weaning off Fentanyl patches

[Brightman]

I am on 25mcg Fentanyl patches for pain caused by a compression fracture on my T10 vertebrae due to radiation treatment for metastatic prostate cancer. I have been on painkillers for about 12 months now, beginning with morphine etc which caused intense constipation. I began about 9 months ago on 12 mcg Fentanyl patches but progressed to 25 mcg when pain increased. My pharmacist daughter has recommended that I wean off Fentanyl by using 25, then 12, then 25, then 12mcg. The change back to 12 mcg has affected me negatively. I am currently back to 25 mcg and seemed to feel better on this dose. But I do want to get off Fentanyl completely if I can. I want to know how others have gone with the weaning process. How long did it take?

[Bevvy]

When I’ve weaned off other drugs it has been at a very low pace supported by my gp. Simply dropping by small increments and slowly.

Have you discussed this with your gp? Also had discussions about what to take instead or are you hoping to take nothing for pain?

[Brightman]

Thanks Bevvy for your reply. I have an appointment with my medical oncologist in a week or so ( I meet with her every 3 months). I will discuss this with her, but was just wondering how other people worked out a similar situation as me. If I need other advice I will discuss with my GP. I may need to see a spinal surgeon.

[Brightman in reply to Brightman]

My MO has changed my pain medical to a Morphine 7 day patch 5 mgs, so I have stopped Fentanyl. She will ring me next Friday 16 Feb to see how I am coping. My whole body bone scan done on Monday 5th February , showed that there are no more tumours and psa is negligible, but my painful compression fracture on T10 is still there after 12 months. I have been referred to a spinal surgeon by my GP for further treatment. Still the 24/7 pain remains.

[Madlegs1]

It took me 18 months to get from 70mcg of Fentanyl ( Duragesic patches) to zero.

I would go down by very small increments each week .

I would cut the patches with a razor, very careful to be exact.

I covered the patch on my skin with zinc oxide sports tape to stop it coming off.

I stored the remaining part of patch in soft plastic,to preserve it . Clingfilm.

I used oxynorm 5mg for short term relief when the withdrawals got too bad. Make no mistake -- they will be bad.

I ate healthy- lots of multivitamins and vit C.

For the last fortnight I took Clonidine and Valium to help. But didn't use my full prescription.

Good luck to you, it isn't easy or a pleasant walk in the bush, but an incredible sense of achievement when you come out the other side.

This was about 10 years ago.

PS-- it is very difficult to accurately cut the oval patches, so I would advise getting a rectangular one ( even if it is larger than you need, but ok , because you are going to use it like a quarry, cutting what you need from it.) But it will ensure greater accuracy. You need to be very exact when cutting.

This method can NOT be used for gel patches. Only the film coated ones like Duragesic.

All the best.

[Painbymotorbike]

I was using 2x 50mcg fentanyl patches plus 8 oxynorm and oxycontin tablets daily for about 5 yrs. I realised it was slowly killing me and I was still experiencing pain following original spinal fusion surgery. I simply cut my patches in half the, vinyl impregnated type, and stopped completely taking the oxynorm and oxycontin. At end of 2 week I stopped completely the fentanyl, what followed was the worst 10 days of my life withdrawal, shaking ,vomiting and sweating. Felt like death warmed up for about 1 month after. Was only taking tramadol at this point. I just realised that the patches and oxycontin etc were a crutch, I had become addicted to,whilst all the time I was still in pain.

Unfortunately my pain still persists but at a level not really any worse,or better than while I was taking the previous amount of medication.

It may not be everyone's way,but score your pain levels and ask if you're still in pain..what purpose do those patches etc achieve.

Good luck.

[BoilingKettle]

My experience of patches is that different areas of skin absorb more effectively than others - higher fat zones seem to be more efficient. So try moving your whole patch say 2 inches to the left and see if that decreases efficiency by a few percent.

[davannh]

I took about six months to wean off one of my patches by cutting a small sliver off each time. Healthcare professionals do not recommend this but it did work for me. I am also at 25mcg now so will start to wean myself off this one.

[SFNhurts]

I was on fentanyl patches for a few years and simply reduced the dose over a couple of months. It wasn’t easy by any means and some withdrawal symptoms were horrible such as nausea and headaches but they soon went. I replace them with morphine patches which appear to be effective so far.

[Brightman in reply to SFNhurts]

Now I am on Morphine patches 5 mg, I hope they wil be effective too.

[babylonsister1]

You might want to research a natural plant called Kratom. The reds work well for both coming off Opiates and pain. It helped me come off of pain killers about 8-9 years ago, and I only take it every so often, now. I have heard of others becoming addicted to it, I think if you go into it wit the correct mindset, this can be avoided. It's much less harmful than Opiates, especially in that one cannot overdose on it. It is a natural substance, not an Opiate, but binds to the same receptors in the brain. Good luck with your journey, either way.

[Brightman in reply to babylonsister1]

It available in Australia.

[deejames]

I weaned off Fentanyl using codeine , CBD oil and occasional low dose valium. I still take low dose co- codamol and CBD / CBC . Best thing I did psychologically and physically