section, became so painful I was unable to get out of bed. I started on Vicodin 3xday which helped, but not much, and after having two consecutive surgeries, My pain meds were upped to 25mcg fentanyl every 72 hrs and 4 10 mg Percocet. My next appt, I was put on two 25 patches. So I started off just applying the second one as needed, and the pain just became increasingly worse so I ended up having to put both on at the same time equaling 50mcg. Soon after, I started a daily therapy of bladder installations at home which have reduced my pain dramatically, so now it's time to get off. I am still on 2 patches every other day, so I'm wondering if that is still the same thing as being on 50 mcg? Also, when I reduce the dosage again, should I do 12.5 every other day, or just eliminate the second patch? According to my friend who is a post open heart surgery nurse, I can cut the kind that I have in half without any potential danger because it is not the gel kind. Once I am down to 12.5, do I stop that cold turkey once my body has adjusted? Or is there a way to continue to taper? Maybe I should do 12.5 every other day at first, let my body adjust again, and then take away the second 12.5 for 2 or 3 wks, then stop? I'm not quite sure how to approach this. If anyone can help me figure this out, I would be greatly appreciative.

Thanks,
Anne :o)

Anne,

Please list your current dosage of any/each medication as well as route of administration of each. Also will need to know how long you have been taking the medication.


In advance, please be advised: 1) That the prescribing physician should provide a full a complete resolution to your question, and/or 2) the dispensing pharmacist should be able to provide the advice you need. I recommend that you consult with both.

In either instance I believe you are well advised to investigate, understand and compare your alternatives. To that end I/we can assist.

I/we will do my best to refer you to authoritative resources that will allow you to make a more informed decision but cannot advise or recommend a specific action.


Accordingly and in relation to your specific medication Fentanyl transdermal system a/k/a DURAGESIC® CII Fentanyl:

Maunufacuter (Janssen Pharmaceuticlals) web is available here (http://www.duragesic.com/) another official description is available at National Institutes of Health (NIH) (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000151/#) Both being reports of how the drug tested in laboratory conditions.

How does it work in those who actually take it... and what about when you stop taking it? Now you should consider user reports. Some such reports are available at Drugs.com (http://www.drugs.com/forum/drug-information/fentanyl-withdrawal-please-help-me-32998.html) and RxLixt (http://www.rxlist.com/duragesic-drug.htm)

While not possible to make a specific recommendation, I do hope that the foregoing directs you to make an informed decision.