Bad fentynyl 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. Real shaky. 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

I have NO experience with fentenyl patches, other than to know my doc wouldn't give them to me.

Your time, L.A. You should still have time to call your doctor, Have you done that?
That's the First thing I'd do!
(if you can't get the Doc, try the pharmacist)! Make sure there's not something more going on!

Obviously, discontinue use. Read the labeling that came with the drug!

Dennis,
It seems that you're going to need to find something else to help you!

You'll get more answers soon....
I was just popping in!

Hope you feel better!


Pete
asb

Hi,
 

When I tried them, I was sick after 6 hours with one on. I tried several times to wear them and couldn't. Strong stuff.

Ada

Hey Dennis,
I hope you followed Pete's advice and called your doctor. It sounds like you may be having a reaction to the patch. You may be dehydrated from the vomiting.

I tried this patch early in my quest for relief and I had a similar reaction.
Call your doctor!!

Take care,
Sherrie

Thanks for the reply. I called my doctor, and I got a script for Zoma (?) for nausea.

For how long after did you feel bad when you tried the patch?

I was put on the patches by a neuro while I was still a wc case. OMG! It made me soooo sick. It's been over 5 years now, but I think it started for me around hour 12. I couldn't eat, drink, nothing. I have never in my life felt that bad. It went on for 2 days or so and I called the doctor. I was given instructions to fold the patch over so only a small bit was on my skin. About 12-24 hours later.....like night and day. I was back to my old self with no more sick feeling! That was nice. Ever 3 days when I put on a new patch, I would inch it up a little so that a bit more was in contact with my skin. It took close to a month to work up to just putting the patch on with no folding.

Everyone's body is different in how it rids itself of medication in the body. It sounds like with you still feeling so horrible, yours is slow to rid itself. You should start feeling a lot better really soon.

He took me off them 2 months later to, in his words "See if your pain is better now." ROFL Yeah, sure it is! *shakes head* Whatever, I began folding them again going backwards until I was "off" them. Just like weaning off pills. I felt slightly sick the whole time I was on the patch anyway and didn't like that. It was a good thing work comp was paying for them because they are wayyyy to expensive to get on my own.

I didn't know until after I settled my case that you should not be put on the Duragesic patches for pain relief until you have taken other pain meds for some time. For example, having taken vicodin, perc, oxy, etc and you find they are not working any longer and you need a stronger pain medication. Fentynal is 80-150 times stronger than morphine! This is not something a doctor should give to someone who has taken next to nothing for pain meds. That was my case. The only meds I had been given to that point were 7.5 lortab for 2 months and 5mg vicodin for a couple of months. He should never have put me on the patches.

Hugs,

Karen

I'm glad you called your doctor. Medications react differently for all of us. It took about 2 or 3 days after I stopped using the patch for me to feel myself again.
When water will stay down drink as much as you can to help flush out your system and rehydrate your body. It's a good idea to drink lots of water each day to help the other meds you take move through your system. Believe it or not water helps with the full body burning I get from my full body RSD.

Take care,
Sherrie

i have been on fentanyl for years i havent had any of the problems except reactions to the actual patches with the sticky stuff on them. i have fentanyl in my pump and it does take a while to adjust to it

about the dreams i do have these with it. and they do eventually they do go away.. i hope that the med to stop the vomiting will help it. im sorry that you have had a bad reaction

hang in there

carrie

Dennis-- I answered you over on the PN forum.

Bad fentynyl reaction
 

Hi dshue,
and CARRIE
I've seen several times on tv to anyone on fentynyl patch to contact an attorney here in Phoenix. There are some very dangerous toxie reactions to the patches.. I may have the name and phone number writtin down somewhere. But definetly, sounds urgent to call your Dr. and follow his directions. If anyone wants me to look for information, just pm and I'll try.
Take care, loretta:)

ive been off them for years. but what they are talking about is a couple years ago there were problems with the durgesic if i think the patchs that they were leaking with heat from bath,showers and giving more meds then supposed to.
of course that was right after the patches became available if i am correct

Hi Dennis,

Sorry to hear that you are feeling so bad on the Fentenyl!

I don't have any experiences with the med at all but agree with what the others have said; you really need to call your doctor and ask what he/she suggests you do as you shouldn't have to be dealing with all of this!!

I'd stop taking the med if I was you and call your doctor as soon as you can. I'm not sure if any withdrawal symptoms are involved with the med so obviously read the packet or on the internet to see what it suggests you do first! I've had a nasty time with withdrawal symptoms so it's really important you do it correctly if there could be any involved!

Take care and please keep us posted - sorry I cant help you that much, just know that you are in my thoughts! I hope you feel better real soon!:hug:

Call your doctor
 

I went into a 3 and half week coma and one of the reasons the they think is off of these patches... i would immeditaly call your doctor and tell him what is going on... These things are not a joking matter after my coma my doctor explained that most ppl go into a coma like state and die... if they have to much of the fentanly in there system or if their body simply is reacting to it badly... REALLY I STRESS CALLING YOUR DOCTOR!

Jacquelina you are very right fentanyl is no joke it can killer faster than any other med out there .. i hope dennis that you called the doc and told him what was happing because there is no lead way with this drug period

carrie

I am on Fentanyl now. The only time I ever had a problem with them is when I spent too much time out in the heat & sun. You are not supposed to do that & it was my first time & I didnt realize the limits. You are supposed to avoid long hot showers & heat & sun when on thre fentanyl patch. If your body temperature gets too hot it can dump too much med into your system too quickly. I would definately call the doctor. You might have started on too high of a dosage on the patch. I hope you find something that helps you.
Have a low pain day.
Denny

Hey --

Like you, it seems I've found out that the fentenyl patches should not be used until someone has previously taken opiates, working their way up so to speak to these potent patches. As I've taken no opiates before this, thus this disaster.

My doctor communicated as much to me through his office, and that we should probably start at a 12.5 patch next time. Next time? Not so sure about that one. My pharmacist was really well versed on this topic too, basically giving me an explaination akin to your posting.

I've taken a script for nausea, and have been taking lorazepam regularly since; things have calmed down - can eat and all that. Still a little shaky. Hoping that wears off soon too.

-- Dennis

Hey --

Sorry to hear of your travails. Sounds like you've been through an ordeal.

I'm sure you're aware, there is a lot of litigation in regards to these patches, as they have been noted to deliver all the dose at once instead of over three days, through rips or tears in the patches, or something like that.

In any case, were you able to pinpoint what exactly was the cause of your coma? Was it indeed the fentenyl?

Thanks.

-- Dennis

great advice on trying these patches after being on the heavy duty meds for awhile.....

i have the same problem with the fentanyl patches.(my skin hates the glue) so i use Flonase. a couple of pumps on the arm before applying the patch and i am all good, not perfect but so muchbetter off.

i haven't heard of the toxin problem but i do know recently that they recalled several batches of fentanyl patches due to a manufacturing problem.

these patches are no joke for sure...the first rule from my pain doc was to make sure that if i was not applying these to my body, that the person that was doing so did not come into contact with side that has the medicine on it. he told me that a 25 patch could easly kill someone who isnt on any pain meds at all.

same rule goes for throwing out the patches. the instructions say to fold the patch in half and then flush down the toilet. if you throw into the garbage someone might come into contact with it.(young kids or dogs looking for food,if a dog licks that patch, its a dead dog)

such a true statement here....

stay away from HEAT if possible.

the problem is if you have crps then you probably sweat all the time which raises the body temp and forces more fentanyl into the body. this in turn does 2 things, 1)the patch does not last 72 hours and 2) you are getting to much meds at one time.

when i first started out on the patches, i would burn thru them in 30 hours because of the sweating so i had to put a patch on every day.

glad you are feeling better.

So your doc knew you had no opiates in your system and still gave you 25's(thats fricken scary). if it were me, i wouldnt use the 12.5's until i built up my system to handle it.

my other pain doc told me that a 25 patch is the same as going to the emergency room and getting a morphine injection. at the time, i was on 225mcg/h. so that would be 9 morphine injections per day every day.

i know i wouldnt be here without this medication so it was worth the ugliness the first 4 months i was on it. it took that long before we figured out what would work for me. my sweating made be go thru them so fast. i remember trying 300mcg/h but it made me sleepy and my heart felt it so i went down. the pain doc said you can keep going up until it effects the heart then you either level off or go down a little. i was on a dozen different meds to control pain and they caused lots of problems including CONSTIPATION and bleeding ulcers. now i use the fentanyl patches only except for breakthru pain. thats another story.

if you do decide to stick with this, make sure you change the patch on time. here is what i do. at 8pm every night i grab the patch i need and i grab a marker(sharpie ultra fine tip) and a tegaderm1626w for the 100,75,50 or a 1624w for the 25 and i suppose the 12.5( i dont use the 12.5). i open the tegaderm and lay flat, then i open the fent patch and put the date on it, then i lay it on the tegaderm, then i grab the flonase and mist the arm(shave the arm the night before), then put it on the arm.

the tegaderm seals the patch in so you dont have to worry about it in the shower. next i write what dose i just put on me on the calender next to my bed so i always know. trust me on this, if you are on a high enough amount you cannot remember if you put it on yesterday or the day before.

fent-any-l is the way i remember to spell it.:winky: i cant spell anything else, but i did learn this word. LOL


change the patch on TIME, you are suppose to change every 72 hours. at 80 hours or so you will get the worst headache and stomach ache from withdrawel.

Good luck Dennis....