User Reviews for Duragesic transdermal

My husband wears a patch for an injury. He is very irritable when the patch starts wearing off and is often depressed. I have also noticed a decrease in appetite. But he says the patch does reduce his pain. Does anyone else suffer from these symptoms?

Multiple back surgeries, stenosis, nerve damage from staph infection while in hospital after surgery starting at age of 28. This is a MIRACLE drug for me. I went from 4-8 oxycodone daily to a 25mcg patch changed every other day. They do NOT work for the third day as is stated. I cover with Tegaderm patch to help keep the patch attached and it also helps with site itching. I buy the Tegaderm off ebay for a FRACTION of store cost. Since it is not for a port location or open sore I do not worry about expiration date and get 100 for about $12.00. I do not miss the checking the hours for the next pill and the roller coaster associated with absorption and concentration dropping. I recommend it to anyone with really severe pain! Even though I will never be able to hold a job again due to breakthrough after an hour or so of steady activity I can again enjoy a relatively pain free life if I limit my efforts. Currently a house husband who canot vacum. Read More Read Less

Since Blue Cross (now Anthem for me) has stopped paying for both Duragesic and the best Generic patch (Sandoz makes it) this prescription has become very problematic, with (now Watson) patches wearing out long before 72 hours. For new patients, these new patches may work, but not for those used to the superior patches. For the people in my position, the only way to keep the same levels, you'll have to change out patches every 48 hours, rather than every 72 hours.

10 years ago the Patch was a "miracle". Prior to that for 20+ years it had been a full time job hunting down enough vicodin and related painkillers to function as the pain from both congenital and injury related spinal conditions was intolerable. It was like having a new body. I was able to participate in physical activities at 40 which I had not since my early teens. However, 2 years after losing my business and home, I must consider that my inability to function and rebound may be due to side effects of the drug. I am about to seek hospitalization to detox from it due too severe symptoms such as memory loss,confusion, attention deficit, chronic fatigue, and frequent episodes of feeling suddenly like I can't breath which I guess would be anxiety since Xanax makes that disappear. It's scary,but so is living in my car the past 18 days.Read More Read Less

I have had 5 back surgeries and I am on a 100mcq every 48 hrs and a 50mcq every 48hrs,so I am changing every day.It has worked great for pain but only if you keep getting the dosage raised every 6 months.But it will take over your life without you even knowing it.All I can think of every day is (Is it time to change my patch yet)I just keep thinking the patch isn't working and I need more.It is the most addictive drug I have ever been on and 8 yrs ago I wouldn't even take a tylenol for a headache,so I am addicted and don't seem to get enough. I do not miss use it but about 6 hrs before it is time to change I am miserable waiting for the time to change it.It also will keep me awake and I have trouble breating,I feel as if I am being sufficated and then the rapid heartbeat and also causes you to feel like you can't swallow when you change it after the first hour.My advice is to anyone that is offered to try it for their pain I would straight up REFUSE.I would give anything to get off of this drug but I am so terrified of the withdraws because I know how bad it will be,I have tried to get off and the withdraws are so bad you even consider suicide, so I will probaly never get off.It has totally consumed my life every minute of every day, I used to be a very active person but now all I want to do is stay in bed all the time. So if nothing else PLEASE consider wearing this patch.Read More Read Less

just a little nausea, and a lot lest pain the itching wins over the fatigue any day

The medication itself works wonders. But keeping the patch on for 3 days presents a huge issue.

I have two Tarlov cysts on my sacral spine that cannot be removed and are pinching nerves giving me all over fibromyalgia-like pain. I've been on oral narcotic lortab for 3 years and wanted to find something different and more steady. Started the Fentanyl patch a couple months ago and really liked it at first..started at 12.5 mcg and now up to 25 mcg. Having trouble with sweating and tiredness but hoping that will subside. As far as keeping the patch on, the gel (SANDOZ) brand didn't work well so got the Milan cloth brand and it sticks better, just put a small patch of 3M Medapore tape over it to keep it in place. I still have breakthrough pain but find myself getting nauseated when I take lortab with this...not sure what the combo should be. The pain isn't totally gone but it is helping me function a little better. Just keep in touch with your doc and keep communication open about your side effects. I think the patch is better than pills as it is more controlled round-the-clock treatment. Take care everyone and God bless you with pain free days! Read More Read Less

I started taking this in March of 2009 and it's February 2010. The initial week of taking this trug was excruciatingly painful but the following week was amazing! I don't have to pop pills all day and I know the medication is being delivered in a proper fashion. I supplement with Norco which doesn't work as well. After the first few months, we upped my dosage by 25 mcg/hr. Another 3 months passed and we upped it again. I feel like I am about ready to up the dosage again but I hesitate because soon I will have noone to go. I am increasing my exercise and other methods of pain control as best I can but fentanyl is the best thing I have found to date. I have arthritis, bulging disk, and sciatica that is the cause of my chronic back pain. I don't know what I would do without my miracle patch. I change every 48 hours. Read More Read Less

i am 54 yrs old had 4 back surgeries it helped with pain but didnt last for 72 hrs and was hard to keep on.it was so expensive that my ins.coverage ran out after 5 months and i had bad withdrawls couldnt function was sick couldnt eat or get out of bed for a week. dont start it if your going to stop.

I HAVED USED THIS DRUG FOR 8 YRARYS AND IT WORKS GREAT FOR ME THE ONLY PROBLEM I FOUND IS IF YOU GET HOT AND SWEATY THE PATCH WILL FALL OFF THEN YOU MAY LOSE IT OUTSIDE THEN YOU WILL NOT HAVE ENOUGH TO LAST THE MONTH BUT I HAVENOT ANY SIDE EFFECTS I HAVE NURAPATHAEY AND DIABATIC

I use the Durgesic TD Fentanyl by Janssen, as the generic doesn't work for me. I started with a low dose and now I'm at 100 mcg. I take Oxycodone 10mg x 6 daily for break through pain. The patches we're great except staying on ,which the drug co. supplied me with plastic covers to place over the patch.I have chronic neck pain, sever arthritis all over ,degeneration of spine and joints ,migraines and sever fibromyalgia. I used to wear them on hip now they must be worn on the upper body to work at all. Janssen CHANGED the way they make the patch altogether. Instead of a reservoir containing the medication, it simply has a plastic patch with medication within the adhesive, which releases all the medication at once. The first day you apply the patch all the medication begins to be absorbed into the skin. By day 2 most of the medication has been absorbed leaving you with very little pain medication. I was to be able to wear the "old" patches for 72 hours and now I can wear them only 48 hours, which hardly last that long with withdrawls setting in. In other words they are no longer time released as they are supposed to be. This itself seems dangerous of over dose. I'm sick from too much morphine the 1st day and the 2nd day I'm sick starting withdrawls ,pain, nausa, mood swings along with a list of others. I have informed my Dr of these changes and he tells me I'm not the only one having these problems and he is searching for ways to controll my pain once again that was perfectly under controll before. Aside from some minor side effects from the old patch such as swelling, sever constipation, irration at patch sight and itching. These seem minor compaired to what these horrible things are doing to me now. I'm experiencing sever mood swings,acne & withdrawls. Can anyone help with any clue as what I can do about this? The drug co. took a good product and made it practally unusable for the consumer. My Dr is placing me on Avinza 90mgx2. Anyone have any suggestions GOOD LUCKRead More Read Less

I began using 100mcg. patch back in August of 2009. I began having "hot flashes" one or twice a week about two weeks after starting the patch. The hot flashes escalated to 2-4 per day! Did some research and I found out that fentanyl suppressess the release of estrogen in the female body. I am not menopausal. I asked my PCP if it was true that it stops the release of estrogen and she said yes and told me to take soy supplements. I went out and got black cohosh and estroven and the hot flashes have stopped. The day after taking one estroven and one black cohosh pill I did not have a hot flash. I wish I had know that this would happen and other unknown side effects of fentanyl before I began taking it. Anyone out there experiencing similiar symptoms, I recommend taking estroven and black cohosh they can be found in the vitamin and herbal section. As far as pain from several back problems, the patch seems to do the trick. I feel human again. Hope this info. helps. God bless you all suffering from chronic pain. Also, I order tegaderm wound dressing from the 3M site and it keeps the patch on and doesn't come off until you take it off. Read More Read Less

I was on this product for 3.5 years for treatment of fibromyalgia. It worked well until my family practice md decided I should not be on what my previous Rheumatologist decided and so took me off. I am sad to say he convinced me to do the wrong thing. I have no way to treat the pain at this time. I will be going to my new rheumatologist in a week!

I was on a dose of 250mcg every 48 hours following a diagnosis of fibromyalgia and a car accident that tore most of the ligaments in my back. I was also taking 5mg oxicodone 8x/day for break through pain. I took this dose for almost 5 years and started noticing that I was having to take more and more other medications to treat the side effects of the fenanyl patches. I was expecting my first grandchild and could not trust that I could be alone with her without supervision because I may fall asleep or forget where she was! I made the decision to stop taking it all! It took me 3 weeks to titrate down by reducing the dose by 25 to 50mcg twice a week. I did suffer alot of anxiety every time I lowered the dose but I got through it with the use of xanax (only 1 pill/day when it was bad) What I found was that the patch really wasnt helping me with the pain at all! I now take 300mg of Tramadol 1xday and stilluse the oxycodone for breakthrough pain when needed which is alot less often than while taking the fentanyl patch! My advice is this; BE CAREFUL!!! This stuff is the most addictive medication I have ever taken (and I have taken alot of them over the years) I think that every chronic pain patient should be taken off whatever narcotic meds they are using once a year to re-evaluate exactly where they are with their pain. You never know, your condition might have improved but you would never know it! There are medications that help with pain that will safely withdraw your body from the narcotics without the agonizing symptoms....By the way, today my beautiful Granddaughter is 15 months old and she spends entire weekends with me on a regular basis! That never would have been possible if I had stayed on this Life-steeling drug.Read More Read Less

ive been on this patch for 2 1/2 years,found it was only thing that allowed me to function without being drugged out.doseage only lasts me for 2 days now,feel all achy after that and pain increases.doc said only 1 per 3 days,so 3rd day is spent lying down.if i apply new patch at night it disrupts sleep.found best way to keep them on is with a piece of plastic film from the chemist,best place stomach.hope this helps.

IHAVE SUFFERED FROM CHRONIC BACK, NECK, SHOULDER, MIGRAINE AND ALLOVER PAIN CAUSED BY SEVER CHRONIC FIBROMYALGIA,CFIDS,AND CHRONIC MIGRAINES ETC... I HAVE TRIED EVERY ORAL MED OUT THERE FOR AT LEAST 23 YRS! SO FAR I AM PLEASED WITH THE PATCH, BUT FEEL LIKE I NEED TO GO FROM THE 50MGM 2 THE 75. I HAVE 2 CHANGE THE PATCH EVERY 48 HRS. AND STILL HAVE BREAKTHROUGH PAIN. I USE 30MG OF ROXYCODONE~ THERE R TIMES WHEN I AM IN SEVERE PAIN STILL AFTER TAKING THE MAX OF 6/30'S PER DAY WITH THE PATCH. I READ A POST WITH A SIDE EFFECT OF SWOLLEN EYE AREA. IF U R OUT THERE PLZ. BE MORE EXLICIT IN ONSET OF SIDE EFFECT AND ANYTHING MORE U CAN TELL ME! CAN ANYONE LET ME KNOW OF SOME OTHER BREAK~THROUGH PAIN MEDS THAT WON'T IRRITATE STOMACH AND WILL WORK BETTER THAN THE ROXY'S? ANY HELP WOULD B VERY INCOURAGING! VERY RESPECTFULLY YOURS, THERESA XOXORead More Read Less

Was on this med for about 6 yrs due to having 2 spinal fusions and 52 other surgeries. Had great results but trying to get off of it is the hardest thing to go through. YOU WILL have severe withdrawl when tring to get off of it. Think twice before starting this med because you will regret going on it after a short time. At one time I was on 200 mcg every 48 hrs because as time goes on it doesent work as good as it did at first.

i have been on every pain pill under the sun and once i got started on these patches i was able to stop all of the narcotic pain pils and just take ibufrofen once an a while. was having trouble getting them to stay stuck the whole 72hrs but started using a tegaderm film over the top and now have NO problem keeping the on the whole times. doesn't matter if i take a bath,shower or go swimming if i use the tegaderm film over the top! these duragesic patches have been a godsend!

Have had very very many medical issues due to back,neck,female problems,fibromyagia,Crohns disease and recently new knee. I was on the patch and pills to control my pain but am now on jut the patches.I feel that if you want to take yourself off of some of your meds to not do that. I feel that poppin pills was a definite habit and with the patches you get away from that feeling. they can also adjust your patches upward as well to assist in yur pain. yu apply the patches and dont worry about it for another 2 days! Believe me, I have had 28 syrgeries and know about chronic pain!!!Hop this helps anyone!Read More Read Less