Feeling really agitated is the Butrans patches I am wearing

[FiHut]

After being taken of Dihydrocodeine and stated immediately on Butrans patches now 2 x 15mg a week I have became really agitated and restless with really busy legs that stop me getting to sleep - does anyone have the same?

[Madlegs1]

I'm just wondering are you experiencing withdrawal by changing abruptly from one medication to another?

I know , when I was on Fentanyl and considering changing to the Butrans , there was quite an involved protocol to ensure a " pain free" changeover.

Perhaps if you mention your experience to your prescribing dr they will be able to do something to alleviate your troubles.

Hoping you get some help. Cheers.

[FiHut in reply to Madlegs1]

Unfortunately my doctor won't do anything until he speaks to the doctor at the pain clinic and only changes anything with their permission - it took 3 weeks t get through to the clinic once!

[dianebow1968]

I get adgitTed and very sickly on them oh and exhausted but not very much sleep to

[glochessum]

Wow! That's a really high dose 30 mg a week. I'm surprised your not flat out. I hope you find a solution soon.

[MarsBarKid]

Busy legs meaning cant stop feeling need to work them - or restless legs here in Oz. Lack of magnesium causes this.

And your patches are same ingredient as Norspan and when first on them I did feel a bit anxious but it settled down. Go buy Mag supplement. I use Wagner Forte 400mg a day in 1 cap. did the trick re legs for anyone most have lack of this mag as soil itself is exhausted of it they report. Soil lacks a lot of vitamins the docs always said healthy diet no need etc but now changed that to take them.

D3 is another you need most likely. Not getting enough sun most of us told to avoid it etc so need supplement world wide call for it last year or so. Deficiency can be found if have a blood test for most of these. Or just take them and see. Sure will with magnesium it is so very important for your body to use in many areas too.

I was taking 20mcg in one patch They did try me on a 10 + 5 but wasn't enough. You're on 30 maybe too much ask doc - see if they come in like Norspan, 5, 10 & 20.

And keep them in the fridge. Sounds silly I know but they work better and stay on longer without curling at edges etc. Keep also turning over the skin area used for patch every four weeks as underneath after a while it can become sensitive and for me itches a bit towards end of 7 days. Used Alo Vera Gel on skin after removal and during the 4 weeks turnaround. Kept me OK for 2 years.

We are what we eat - my Irish Gran always told me, and its true. Food today lacks a lot of vitamins as said no longer in soil. Age not mentioned but if approaching or over 50 must take B12 also as a supplement and eat garlic or take it as a capsule as its natures anti biotic keeps the nasties away. And also COQ10 necessary as we get older.

Along with my patches I also take 8x 30mg Codeine and 500mg paracetamol plus in the night around 3 -4 plain Codeine 30mg tabs. I like these plain ones, as its the paracetamol that is deadly to our liver, and it has to be limited to not more than 4000mg any 24 hours. So 8 is max. But is also subsidized by the government.

Yet British Lancet said recently paracetamol is just abut useless for pain control exception a headache.

So hope this helps. Do google and read up for yourself on vitamins, its all there to find and these days as I said its no longer the case for the GP to say dont take supplements just eat healthy diet. Not since reports of lack of these due to soil overused.

Hope something here helps you. Pain isnt easy to live with, is it. But you're better than that. For sure and it wont be forever.

Hugs.

[FiHut in reply to MarsBarKid]

I do need to look at alternatives rather than medication but I would love to be pain free for just a part of each day - it just grinds you down

[chrissyb62]

The only time the restless legs hit me was when I didn't change my patch over on time

I used to change a weekly one every Friday night at 7.00pm but a cpl times we forgot and it was 3-4 hrs later we remembered, I used to suffer all night with restless legs, up/down, in/out bed, wud begin to wonder if it was like going cold turkey ( never experienced it so wudnt know).

So just make sure u change at same time on appropriate day.

When I was on Fentanyl patches I wud experience the legs syndrome before I was due to change the patch as if their strength had ran out long before it should have, hope this helps x

[Sheryl4659]

Hi FiHut it sounds like you are going through codeine withdrawal, my daughter was taking it for over two years and started to get bad stomach cramps from it, she has really struggled to get down from 240mg daily to 48mg daily but the last 48mg has been he'll, she ended up going cold turkey and experienced the agitation restless legs and severe fatigue, it will get easier, it's taken about 3-4 weeks before she had felt any resemblance of normal, keep going there is light at the end of the tunnel, magnesium supplement can sometimes help the restless legs.

Take care sending you gentle hugs Sheryl x

[Ilovemychildren1]

It's the dihydricoadine I have rls and my butrans patch takes it away