How long does 100mg Fentanyl stay in the body?

Answer 1

100 mgs all at once will kill you. Only VERY slow releasing patches come in high doses. Injections and pills come in micrograms...usually 50 or 100. 100 miligrams given all at once is a fatal overdose.....by a lot.

Answer 2

All opiates have side effects that are pretty common, and Fentanyl is no different. It's important to note that anyone who is prescribed Fentanyl in any form (Oral, Transdermal Patch, IV, etc.) isn't given the drug unless their medical history shows that they are already "opiate tolerant", meaning that the patient has already used or has been using other opiate medications of a lower strength (Percocet, Vicodin, Dilaudid, Morphine, etc.). How well you tolerate it is entirely specific to the individual patient; some people do not handle Morphine derivatives or synthetic opiates very well, while others (like myself) have a very high tolerance level and handle the side effects relatively well.

The most common side effects are:

Euphoria/Lightheadedness/Dizziness - Usually goes away after several weeks as you become more dependent and tolerant to the drug.

Constipation - The bane of all opiate patients; Chocolate pudding works miracles.

Mood Swings - This is probably the worst, as it affects not only the patient, but friends and family as well. It is imperative that the patient always prepare friends and family for the possibility of mood changes in a short time, as your behavior pattern shift will catch them off-guard and wondering what they did to cause you to act like that. Most families who break apart when an opiate patient is involved usually are affected by this key side effect, being unprepared for it. My wife and daughter are extremely patient women - how they've stuck by me through mood swings over the years I don't know, even knowing what the cause is.

The only thing you can really do is be aware of it, and try to focus on it when it occurs.

Nausea - Doesn't happen that often, but it occurs.

Withdrawal Symptoms - No opiate patient goes through a day without some withdrawal as their medication wears off. Feeling cold and clammy, and shaking a bit are the key indicators, as well as being irritable. Over time you learn to overlap your patches so that as one is wearing off, the other is ramping up. I usually put a new patch on about 2-3 hours before I know the old one is due to expire. You can also use a breakthrough med to cover the period to alleviate the symptoms.

Confusion / Disorientation - It's important to note these two, as they usually occur when the dosage rate of the patch has been increased. Transdermal patch dosages are controlled by body heat, which regulates the dose at a steady rate. If body heat is increased due to activity or fever, or the patch is exposed to heat (sunlight, heating pad, etc.) the dosage rate increases and you'll start feeling the effects within 30-60 minutes. It's happened to me several times over the years, and it is not fun at all. The best way to describe it is that you feel stuck in a loop you can't get out of; you know what's happening, but can't do anything. My family knows what to do in case they find me in such a state (get me cooled down ASAP), but the quickest response should you find yourself in such a position is to remove the patch altogether (don't toss it - if you keep it from folding over on itself you can reuse it). That stops the delivery of the dose, and you'll start feeling normal again within an hour.

Respiratory Depression - Most Duragesic patients don't have this problem (if they did, they'd be prescribed a different med), but it's important to know that higher doses (as in the previous example) can lead to Respiratory Depression, Arrest, and ultimately heart failure.

Fentanyl is not a drug to be taken lightly; virtually everyone who uses it for chronic pain understands that using it is a quality-of-life decision, and with its use comes certain restrictions and risks. But the alternative is constant agony.