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Below are Duragesic (Fentanyl Transdermal) reviews, ratings, comments submitted by patients and caregivers. Based on a total of 4 ratings/reviews, Duragesic has an overall score of 5.50. The effectiveness score is 7 and the side effect score is 6. The scores are on ten point scale: 10 - best, 1 - worst. This information is not vetted and should not be cosidered as clinical evidence. | Duragesic review by care giver of 52 year old male patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Marginally Effective |
Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | Cancer related pain |
Dosage & duration: | | ?? (dosage frequency: 3 days) for the period of 5 days |
Other conditions: | | Cancer of the Esophagus |
Other drugs taken: | | Famatodine | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | The Fentanyl patch helped some with pain, however, the patient was still in considerable pain. |
Side effects: | | On the 4th day on the medication the patient who had been very responsive and alert was groggy, not alert and fell several times in attempts to go to the bathroom, something he had no problem with proir to the medication. In attempting to assist the patient, it was evident that his heart was beating rapidly and he was in a cold sweat. He died on the 5th day on the medication. |
Comments: | | The patient was suffering from cancer of the esophagus, which was in an advanced state at the time of diagnosis. The patient was to begin treatment for cancer the day following his death. He had received a feeding tube through his stomach and was sent home from the hospital with a perscription for Fentanyl patches for pain. He had previously been taking a much milder medication. The patient rapidly deteriorated and died within 6 days of receiving the feeding tube and within 5 days of beginning the Fentanyl patch for pain. |
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| Duragesic review by 53 year old male patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | cancer/constant pain |
Dosage & duration: | | 50ncg/h patch (3-day patch cycle) (dosage frequency: 3 days) for the period of still taking |
Other conditions: | | cancer within lung, spinal column, arteries, etc. |
Other drugs taken: | | oxycodone | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | Having a constant level of pain relief by transdermal absorbpion. |
Side effects: | | After 6-16 hours I became quite sleepy and tired. After a couple of hours of sleep, I awoke feeling as I usually do first thing in the morning. A couple of hours later the sleepiness returned. |
Comments: | | Apply the patch every 3 days. |
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| Duragesic review by 52 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | Rheumatoid Arthritis Joint Pain, Fibromyalgia |
Dosage & duration: | | 50 mg taken one patch every three days for the period of one year |
Other conditions: | | Herniated Disks |
Other drugs taken: | | Tenormin, Orencia, hydrocodone as needed for break through pain | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | Relief from hip and shoulder pain, tingling painful feet in the mornings when I would first walk around. I also received relief from lower back pain and as such allowed for better sleep to occur. There is also comfort in knowing that as my illness progresses and as I age that relief is out there for me when and if I choose to use it again. |
Side effects: | | Soemtimes the skin where the patch was placed became sore, itchy, red and inflamed. However, the most problematic side effect was during the transition phase between each 30 day prescription. For example, if the pharmacy did not have the product, I would have to go without a patch for a day or two I would experience withdrawal symptoms, jitteriness, crawling skin, sleeplessness with dizziness. The whole ordeal of getting in to see the doctor every 28 days, getting the prescription,, well, it all was getting so stessful I just went cold turkey and quit using them. Which, by the way, was pretty foolish because I had a difficult three days by myself to say the least. |
Comments: | | I was having considerable hip and shoulder pain. Also, I had significant sciatic pain but the sciatica pain was not as chronic as the shoulder pain. While using the fentanyl patch I was given facet block injections and as a result have had little problem with the sciatica. The fentanyl patch also relieved tingling pins and nnedle like pain in my feet that I had in the mornings when I first woke up and put even a little of my weight down on my feet. For me the patches served me for the time that I was using them. I am however, glad that for now I do not currently use them. |
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| Duragesic review by 30 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | severe chronic pain |
Dosage & duration: | | several doses (dosage frequency: every 48 or 36 hours) for the period of several courses, long-term maintenance |
Other conditions: | | Ehlers Danlos Syndrome III, chronic migraine, asthma, MVP, acid reflux, gastric erosions, & others |
Other drugs taken: | | too many to list here | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | Extremely effective in reducing long-term, chronic pain (muskoskeltal and nerve), especially as a long-acting, baseline pain reducer in combination with a break-thru medication (I used Hydrocodone APAP and/or Percocet) for spikes in pain levels (due to falls, joint dislocations, broken bones, etc that cause temporary or short-term increases in pain.)
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Side effects: | | It is a very strong opioid, which is highly sedating, especially in combination with other drugs that can cause drowsiness. Even though I am very opioid-tolerant, it was still sedating for me. In addition to causing drowsiness and fatigue, it tends to be highly habit-forming. Because of the strength and nature of the drug, the human body becomes physically dependent on it, which has a few implications. First, it loses efficacy over time, meaning you need to keep increasing the dosage over time to maintain the same effectiveness. The other issue with physical dependence is withdrawal. I had severe physical withdrawal symptoms if I waited too long to change the patch (starting a day or so after I was scheduled to change it and becoming more and more severe with time.) Several specialists I saw actually recommended hospitalization for controlled dose reduction as the safest way to stop taking fentanyl patches because they cause such severe physical withdrawal symptoms. I withdrew from it completely 3 times, and suffered severe, debilitating symptoms for the first couple of weeks each time with decreasingly severe symptoms lasting for over a month after I stopped using it. Although I have never had an issue with psychological dependence on any drug, I think it is important to mention that this one can be very addictive (meaning that those who take it frequently develop a psychological dependence, especially if the user is prone to substance abuse.) |
Comments: | | I took Duragesic as a long-term maintenance medication on several different occasions, but it can be taken permanently as long as it remains effective. |
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