Fibro Meds..Fentanyl Patche Beware

     Hello All. I've recently came back to Obesityhelp after falling off the wagon so to speak but wanted to see if anyone is still on the fentanyl patches. I have severe fibro & chronic fatigue. I was seeing a Rheumatologist a couple years ago.
     He had me on several meds at the time (Soma & xanax 3 x a day, along w/ a few others i cant remember) and gave me the Fentanyl patches ended up on 150 mg after increasing mg little by little... IT WAS A LAST RESORT... Please be warned Fentanyl Is as Addicting as Heroin and is known for being prescribed to people dieing of Cancer.
     I was so tired all the time. My friends and family all said I was a zombie, wasn't myself, so doped up could fall asleep mid sentence...was feeling no pain at all the 1st and 2nd day (was Heaven in a way but not) by the beginning of the 3rd i was in so much pain and withdrawls were terrifying. I CHOSE to stop all meds cold turkey at the time because I was told by numerous dr's i was being over medicated and would end up dead if i didnt do something.(My mom also was scared and begged me to get off the patches after hearing a womans heart stopped when she stopped them abruptly)  Would love to swap war stories and am open to all communications now that Im back. 
     Fibromyalgia is a terrible thing to live with. I plan on updating my profile to what is going on with surgery issues/ weight loss stall/ Fibro is worse now than ever...
Currently trying Cymbalta & Amrix (similiar to flexeril but dont think is good cuz long acting) was sleeping alot so stopped the amrix a few days ago and can function... Im on Vicodine ES but due to Shoulder injury. My Current primary doesnt believe fully in Fibro so Im looking for a new doc & keep begging for referral to Specialist again to get help)  

I am sooo rambling ...sorry for long post , any suggestions?

Julie / Trying to Live In Pain Everyday in CT
Open Rny 8/2004
Heaviest 420 had surgery 330/now270
Trying to Live In Pain Everyday in CT

Hi julie,
I am no longer on the patch. I was severly allergic to it. I am now on Opana ER and Opana Instant and darvocet along with a line of crazy meds from the shrink.
My primary doc is not a bit believer in Fibro either but I had a long long talk and she acts like she is listening. I basically threatened her with a lawsuit since we are miitary and they would not let me see any other doc. She straighted up after that.
I do have a wonderful pain specialist now though. I would not give her up for the world, she is so sweet and does not even care when i take the kids to her office with me.
anyhooo I am rambling I hope you get to feeling better
Kimberly

Fentenyl patches are highly addictive and say so right on them. You should NEVER I can't emphasis that enough stop a narcotic cold turkey unless under a doctors care! You could easily have died doing that. You need to wean off of any narcotic medication over a period of time. This is why it is crucial to work closely with a qualified doctor. Some people also think if one patch is good 2 is better, this too will kill you. We with fibro are quite often prescribed some very strong narcotic medication and we need to know exactly what we are taking. The vicadin you are taking is just as addictive as the fentenyl. Any drug that is used for pain is usually addictive and you should also wean off of it when you stop by stepping down to darvocet and then tylenol to get off completely. If you don't, you will have withdrawls from it too. We all have to be responsible for our health and welfare by knowing what is happening every step of the way in our medical treatment.

All narcotics can and will cause you to become addicted / dependent to them.  I have to say, being on the drugs you listed all at the same time, I can see why your family said you seemed like a zombie.  I am on the fentanyl patch (75) I take one every three days and NO MORE! It doesn't take away 100% of the pain but it takes away ENOUGH to allow me to live my life without crying in pain every minute.

I say, if you see a GOOD doctor that looks at ALL drugs your are on - you will do just fine as long as your are honest with yourself and your doctor.

Good luck - glad you are doing better.
Emily

I agree with everything Hislady is saying. All these meds we get put on are all very addicting. I honestly cannot see myself going with out them thats for damn sure!! But I do not feel addicted though? I do not think I would have a hard time mentally stopping but I would pain wise feel it for sure.
I would get myself a pain specialist fast if I was you. How in the hell do you actually go without any pain meds having fibro? For me that would not be possiable. You must be a strong strong woman!

Julie,
I am sorry to hear you are hurting so bad.  I was diagnosed in 2007 with fibro.  I am currently on Cymbalta, Lyrica and Hydrocodone.  I am on small amounts of all of them due to my blood pressure soaring, swelling in my feet/legs and gaining 45 lbs.  My meds are not doing me much good.  I get more relief from 2 xtra strength tylenol than I do the hydrocodone.  I am tired most of the time too.  My arms, hands and back  hurt the most.  You may want to try accupuncture and theraputic massage.  I can get a script from my PCP and my flex benefit at work will pay for it.  I have also thought about going to a pain clinic.  I have not been able to come up with the money or means to have WLS and my PCP assures me that if I could loose weight I wouldn't hurt so bad.    I hope with all the advice you are getting somthing will help you feel better.

Nancy I just want to warn you that while WLS may help with joint pain it does little to nothing for fibro pain. Fibro being a muscle issue doesn't tend to respond to weight loss so even with surgery you are likely to continue to have fibro pain. Mine hurt just as bad many years ago when I was at a perfect weight as it does now, so just don't feel bad because you haven't had surgery yet because it probably won't help the fibro. It will however help greatly if you have any joint related pain.

I am on fentanyl 50 and have been for over a year. I am on a every 48 hr patch change. That is required for many people and is on the packaging info. I feel this dose needs to be upped as my body is used to it. I hurt with it so hate to see what would happen without it. I had back surgery on the 14th and cant sleep on my back like normal. I have fibro knots all over me and am really sore. The hydros help w/ my bone pain but the fentanyl helps most with the fibro pain. I have a drs appt monday if I dont call to have it changed to earlier. I am a nut from pain and not sleeping right. I dont think any of these drugs are very good for us but what good is a life full of pain. I read of people that function with this and have it to get better for them. I pray for the day it happens for me. I had this for yers and wasnt diagnosed until post wls. I was told to lose weight and it would all be better. Then got the fibro diagnosis and ruptured discs. My joints are shot from carrying the weight for so long.
Pray it gets better! Guess today is just a bad pain and fog day for me. Im so tired of meds and hurting anyway!
Shannon

Hi Julie,

All narc's are highly addictive. I take the fentanyl patch and it is 75 mcg's. I was on 100 mcg's but that was making me tired all day. So my pain specialist dropped  the dosage back down.  I hope you go to a good pain specialist to monitor you. I just needed a little tweaking to the dosage. I have bad osteoarthritis of my knee's and they need to be replaced. I have been told by my pain specialist that the Fentanyl patch treats the fibro pain. I also take percocet's as needed for my osteoarthritis pain which is the bone on bone. Please never go cold turkey on the fentanyl patch or any other medication till you talk to your doctor that could cause your heart to stop and you don't want to go thru withdraw. . I hope your PCP or your family doctor is not giving you the fentanyl patch. You need to see a pain specialist. My fibro has not gotten any better since I lost 110 lbs. But my osteoarthritis is killing me. I have a appt with my orthopedic surgeon in the morning. I can't even walk or sit on the toilet seat. I really can't bend my knee because the pain is worse. I feel like shooting my knee off but I don't think I will. LOL. I really don't like taking fentanyl myself but I have to function and be able to try to live a normal life. Cymbalta does not even work on me. I like the new Amrix muscle relaxer. I guess everyone is different on what meds work the best for them. Don't worry your not rambling. We are all here to support each other.  My PCP or family doctor is a Fibro specialist and is a Professor at Midwestern University here in Glendale, AZ. There is also the other campus in Chicago. All these doctors that graduated from Midwestern University are Doctors of Osteopathy in which they look at the body as a whole and not treat one site as a Medical Doctor. My one Fibro doctor does osteopathic manipulation on my body. He gets all the big knots out of my neck and back. He works on what you call trigger points. I would recommend going to a DO instead of a MD. I am not saying MD's are bad or anything but DO's understand Fibro better or go back to your rhematologist. I see both. I hope I helped you. You can pm me if you like and I can try to find a DO in your area. Good Luck.

Dawn