Bad fentenyl reaction
 

If anyone has had experience with fentenyl patches, I'm having a terrible reaction to the thing.

I put it on Saturday morning and - sorry to share so much info here - started vomiting about the 24 hour mark, along with vivid, harsh dreams, and a pretty shaky mental state. I took the patch off after this first day; it was to be a three day patch at 25mg.

It's now Monday afternoon, and I still feel awful - still nauseous/vomiting, mentally a wreck.

Any suggestions or similar experiences?

-- Dennis

What did you mix with it in the way of medications? Or alcohol? Does your doctor know of this problem?

Billye

If you have not been on oral opiates first..and rather high
doses, adjusting to fentanyl is very difficult.

Also some people have a problem metabolizing this drug.
Typically it can take 3-4 days to get up to speed with its blood level.

Do not apply heat or sun exposure to the patch..the drug will
be absorbed more quickly then.

There is a 12.5mcg size...perhaps that would be best to start with.

There are patients who experience dysphoria on narcotics.
If you are one of those, you may not do well with this drug.

I had a bad reaction to fentanyl patches (can't remember the dose) mostly to do with mood. No improvement in pain control after about three weeks, so gave it up.

Have you called.....
 

Your doctor's office? Phone call is cheap.
Also web up prescribing information for this med.... look very closely at the 'side effects' and 'rare side effects' aspects of this fine print!
Each of us is different in our reactions, and you mite be having a mild to severe reaction... Call. As I said It's cheap to call and ask!
Pain relief isn't worth the hassle at times. Been there myself.
Let us all know how you are doing - j

I've not been on any oral opiates before, and, as you say and I've found out, adjusting to fentenyl is indeed very difficult. My doctor got the message to me through his office, and that next time we should start with the 12.5. And the pharmacist at my CVS was rather knowlegable on opiates and fentenyl.

I've taken an anti-nausea script from my doctor (which I've left in the car and can't recall the name), along with periodic lorazepam.

Still a little shaky, but better than yesterday.

-- Dennis

Wow, Dennis. Fentanyl carries a warning clearly now for doctors.

NOT to use in opiate naive patients!

It always amazes me that doctors don't read the letters sent to them by the FDA regarding safety issues!

It may be then, that fentanyl is not a good choice for you, Dennis, at this time.

Please be careful. If you choose to try the 12.5 version, and become ill, quickly remove the patch. Fentanyl can depress the respiratory center in the brain.

Really was serious
 

I really was serious and didn't mean to be offensive when I asked what other drugs (even aspirin is a drug) you were taking with the patch. Also even one to 3 sips of wine is too much for someone who has certain conditions and isn't used to either the wine or the patch. My heart speeds up under these conditions. Medications affect each of us differently.

You don't know me, I've been absent for awhile due to certain events in my life, but the old group knows me well and knows I didn't mean to insult. I was trying to help. I have a lot of knowledge about medications and neuropathy related to Sjogrens Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis and now RSD. So I truly was trying to help.

I'm glad you are feeling better and I hope it continues.

Billye

[QUOTE=Silverlady;515903]I really was serious and didn't mean to be offensive when I asked what other drugs (even aspirin is a drug) you were taking with the patch. Also even one to 3 sips of wine is too much for someone who has certain conditions and isn't used to either the wine or the patch. My heart speeds up under these conditions. Medications affect each of us differently.

You don't know me, I've been absent for awhile due to certain events in my life, but the old group knows me well and knows I didn't mean to insult. I was trying to help. I have a lot of knowledge about medications and neuropathy related to Sjogrens Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis and now RSD. So I truly was trying to help.


I had to go back and read all the other posts to see who was offended. It certainly wasn't me - I never said anything about it.

I was happy to receive your reply...

-- Dennis
I'm glad you are feeling better and I hope it continues.

????
 

I don't see any indication of anyone being offended either!

Sometimes when a person reads several posts in a row, they can sort of get mixed up. (it has happened to me, I know! ;) )

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.

pain patch kills
 

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