NeuroTalk Support Groups - Generic Fentanyl-Duragesic Patch

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- - Generic Fentanyl-Duragesic Patch (https://www.neurotalk.org/chronic-pain/519-generic-fentanyl-duragesic-patch.html)

I read your post and can complety understand your delema.My mother is currently on the Generic 75 MG Sandoz patch and its worked the best for her. The Mylan or any other matrix form of fentanyl was horrible for her in comparison the the Generic Duragesic or any of the Gel types. The Mylan kept coming off and another problem with the matrix from her experience was a huge boost after 4-5 hours of putting the mylan on and then within the next day withdrals started already! At least with the Gel Type the pain relief was spread out for a few days. I would just really like to say and I can't emphasize this enough do whatever you can to aviod Methadone! I know two people who have been put on Methadone for pain and one for Oxcicontin withdrawls and other drug withdrawls. the person with Back injury immediatly had more pain ( possble phantom opiate pain) and almost commited suicide while trying to get off of the Methodone becuase of the sever depression and pain she was going through. As far as the addiction problem the person had to go to a clinic once a day to get the methodone after a week of this wit no help at all with the cravings or pain she actually turned to Herion becuae it was cheap and thought she had no other option due to the depression and tremendous let down of trying to get her life together. I nly say this becuase I watched this ruin 2 people who honestly just wanted help. Methadone may be a good option for someone but I have never heard of it being an option for pain relief without the risk out weighing the benifits. Just a thought, as I worry how fast some of these doctors are willing to hand out patches but wont give oxicontin to a person with a real injury thats in severe pain not moderate severe. It's the dealers and addicts that have made it hard for anyone with real problems to get any help. 8-10 Doctors will immediatly suspect most of thier patients are selling the drugs or abusing them. Its very sad. I would just say in my opinion only Methadone should be a last resort.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ragtop (Post 3825)

Thank you for your post Liz,

I do use the Bioclusive covers sometimes, especially when its hot, or
for some reason I have to do some yardwork or anything that makes me sweat, since the patches like to start peeling off in hot weather.
Can't say that I have noticed any difference, but I will try using them all the time, and see if it helps at all.
I've got the feeling that I will just go back to the brand name product, since it is far superior in my opinion.
I have tried to get my doctor to let me try oxycontin, but he refuses to prescribe them, saying that they are too expensive. In reality I think he just wants to stay away from that drug, because of all the bad press it has been getting. He stated that he refuses to buy into the whole deal, the drug companies making far too much money on it, and all the problems it causes with drug addicts. He is a really great doctor, and he will generally give me what I want, with the exception of oxycontin, so I don't push the issue with him. Perhaps he may change his mind now that the generic oxy is out. Besides, have you noticed the price of the patch? My 15 patches show on the pharmacy slip as costing anywhere from $650-750 a month, I can't imagine that the brand name oxy costs that much!
I may ask him to let me try methadone, I've heard it's a really good pain killer, and cheap as well. It's just that after 5 years on the patch, they just don't seem to work as well as they used to, and I have had to have my dosage increased 2 times. I realize that this is probably normal, so that's why I want to change to something else, at least for awhile.
He tried me on ER morphine last year, but he started me at such a low dose, (15mg BID), that I was sick as a dog for a whole week, probably from withdrawal from the patch. I ended up putting a patch on when I just couldn't stand the pain anymore, and I was ok again within 4-6 hours.
I can't imaine putting me on 30mgs of morphine, when I was on a 75ugram patch, with percocets for BT pain. Beside I didn't like the way the morphine made me feel at all, if I took enough to get any relief, then I felt like a hospital patient, very, foggy, sleepy, and groggy. So if that was a preview of the morphine, he can keep it....LOL
I would think a reasonable dose of morphine would have been something like
80-120mgs per day, not the 30 he started me on! I know they always start low on a new drug, but give me a break, 30mg wasn't even woking at all.
I would have asked him for an increase, but just didn't like the drug compared to the fentanyl.

I appreciate you taking the time to answer my post.
I hope you are having a low pain day, I was glad to see the sun today, that means my levels will be down a little bit anyway.

Peace
Rags

Hi, ragtop and others:

Does what you said about weighing Janssen fentanyl patches and Sandoz fentanyl patches apply onlo to patches with a reservoir? What about patches without a reservoir?

I do not trust generic patches. I have several official documents saying that medications, such as fentanyl patches, with a narrow therapeutic range, should not be switched. The documents I have (they are at home) are from the Belgium equivalent of the FDA. There are also other documents, which I will have to look for and find.

I will ask my primary care doctor, if he agrees, to put "Do not substitute" on the brand name fentanyl patches prescription.

What do you think?

Quote:

Originally Posted by kittycapucine1974 (Post 805868)

What do you think?

Hi kittycapucine1974,

I hope you get an answer from ragtop, but the last previous response to this thread was over a year & a half ago....

I think, in part, it depends on the source of the articles. If they are from a company that holds the patent on these medications, or some entity that is $upported in some way by same, I would be wary of credibility.

There are also alleged documents/articles evidencing that generics are not always 100% equivalent to name-brands (n-b), but in general they are pretty close. The figure I've heard is that generics can be as low as 85% as effective as n-b, though I have not personally been able to verify this. (If anyone has specific links, I would appreciate reviewing them.) Some patients do claim to notice differences in some and not in others, and I can understand how/why a pain medication would be more sensitive and noticable than say.... an antibiotic.

What I have not heard of is any kind of safety issue with generics, provided they are legit ones from known approved mfrs.

Doc

Yes I have had the exact same experience with the duragesic patch. It is the only one that works for me like it is supposed to. I had five compression fractures and surgery to straighten the ninety degree curvature if my spine. The Mylan works better than the Sandoz which does not work at all but the Mylan fall off sometimes. Thank goodness I have a smart doctor who gives me 325mg hydrocodone for Bt pain. That is the only thing that works for me. My surgeon actually told me that the genetics are just not the same. I have also had the same experience with many pharmacists and pain doctor telling me that they have never heard that the generics are not as good. Watson is a little better than Sandiz or Mylan if you have to take generic. I am trying to tell the doctors and pharmacists this so as many people as possible can get Duragesic. I am probably going to have to find some other solution since I only have a perscription discount card and my copayment for Duragesic is $450.00 a month(the full price is $650.00).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ragtop (Post 3616)

Greetings to all the familair names here, well.... all the unfamiliar ones too!
I was happy to see this site come up during the dragged out downtime on BT.
A big thanks to the Doc for helping us all out, way to go!!
Also thanks to Bobbi, for letting me know about this site.

Now to the topic.

I would like to hear any comments, or your experiences with the generic
fentanyl patch. I have always used the brand name patch, but recently
they increased my copay to $45 for the brand name, so I find the need to
try the other brands. I first tried the Mylan version, and it didn't seem to work as well as the real deal, so I went back on the brand name, and got better pain control right away. This month I tried the Sandoz brand.
I thought I would get better results, since this brand looked the same as the Janssen, and I have also heard that they were supposedly made by the same manufacturer. On close inspection, it does not appear to have the same amount of gell as the original, and the glue is different, a lot stickier.
The first day I used it, my pain levels went right up, and I had to take more BT meds to compensate. I normally change the patch every 2 days, but find with the generic, there is still a lot of gell left inside, when I change it. With the brand name, there isn't very much left at all after 2 days, that makes me wonder if the absorbtion rate is different with the two. I am taking into consideration that more will be absorbed on a hot day, or if I am exerting myself doing some task.
Has anyone had a similiar experience with the generics?
If this is what they are like, I will gladly pay the extra $40 for the real deal.
I'm sure the generic/brand name thing has been beaten to death in many posts, but I would like some input as far as the fentanyl patch goes.
I am nuts or what? To me there is a real difference with these products.
People may say that since I don't expect them to work as well, then they don't, but I really don't buy that, since the pain I feel is very real, and is very much affected by these different brands.
I realize by law, they must use the correct amount of the med, in my case7.5mgs of fentanyl, or a 75ugram/hr patch. I think the differance might be with the transfer layer in the gelpack, or possible the glue itself, which also has the medecine in it, but may not be transfering as well with the generic.
I have had similar experience with other generic drugs, the biggest one was
Darvocette, I was on them for years, and the generics were total junk.
So, is it me? am I just to sensitive to the changes, or am I not really getting what I pad for at my pharmacy. I wonder how how much testing is done with these products (generic) before they are allowed on the market? Or is more like, since the manufacturer already makes the brand name, its easier to get the generic on the market then, since the testing was already done on the brand name? Making it easier for drug company to slip an inferior product to the marketplace. I'm just saying.....they are NOT the same. :confused:

Peace
Rags

One added note, I love the speed of this site!!
Thanks to the Doc for the extra bandwidth!
BT-BT2 is like the tortise and the hare...:D

Yes, the bigger fentanyl generic patch does not work well. I always had trouble keeping iton. The glue did not work as well as the Brand name. Godd Luck.
Rob

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cemoore33 (Post 839445)

That would be a whopping overdose of hydrocodone. I am thinking that is the tylenol component of the tablet.