New member

Hello out there I'm new to this forum. I have been very depressed lately due to my chronic pain.I found this site looking for info on my butrans patch. I just increased to a 20 from a 10 mcg. Has anybody found it hard to stop taking the pain pills and just wear the patch. My pain management dr. recommends that I try that , but so far have not been successful . I am taking 10 mg Percocet up to 4 times a day,one at a time and that doesn't even seem to help with the pain.i should say it helps somewhat.I had a cervicle laminoplasty last year c3-c7. It opened the space in my spinal canal ,but the pain is constant.i was in a car accident prior to my surgery ( rear ended on the freeway) that also slipped a disc that is hitting my sciatic nerve. I don't want to seem like a whiner but it feels like if the pain eases up from one part so my body ,than it hurts somewhere else. I am also being treated for depression since chronic pain and depression seem to go hand in hand. How do you stay upbeat when the people around you don't understand what you are experiencing? I just turned 52 and this has been going on since 1999.i have tried every alternative to medication you could think of - massage,acupuncture,physical therapy, yoga ,feldenkrais,etc.. The hardest part of it all is that I cannot do the work I was trained and loved to do.social security denied my disability claim .i am in the appeal process. Can any body give suggestions on how you deal with your pain issues?

Welcome to the forum.
You are not a whiner. This is a place where people "get it". Chronic pain is a monster that we all fight each day. Some days it seems like the CP wins, but the members here will support you so you can fight back.

Social Security is another battle. I was lucky enough to be approved first time around. I had boxes of info that we transferred into many many binders. I was told that the most weight was given to the drs/tests that were in the last 6 months. I also had many personal letters from my specialists. I still feel that I just lucked out with the approval. There are just so many people that need help that get turned down. Keep fighting. Many members are in the same situation and I'm sure they'll have better advice.

Thank you to everybody that responded to my post. It helps to know that somebody is out there listening

Also, do not let anyone make you feel as if your pain isn't real. Or make you feel bad that you can't do certain things. Do what is best for you to get better.

It took me 12 years to figure that one out. Was always trying to placate my family. My husband is a good man, but he always thought it was in my mind.

Now I just say in a gentle way, I cannot do such and such. You go ahead.


Lumiere

Hi D&S & I too want to say welcome to the forum. Sorry that you have to be here but glad that you found us.

I hope you will use the search feature here as Vickie suggested & look up Butrans. There is a lot of current info there that could help you out.

I am not sure if you are aware of the issues concerning pain mgt these days or not. The DEA is involved, there are new rules & guidelines these pain mgt drs have to go by & if these drs do not play by those rules they lose their license. The drs are scared of the DEA being involved & they are not about to risk their license for any patient. Drs that prescribe a lot of medications are flagged & watched & audited, the drs hate this. I would imagine this is why your dr would not rx more than 120 pills a month. Anything over that a month could get a dr flagged. I honestly think things are going to get a whole lot worse too. Running out early and asking for a refill is a pretty good way to get fired by the drs too.

If the Butrans does not work after giving it a fair try to suit the dr hopefully something else can be agreed upon. Take care.

You asked:

Dante&sterling said...
I need help does anybody know how to make my butrans stick . I've tried covering them with band aid gets too wet and that seems to make me itch more

The only thing that worked for me was the 3M product called Tegaderm. It is a thin, breathable transparent sticky film. You cover the Butrans patch with a piece of Tegaderm that is at least one inch larger in both dimensions than the Butrans which gives you a border of say a half inch on all four sides. For the 20 ug/hr patch, yes, it's a pretty big hunk of skin to cover shocked

Fortunately, the Tegaderm never bothered my skin but the Butrans always left a nasty red mark were the patch had been.

You can find the Tegaderm online for about 25% of what they charge in most pharmacies. I have also read here online that some of the patch manufacturers will provide them free of charge. Not sure if that is true for Purdue, the distributor of Butrans in the US.

Even with the tegaderm you have to make sure your not using lotions,lotioned based soaps,suntan lotions,etc. Skin should be clean and dry when you apply the patch for best results.