Originally Posted by Spiney95

I started out with the reservoir patches and tried two different brands before switching to the endo brand matrix patch. We sure are all different. Have a great day.

Spiney

It's ok to swap between different manufacturers of patches provided they are always of the same format ie reservoir or matrix. What isn't OK is to be swapping regularly in an unmanaged way between reservoir and matrix parches because their method of action is completely different and so are the dosing rates. its one thing to have a managed changeover that is planned and considered by your doctor but to just get whatever format of patches the pharmacy have that week regardless of what you had before isn't safe with fentanyl patches.

The drug has a very long half life so it stays in the body sometimes in large amounts for very long periods and any overdose with patches can be very hard to treat. Whipping the patch off isn't any help because so much of the drug is already sitting in the fatty tissue under the skin.

The matrix patches are virtually impossible to abuse unlike the reservoir ones which are prime targets for abusers who cut the patch and suck out the drug so it seems only natural that patients and pharmacies would be safer dispensing more of the matrix ones going forward. On the streets it is called synthetic heroin so that gives an idea of its abuse popularity!