Fentanyl Withdrawals - how long do they last Cold Turkey?

[AmigaMaria]

I've been on a Fentanyl patch for the past 9 years. I went from 175mcg/hr down to 12.5 mcgs then 5 days ago I stopped cold turkey.  I don't take any other drugs except for my blood pressure meds.
The withdrawals have been BRUTAL!   I mean the most horrific thing I have even gone through.  When will this stop?  At night the minute I start to fall asleep it's like a demon takes over my body and I jerk and jump, twist and shout all night long - I get up and down out of bed, I exercise and even lift weights to try and stop the demon - but nothing works.  I haven't slept for more than 20 minutes at one time any night since stopping.  I'm scared!  I will choose not to live if I have to go back on Fentanyl but I can't take much more of these withdrawals.  
When can I expect the withdrawals to end and how long does it take to get back to my normal self with no effects whatsoever of the Fentanyl?  I seriously need help!  
Thank you

[2fargn2help]

Amiga, as bad as it is, just think, there are some poor idiots out here (like me) that haven't even started getting off yet. I want to soooo bad but reading things like this just make me delay even longer. plus my wife HATES meds and cannot stand me doing wds. even when I am out of the patches, she hates it! but I can sure understand that! good luck, I am looking to you for help so plz don't let me (or you) down ! may God bless you.

[Friendlyneighbour]

I just finished reading your post and my experience is very similar to yours. I was looking for answers as to whether I should just hang tight (I am on day 7 with no Fentanyl after 8 years and weaning from 100) or if my pain just required I deal with the fatigue, lack of motivation & isolation that come with Fentanyl. I was considering going to pick up patches at the pharmacy and have now changed my mind, I have come this far and once the withdrawal aches are gone I am convinced I will manage my pain with other methods. Thanks so much for the motivation, let's hope that my pain can stay at a 5 or less:)
I can't believe all this sneezing is from withdrawal - here I was looking for what I was allergic to!

[KickingThedevil]

I can't thank all of you enough for your help!  I've been on the 12mcg patch down from 25 for about a week now and have been going through all of the things mentioned in this thread.

I honestly was thinking that this was all in my head!  Waking up flipping and flopping all around the bed because I can't get comfortable.  Like an idiot I wanted to quit all of the drugs that I'm taking and so I let my Ambien and Prozac prescriptions lapse (I had to see the doc to continue) so I'm out of all of those and have been for a week or so.

Dealing with suicidal thoughts and wicked withdrawals I seriously wouldn't recommend this on my worst enemy.  I'm going to take the advice here and weed off of it slowly, it was really dumb to try to quit taking 2 medications (Prozac and Ambien) while simultaneously stepping down from 25mcg to 12mch Fentanyl patches.

I have some Percocets and Zanaflex and left over Robaxin that have been a big help but in the Name of Christ Jesus I will break this thing!  I'm going back to the doc on Monday to see if I can get my Prozac and Ambien renewed.  

Thanks to each of you for your stories, they have been an inspiration to me and I know now that I'm not alone!

[amyabb]

please take it from me a surviving pill addict with 5 diseases. You have to go cold turkey, cuz the disgusting and horrible feelings you get from the medicine and then have to replace that from another drug... just look into an herb, and try to be strong minded. I am a nurse, so I have seen many situations, and cold turkey is the worst, but it is the only way to go if you never want to take another drug again, it will stick in your mind forever, and you will want to vomit when you think about putting **** in your body, it has been 2 years and sometimes I vomit now taking just over the counter meds, because of the withdrawals I went through, be strong headed and you will feel like a human being again once your off of everything.

[Donnapooh]

Dear AmigaMaria, You should try a 4 day soboxyn detox.  It got me off herion.  I started of course with perccet then moved onto heroin.  For five years i stayed a slave to heroin until soboxyn came along.  I did not go on the maintenance as they wanted me to.  I just did a four day detox and believe me I could not believe that the only withdrawal was being a little cold and body aches and they only lasted for three days.  I slept, no ebby jeebies (as I call the restless leg syndrome) no diarrhea and no vomiting.  

[PharmaVictim]

Well folks, the doc wanted me to wait until today to start the suboxone, he said if I am not in withdrawals when I start it that it will put me into withdrawals. I was already off my patch for 24 hours when I saw him yesterday, they told me to take it off the day before my appt. Theres something about the suboxone and how it takes over the opiate receptors and kicks out the fentanyl ( or other opiates ) . Anyway the withdrawals hit me harder last night at about hour 33 since I took off the fentanyl patch and I took the first suboxone. The ones prescribed for me are a film that you put under your tongue and you cant swallow for 15 minutes while it absorbs into your system.  But wow, the withdrawals went away so fast !  Only problem I had was I couldn't sleep, was in a half awake state most of the night but I would take that over the muscle spasms, chills and runs I was experiencing from the fentanyl withdrawal.
My goal is two weeks , To stabilize off the fentanyl then begin to wean off the suboxone slowly. I'll update as things progress but wanted to share this info for anyone considering suboxone as a detox option from fentanyl.