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Fentanyl making pain worse?

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Posted 12/23/2012 4:17 PM (GMT 0)
patches were upped to 25mch/h from 12's and it's absolutely killing I'm still taking taking the dihydrocodeine as instructed

this is so odd this stuffs meant to be much stronger than DHC

Ideas? I can't see the doctor today obviously, pain score is at 9 for godsake
Posted 12/24/2012 12:14 AM (GMT 0)

Sorry getting there to hear that. I want to say Im not familiar with your dhc dose but 25mcgs isnt alot of fent to begin with and not having any clue as to when you upped the dose from 12 to 25 again I can only say this, make sure your patch is making good contact and that it in fact has med in it and hasnt sprung a leak(had this happen once) and if all thats good I would guess it just taking time to get those levels of fent up in your system.

The patches are on of those things that take time to get to a theraputic level and begin to work adequately if its going to. Thank goodness your Doc was one of those that understands this and didnt take away your dhc immediately following your increase in fent.

I know this isnt alot of help when your in pain and I know the holidays being here are going to make getting ahold of your Doc difficultif not impossible for a few more days so if you can hang in there you should see some relief by at least tomorrow if all else fails you can go the horrid way of the dreaded ER.

Wishing you luck and pain free days soon.

Posted 12/24/2012 3:27 PM (GMT 0)
I think you may be on to something with the leak suggestion it made me remember something

after been on the 12's for a week with no relief my doc started me on the 25's on my next patch change date/time of the 20th @ 1830

now the 1st 24 hours or so on the 25's was very mind fuzzy but it actually gave me really good relief having looked back at my pain scores for that time period

then the two days after that were honestly awful (worse than with just DHC)

it seems very possible that there was a leak in the medication in that first 24 hours does anyone read it the same?

I took the patch off yesterday and didn't replace it through fear of the increased pain continuing and today no doctor can see me

I have to figure out exactly what happened in that first 24 hours because it was the best pain relief I've ever had
Posted 12/24/2012 3:33 PM (GMT 0)
The other thing I was thinking is that your pain may be nerve or muscle related so that any opiate is only going to do so much.

Before my last fusion surgery I was on Cymbalta for my nerve pain and this helped the most for that type of pain.

I also still take Flexeril, which is a muscle relaxer, as it targets that specific pain and helps the spasms.

I do take opiates as well but as I mentioned, they are just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to our pain management and is meant to help lower our pain a bit.

I haven't read all your posts yet so I'm not sure what your pain issues are but just wanted to suggest that you may need another medication in addition to the patches to target your pain better.
Posted 12/24/2012 4:17 PM (GMT 0)
They tried Cymbalta and I was hopeful from what I'd read online but it had no positive effect for me, made me incredibly dizzy though what is in that stuff

They tried nerve pain killers gabapentin, lyrica etc even went to what he said was the maximum dose with the gaba but no luck

I exercise every day, do self hypnosis, hours of CBT, many baths, biofreeze/deep freeze, pri ice braces, trying to keep a preoccupied mind, you name it

I just need a pain level that will allow me to function repetitively, I've accepted it will always hurt on some level

the problem is my hands/arms they're constantly sore, yesterday I could of sworn I'd broken my left hand
Posted 12/25/2012 1:06 AM (GMT 0)
If you were started on a dose of anything more than 30mg/day of cymbalta it is quite understandable having some very unpleasant side effects. Even at 30 some people still have a lot of side effects and have to back down to 15mg and slowly build up.

As far as your patch issue goes my first thought is that you are not getting good skin contact. It may be that you have decent contact the first day but dirt, sweat, oils, etc in your skin may be breaking contact come the 2nd day. Make sure that your skin is very clean, dry and relatively hair free before putting on the patch. If on the 2nd day you feel it is not providing any relief try applying an adhesive patch" over the patch. They make a bandage or patch that for these medicine patches to help keep them in place. Ask your pharmacist about them. A piece or 2 of medical tape might help if you can't find the adhesive patches.
Posted 12/25/2012 2:17 AM (GMT 0)
hi Jim I was started on 60mg/day with the Cymbalta so that explains the side effects I had, good grief

I've thought about trying those OTC anesthetic products that contain lidocaine to numb them but the amount I would have to use may be far too dangerous as they can cause heart problems

I'm trying the patch again I think you may be right Jim, I tend to always do the patch change 3 hours after a bath and I'm very clean, I always make sure there's no hair where I put it and put it on my back somewhere

it's so frustrating all that's required is a pain level where I can function repetitively it should be possible in this day and age

thanks for your input everyone and enjoy christmas day
Posted 12/25/2012 5:36 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry your still feeling pain...hopefully you can get the patch to work and get some pain relief soon.
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