Gosh this really peeves me....fentanyl is for the 'conditioned' patient....like me...you have to be on other substantial opiated or you will just about croak on your first patch....Docs like fentanyl as they have a lot of control over it. There is now a 12.5mcg....most docs go to 25mcg, but usually not until a patient is on substantial opiates.

I was off all opiates for a while, trying to control my pain with another poison, Darvon, (yes, that is off the market now I believe--cardiac damage)....anyway, I went on fentanyl from that, thinking it would be fine....AAWWWK....was I sick.

I first had to take oxycodone to take fentanyl.

I have also gone backwards off fentanyl and it can be done. (Had to try that in case of Armageddon and I could not get my patch.... )

You may find a difference in patches, the embedded plastic versus the ones that contain fluid. I was given either or depending on what the pharmacy had, and I went thru withdrawal on imbedded ones. It took me a while to figure out why I was getting sick off and on.

Watch it with warm weather as well....sun beating down on you, temp goes up and so does absorption.

Once on fentanyl, it should work OK for you. It utilizes the 3A4 enzyme pathway in the liver. It has a 17 hour half life. There are charts on the net, which give you conversions of fentanyl to hydrocodone to oxycodone etc.

I absolutely hate being on pain meds....I also hate being sick and in pain.

I manage now with a low fentanyl dose and a different opiate for breakthru. I can't take too much of a dose or the old autonomic system goes on the fritz.

Hope that helps. It was likely NOT the patch but the prescriber.