I get very hyper from pain meds(1/2 a precocet makes me feel like vacuuming the world).

Unfortunately, it was too high of a dose for me(it was the middle of the 3 dosages they make) and I sped my butt off for 3 days.

The patches do work well for some people. They even have what is called the Fentanyl lollypop to suck on for rescue dose usage.

However, the patches usually do NOT work well on people who are very thin, (with very little subcutaneous fat). This is not always the case, though.

At the proper dose, the patch usually provides adequate pain control for 72 hrs.

Suggested patient teaching includes the following:

The drug level usually rises the first 24 hrs. so pain control cannot be adequately evaluated during that period.

Place the patch in a non-hairy area. If necessary, clip hair with scissors, do not shave.

Skin should be cleaned with clear water only. Dry completely before applying.

Hold patch in place at least 30 seconds while applying to help with adhesion. When it is time to apply a new patch, rotate sites.

Heat from a fever, hot climate, or environment such as heating pad, hot tubs, water beds, etc. may increase the transdermal delivery & cause toxicity.

Hope this works for you and that you get your pain under control soon.

Last recall was on 75mcg patches.

I'm glag to hear, that thin peaople have troubles absorbing it - it goes through fatty tissue under the skin or cheek (between back tooh and gum).

I had to increase dose from 25 mcg to 200mcg when I lost some of my wieght (from 135lbs to 120lbs). Now I don't even have enough flat space on my body for 2 huge patches.

As my stomach can't handle most of the meds, this system is a blessing if you don't want to constantly pay attention to meds to avoid low and high. olipops saved my life several times.

By leaving some of the backing on the patch you can control the dosage, which comes handy, when you want to slowly taper the dose down.

Withdrawl is quite bad, mostly from doses around 200mcg. Hope you can keep your extra pounds - it will save you a lot of money and trouble.

Cost is outrageous, I hope your insurance covers it.

Good luck! Punkie