Severe back paion and starting on Fentanyl patch 50mg
Posted , 2 users are following.
I was on 60mg Methadone tabs for chronic or worst pain for 9 years and was able to work enough and not get tired throught each day. I learned things to totaly eliminate the constipation you hear of. Many days I could get by on one 10mg tab in the morning and the same at night, however I feat best on around 40mg per day. If I worked ao played hard I would always take the full 60mg daily. I accidentally moved to the worst city perhaps in America, Amarillo Texas. I have never been able to get a doctor here to write Methadone even thoughI had an excellent record from taking it for the 9 years prior. Wish you could put spell check on this site. I believe all others do have it, thanks. Anyway, I have been hear in bed for 6 years unable to work or enjoy anything in life. Tylenol 4, I have been able to getr however I chew up 4 or 5 at a time with almost no relief. Flooding my system with Tylenol, tons of Ibuprofen, Gabapentin,crappy muscle relaxors of high strength, and others have me wondering if I will even live very long after my 6 year wait to get surgery. They may finally do that soon. Today my primary care Dr here gave me 50mg Fentanyl patches which I just put on about an hour ago. So far I still hurt like living hell. Incedentally the way I got off the Methadone was to do low dose Morphine for about a month, then the rest was a breeze, except for the horrible pain I have been in ever since. Six years my friends, and horrible pain. Being stuck on Medicade is no fun here cas youll never get back to work. I can't even sit up at the computer or learn my guitar. Are these 50mg patches going to help me and should I be able to get off of them if the upcomming surgery works well? I cannot endure thios pain any longer. Please understand that. Let me know if theres a spell check I can install on this site somebody kind, please...
Thanks
Joe
0 likes, 8 replies
Actiquser joe17535
Posted
Hi Joe sorry to hear that you are in so much pain and suffering, hopefully you will get your surgery soon. 6 years is an incredably long time to wait on surgery.
Yes the 50 patches should help you, but they are highly addictive and very difficult to get off. Many individuals in the US have been on the patch for long term pain managment only to have it abrubtly withdrawn due to current legislation and told their pain managment Dr will no longer treat them. Again read about that on this forum.
You only need to read this forum to see that many people think they should only be used in end of life situations.
Sorry if this is not helpfull, but it's truthfull.
Let us know how you get on.
joe17535 Actiquser
Posted
Hi, and thank you for the response. Wow, end of life situations only are intence recomendations to say the least. I don't know to what point a person conciders pain beyond the will to live, end of life times, and sadly to say I'm about there now. Honestly, even with the 50mg patch and the tylenol 4, I so far can only experiance some relif while lying down. It's still even painful to sit still. Tonight at 6:30, it will be 3 days and I'll be able to put a new patch on. Found super glue seems to be the only thing that will keep the patch on. I'm certain with the pain I have, I need surgery, but it seems each doctor wants to put one through PT knowing they will excuse me early due to excessive pain while doing even the simple movements. Just Friday they sceduled me for pain clinic Nov 8th. Surgery will be after that I believe. It seems methadone 60mg per day helped me more then this patch, at least so far. Please tell me I might get more relief as days go by from them, lol. I have lightning bolt pains shooting down my left leg as I type this so sorry I must go for a bit. I'll look back to your situation to refresh what your going through. I guess I'm suppose to say hang in there to cheer you up, lol. Thanks again, for you have been my first reply, and I've enjoyed sharing this with you.
Joe
joe17535
Posted
Actiquser joe17535
Posted
Hi Joe mine was for severe side effects of chemotherapy and extended field radiotherapy which left me unable to eat/drink and had to be fed intravenously for 3 years and still continued to vomit 6-8 times daily. I had multiple lung clots, bleeding from bowel and bladder due to radiation burns, lymphodema and other issues. Yes it gave me pain releif but never 100% at best 70% as I still had pain. The actiq / sublingual form of Fentanyl was great, but highly addictive. It brought releif or made me feel better, but you are in a fentanyl fog and tired all the time wanting to sleep. Its no life. I have survived my cancer and actiq is for cancer patients only and I want a life even although it has a very poor quality.
The fentanyl patch will never allieviate all your pain completely and you need something for breakthrough pain. It should however keep you comfortable. I've been on it 3.5 years and it was time to stop. Just remember it is 50-100 stronger than morphine and highly addictive. If you have shooting pains down your leg then you need to discuss it with your dr and not wait till Nov. When I had it started I was an inpatient for 10 months in hospital so I was seen very frequently by the pain team as I had a complete obstruction of my small bowel and could no be operated on due to multiple lung clots amonst other things. So they would try anything just to keep me comfortable. I had only been out hospital for 2 months after a previous 5 month stay when all my problems started.
I do hope you get your surgery soon and it makes a difference to you. living with pain is no life for you. Amitriptiline is worth trying. I only take 10mg at night and it works wonders. It helps the pain and makes you sleep. Its really mad to have taken you off the methadone if that worked for you.
I wish you well and hope you get some pain releif soon.
joe17535 Actiquser
Posted
Hi Actiquser, one pr0oblem iis I'm here in Amarillo Texas far some time and I'm stuck on medicade because I am just unable to work at all. Amarillo, has almost a nonexistence medicade system, so asking a doctor means waiting months just to be able to ask a question sometimes. That's why the 6 year wait for surgery, which will happen in Dallas. Arranging that took almost help from our space aliens. In Denver I was on methadone but transfering here ended that. Their simply are not any doctors here that will take medicade that are qualified to write methadone. Just wanted to straighten some of my situation out. Perhaps in November upon visiting the pain specialist in Dallas things will change, if I've still gone without my surgery.
Back to yourself, boy we just don't know how much suffering each other does in this world do we. It sounds like you have some good doctors on your side but yhat doesen't mean a great life for you.
Try to believe that many people here loose the use of their legs only because there are no neurosurgeons for the hard working folks that end out on medicade, when in many cases it would have only taken a simple surgery.
I only hope you can find relief from all that you suffer from.
Thanks
Actiquser joe17535
Posted
Hi Joe I am saddened to hear your situation and soooo long wait fro medical care and many not receiving care we take for granted in the UK. 2 weeks ago I met with a cousin who stays in Houston and was back in the UK for a holiday. She told me many people in Texas become bankrupt through medical bills when they become ill and do not have insurance.
Backpain is bad I forgot to say I have 2 fractured vertebrae in my back with sciatica from radiotherapy and that's when my oral fentanyl dose increased to a ridiculous amount so I really do empathise with you. It never got rid of the pain totally just made me feel good.
So back to you be aware of the addictive element with the patch and sice you have done methadone you will know all about it. I hope the Fentanyl brings the releif you want. If it doesn't then stop sooner rather than later.
But it should help you . Good luck and hope your pain improves to a level you can function at.
joe17535 Actiquser
Posted
Hi. You know it honestly still feels like I'm on nothing at all for pain, with these 50mg Fentanyl. I's been to the end of the 6th patch right now. Can't sleep, can't work from too much pain, and parts of my body hurt that I never knew could. My achielles tendons on the back of my feet throb, and just averall shaky feeling all over. I hate this. Sorry for being so self involved. It seems this disscussion is for detox from this stuff, and right now I need pain relief darn it.....
Actiquser joe17535
Posted
Hi Joe sorry the fentanyl is not working for you. Having stopped it I can honestly say I only have a little more pain than when I was on it .So it obviously wasn't doing much for my pain. The oral fentanyl only made me feel better, made me feel like I had energy.
When you first put a patch on does it work for the first 24 hours or not. If the answer is yes then you may be need a higher strength.
If the answer is no then you really need to see to DR quickly and change to something else as this clearly does not suit you. Pain in muscles etc, unable to sleep and shaky feeling can be side effects, so clearly this is not the medicine for you. Better to get of it sooner rather than later and have withdrawals. Please, please see your Dr or phone today to say what is happening and get this changed to something that does suit you.
Let us know how you get on.