Just a heads up.

[Losty]

And I'm sure you know this, but let's remind everyone, fentanyl patches are VERY dangerous.

If one falls off and a kid sticks it on somewhere, they can die.

So, never let kids see them, never let kids see what is done with them, and never let kids get one that falls off, or is (supposedly) used up.

Never, never, never.

Also, had a family member that was allergic to them; she survived, barely.  I wasn't a pleasant experience. Took them long time to realize what the problem was, and then, just removing the patch didn't help right away, they had to wait for it to wear off and it took hours.  VERY scary.




And don't let kids scrape the stuff out of them and smoke it either . . . .

My kids don't even know they exist. I keep close tabs on all my meds which stay locked up when not in use because they're not the only meds I have that can kill kids/pets. And everyone else should do the same. Child proof caps are not child proof.

[Losty]

Warm the patch up.  Place it under your thigh and clean the area to be patched with a little alcohol to remove any oils or soap film.  When the patch is warmed to body temperature, it will be ready to stick and the area to be patched should be good and dry now.

My skin rejects the stickiness. I've tried them everywhere. I just tape em on with medical tape.

[Losty]

So I tossed on a 25 mg patch when Esq mentioned it earlier. My prescription is to change them every 2 days. You guys think 2 days of 25 and 2 days of 25 taped over half will work? (Asking those who know of fentanyl lol). I just want to get this done as fast as I can because it already sucks and I dont want to think how I'm going to feel waking up in the morning. Yuck

[SteelCurtain]

Losty!

I hope everything is going well with this. Totally missed this thread.

[Losty]

I made it when you were sleeping. As of now I'm just annoyed and uncomfortable but I'm fine. We will see how it goes.

[Losty]

Also wanted to say, this forum is so awesome. I always feel like I can come to you guys when I need to. Or even just when I want to. I love you guys

[Athene]

So I tossed on a 25 mg patch when Esq mentioned it earlier. My prescription is to change them every 2 days. You guys think 2 days of 25 and 2 days of 25 taped over half will work? (Asking those who know of fentanyl lol). I just want to get this done as fast as I can because it already sucks and I dont want to think how I'm going to feel waking up in the morning. Yuck

Losty, if you want to wean off of Fentanyl, it would be best if you go ahead and inform your physician that you've changed your mind so that he/she can prescribe the appropriately dosed patches for you do it properly. I don't see how it could be possible to accurately gauge partial doses with the gel-based patches, if that's indeed what you have available. 

In the clinical setting, as I've seen it done, the tapering process is generally done more gradually, with the dosage decreasing by half every 10 days or so. I do know that some people are able to wean themselves off of Fentanyl (without medical supervision) at home, and under their own timeline of what feels "comfortable" with varying degrees of success. And as a private nurse, I did have a couple of patients who stopped Fentanyl abruptly (both were on 25mcg) who were able to detox successfully at home, though I was in contact with their physicians and other medications were utilized during the process to address the withdrawal effects.

Though, if you're fortunate enough to have a doctor who's willing to work with you (and it sounds as though you do), I would strongly advise you take him/her up on the offer, rather than to have to go around guessing at all of this shit. Makes much more sense, in my opinion.

[Losty]

I appreciate your advice and I suppose I may as well ask him. I don't know if they make patches lower than 12.5 mg? I don't know. I surely don't want to do this slowly though. By half 10 days. Fuck. I need to get off so I can start something new right? 30 days of this doesn't sound manageable and it's only bound to get worse from here.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Question: do you actually feel addicted? Is it psychological as well as physical?

[IATIA]

My nicotine addiction is the same as hunger or thirst. I want. After a while, I want now. A bit longer and you better got out of the fucking way unless I can eat, drink or smoke you. As to the cigarettes themselves. After I had quit for a while, I caught myself on a couple of occasions picking up a six pack and asking the clerk for a pack of smokes.