Question:
Mother has been using pain patch and would like to someday discontinue
but dr. seems so think she needs it forever. Anyone know how to safely
wean her from patch? :?

Answer:
is there any other alternative for the pain patch in the form of a
pill or do you want to not go that route versus what she is currently
on? seems like low doses of an alternative pain pill might work -
i'm no physician though :roll: how long has she been taking the
transdermal pain patch? thanks tara

Answer:
Fentanyl pain patch is a narcotic and rather strong. Mom will need to
be weaned from it gently. Perhaps her pharmacist could discuss that
with her, or she could approach her Dr. about how she might go about
discontinuing it. Since it is a strong narcotic, it is not advisable
to just stop it suddenly. If she really wants to discontinue and her
Dr is against it, she could seek the advice of a pain specialist.
These physicians are usually anesthesiologists who have pain clinics.
They often prescribe these pain patches and would be best to ask about
getting Mom off the patches. Narcotic withdrawal is NOT pleasant, and
chances are she will need some other medication during the weaning
process. Some of the withdrawal symptoms could be some be the
following: abdominal cramping, hot flushes, chills, diarrhea,
inability to sleep at night, inability to move bowels,
hallucinations-both auditory and visual, jitteriness, crankiness,
runny nose, nausea, inappetance, mental confusion or psychosis. :? I
am a nurse, and recommend not going "cold turkey"
alone.


Answer:
Does your mother suffer from chronic pain? If she does sometimes long term use of pain medication is necessary to control pain for a patient. If this is the case the Fentanyl patch is a reasonable choice because it is long acting and only needs to be given every 3 days. It is also good if you have a patient with difficulty swallowing. What is your mom's reason for wanting to go off the patch? If she is concerned about the possibility of addiction, you can ease her mind and tell her that a very very small % of people that are treated for long term pain management end up with addiction problems.. You can find a lot of literature to support this on reputable medical sites. However, if your mom is determined to stop using the patch, definitely do no stop abruptly.. Do this under supervision of a Doctor. He will probably want to reduce the strength of the patch she is using slowly over the course of a few weeks depending on how long she has been using it.