TRANSDERMAL Duragesic side effects, medical uses, and drug interactions. GENERIC NAME FENTANYL TRANSDERMAL FEN ta nilBRAND NAMES Duragesic. Warning. Medication Uses How To Use Side Effects. Precautions Drug Interactions Overdose Notes. Missed Dose Storage. Dr. Wilson Compton, NIDA Deputy Director testifies on fentanyl use and misuse. Watch the hearing from the Energy and Commerce Committee web site. INDICATION. DURAGESIC is A strong prescription pain medicine that contains an opioid narcotic that is used to manage pain severe enough to require daily around. Fentanyl is a depressant drug. It belongs to a group of drugs known as opioids. It is prescribed for the for chronic, severe pain. WARNING Fentanyl has a high risk for abuse and severe, possibly fatal, breathing problems. Do not use transdermal patches unless you have been regularly taking moderate to large amounts of narcoticpain medication. Otherwise, it may cause overdose even death. The risk for harm is higher if you use the wrong dosestrength, or if you use it along with other drugs that might also affect breathing. The risk for breathing problems might also be higher when you start this medication and after a dose increase. Get medical help right away if you notice unusual slowshallow breathing. Do not use this medication to relieve mild, short term, or sudden pain such as due to headachemigraine, dentalmedical procedures, or pain after surgery including same day surgery when you do not need to stay in the hospital overnight. Bangla Font Software For Windows Xp there. NEWS08_311089982_AR_-1_QEUZFBFRZEWP.jpg' alt='How Do People Abuse The Fentanyl Patch' title='How Do People Abuse The Fentanyl Patch' />Fentanyl abuse may be a relatively new problem in Canada, but the drug itself has been around for more than half a century. First developed by pharmaceutical. Dr. Darryl Gebien had a young family and a rewarding career. A fentanyl addiction left him broke, near death and destined for prison. Some medical professionals say that Nevadas new lethal injection protocol, which includes fentanyl, doesnt surprise them. Others were flabbergasted. Signs and Symptoms of Fentanyl Abuse. Fentanyl is one of the strongest opiate drugs on the market. It is not a longlasting drug so it is often used for surgery. Synthetic fentanyl showing up in the street drug supply is an enormous game changer, says Carol Falkowski, CEO of Drug Abuse Dialogues, a group that. This medication is not for occasional as needed use. Since they are not used the same way, different forms of fentanyl including lozenges, buccal tablets, patches do not have the same effects at equal strengths and should not be substituted for each other. Tell your doctor or pharmacist of all medications that you use, especially of drugs that can affect how fentanyl works see also Drug Interactions section. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicines you are using without your doctors approval. Carefully follow the manufacturers instructions for using fentanyl transdermal patches. The patches are for use on the skin only. Raising your skinbody temperature, using cut or damaged fentanyl patches, or using the patch improperly such as by chewing it may cause fatal overdose. Avoid increasing your skin temperature atnear the application site by using products such as heating pads, electric blankets, hot tubs, heat lamps, or tanning lamps. Avoid taking hot baths and sunbathing. However, you may bathe, shower, or swim while wearing the patch as long as you avoid hot water. Keep this medicine in a safe place to prevent theft, misuse, or abuse. This medication is not recommended for use in children younger than 2 years. Some manufacturers recommend that this product should not be used in children younger than 1. If a child accidentally swallows this drug, get medical help right away. USES This medication is used to help relieve moderate to severe ongoing pain such as due to cancer. Fentanyl belongs to a class of drugs known as narcotic opiate analgesics. It works in the brain to change how your body feels and responds to pain. HOW TO USE See also Warning section. Read the Medication Guide and, if available, the Patient Information Leaflet provided by your pharmacist before you start using this medication and each time you get a refill. Learn how to properly use, store, and discard the patches. If you have any questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Before you start using this medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist if you should stop or change the dose of your other narcotic medications. It may take up to 2. For added pain relief, your doctor may direct you to also take quick acting narcotic or non narcotic pain medications such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions about using fentanyl safely with other drugs. Apply this medication to the skin as directed by your doctor. Do not apply on burns, cuts, irritated skin, or skin that has been exposed to radiation x ray treatment. Select a dry, non hairy area on a flat part of your body, such as the chest, sides, back, or upper arms. In young children or in people unable to think clearly such as due to dementia, apply the patch on the upper back to lessen the chance it might be removed or placed in the mouth. If there is hair on the skin, use scissors to clip the hair as close as possible to the skin. Do not shave hair since this might cause skin irritation. If needed, use water to clean the area. Do not use soap, oils, lotions, or alcohol on the application site. Dry the skin well before applying the patch. The patch is usually changed every 7. To avoid irritation, apply to a different area each time. Be sure to remove the old patch before applying a new patch. The used patch still contains enough fentanyl to cause serious harm, even kill a child or pet, so fold it in half with the sticky sides together and discard properly. Do not let children see you apply a patch, and do not apply the patch where children can see it. Children have found patches that have fallen off or removed patches on sleeping adults and put them in their mouths or on their bodies with fatal results. See also Warning section. Do not use the patch if it appears to be broken, cut, or damaged. Remove from the sealed pouch, peel off the protective liner, and apply immediately to the skin. Press firmly in place with the palm of the hand for 3. If your prescribed dose is for more than one patch, make sure the edges of the patches do not touch or overlap. After applying the patch, wash your hands with water only. If you have problems with the patch not sticking at the application site, you may tape the edges in place with first aid tape. If this problem persists, ask your doctor for advice. If the patch falls off before 7. Be sure to let your doctor know if this happens. If you accidentally touch the sticky layer to your skin or handle a cut or damaged patch, wash the area well with clear water. If the patch comes off and accidentally sticks to the skin of another person, immediately remove the patch, wash the area with water, and get medical help for them right away. Do not use soap, alcohol, or other products to wash the area. The dosage is based on your medical condition and response to treatment. Do not apply more patches than directed, change them more frequently, or use them for a longer time than prescribed. This medication may cause withdrawal reactions, especially if it has been used regularly for a long time or in high doses. In such cases, withdrawal symptoms such as restlessness, watering eyes, runny nose, nausea, sweating, muscle aches may occur if you suddenly stop using this medication. To prevent withdrawal reactions, your doctor may reduce your dose gradually. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more details, and report any withdrawal reactions immediately. When this medication is used for a long time, it may not work as well. Talk with your doctor if this medication stops working well. Along with its benefits, this medication may rarely cause abnormal drug seeking behavior addiction. This risk may be increased if you have abused alcohol or drugs in the past. Use this medication exactly as prescribed to lessen the risk of addiction. Tell your doctor if your pain persists or worsens. SIDE EFFECTS Nausea, vomiting, constipation, lightheadedness, dizziness, drowsiness, or headache may occur. Mild irritation, itching, or redness at the application site may also occur. Some of these side effects may decrease after you have been using this medication for a while. If any of these effects persist or worsen, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly. To prevent constipation, eat a diet adequate in fiber, drink plenty of water, and exercise. Signs and Symptoms of Fentanyl Abuse. Fentanyl is one of the strongest opiate drugs on the market. It is not a long lasting drug so it is often used for surgery recovery and for breakthrough painmeaning that when a person is already taking an opiate but has temporary pain that breaks through the opiate barrier, they may be given fentanyl. Time release formulations for fentanyl provide strong pain relief over time. They come in two formsa lollipop and a patch. Fentanyl also comes as a small piece of film that can be dissolved under the tongue and a pill meant to be lodged inside the cheek. In hospital settings, fentanyl can be injected. For the individual abusing the drug outside a hospital, this is highly dangerous, as the difference between a therapeutic dose and a deadly dose is very small. As with any opiate, the main symptoms of fentanyl abuse are euphoria, drowsiness, lethargy and mellowness. Fentanyl very quickly creates a tolerance to high doses, so a dose that is adequate for the intended high one week will probably not create that intended high even a few days later. There are many other signs and symptoms of using fentanyl, either medically or illicitly, that are not desirable. These include Dizziness and lightheadedness. Dry mouth. Retention of urine. Suppression of breathing. Severe constipation. Itching or hives. Nausea and vomiting. Loss of appetite. Weight loss. Headache. Difficulty seeing. Depression. Hallucinations. All Html Tags Pdf Format. Bad dreams. Difficulty sleeping. Sweating. Shaking. Swollen extremities. Addiction Is Also a Symptom of Fentanyl Abuse. In most cases, addiction is accompanied by a deterioration in personal integrity. It takes many unethical or criminal acts to maintain an addiction over timeeither expenditure of large amounts of personal money or thefts, prescription fraud, doctor shopping or other crimes, to get the drugs that are needed. A fentanyl addict normally has secrets from most or all of the people they encounter regularly. If the thefts are from a workplace, as often happens, they will be living a secret life while at work. Hospitals, pharmacies and nursing homes are often the sites of fentanyl theft by desperate employees. Different people become addicted at different rates. Some addicts try to prevent addiction by letting time pass between usages of strong opiates and others feel compelled to use the drug continuously once they start, which walks them straight into addiction. Those coming off heavy fentanyl abuse will often be weaned down to a lower level before going through withdrawal, as unsupported withdrawal from strong opiates can be brutal. Recovering from Fentanyl Addiction at a Narconon Rehab. The Narconon drug and alcohol rehab program in some 4. If a person does not need weaning or medical detox, he can safely and tolerably come off his drugs in the Withdrawal Unit at a Narconon rehab facility. Each person is immediately given generous doses of nutritional supplements that help alleviate the worst of the bodys reactions to withdrawal. A person coming into a rehab is normally in a severely depleted condition, and these supplements begin the rebuilding process. They also assist the body in starting to eliminate the toxicity that exists from the drugs that were used. A number of methods and exercises have been developed that help a person both mentally and physically during withdrawal. Specific supplements can help with diarrhea, vomiting or other symptoms. Assists are simple and gentle procedures that help relieve physical pain and mental anxiety. Objective exercises calm a persons mind and enable him to direct his attention toward recovery and the future and get attention off pain and the past. Those going through this process often remark on how manageable this withdrawal procedure is. This is followed by an innovative detoxification step. Opiate abusers experience a mental fog from using these drugs as do users of many drugs. Drug residues that are not fully eliminated from the body can cause this fog to persist, even long after drugs are discontinued. The Narconon New Life Detoxification combines sauna, exercise and nutrition to activate the bodys ability to flush out these residual toxins. The result is clearer thinking and an improved outlook on life. Most people also state that their cravings for drugs are greatly reduced or eliminated altogether. Life Skills Must Then be Restored. A person who wishes to stay drug free for the long haul must then overcome a mental or psychological need for drugs. This means building the skills to deal with life as it is, without hiding or trying to escape. This is the final phase of the Narconon program. Learn how this program can help someone you love recover from an addiction that may seem hopeless. See also Effects of Fentanyl Abuse.