The worse thing about the patch is that it is hard to get the glue off. It gets kinda gross. I'd end up with glue all over me. Acetone will help you get it off, but I didn't find that out for years. I was on them for years. It's time released, and you only have to change it every three days or 72 hours. Other than the glue, and the fact that it cost alot, it's ok. Never took percoset on a daily basis, so don't know about it.

The patch is a big step, and ultra strong on the pain med scale. I was on the patch, I hated it, showering, remembering to renew the meds, the itch from it in summer, all were turnoffs for me. I do however love my MS Contin. Anything Oxy is a rough med, I have never has Oxycontin but I was on Oxycodone and it made my mouth so dry i ended up losing teeth to it. So have a few of my internet friends.

Discuss taking Methadone or MS Contin with your doctors. They are not as strong, and might be enough. It is hard to imagine that your doctor wouldn't look for the least amount of pain killer with the best effect. Pain management is trial and error to find the right balance.

Excuse me for butting in but I can help you with getting the glue off your skin so easily. I am an ostomy patient meaning I wear a pouch due to losing my intestine from colon cancer. I have to live with glue problems all the time. Go to any Medical supply store in your town. And ask for "Stoma glue remover wipes". There not nasty smelling or weird or goopy nothing like that. They look just like an alcohol 1x1 wipe. And one swipe and the glue is gone! NO Joke! They are awesome! Especially for people like me who are allergic to adhesives!
They come in a box of 50 wipes! I hope this helps! Good luck.

Callmeouch is right about finding the right balance of pain management in wake of meds, what works for one may not even dent another. On a quick note Oxycodone is fast release, Oxycontin is time release. And yes it dfoes give a dry mouth for sure, I am on 120 mg of contin a day, that work rather well for me. The patchges are definitly a step up, and ask you doc to give you adhesive remover wipes, they work great and most smell like oranges. Also if they don't want to give you any of those, using babay oil work really good to gettingn the glue off.

I think moving from short acting meds vicodin to a long acting med is a good idea. You will get better coverage. The patch now comes in a 12 or 12.5mcg strength so you can start a little lower than the previous 25mcg strength that used to be the lowest dose. For me the patch works great. I'd talk to your doc about your concerns.

Melissa

I've been on fentanyl patches for about 2 years now and it has worked wonders where no other meds worked (percocet, vicodin etc). I use an alcohol swab to clean the skin before applying it to the skin (letting it dry 1st before applying of course) and I use the swab to remove the glue from the skin after I take it off. It can be a pain if it falls off, so place it on your chest or areas where you don't bend your skin a lot. As for the cost, that depends on your insurance plan, it only costs me $5 for a month supply

I posted an article about a lady Oding from Fentanyl a few months ago, just be careful when using it, NEVER put on more than one patch at a time even if it feels like it's not working, tell your doc.

Just an FYI: They gave me this when I was in the hospital and I ended up with hallucinations! Was pretty traumatic when I was going through it!

I have been using it for 2 years now and I love it. Way better than pills. As for it being stronger than morphine, yes it is. That being said the dosages are much lower. You don't take milligrams like morphine, you take micrograms an hour. Even though its 80 times stronger the lower dosage offsets that. Dont worry. The glue aint too bad. Just rub it off. I would try it out.

im not sure how this old post came up, but iam taking oxycodone at night, it helps. Still thinking about the patch, will ask doc at next appt. I have a jucuzzi, can i still do that?

no, you cannot use hottub or jacuzzi with patch. When excess heat is applied your pours open up to much and you receive too much of the drug at once which could result in overdose. No heating pads, long hot showers, or anything like that

I love the patch. The only drawback as others have said is the sticky reside glue. My son cleans my back with alchol and glue comes right off. I'm very sensitive to any adhesive, so we make sure that we move the patches very far from the last placement to give the skin time to heal. I always use my back from upper shoulders down to lower waist. Do not place on areas where there is scar tissue, no hot tubs, DO NOT get over heated in the sun, and no sun lamps. Mine cost $10 a month with insurance. The only drawback is that you have to go to the dr each month to get the script. No call ins, it must be picked up. For me that is a 2 hour round trip drive. But it is worth it.

I thought i'd responded to this, but i don't see a post from me! must have been on another discussion.
I used the patch for a while and had no negative side effects from it. I was also still taking all my oxy's at the time and those things seemed to have side effects, but when i added the fentanyl patch, i had nothing to complain about. I did NOT drive at the point that i had started taking all sorts of pain pills so my the time they added fentanyl, i still did not drive. I think that legally, i would have had problems should i have had an accident, though i didn't FEEL impaired... but, i bet the cops would disagree if i was drug-tested, prescription or not!! If it's prescribed, your dr knows what they are doing! Good luck! Hope your pain is better!
mary beth

Hi:

I was given Fentynal by a "pain management" specialist back in 2002/03 and was up too a dosage of 200/mcg every 3days. It did help me for a while. But by 2005/06 I felt that it was not working anymore and the pain was getting extremely worse.
After speaking to my G.P. & my Pain management Specialist @ the time, I was taken off of this, and put back onto Oxycontin. Unfortunately in my case, there was no improvement and I fell off of evereything that I was on. So I guess what i'm trying to say is, that it not only depends on the degree of the pain, but also your tolorance level too it- if that makes any sense.

I think vicodin & percoset more or less are the same type of meds..
I also tried the patch, but the cost didn't work for me. I am on morphine sulfate extended release and it works great for me. I only have to take every 9/10 hours and percoset for break-thru. So my day isn't spent on thinking on when I have to take my next med. I can focus on my life. I know I was scared about going on a pain med as serious as morphine. It seem to be a big step I didn't want to take. But I am so glad I did, you won't regret it, just find the one that helps stop your pain.

The patch IS 100x's stronger than Morphine. It says so right in the package info you get in each box. My dr has me changing mine every 2 days if needed bc he knows they come off me easily. If your running a fever over 102 you shouldnt wear the patch. Ive know people to OD and pass away from putting too many patches on or applying heat (heating pads) to them. Thast not very smart. That makes them release much more than your probably used. Anything over 50mcg's is considered the higher doses. Use them wisely and you should have much needed pain relief :) I just joined this forum today. Wish I knew about this place long b4 now. I used to run some other message boards and I also work as a pharmacy tech. Hopefully I can bring some good advice or help to the board. :) Have a pain free day!