I am interested in how anyone using this means of pain control have got on with them. I remember last year trying fentanyl patches but only the 25mcg size and had problems with it wrinkling and not really staying put that well. I am giving it another go but this time 50mcg size which also comes as a larger size patch as well as stronger - am beginning to wonder where to stick it!! so thought I would post and find out what others are doing with it.
Dawn
xx
Hi there im a nurse aswell and used these at work but not myself we usually place them on the upper outer arm, ( alternate sides so it doesnt irritate skin)or just over you’re shoulder as far as you can reach over to prevent rubbing from clothes and keep it flat. xx Julie
Hi dawn. Both my mam and dad use the 25 patches on their shoulders, they change them every 3 days and seem to have no problems with them. They find them better than the oramorph. Good luck with your sticking!
I use lower dose Fentanyl patches and do struggle to stick them on to my body. The stickiness… which may be good, also means a bit of a struggle getting the backing off the darn patches! I tried sticking them on my upper arm, but because they stay on for 72 hours, I found the friction involved when taking clothes off and then on, made it more of a problem keeping the patch in place. I now stick them on my upper shoulder or (what remains of) my breast.
AlexG
I had to laugh at myself when I put the first patch on this evening. Although the packaging for each patch is twice the size of the 25mcg dose - when you open it and hunt around for this huge patch - it is a tiny one at the bottom of the packing!!! Let’s hope it sticks o.k.
Dawn
There are 2 different types depending on manufacturer. One is liquid filled, the other an opaque patch where the meds are part of the patch itself. Vicky used to have 3 x 100 mcg patches before moving on to methadone and I used to have to put them on the upper part of her back.
It takes a bit of getting used to but practice made perfect.
Hello, I just posted a new thread but then was directed here, I am about to start fentanyl patches, and am wondering how people find them in terms of side effects. I have had awful constipation and skin irritation with other opiate painkillers, but the docs think this one might be better? Has anyone used it longterm? They have given me 5 patches that last a week each.
Hi Scaryfox,
Vicky has only just stopped using them after over 5 years at varying doses. (Only changed due to change in meds rather than any reaction). Her patches had to be changed every 3 days and the main problem we found was they can pull all the hair out and leave the skin a little irritated unless you move them around when putting new patches on.
Hope that helps,
Stuart