Butrans patch for chronic pain

Hi....yes Narco/Vicodin is all that works for me and not completely either. I take doses every 4 hours....8 doses a day.

All my information has been sent in from all the doctors and PT and others. Now I am just waiting for insurance to okay it. I am getting a electric wheelchair. It embarrasses me to need one, but, I do need to be able to get out of my apartment. That will help with that!

I hope you can one day be pain free....to late for me.

Hugs.....connie d

Aw Connie, don't be embarrassed about the electric wheelchair. You do what is necessary. Some really bad days I need a walker and thought people were pitying me. People don't care, we are our own worst critics.

The Butrans patch is helping, but need stronger dose so pharmacist has sent a fax to my Doctor. She warned me I will never be painfree but hopes to reduce the pain to background noise I can live with.

Good luck Connie.

j

Chronic pain is so tiring. You go to bed in pain, wake up in pain. It is there all the time. When I think if doing something - I often wonder "how much pain can I tolerate today" hoping that "today" is going to be the day that my pain would allow me to still do things.

What is worse - my body is getting used to narcotics. Building tolerance. It takes more and more to give me the same relief. I used to get sick on just 5 mg narco. 2.5 gr was more than enough. 5 mg used to put me to sleep (or made me really sick if I tried to move around)

Now 5 mg just takes the edge of the pain.

I can't take Vicodin. It hurts my pouch. Really hurts. Not sure why.

UPDATE 8 May

Am on third version of patch, now 15 micrograms/hr, and having incomplete pain relief from arthritis and fibro pains. Think will need to go to 20 micrograms/hr, but my GP sent message she will not up the Butrans to 20. That will leave me with unsatisfactory pain management....It is working but I need to be bumped up. Keep posted for my updates.

Jen

I am thrilled to see this . I suffer so much and take tramadol and sit here waiting for stomach to blow! I am thin now but gosh arthritis sucks . Hugs fellow suffer era. I am 67

Hi fellow senior sufferer! The great thing about the Butrans patch ( Buprenorphine, yes an opiod) is that nothing is taken orally, not a pill nor a liquid, so will not blow up our tiny stomachs...it is absorbed transdermally (through skin) and therefore doesn't inflame our digestive system by direct contact beforeitstarts working. If my doctor agrees to next higherdose, I think I will have optimal pain managementasitseems to be working. For breakthrough pain, on thise superbaddays, I will still take an NSAID supository ( again to avoid direct contact by an aggresive pill or liquid in my pouchie and small intestine). The NSAID which works for me is 50 mg DICLOFENAC(Voltaren) absorbed through lining of lower colon, and this happens maybe once month or so, so nit muchdanger of heart congestion/ heart attack from cumulative daily use, and previously took it for up to a month for extended arthritis reliefon active holidays ( riskingspintaneous ulcers anywhere as med is systemic absorbed into bloodwork, but danger mostly for ulcer in sygmoid ( lower colon) where suppository comes into contact with colon and is absorbed, a risk was was willing to take, but now that extended use of NSAIDs results in heart failure ( GOOGLE IT), I will only use very rarely for those breakthrough pain days I need to get out of bed and function. There are other NSAIDs for arthritis also available in suppository but am sticking with 50 mg Diclofenac for extreme pain, just one suppository in addition to the Butrans patch, and only very rarely....

If you try the Butrans patch, post here as would like to know if it works for you! It is not an NSAID so is ok for gastric bypass, unlike NSAIDs.

Jen

UPDATE 10 JUNE: ( my last update here)

After 10 weeks transitioning through 5-10-15 microgram/hr patches, and now graduated to 20 micgms/hr, have decent relief for my arthritis and fibro, and general body aches and pains. Think I've hit the sweet spot.

Doesn't work on acute pains like IBS but am happy as there are other painkillers for that you can take at same time.