Duragesic - Pain Management Message Board

Lady2005 · 04-27-2009, 04:42 PM

hello! my mom was just prescribed Duragesic patch for her severe back pain. (12.5 dosage).....and i have been reading the information online about this drug and its really scary!! they said there have been deaths and its been recalled a coupel of times. is this drug safe??

thanks!!

brianpain33 · 04-27-2009, 06:31 PM

I wear the Duragesic patch and have been a user of it for 1 1/2 years. I really considered all of the things that you have heard of before I went on it. Each person has to decide for themselves but I think it is relatively safe even with the recalls that have been due to manufacturing defects. Please note that this only effects the gel-type fentanyl patches which would be the:

Duragesic (BRAND name)
Sandoz (generic)
Watson (generic)

This does not effect the Mylan brand because it is a solid type of fentanyl patch. I can tell you though from my experience that I did not find the Mylan brand very effective at all. If you take a look at the fda site of drugs that kill people every year, I believe acetaminophen, yeah regular Tylenol, kills way more people than all narcotic type medications combined. If you don't believe me then check out the fda site. So if you look at it that way which I tend to do then the fentanyl patch is relatively safe.

brian

PNo · 04-28-2009, 12:13 AM

Because your mom was prescribed this low amount you could try the Mylan brand first and see if it works. Read all the tips at the top of the thread. Actually I think they have improved the quality of the Myland brand this past 6 months. I had to use them during a recent shortage and found them to be just fine. I use them in a couple strenghts and had no problem at all so I switched permanently because my copay is lower. They work very well for me. As with any medication each person is different. Plus I was always fretting over the gel patches and I now sleep better with that worry off my plate.

As with any drug, it is important to understand how to use it, what not to take with it, how to store and discard properly. Ensure you understand side affects and warning signs to look for and that knowledge will lead to proper and safe use.

Curious, what medication does your mom take now?

Lady2005 · 04-28-2009, 12:12 PM

thanks for the replies...i really appreciate it.....she is on Tramadol now, and has been for almost 6 years...she has degenerative disc disease and a very bad back and cant walk cuz of it...and the tramadol doesnt seem to be doing the trick anymore. im really want her to feel better, but im so worried about her taking new pain medications

PNo · 04-28-2009, 11:20 PM

Tramadol! That is quite an odd jump to go directly to Fentanyl when there are so many pain medications in between tramadol and fentanyl. Fentanyl is the highest class, strongest pain medication and not to be taken lightly. To use Fentanyl you need to be pretty opiod tolerant (already have been on narcotic opiods medication) for a while. Do you know why the doctor prescripbed this instead of going to hydrocodone (vicodin) or oxycodone (percosette)??

I think I would go slow on this one and see if a couple of the other really knowledgeable medication people jump in here. Guys jump in here - have you heard of people going from tramadol to fentanyl??