JASMINE
12-04-2000, 11:12 PM
Hello Everyone,
Has anyone tried Duragesic? I guess it depends on the source of your pain, I have Fibromyalgia and Scoliosis that is rather severe. I've spent two years using different pain meds and saw a new Doc. in a Pain Clinic and he put me on these patches and it is the first time I have had relief in 2 years.
Might be worth trying. Has anyone had any luck with natural pain meds? So far I haven't been able to find any. I would like to be on all natural stuff. I take several other meds still, they didn't take me off of any. He gave me Arthrotec for days that are worse than others.
Jasmine
Has anyone tried Duragesic? I guess it depends on the source of your pain, I have Fibromyalgia and Scoliosis that is rather severe. I've spent two years using different pain meds and saw a new Doc. in a Pain Clinic and he put me on these patches and it is the first time I have had relief in 2 years.
Might be worth trying. Has anyone had any luck with natural pain meds? So far I haven't been able to find any. I would like to be on all natural stuff. I take several other meds still, they didn't take me off of any. He gave me Arthrotec for days that are worse than others.
Jasmine
Sponsor
blondie098
12-16-2000, 01:50 AM
Jasmine, I wish you all the luck in the world with the Duragesic. My husband had no luck at all. Some people just don't respond to the opiate treatments, unfortunately he was one, and we had a really sucky pain mgmt doc, who insulted and degraded us... needless to say, Carl had to endure the last 10 weeks with practically no relief at all, because he was not "responding" to the Duragesic patch (he went from 25 to 50 to 75 to 100, still nothing) and his pain mgmt doc refused to give him anything else except OTC Tylenol. What a joke.
If you are getting some relief from it, that wonderful. I wish you all the best!
If you are getting some relief from it, that wonderful. I wish you all the best!
Joseph Truzman
02-28-2001, 10:19 PM
Hi,
Congrats with the Duragesic. I was having problems with the meds also, ( Herniated disk L4-L5 ) and my pain doc put me on Duragesic pads. It really didnt help me I still had pain and it was not doing anything for me. We only tried 5mcg i think..Anyhow, good luck ta ya!
Congrats with the Duragesic. I was having problems with the meds also, ( Herniated disk L4-L5 ) and my pain doc put me on Duragesic pads. It really didnt help me I still had pain and it was not doing anything for me. We only tried 5mcg i think..Anyhow, good luck ta ya!
paris06
03-01-2001, 03:47 PM
Jasmine, I started on the 25 mg. duragesic patch four weeks ago. It has helped me very much, and I really like not having to take pills so often. There are some aggravating side effects that I am noticing more and more. The worst is constipation. I have had to take a laxative twice a week. I HATE this! Almost as bad is the loss of taste! I have noticed for about a week that nothing----even spicy Italian ----has any flavor for me. Let me know how you do on Duragesic. I can take the good with the bad, and I love having a medicine that is so convenient. Still, I miss tasting food! And I don't want to have laxatives be as big a part of my life as oral pain medicine was before. Paris
JASMINE
03-01-2001, 08:49 PM
Paris,
I had no idea it affected your sence of taste! We were out the other night and nothing tasted right to me..
How much do you pay for a months supply of duragisac?
Thanks
[This message has been edited by moderator2 (edited 12-07-2002).]
I had no idea it affected your sence of taste! We were out the other night and nothing tasted right to me..
How much do you pay for a months supply of duragisac?
Thanks
[This message has been edited by moderator2 (edited 12-07-2002).]
paris06
03-02-2001, 11:04 AM
Jasmine, My insurance pays for my duragesic; my co-pay is 20.00 max. This med. is expensive; a guy told me his month's supply was 175.00 (he wears the 100 mg. patch though). Let me know how you do on it. I have noticed that I can taste sweet tastes better than any, but I still can't taste well at all. Paris
PlaXibo
05-12-2002, 07:09 PM
A month supply of the 25's is 143 dollars. I will be going up to the 50's soon and the pharmacy said it would cost 285 dollars a month :(
There is a program where you can get it free from the company if you meet income limits.
Mark
[This message has been edited by PlaXibo (edited 05-12-2002).]
There is a program where you can get it free from the company if you meet income limits.
Mark
[This message has been edited by PlaXibo (edited 05-12-2002).]
Michael Hurts A Lot
07-05-2002, 12:22 AM
Thank God someone mentioned 'loss of taste' - I thought I was going crazy because I couldnt taste anything anymore (including Jolly Ranchers candy). I am on 2 100 mcg patches (200 mcg/hr) but I started at 25 mcg/hr patches. If not for insurance, I would be paying a helluva lot - I think its around $350 for 10 patches/month and I have to have 20 a month cause I wear 2 at a time.... but I only have to pay $30 with my insurance. Just remember, if the lower dosage doesn't work or stops working (a lot of breakthru pain), tell your doctor and he will or should increase the dosage - you can take up to 600 mcg a day (according to Janssen - company that makes it) -- but at 600 mcg, my guess is that you would be comatose. They only give that high a dose to terminally ill cancer patients I think
Happycat
11-23-2002, 01:57 PM
Hi. This is my very first post here so I will be brief. I just wanted to see if I was registered correctly and would be able to post. If this goes through, I guess the answer is YEAH!!
Oh, I have bad back pain for over 5 years now, and did use Duragesic patch for few months and had to get off it due to extreme nausea that even the nausea meds prescribed did not take away, so they switched me to methadone which has worked a whole lot better since. Different meds works totally different on each person, so try it because for example, the methadone that I take makes many people sick as a dog. We have to be willing along with our drs. to experiment a bit to see what works for our body, and a lot of times finding a dr. to do this is an accomplishment in itself, as I found that for the first year I had severe back pain before my fusion operation. I had no problems getting pain meds prescribed after the operation, so that was some good news. Take Care..April
Oh, I have bad back pain for over 5 years now, and did use Duragesic patch for few months and had to get off it due to extreme nausea that even the nausea meds prescribed did not take away, so they switched me to methadone which has worked a whole lot better since. Different meds works totally different on each person, so try it because for example, the methadone that I take makes many people sick as a dog. We have to be willing along with our drs. to experiment a bit to see what works for our body, and a lot of times finding a dr. to do this is an accomplishment in itself, as I found that for the first year I had severe back pain before my fusion operation. I had no problems getting pain meds prescribed after the operation, so that was some good news. Take Care..April
kiehn
11-24-2002, 01:05 AM
Can someone please explain what this Duragesic is.
What is it main incredient, how does it work, for
how long, etc, etc. My husband is allergic to most
of the narcotics and I'm wondering if this might be
something that can help his pain. Thanks very much
What is it main incredient, how does it work, for
how long, etc, etc. My husband is allergic to most
of the narcotics and I'm wondering if this might be
something that can help his pain. Thanks very much
JASMINE
11-26-2002, 03:16 PM
My advice to you is that you use the Net, you can get all sorts of information, and it is right at your fingertips.,.. also speak with your Phys and see what they say.. Good Luck!!!
davidc66
11-28-2002, 11:42 AM
Duragesic is Fenatanyl, a synthetic opiate about 900 times more potent than morphine mg to mg, It's measured in Micro grams,The patch comes in 25, 50 75 and 100ugh, this means it releases up to 100 micro grams per hour, 1000 mics = 1 mg. Good luck, David
[This message has been edited by moderator1 (edited 12-22-2002).]
[This message has been edited by moderator1 (edited 12-22-2002).]
jalyn10
11-28-2002, 07:30 PM
Hi Jasmine,
Well it sounds like you have gotten pretty much every kind of reply. And everyone's replies were correct. Just like every other pain med it works for some but not for others. Some medicines work better than others on an individual basis. And what worked or didn't for all of us will not neccessarily fit your individual needs.
I have taken Oxycontin, Methadone, and oral Morphine before I was started on Duragesic about 1 year ago. They were all pretty effective, except Oxycontin, for pain relief but I could not function on any of them. All of them made me feel out of it and doped up and I did not feel, with the way they effected me, that it was safe to take them while caring for my baby.
Like I said, I have been taking Duragesic for approx. 1 year, and aside from the getting-used-to-it period that only lasted about a week or so after 1st initial use and after each strength increase, it has not made me feel out of it at all. It does not make me drowsy and I am able to function quite well now with daily activities. But like I said, keep in mind they all work differently on each person. I have heard some say that Duragesic knocked them out and that Oxycontin works great for pain and gives them an energy boost...quite the opposite of me.
Another plus of Duragesic, as I see it, is no longer having to rely on oral meds so much and spending the whole day clock-watching waiting for my next dose. I had a big problem with the oral meds with them only working half the length of time that they should and having to wait for the remainder of my hours to pass to take next dose...it made for some miserable days.
With Duragesic though, there are some problems, or potential problems, to watch out for. On of it's major problems, at least with me, is it's duration of effectiveness. I have found that the medicine is quite effective in pain relief for the first 48 hours but rapidly wears off during the last 24 hours that the manufacturer states that it should still be working. And during these last 24 hrs I start to experience the beginnings of withdrawal symptoms and have to drastically increase my breakthrough meds. I know that several people on the boards here have gotten their doctors to change them to a 48 hour dosing schedule to aleviate this problem (something I am in the process of trying to get my doctor to also change) but you may not ever have this problem as some Duragesic wearers never have this issue. I have been told that for some reason smokers seem to metabolize fentanyl faster than non-smokers and I am a smoker. But if this does seem to become a problem with you, and your medicine seems to run out after 48 hours, talk to your doctor. It seems that many doctors are very understanding of this. This issue has really been the only negative thing I can say about the medicine, because I am constanty on a monthly up and down roller coaster every three days over it.
Another potential problem, and this is just potential because you can prevent it, is the withdrawals. Duragesic withdrawals are PURE HELL. Always pay close attention to your refill dates and call them in on time. Because these are 3 day scripts you may run out over a weekend. For instance, your month ends on a sunday. They will call them in on Friday. Do not wait till Monday to make yourself look good or whatever because you will go through withdrawal on Sunday + Monday till they call them in + another 17+ hours while it gets back into your system. Once you have it in your system, keep it in your system at a constant level. Never let it back out of your system and go through that roller coaster cycle I refered to earlier.
Well, It sounds like for the most part, you enjoy the medicine and that it is working for you. Stick with it for awhile and see how it does for you. I think you will be happy with it. Write me back if you have any more questions with it. Happy Holidays and good luck in your quest for the pain-free life.
Well it sounds like you have gotten pretty much every kind of reply. And everyone's replies were correct. Just like every other pain med it works for some but not for others. Some medicines work better than others on an individual basis. And what worked or didn't for all of us will not neccessarily fit your individual needs.
I have taken Oxycontin, Methadone, and oral Morphine before I was started on Duragesic about 1 year ago. They were all pretty effective, except Oxycontin, for pain relief but I could not function on any of them. All of them made me feel out of it and doped up and I did not feel, with the way they effected me, that it was safe to take them while caring for my baby.
Like I said, I have been taking Duragesic for approx. 1 year, and aside from the getting-used-to-it period that only lasted about a week or so after 1st initial use and after each strength increase, it has not made me feel out of it at all. It does not make me drowsy and I am able to function quite well now with daily activities. But like I said, keep in mind they all work differently on each person. I have heard some say that Duragesic knocked them out and that Oxycontin works great for pain and gives them an energy boost...quite the opposite of me.
Another plus of Duragesic, as I see it, is no longer having to rely on oral meds so much and spending the whole day clock-watching waiting for my next dose. I had a big problem with the oral meds with them only working half the length of time that they should and having to wait for the remainder of my hours to pass to take next dose...it made for some miserable days.
With Duragesic though, there are some problems, or potential problems, to watch out for. On of it's major problems, at least with me, is it's duration of effectiveness. I have found that the medicine is quite effective in pain relief for the first 48 hours but rapidly wears off during the last 24 hours that the manufacturer states that it should still be working. And during these last 24 hrs I start to experience the beginnings of withdrawal symptoms and have to drastically increase my breakthrough meds. I know that several people on the boards here have gotten their doctors to change them to a 48 hour dosing schedule to aleviate this problem (something I am in the process of trying to get my doctor to also change) but you may not ever have this problem as some Duragesic wearers never have this issue. I have been told that for some reason smokers seem to metabolize fentanyl faster than non-smokers and I am a smoker. But if this does seem to become a problem with you, and your medicine seems to run out after 48 hours, talk to your doctor. It seems that many doctors are very understanding of this. This issue has really been the only negative thing I can say about the medicine, because I am constanty on a monthly up and down roller coaster every three days over it.
Another potential problem, and this is just potential because you can prevent it, is the withdrawals. Duragesic withdrawals are PURE HELL. Always pay close attention to your refill dates and call them in on time. Because these are 3 day scripts you may run out over a weekend. For instance, your month ends on a sunday. They will call them in on Friday. Do not wait till Monday to make yourself look good or whatever because you will go through withdrawal on Sunday + Monday till they call them in + another 17+ hours while it gets back into your system. Once you have it in your system, keep it in your system at a constant level. Never let it back out of your system and go through that roller coaster cycle I refered to earlier.
Well, It sounds like for the most part, you enjoy the medicine and that it is working for you. Stick with it for awhile and see how it does for you. I think you will be happy with it. Write me back if you have any more questions with it. Happy Holidays and good luck in your quest for the pain-free life.
jalyn10
11-28-2002, 07:37 PM
Jasmine,
P.S.
I forgot to tell you:
I also take arthrotec. I have taken Vioxx, Celebrex, and most of the other anti-inflamitories in the past. I like arthrotec the best and it is the least harsh on your stomach if you have a sensitive tummie. Also, haven't really tried much natural stuff. Let me know if you find anything that works. Did find something that is pretty good though...you buy it at CVS. It isn't really natural I don't think but it is over the counter...made mostly of Lidocaine and you rub it on affected area. It is called MagnaBlue.
P.S.
I forgot to tell you:
I also take arthrotec. I have taken Vioxx, Celebrex, and most of the other anti-inflamitories in the past. I like arthrotec the best and it is the least harsh on your stomach if you have a sensitive tummie. Also, haven't really tried much natural stuff. Let me know if you find anything that works. Did find something that is pretty good though...you buy it at CVS. It isn't really natural I don't think but it is over the counter...made mostly of Lidocaine and you rub it on affected area. It is called MagnaBlue.
jalyn10
11-28-2002, 08:16 PM
Jasmine,
One more thing: (lol) ideas keep popping into my head. Continued use of Duragesic may or may not cause you to develop a rash similar to a burn. In time you will probably find that the chest is the best place to place patches. If you do develop rash/blisters/burn try this: Get a script from your doctor for Flonase, or one of the other cortisone steroid nasal allergy medicines, but have it prescribed as directed. It can't be prescribed to be used with Duragesic, it has to be prescribed to make it look like you have allergies. However, you spray it on the entire area that you are going to apply the patch. After doing this, you should no longer get the burns or blisters or at least to a lot lesser degree.
Happy Holidays!
[This message has been edited by jalyn10 (edited 11-28-2002).]
One more thing: (lol) ideas keep popping into my head. Continued use of Duragesic may or may not cause you to develop a rash similar to a burn. In time you will probably find that the chest is the best place to place patches. If you do develop rash/blisters/burn try this: Get a script from your doctor for Flonase, or one of the other cortisone steroid nasal allergy medicines, but have it prescribed as directed. It can't be prescribed to be used with Duragesic, it has to be prescribed to make it look like you have allergies. However, you spray it on the entire area that you are going to apply the patch. After doing this, you should no longer get the burns or blisters or at least to a lot lesser degree.
Happy Holidays!
[This message has been edited by jalyn10 (edited 11-28-2002).]
Beverly5
12-10-2002, 12:02 PM
Jayln- Hi! What do you suffer from? I am interested in this patch- As I do not want to be on Vicodin ES forever. I dont know how to inquire about it, or if I even should. Thanks!
jalyn10
12-12-2002, 12:10 AM
Hi Beverly,
I mainly suffer from a failed two level cervical fusion, but I also have nerve damage from a left shoulder reconstruction gone bad. Arthritis in that shoulder from the surgery being redone and in the other shoulder from a similar surgery in that shoulder. Also, arthritis in my left ankle (two reconstructions of it after shattering it twice), and arthritis in both knees.
If you are with a doctor that you have a good relationship with, just sit down and talk with him/her and say what your concerns are.
When I went on the patch, I was being tossed around from med to med trying many long acting ones because the lortab on it's own was no longer working...far from it. I tried a lot of them...Oxycontin, MS Contin, Methadone, etc till they tried the patch and I would not trade it for anything now. But not everyone agrees, as I'm sure you have read. It works differently for everyone. There are many that love Oxycontin...I personally can't stand it. It all differs from person to person.
So, talk to your doctor if you think you can. If you are not happy with your medicine, maybe the patch would be a good change for you. It is good if you are able to make a switch off of meds with Tylenol in them if possible.
Write me back if you want to talk some more, or have any more questions. Take care and Happy Holidays!
-Melanie :)
I mainly suffer from a failed two level cervical fusion, but I also have nerve damage from a left shoulder reconstruction gone bad. Arthritis in that shoulder from the surgery being redone and in the other shoulder from a similar surgery in that shoulder. Also, arthritis in my left ankle (two reconstructions of it after shattering it twice), and arthritis in both knees.
If you are with a doctor that you have a good relationship with, just sit down and talk with him/her and say what your concerns are.
When I went on the patch, I was being tossed around from med to med trying many long acting ones because the lortab on it's own was no longer working...far from it. I tried a lot of them...Oxycontin, MS Contin, Methadone, etc till they tried the patch and I would not trade it for anything now. But not everyone agrees, as I'm sure you have read. It works differently for everyone. There are many that love Oxycontin...I personally can't stand it. It all differs from person to person.
So, talk to your doctor if you think you can. If you are not happy with your medicine, maybe the patch would be a good change for you. It is good if you are able to make a switch off of meds with Tylenol in them if possible.
Write me back if you want to talk some more, or have any more questions. Take care and Happy Holidays!
-Melanie :)