I ve taken norco and then percocet with very little relief. I went to pain dr yesterday and she put me on a low dose (the 25) of fentanyl patch. I put it on yesterday afternoon with no expectations of it working. I woke up this morning in a little pain so i tried only 800mg ibuprofen. I am now sitting here writing this WITH NO PAIN!!! The pain dr gave me the patch to try to relieve the constant never ending crushing pain that i have in my face, head and neck. She also has referred me to a neuro for botox for migraines and to try for TN pain. WOOHOO. Feeling hopeful
Yay!!!! You can't see me but I'm leaping about cheering for you!!!
I love captain crunch w/ crunch berries but i havent been able to eat it, if i tried to eat it it would nearly have me in tears. This morning i had a giant bowl of it and smiled with every bite. I dont expect it to be this good all the time but today has been fabulous. Thanks for the cheers
I wanted to chime in about Fentanyl pain patch; I was in bed for two years wracked in pain, unable to do anything without making the pain worse, on 5 different meds for TN. Nine months ago I started using the patch and was better immediately. I was able to get out of bed and start to participate in life again. I was able to reduce other meds as my pain was better controlled! I'm glad to hear it is working for you! Glad to hear you are having normal things again like cereal! it's the small things but they sure add up once you get them back! I noticed that my heart rate increased when I started the patch. My GP said that my body was combating the sedation effects of the opiate. Have you had any "racing heartbeat" or "fluttering" of your heart rate? I ask because, as time goes on, your body can become accustomed to the sedating effects of fentanyl and your heart rate will settle back down. But this can cause feelings of fatigue and tiredness although you may have your pain controlled. I ran into this issue a few weeks back and my GP tried a weeks worth of steroids to help "restart" my energy level. I hope the patch continues to work wonders for you!! It's nice to hear when someone finds something that WORKS!
Hi russ, i just started on the patch yesterday. Ive had a little fluttering now and then but i figure that it will go away once im on it for a little while. But i dont have any of the tiredness or nausea like i thought i might. Maybe now i can have more of a life than just an existance
I am so glad to hear it is working for you! It changed my life for the better! Usually the heart rate will become accustomed to the med, but as a pre-caution there is a simple blood test that the Dr. can order to rule out any underlying heart issue. I had the test because I felt "fluttering", all was normal with my heart. I wanted to also say that exposing the patch to direct sunlight or prolonged heat can increase the amount of med it secretes! Take care to stay out of hot tubs as these too, cause the patch to "dump" more med into the skin, ( this case can be fatal!) please take care while on the patch! And i'm so happy you feel like getting your life back! be sure to keep posting so we can all share in your victory!!
yeah!!!!!
Can I ask - so I can add this to the List of Meds that help us.....
How long can one keep taking this patch?
Can you get it from Neuro/primary/pain center? Depending on insurance or where you live?
Is this for ATN or also for TN1 ?
I've only seen it used in person for those with hospice etc.
Thanks!
Hi let me first start by saying not to worry russ ive asked my dr about the pros and cons, spoken to my pharmasist, and read all the warnings ect so i will take your advice and be very careful, you have my word that if anything odd starts to happen i will call my dr asap.
Hi kc These were prescibed by my pain dr for TN2 the dull, intense crushing, never ending 24-7 pain. I was on norco 10mg( not much help), then percocet 10mg (with bad results). So she put me on the 25 dose (it comes in 12, 25, 50, 75 and100). The patch is worn for 72 hrs then is replaced by a new patch. So the script is written for a max of 10 patches for a month supply. She didnt say how long i was going to be on it for. Right now i just agreed to try it for this month then i go back to her for follow up.The fentanyl patch comes in generic so my Humana through medicare and medicaid covers it. Im on disability and i live in south carolina. My pain dr suggested it since the other pain meds gave me little to no relief. Keep in mind that i have also tried ultram and a bunch of other “pain” meds. Also this patch is in addition to my other meds and my pain dr concidered it to be last resort.
If you need to know more just ask. I am always happy to share info.