I Want Off The Fentanyl Patch...Any Suggestions? Will I Go Thru Withdrawals?

[micheller997]

I have been on Fentanyl 50 patches for about the last year.  I also have 30 Lortab 75 mg which last me about 45 days or more that i use for breakthrough pain.  

I had an L4-S1 laminectomy with fusion back in 11/2008 and i have constant pain from the hardware.  i am very slim on the backside and can actually feel the hardware.  i dont know if that has anything to do with my pain or not but my symptoms are pretty much constant.  I am 55 years old.

My thoughts are that I want to be the one controlling my pain, not my patch.  i hope that makes sense.  to be honest with you, i no longer even know if i "need" the patch because i have no way to monitor if and when it is working since it is constantly in my system.  I want to be more in control of my pain medication at this point.

What i want to propose to my doctor is that she takes me off/weans me off the patches and skips the Lortabs altogether and put me back on Opana, which is what i was on before they put me on the patch.

I have 3 months supply to work with to wean myself off but i haven't told my doctor just yet what i am wanting to do.  Will i have withdrawals?  what are the symptoms i may experience?  any thoughts would be appreciated.

[oneofthegoodones]

i think we all who suffer from chronic pain need to remember we are pseudo addicts, its a part of trying to deal with chronic pain, and there is a huge diffrence between pseudo addiction and substance abuse.

[micheller997]

shellycemt, i had to laugh because that's exactly what i am wondering...is this patch doing anything for me?  how am i able to tell with it constantly in my system!  i want to have more control which is why i am willing to gradually withdraw and go back on the opana sr.  at least if i am not hurting i dont have to take them but when i do hurt beyond what i can handle, i can regulate when and what dosage will take care of it.  thanks so much!

[micheller997]

thank you marycarmel.  i have a friend that had hardware removed from his back and his complaint too was that removing it did nothing for his symptoms either so i can imagine it is the same with your hand.  i will check out the substance abuse portion re: Fentanyl to see what others are saying...that's a good idea even if i am not an abuser i doubt the withdrawal symptoms would be any different from anybody else in general.  however, since i do not abuse them at all, i feel pretty confident that any symptoms i have will hopefully not be as severe.  thanks for the reply!

[micheller997]

thank you jazzymom.  i was comforted to realize the similarities in our situation.  i think i will do fine by tapering off.  right now i sometimes forget to change the patch and i only realize it when taking a shower and see the date i wrote on the patch had already passed.  that's why i am not so sure how well they are working.  i guess my biggest fear is that i DO have some on hand when i begin to taper off to ease any withdrawals i may have.  i appreciate your response so much!

[shellycemt]

you know as that oerson said just start tapering i was on them but because i was on a narcotic as well oxycodone NO withdrawals plus to b honest i dont think that fleaking patch did crap for pain help but to each is own goodluck

[marycarmel]

My diagnosis/prognosis is different than yours.  But I had trouble with the hardware in my hand and I had it removed, which still didn't help with the pain.

Fentanyl can be hard to taper off and if possible, should be done under a doctor's supervision.  If they can switch you to another long-acting (and/or short acting) narcotic, you likely won't feel much in the way of withdrawals.  There is always the possibility that you will feel some withdrawals as you've been on it for a while and you're on a high dosage.

Fentanyl is a bit harder to come off, in my opinion.  I tried to taper too fast and found myself in withdrawals and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.  The slower you go, the better of you'll be.

Check out the Substance Abuse forum (and I'm not inferring you have a problem in any way.)  But they have some great advice on how to better manage withdrawal symptoms with supplements.  It's a good resource if you do experience any withdrawal along the way.

Best of luck!

[jazzymom54]

Hi! I read your post and I too have a very similar life.  I had disc sx and two months later took a bad fall and was partially paralyzed, then another sx with the plate and screws, graft for a fusion. I had been on the fentanyl 100,
and 4 & 8 mg dilaudid for about 7 yrs. a year ago I decided that I was not going to stay on the patch that high, so I dropped to 75, next month to 50 then 25 and now I'm on 12mcg and I feel a better.  I did not have any withdrawal symptoms at all, and I have been able to cut back on the breakthru med too. I was very surprised that it was so easy to do, especially after being on it for so long.  Now depending on what I do, heavier lifting than I should be doing or working in yard, etc., I can go longer inbetween changes (it was every 48 hrs) I can go 72 hrs or longer. My dr says he is very proud of me be able to do this  but he also gives me an extra box each month, in case I do need to use 25 mcs I can, (it also helps phycologically, knowing I have extra, and not fearing the pain will be so bad). Good luck to you, you can do this too.  I have just recently been having more pain the "normal" and I had my back x-rayed, the graft for the fusion failed and it is now pulling one of crews out, Like you being very thin, I can feel the head on the screw, and unless it were to break thru the skin, I just can't go thru another sx. Pain is a big fear motivator, but knowing you have enough pains meds on hand also helps. best of luck, I'll watch your post and see how you're doing!    jazzymom54