Fentanyl Withdrawal Symtoms

Tinytacohead;

 

Thank you for your response. I sincerely feel for your situation, and apologize if my post sounded as though there was NO use for Fentanyl at all. Clearly, in your case there is. It was geared toward the user that was placed on them for '24 hr control of pain' by an MD for a 'Non terminal'...convience pain control. As to why i didn't list the other drug, and I STRESSED an MD that was approachable...was to most users it would seem too far out there, quite frankly.

I will list them both here, but please remember, titration of both of of these drugs is imperative for success

Ritalin 20 mg IR

Hydrocodone/APAP (Norco) 10/325 short acting

The Ritalin is more the key than the Norco believe it or not.

Will post more later...and that is why I STRESSED an open minded, NON PAIN MANAGEMENT MD

If you dont mind my asking, what other, if any RX opiates are you on beside the Fentanyl..and for what period of time?

Please respond. I am genuine in my interest.

Andy

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes you got that right I just came off the patches and Dr switched me to Morphine and yes the patches are pure evil and the withdrawal has been the worst thing I have ever been thru. I thought Id die but fr 2 years now being on the patches I have had a loss of life and had chronic fatigue and never felt like doing anything I am so behind on alot. I hope I will get my life back. Its been 5 days and I am still feeling bad but its a lil better. I am proud of your strength and glad you had the Ativan I have Valium and it helps some at night to sleep but I toss and turn after hour or two. Thanks

I am currently on day 6 withdrawling from fentanyl 75mcg every 48 hrs cold turkey. I can tell you that you are definitely not alone. It has been a miserable and very very hard week. I haven't slept but maybe 20 mins at a time every 8-12 hrs if I can sit for that long. I was also prescribed opana 10mg for breakthrough pain. Day 1 and 2 were fine because I think the patch was still in my system.Day 3 was horrible. I couldn't catch my breath. I had awful chills. I was so anxious that I ended up going outside and raking even though I haven't done any labor in a year. my husband came home from work early and I am not a firm believer in a higher power but he must've known I needed him. I was sitting on the floor, sweating and about to go crazy. He forced me to take a quarter of an opana and just sit with him. It worked. My racing heart calmed somewhat and I sat down on the couch. I fell asleep in the sun for an hour. Day 4 -5 were somewhat the same. Very antsy, still racing heart, and diarrhea. No appetite and unable to eat much. I did take Benadryl because I felt so crazy and I thought it'd calm me down. Maybe it worked a little bit. Last night, I probably slept at least 3 hours in fits. Today has been ok. The chills are less, I ate a salad for dinner and actually felt good about it and I guess I do have more energy as I'm writing this because I realized I cleaned up my kitchen, showered, folded laundry, was outside and I don't feel completely sick and dead. If I would have known that trying to come off of this would have been this hard, I NEVER would have used it. I'm glad that I've only been in it several months and realized what hell it was doing to my body. It made my pain actually worse. I hope you are able to continue your fentanyl free life.

Hi Andy, First, my apologies for the extremely late reply. I'd originally done so shortly after your last post & gone into great detail about my meds, situation etc - though go figure.. the site screwed up and it didn't get posted. Frustrated, I decided I'd try again @ a later date and it slipped my mind until bumping back into thread in my inbox. As per my original message a page back, I'm on two other opiates, (as well as two different muscle relaxants). They're Oxycodone 10mg every 4h as needed & Lyrica 50mg twice a day. Both the Fent & Oxy's were prescribed for the same reason as the patches were for you.. pain control for a non terminal situation. The Lyrica is for a neurological situation which produces strange sensations in my lower legs which compares best to RLS. Interesting substitution/combination & again, I'm glad it worked for you. (also, thanks for actually stating what the medications were this time ;) I'm still a little confused though.. do you actually have something physically wrong which produces a need for medication? (I mean beyond psychologically) I don't understand how, (going off memory, as I don't have time to read your original message again), one doctor decided you had a severe enough issue to prescribe a heavy, 24/7 narcotic, and then another doctor says it's in your head etc.

PS - deleted, this forum's on crack/never works right for me!!

On fentanyl, oxy and medical mariijuan.  100 for fentanyl every 48 hours.  All I know if the patch falls off or stops sticking within 6 hours I get all of the "tv withdrawal symptoms" that one sees - shakes, agitation.  It is absolutely terrible.  I have neuralgia from shingles and am now begging my doctor to help me to reduce the dose and see if the pain levels are any different - I dont know any more it has been 5 plus years.  When one is in constant pain one will do anything to make it stop.  I even had a neural stimulator implant which unfortunately didn't help.

i also have been on the 50mg for 2 months. Reading all this stuff scared me so I cut a little bit of the one I have on now off. I have 3 more 50mg that I am going to cut in half. That will give me 6 -25mg will that be enough to get me through the withdraws. The ones I have do not have the gel in the pocket-it is the other kind-hoping it's ok to cut-I have read other were they said that one is ok to cut and my doctor said it was ok. can some one answer this-how long you have to be on the 25mg???

well, i'm 1 week into cold turkey from 200 mcg every 72 hrs for over a year and with back pain as many here have stated. i wish i had the option of weening myself off. but with no ins, it was costing 700.00 a month. this is a great drug for pain, but highly addictive. which the drs never mention. i'm able too eat the last 2 days, but am very weak and when i stand up i get dizzy and short of breath. the 1st 72 hrs were the worst for me, just trying to live one day at a time. best of luck to everyone!

Immodium is for the poops, not constipation.

Hi wondering if anyone can help!!! I have had withdrawel seizures coming off of Xanax, fiorset and Ativan. NOW I AM ON FENTANAL PATCHES 50mgl, Percocet 10/325 abt 6perday Clonopin and temazapam to sleep...the pain meds for CRONIC PAIN AND SURGERIES I NEED...MY FEAR IS THAT I HAVE NO INSURANCE AND NO MONEY LEFT TO BUY THE PATCHES IN ADDITION AFTER EVERYTHING I HAVE READ ON SO MANY SITES..SOUNDS LIKE HORROR STORIES..EVERY ONE OF THEM! WISH I NEVER USED THE DAMN PATCHES ON THEM FOR ALMOST 3YEARS NOW NONSTOP AND FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO CHANGE IT EVERY 36 HRS SUPPOSED TO LAST 48 FOR ME. MY FEAR IS THAT I MIGHT HAVE A WITHDRAWEL SEIZURE LIKE I DO EVERYTIME I COME OFF SOMETHING. HAD ONE EVEN AFTER COMING OUT OF A REHAB FOR 3 DAYS TRIED TO DETOX ME FROM XANAX...JUST SCARED OF DYING..AND ALL OF THE REST.....ANY HELP????

Hey soscared I myself have been through a similar situation. I was addicted to hydrocodone 10mgs up to about 15 a day and also was using 50 mcg fentanyl patches switching them every 36 hours.. This went on for about 15 months up until 15 days ago.. I quit cold turkey but given ur past with seizures I suggest u get with ur doctor to see if it is safe for you to I cold turkey.. A lot of people say withdrawals last 3-7 days but that isn't completely accurate my withdrawals were pure hell for about 10 days.. I am 15 days clean and I still am no where near my normal old self. Most physical withdrawals subsided between days 8-10 but my legs still feel like they are dead but I am gettin more and more energy back everyday I would say I am at 80%.. I will tell u what made my withdrawals 10 times better than previous withdrawals(have been through withdrawals about 10 times) Imodium helped tremendously I would take 7 in the morning and 7 at night if needed. It will reduce a lot of your withdrawals symptoms. Drink enough water or Gatorade to where u have to pee almost every 30 minutes! Be careful taking too much Benadryl or anything with diphenhydramine to help u sleep because it can make ur restless legs significantly worse! And PRAY! I am not huge into religion or anything and it may sound crazy but I would pray constantly while Layin in bed and it helped me so much it's like all my symptoms would temporarily vanish!! If u have any questions or just need someone to talk to I am here (: good luck!!

I was changed to fentanyl from ms contin and oxycodone )for breakthrough) when I changed pain clinics from one state to another. I didn't want to give up the morphine and oxy but the new doctor wanted to do spinal injections and give me fentanyl. Because the fentanyl wasn't holding me for three days (you change the patch every 3 days) so this month he changed me to nucynta, a synthetic opioid. I wasn't sure if that would mean I would go through withdrawal, but now I know I will. I've only been on fentanyl a few months but it is a natural opioid just like morphine and oxy so I've been on high dose opioids for about six years now. Withdrawal started last night. First of all I wasn't getting good pain control with the nucynta. I missed my spinal injection this month because I had a blinding migraine. So I am really in a lot of pain right now and going through withdrawal full speed ahead. The anxiety, the frequent trips to the bathroom. chills, sweats, shakes, and spasms are nightmarish. I wish I never went on opioids but knowing I would have probably died from the constant excruciating pain with the elevated blood pressure it caused and my coronary artery disease. Why, do you ever ask why? I am so tired of suffering. Not suicidal just tired. I have a lot of faith, but sometimes I am fallible and falter.

I just wanted to post to help any one trying to get off Fentynal, I was on 125mcg/hr changing every 48 hrs. I started to build up my 25 mcg patches using the Mylan brand once i had enough patches saved i started droping 25 every two day so i went from 125 to 100 tp 75 and so on untill i reached 25 i leveled off there for around 6 days and then went to wearing the 25 patch for 3 days after the first three day run i was avle to get off the fentynal completly. i had withdrawals but nothing i couldnt handle using morpinr pill when the withdrawals got to bad it has been three weeks since i started this and i am using two pills a day for the withdrawals i expect to be off completly in another week. I hope this helps anyone that reads this this medicine is a nightmare and like so many others i agree this medicine should not be used but sometimes pain is enough to make you want some relief i will not ever go bacl on this medicine.

I was on fentanyl 150mcg 72hrs for 4yrs my pain dr was arrested for health insurance fraud hes still in prison I was not able to find any pain dr to prescribe me any dose of the fentanyl I went thru withdraw it was major hell because of the withdraw. I had the shakes, cold chills, hot chills, severe headaches, vomited, unsteady on my feet, lack of sleep, my voice got deeper, low tolerance.. im in a case of sueing the dr I have permanet buzzing and other noises in my head, I am constipated I need lax to help me move bowels I have gained 40pds am not able to loose it it has screwed my thyroid my health system is really messed up my facial features are more stone faced skin is more harder and have more facial hair than before I have a mass tomour in my spine and pelvic is the reason why I was put on this god sent and nightmare. I lost my life from fentanyl I am disabled I live in my wheelchair I need assistance to walk in my apartment, I cannot drive anymore, I need help going to store, I am able to do somethings ..

Do not risk cold turkey.  It can be fatal.  Wean off from 25 mikes down to 12 then stop.  You need to be on another opioid in order to stop fentanyl.  Once you are off the fentanyl then other drugs can be reduced.