[star101]

I was in a car accident and have had titanium put in my body to hold parts together. The pain was getting too much so the doctor put me on fentanyl patch 75. I took without asking questions and now 2 years later I realize you should always ask about medications as now I find if I don't put the patch on I start getting real sick. The doctor wanted to strighten my dose since the dose I was on was not working as well. I want to get off the patch but now I am panicy as when I tried to stop taking on my own got very sick. If I stay on the patch eventually it will not work as it is I am changing the patch every 48 hours. My doctor is good and caring but when I mention stopping the medication he does remind me of how bad the pain was before I started the patch and I know he is right but as I told him maybe the pain won't be as bad now and I don't like living with the medicine controlling my body (by that I mean if I don't take will get sick). Does any one know how long it takes for your body to a just to going without the fentanyl? My doctor has also mention trying another type of medication but it is time released which can be a good but I will still be in the same position. Please if anyone has had experience with this medicine tell me what to expect when I reduce it and how long the sickness lasts for? Also if I just stop how lnog will the sickness last for or can that hurt my body stopping altogether.
I know I wrote a lot but as you can see I don't know what to do, I hope someone will answer my questions will check the board later. Thank you for any input,  Star

[brad platt]

Im not sure what it was that I heard but it wasn't good sorry I can't rember what it was but you should check around about those patches

[N0help4u]

Fentanyl is not good.
What is the other drug he would switch you to?
I am thinking it may be something you could wean off or quit easier than the fentanyl
So maybe making the switch would be best in the long run.
You should never just quit any medication without a doctors help.

[GingersMom]

I have been taking fentanyl 100 mcg, changing the patch every 48 hours. The patch was intended for change every 72 hours, but I found that I was not getting adequate pain coverage on that third day, so my doctor changed it to every two days. I have been on this med for about 4 years. It is stated in the prescription information that this med is about 80 times stronger than morphine. So, right off the bat, you know you are dealing with something pretty potent. As far as weaning off the medication, I feel sure it is possible, but you would need to taper the medication SLOWLY so as not to experience any more 'withdrawals' that necessary. The sickness you describe is withdrawal sickness, and is present anytime a person addicted to a opiate tries to stop too soon. If you are serious about tapering down the medication, your doctor will probably prescribe some supporting medications to help lessen the feeling of the withdrawal sickness. Be extremely careful when using this medication, as there have been many ACCIDENTAL overdoses using Fentanyl. Also, be careful in how you handle the patches, as anyone that touches the medicated side of the patch will absorb some of the medication, and those not opioid tolerant could overdose with just a small amount. Also, if you have pets, make sure you dispose of your used patches properly, so that you don't have a mishap with an animal ingesting something that would kill them. Whichever way you decide to go with the med... I wish you the very best of luck.. I know where you are coming from. There is an incredible amount of stigma attached to these meds, even for those who are not junkies, but have to take something like this in order to survive. Some days, the medicine is almost as bad as the pain it was to help prevent. It's a tough situation. You are in my prayers.