Qualification For Fentanyl Patches

[dupee1]

I have pretty bad lower back issues and am 100% SSDI. My VA doc is great but I don't think he's too up on pain meds. Methadone made me into an overweight person, not good for the back so I asked him about some other med. I've already been on Morphine and it caused major depression. Demoral sp? makes me blackout. He took me from 80mg a day of Methadone down to 40 mg of oxycodone per day. I asked about a pain patch and he said he doesn't know anyone who has been approved. Well this little bit of oxy probably won't do much.

Question is what requirements do you have to have to be prescribed the patches and do they cause weight gain? Does the VA have anything else?

Thanks

[john999]

I have the Fentanyl patch via the VA pain clinic. They don't work that well. They are supposed to send the drug out at a constant rate over three days. That never happens. The first day you get most of the benefit. The patches fall off. They leave marks on your skin that look bad. If you take anything like xanax or clonazepam they won't want to prescribe it. Fentanyl is supposed to be for people who have been on opiates for the long term. What about oxycontin?

The VA fears Fentanyl because of high OD rate. Methadone is also high on the OD rate but it is cheaper. Fentanyl is more expensive. Morphine is cheap.

[dupee1]

Do they have Oxycontin?

[halos2]

Dupee1 and John999, I have been on Fentanyl since 02. I have to buy my own as well as my hydrocodone every month. VAMC refuses to dispense or pay for these. I get these prescribed and my prescriptions from my personal physician since 72. Used to be Duragesic name brand but a few years back too many people died as the dosage overloaded in the first 24 hours. Then after 7 years generics came out. The best one to get which will stay on better than the others is from Watson. All the others fall off way too early.

Watson is almost as good as the originals by Sandoz who had Duragesic. Sandoz had Fentanyl patches out again, but had some problems again so Watson is the next best.

Yes one's body does build up a tolerance to any drugs, and increased dosages is probably the only way to ensure effectiveness.

BTW as stated here the first day the medication is the most effective, and by the 3rd day zippo...also the withdrawals are intolerable, if you choose to discontinue usage. Legs jerking all over the place, and pain worse and itching and spasms, sleeplessness, +...so one would have to weigh some relief versus side effects and withdrawals? You choose. Hope you can find something that will give you a little relief of pain.

[StreetWalker]

I've been using Lidocaine patches for a couple of years. They do help some. Get mine from the VA.

[JON]

The VA has oxycontin, but just about never precribes it for obvious reasons, though it was recomended to me by a VA doc in Seattle, but my pc in Spokane didn't want to use it. It is suppose to be longer lasting than oxycodone. So it's back on morphine for pain and codeine for diarrhea. (GI bleed, short bowell syndrome, numerouse colon rescetions, chronic pain).