arnoldbk,

I am tellling you...it really is probably those patches! Some people don't have the sweating problem though. But, boy, I sure did and BAD! I am post menopausal and sometimes have night sweats. But this was something else...exactly as you described. Now that I have weaned off and am much lower on the Vicodin those horrible spells have subsided a great deal. It was absolute misery. Even the hot flashes from menopause weren't as bad as this. I wish you well with the tapering and hope the docs can find a better med.