fentanyl use in surgery

I get pain meds due to radiation damage which caused obstructions and adhesions and needed more surgery. I will need surgery in the future and it concerns me what I will get for pain if I remain on these drugs getting more tolerant. I feel its better to come of them now than livein a drug haze. eating is always going to be a problem due to radiation damage. I take liquid feeds to ensure I maintain my weight at 50kg.

I would call the orthopedic surgeon office who is doing the surgery and ask them what they think. I'm sure if your pain doctor told you to keep it on, it's probably ok, but you will need to make sure you tell the anesthesiologist about it to keep your pain under control and the medications that they use are correct. I'm in the same situation, I use a fentanyl patch and am having surgery next Wednesday. I've been given no information on whether to wear it or not.

T USE ANYTHING TO COVER THEM OTHER THAN WHAT IS MADE SPECIAL FOR THEM. If you use so.ethi g not made for them, you can get TOO MUCH of the Fentanyl in your system. Just BE CAREFUL!!! :) Hope this will help, even tho it is late. :) ..........

For example, over the last three weeks, I have gone thru Vicodin, then Norco, then OxyContin, now Fentanyl. I will be having surgery on 3/31, then hopefully my painful condition will start to improve. With all the posts on Fentanyl withdrawl, I am terrified of going thru that. My question: with short term use, will withdrawl symptoms be as severe as long term use, and if so, what is the best way to reduce/avoid withdrawl?

It now makes perfect sense to me why you are in so much pain on the Fentanyl. Converting 360 mg of Oxycontin to Fentanyl results in 150 mcg/hr...this is conservative. Converting Fentanyl to equal 360 mg of Oxycontin with the opioid calculator results in 300 mcg/hr. This is the largest dose conversion that is shown in the fentanyl prescription leaflet that comes in the box with the medication. So your doctor's thoughts that you need to keep going up on the Fentanyl patch are CORRECT.

I was allergic, severely to the adhesive that is used to keep the patch in place. The pain relief was ok but I just couldn't wear it look enough to determine it it was going to be effective. I know we have members that have been on the patch for years and swear it is better than sliced bread. Most have reported that the side effects diminish as their system adjust to the opiate. Sorry this is all I can offer.

I suffer from debilitating headaches that are a result of a brain surgery I had when I was 25. I currently use oxycodone, fentanyl patches and diazapam. My husband believes that I am causing brain damage and ruining my life. I have spine problems and vascular disease as well. I feel that since I'm using my mess as directed,I will be okay, he feels that I am playing with fire. What should I do, remain on the mess and feel relief or stop the mess and live in constant pain?

First....I really LOVE your forum name.....it's quite beautiful ;) Second, I have read thru both of your threads/posts here and am so sorry for the troubles you have endured. Having surgery can be traumatizing enough with a qualified surgeon....so sad to read of your past dr and experience with him. Third, if you fell and hit your head and have blood in your ears...it would seem very prudent to make sure you don't have a head injury, internal bleeding, etc. Hope you did....

You will be fine if they do not use any narcotic such as fentanyl and do not take any Vicodin or other such prescription from them. Versed and Propofol should work just fine for you. Suboxone will help you with pain after surgery, just take smaller doses more often.

I did go in and switch off the Fentanyl Patch 50mcg to Oxycotin 20mg 3x a day. I was very very sick the first two nights so I called my doctor. She said to take one more Oxycotin to get the relief from withdrawls at night. The withdrawls get better everyday. I am shaky, feel like a million bugs are crawling all over my skin. It has been 4 days now and I slept last night finally. Should it get better as the Fentanyl leaves my system or worse?

i have 5 herniated discs and am on 100mcg fentanyl patch and i an still in pain. is there anything more effective?

Hi Shel and welcome to the pain management community. You most certaintly have options. While you are on the strongest medication there is on the market today, there are larger doses of fentanyl that can be taken. I am on the 50 mcg/hr patch and inside the prescription leaflet it shows morphine conversions to up to 300 mcg/hr of fentanyl, which is equal to three 100 mcg/hr patches.

I would insist the doctor do an ultrasound and biopsy. I had a small knot on the lower left side of my neck. Doctors kept telling me not to worry was probably a swollen lymph node. After both of my parents & all my grandparents dying of cancer, I insisted my doctor check it out. You guessed it....thyroid cancer. Ten years I had this knot & doctors kept blowing it off. Had to have my thyroid & 22 lymph nodes, of which 7 were malignate removed.

How long does withdrawal last? I have been on fentanyl for about one year, 100 every 48 hrs. This was prescribed for me after my cancer surgery.

I had surgery and was given fentanyl and nearly 2 mos later still shows up on drug test. I only have 1 kidney, but I'm still totally shocked and it has caused me bad problems as the dr doesn't believe me when I tell him I did not take this from the street! I don't even know how to get this from the street per se! Please has anyone else had this issue with fentanyl?

Fentanyl can be very difficult to come off. The withdrawals seem to be harsher and last longer than other opioids. But you are lucky to only be at 12 mg over 4 weeks. Did your doctor have you on something else before he put you on the Fentanyl? I ask that because Fentanyl isn't normally used as a first-line drug for pain. If you were on something else, that would factor into your withdrawal. You can read lots of withdrawal hints over on the Substance Abuse forum.

Do I dare put on fentanyl 50 i have from old script till I can fill regular pain meds? Or will fentanyl be bad come off after ten days use? Any help on this be very appreciated! My Dr isnt any help havent been treating me real great since I refused go back on fentanyl or doing a procedure!

Why did they use fentanyl for anesthesia instead of a more traditional method? And must they use this again? I would discuss your fears with your surgeon. If you are not comfortable with him all your PCP. When you are "under" anesthesia they monitor you VS continously. They are able to determine if you are not completely sedated and will provide additional anesthesia should this happen, which is rare contrary to the media. I wish you all the best.

After the comment you made about the Opana not helping after being on the Fentanyl is correct....The Fentanyl is so strong that there isn't a pain med out there that will compare to it. I used to get relief from Oxycontin and Codone (very little but I did) and now taking both (I've tried the Oxycontin since) will not help me at all. The Fentanyl holds on to receptors that will make the other pain meds non-responsive. I looked it up once but it's all very complicated to me.

Fentanyl is a very very strong drug and very hard to get off of..They will usually use Fent. for terminal patients. I would use the patch when i would do surgay on an animal that was a VERY painful surgary and would only use it at the most for a wk. My mom was dying of cancer and that is what i had to put on her and it made her see things. Its nothin to mess around with. Be careful.

A horse fell over on me and bent the rods in my back, I live in pain, I need this surgery and HATE drugs. Help me please. What alternatives do I have to get this THS down so I can have my surgery. It was high once before when I had dental work done right before the tests. I am so beyond this and no one is listening to me on the correlation between the pain meds, stress and extensive x rays ..

I went back to the GI doctor on Monday and he continued with another month of Fentanyl patches and 5 mg of Oxycodone (which is only 20.00 instead of 80.00) but unfortunately it looks as though I may be having more surgery in the future. The GI is thinking now my hiatal hernia may be an issue, as I'm still having bad stomach pain, or some twisting or obstruction.

What success is there with an anesthesiologist addressing pain in Failed Back Surgery?

what exactly are you taking? its rare that they use barbiturates anymore. i heard most commonly they use fentanyl and propofol...neither are benzo's or barbiturates...but what they use and how much doesn't really matter. what matters is that your anesthesiologist knows what you're taking. it can make a big difference.

Fentanyl use in surgery

Common Questions and Answers about Fentanyl use in surgery

actiq