I received a scrip for Lidoderm patches and I placed one on my shoulder but they won't stay adhered for very long they start to loosen after a couple of hours Does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep them attached for there recommended time which is 12 hours...
((Hugs))
Dawn

back to nursing days....hmmmmm try duoderm over top....expensive but may help and make sure skin dry and no cream or powder......dah dah dah you prob read all that!!! duoderm helped to keep on my fentanyl patch when I used them and they stayed for three days with shower but I did cover them in shower with plastic wrap and taped it up to keep it somewhat dry but always got wet......try this may help talk to pharmacist to get it....may cost $8.00 for about five of them.....but that is Canadian....lol

hope that helps a bit.....anything to keep pain free!!!!
Sincerely,
Victoaia

Dawn a lot of it is placement and shape.

For example, I take my patches, but the in half, place one over each trap. I use to round the edges a bit not to catch clothing.

I also take one patch and place it on the "Hump." The cervcal area that is tender. This one I wear at night after my bath.

The daytime, I wear one for the lumbar, across the small of my back. It seems that the patches are much smaller then when I first used them 5-6 years ago, even the thickness seems smaller.

IF you use it on the arm or leg you may want to try an ace bandage wrap to hold it on. Make sure there are no lotions on the skin.

Another tip; In our Eckard's, now they are being bought out by CVS so maybe there too you can find these off name brand Thermacare patches. THey use body heat. I don't have one handy, but they are next to the thermacare and have three in the box. They normally were about $2.99, they ahd them on special a few weeks ago for $1.00 for pack.

Salonas patches I used too, but I think I like the biofreeze roll on better.

Some have tried capacesine. Now with this you DO NOT use it like suntan lotion. It is a pea size and place it near the area flared. IF it si my hands and palm, I place near my wrist, if upper arm, then the shoulder joint indented spot, the knee, along side the hinge. Justa trace.

It confuses the enrves and they mix up the signals to the brain for the chronic pain, and forget it for awhile. Has helped me a lot for nerve pain flares.
Di

Hi Dawn...do you have the LARGE Lidoderm patches? Let me grab mine and measure....okay, it says 10 cm x 14 cm on the package...is that the same size you have?

I usually only wear mine at night. I put them on when I get home from work at about 5 pm and take it off when I get up at 5 a.m. so I only have to worry about it at night when I'm not as active. But...I wear my fentanyl patches for 2 full days, and perhaps this trick will work for you if you can find a size that will work for the lidoderm patches....

If you aren't using an extra large patch, but rather are either cutting those, or using smaller ones, the ONLY thing that holds my patches on are the nexcare "absolute waterproof bandages." They are a tad expensive...about $5 for 5 bandages, but they are FAR WORTH the price. So, if you can either CUT the patches to a smaller size, or find a waterproof bandage to put over the top of the large patch, that would be a great help. Or even a waterproof TAPE. I've found just using REGULAR medical tape doesn't work half as well as using waterproof.

Also, a huge help is washing the area you are goign to be putting hte patch on with alcohol first. BUT BE SURE that you either check with the pharmacist, your doctor, or read the package insert FIRST. Some of these medications that come in a patch say NOT to wash the area with alcohol first. If you can, that's a huge help cuz it gets off the "skin oils" that are there. If you bathe first, that actually HARMS the sticking, cuz most of our soaps contain lotion, that cause the patch NOT to stick...so using hte alcohol would remove that lotion and our skin oils.

Hope this helps

Hugs
LisaM

I used some skin toner this morning on the area and then after I placed the patch I put some paper tape around the edges. Unfortinatley I am allergic to tegaderm after a day or so I break out into blisters so I try to not use it unless it is for a short time.. Great suggestion though... So far it has stayed on but only because of the tape otherwise it would be off by now.. I think my skin is a bit oilier (sp?) because I alway have trouble keeping this type of stuff on..
If anyone else has any other suggestions I would love to hear them..
Take Care
((Hugs))
Dawn

Dawn,
I've tried everything I can think of to make them stick to me but they won't. It doesn't matter whether I shower first or not, use alcohol or toner, use tape, etc.- won't stick. When I put them on my side where I have the intercostal neuralgia pain I even tried putting a WIDE velcro ace bandage on top to see if that would help but it ended up bunching up or rolling up so that idea was out....The only thing I've been able to do is use them during the day or evening where I can lay down on the couch and watch TV or read and be actually laying on the area where they're applied and that holds them down and in the place I want them to stay. I can't understand why they can't make them so they'll stay stuck where they're supposed to- especially since they're not exactly cheap to buy.

I use a heating pad on mine wherever I put it and the heat makes it work faster and makes it stick better, my Dr. said it was ok to do. I use them on my shoulders and bladder area. They also help me sleep better.

Ada

I had a similar problem getting my Lidoderm patches to stick. My nurse neighbor suggested rubbing the area with a little rubbing alchohol first. voila! patches stay on for the entire 12 hrs.

Hon, I have found there is a HUGE difference between the regular tape and the waterproof tape...the store brand and brand name tape. I have found that if you get the brand name waterproof tape, that holds the absolute best. Rub the area with alcohol first, ESPECIALLY around the edges of where the patch will be, apply the patch, then put the tape on around the edge of the patch, and one ACROSS it. I've found that works REALLY well. If you don't get the edges with alcohol really really good, and they start to come up, the entire patch will come up. The edges are most important.

Perhaps try that next time ???

Hugs
LisaM

Thanks Lisa, I'll try your idea! The thing is, I found out when I had major surgery several months ago and was in the hosp. for several days, that I was allergic to the tape they used on the surgical site and also to tape down the epidural that was in for several days. This has never happened to me before, and I didn't know I had had a reaction until I got home and my back was itching me so bad I thought I'd die. My husband and mother looked at it and both nearly had a fit. I had a terrible rash and some hives everywhere that tape had been. I don't know what kind it was so I can tell them that if I ever have surgery again (am possibly facing two more foot surgeries in the near future). Maybe Victoria will know what kind of tape it was and can tell me. Otherwise, I think maybe trying your idea of the waterproof tape might work on the Lidoderm.