Fentanyl

no

Dependence and Tolerance are the most common, but that's true with many drugs that require long term maintenance doses. I've used them for 9 years now, and I've learned how to lower my dosages if I need to after I've had to increase them. My normal dose is 100 mcg, but I do occasionally need to increase it to 200mcg.

Duragesic is well tolerated over time. Most of the time I forget I'm wearing them, and the effectiveness cannot be overstated. For long term chronic pain, there is no better drug.

yes

Absolutely. It takes quite a while for the stuff to completely clear out of your system.

Everyone's different, but in general it takes several hours (especially if you're already opiate tolerant by using OxyContin) for Fentanyl to achieve a dosage equivalent to what you're taking. You want to adjust your patch attachment time so that when your OxyContin dose is going down, the patch dose is ramping up.

Your doctor should have already told you this; keep in mind that initial patch doses are skewed toward the low end of the dosage chart for safety, so your initial dose might not cut it. Make sure you've got enough breakthrough meds available until you can get your patch dose correct.

No, Fentanyl will show up as an opiate and methadone will only show up as methadone because it is synthetic and requires its own test to detect it.

No - in fact, if you're running a fever, you should remove the patch anyway. Increased body/skin temperature increases the dosage delivery rate through the skin, and if you're not careful or aware, you could easily wind up with a fentanyl overdose, or worse.

The biggest indication is you'll start feeling disoriented and confused - get the patch off and get cooled down as fast as possible if that occurs.

I have never had good luck trying to reapply Fentanyl patches. Once they are removed from my skin, I can never get the same level of adhesiveness from them. They might have been just as potent, but it was hard for me to tell because I usually would wear more than one patch at a time in conjunction with eating them (this is very dangerous and can kill). I would recommend keeping the patch on if at all possible. If it is already off, do your best to tape it back on to yourself and hope for the best.

NEVER use Fentanyl for recreational purposes. Multiple patches and/ or overdoses can KILL.

72 hours for any pill or liquid drug

The literature for years has always recommended taking the patch off, folding it over on itself so that the adhesive sides stick to itself, then flushing down the toilet.

However, if you've got a septic system, I wouldn't recommend it as they don't break down. Personally I've always folded them over and tossed them in the trash, but I don't have small kids or have to worry about anyone nosing through my trash either. It's essentially dependent on your own situation - if you're in an environment where used patches might be abused (even small residual amounts can make non-opiate users pretty sick) then flush 'em.

Depending oon your tolerance to the opiod in fentanyl...if you have a strong tolerance for abuse of opiods-then nothing, maybe intoxication.

If you have an average drug tolerance for opiods- then maybe you'd be high to feel euphoric.

If you have no tolerance to oplods, chances are you'll overdose and if you do not get proper treatment...you'll die.

I started out with 1000mg of ketamine, 25 mg promethazine (phenergan) and a 180mg transdermal fentanyl patch. After tripping sack for about 5 hours in a state of wasted, immobilized confusion (Yet far far removed from the broken heart I was escaping), I had had enough, so I took some versed to pull the proverbial "E-brake". I don't remember a thing after taking that. Like a big hole in my memory.

it ether means you have been hitting the bong pipes and stuff or that test is srewed up!

It depends on the pain and the patient, but over time if you're getting better (or not sure) there comes a point where you need to lower your dose enough to get a better determination of where your actual pain levels are. The problem with patches is that the withdrawal pain can be worse than your actual pain, and while you're using patches, you can never get a good handle on where your real pain truly is at.

Lowering your dosage enough to stop using them isn't easy, and it's harder the longer you've been using them and the higher the dose. It's not impossible, but you need to be physically and mentally prepared to do it. That's a decision only the patient can make, as everyone knows when they're ready or not.

Whether the Fentanyl patch or oxycodone 30mg is better for your chronic pain depends exclusively on what is causing the problem and what your body can tolerate. Many patients have found better relief with the patch, but you should talk to your doctor about your options.

DO NOT EVER MIX FENTANYL WITH ANY OTHER OPIATE!! I had 2 grand mal seizures and almost died, plus I don't remember almost 2 years of my life from mixing Fent. with other opiates. If you HAVE to get high, just stay away from fentanyl!! And mixing suboxone with any other opiate is STUPID. The suboxone BLOCKS the BRAIN RECEPTORS THAT ALLOW YOU TO FEEL HIGH. If you are lucky enough to get a script for it, USE IT and quit f'n around.

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That's a tough one, and it comes down to several factors.

The bottom line is once you're at a decent tolerance level, you can drive. However, the reality is that if you're involved in an accident and you're at fault, your opiate dependence is going to be an issue. Essentially it comes down to quality of life, and making sure that whenever you drive, you're not being affected by the drug.

Most Fentanyl patients become highly tolerant after several weeks of regular use, and after that period you really don't notice any impairment - in fact, the pain you're taking the drug for is more of a driving distraction than anything else. But again, current laws are pretty anal when it comes to pain patients - most governments and law enforcement don't like to make a distinction between opiate dependence and opiate addiction, even though there is a clear line between the two.

My point is that you can, but be sure you're cognizant enough before you do to avoid any problems.

No - in fact, virtually all pain specialists/doctors who prescribe Fentanyl patches will require you to only use one pharmacy, unless otherwise agreed upon, as part of your pain management contract.

It depends totally on how long you've been using patches, but if it's even a couple of months, I wouldn't recommend it. You might make it few days, but trust me when I say it's not easy, even for someone like me who had experience increasing and decreasing my dosages several times over many years.

If you want to do it, you really need to have some type of acute meds around, though if not, you can get away with Naproxen, Tylenol (extra strength rapid release gel tabs) and Aspirin. Plan to try and sedate yourself, and have someone around to help you through it. Ask you doctor for some anti-anxiety meds to ease the shaking, and keep plenty of water/fluids around, as you'll be sweating like you won't believe. Keep some clean bedding and dry clothes around too.

It's easier if you've got Percocet (just drop the dosage in increments until you're off the patches - Percocet's easy after that). Doing it without a an opiate to help is extremely difficult, even when you're prepared and can sedate yourself.

No! You can not eat it with Fiber, with fruit, with nuts, with anything! Eating fentanyl will kill you!

Fentanyl alone can be lethal. It is one of the most powerful prescription analgesics out there!! You should be careful taking any CNS depressants with it!!!

The urine drug screen would be positive for opioids.

My doctors have had me on both fentanyl patches, fentanyl citrate suckers, and oxycodone for years. There has been no problems.

You really shouldn't - either direct heat to the patch or increasing overall body temp increases the dosage delivery rate to the bloodstream, and if you're not aware of the symptoms and how to deal with it, you can get into real trouble. You can get disoriented pretty fast, and if no one knows what's happening and how to help, it just makes things worse.

You can always take the patch off and re-attach later - see the link to my answer below on how to keep them applied. If it's not feasible, then at least be cognizant of how much time you're spending on the table and how much you're being heated. If the staff doesn't know you're wearing a patch, then tell them, but don't assume they know anything about how to deal with opiate overdoses. Most staffers these days aren't nurses, and even many RN's don't know how to recognize or deal with fentanyl overdose symptoms, particularly if they don't know you're wearing patch.