Will you get the effect out of a 25mcg Fentanyl patch quicker if heated up?

Answer 1

Only if you want to risk dying - there's a damned good reason that there are specific warnings in the prescribing information about exposing the patches to heat other than regular body heat, including a fever.

As someone who has used Duragesic for over 10 years (up to 2 100mcg patches at a time), I can tell you that there have been several times where I've experienced the effects of increased dosage delivery due to accidental overheating (increased activity, etc.). In my case, my opiate tolerance level is extremely high, enough such that I've actually reached a point where I no longer get any therapeutic effects, only increased side effects. Even for someone like me, it causes you to be in a near delirious state, where you're basically aware of what's happening, but you're powerless to do anything about it. For a lot of people (especially someone who's only using a small dose), overheating a patch usually leads to respiratory depression and death, or worse.

The problem isn't the increased dosage rate taking effect quicker, it's the fact that it takes time for your system to process so that your dosage returns to a manageable level, even if you remove the patch and cool yourself down. If you're not tolerant enough, you're really gambling with your life, and I'm not exaggerating. Fentanyl is the strongest opiate on the planet, and not to be taken lightly.

If you're having problems with the patch dose running low and then getting pain/withdrawal effects, there's a couple of things you can do. First, track how long your dosage lasts - not everyone gets 72 hours, and if you're closer to 48 hours, you need a different prescription or a higher dose if you can handle it. Second, use your breakthrough meds if you need to cover the ramp-up time for the new patch to take effect.

However, the best way to deal with it is to put on a new patch about 3 hours or so before the current one is going to expire. Most long-term users know when their patch is going to start running low, so calculate and add a new patch when the other is winding down. This way you essentially maintain the same dosage level, as one is ramping up at the same time the other is winding down.