My doc gave them to me when I was detoxing from lortabs.... THEN.. after being on them for three weeks, we switched to Suboxone. He did this because I had taken a few methadone pills and you can't start Sub w/methadone still in your system. I was taking about 20 lortab 10s per day and the 50 micg duragesic patch handled my withdrawals but gave me NO HIGH... I hated it, of course... because I wanted that high. However, I did what he said and I actually ended up taking 75 micg (not mg but whatever the dose is) and then I started trying to wean back down to 25 and the withdrawals were 1,000 times worse than 20 lortab cold turkey. I had a friend that had methadone and I took that for about 2 weeks... long enough to get the patch out of my system... then tried to stay clean for about a week and couldn't so I got 50 lortab 10s and abused the heck out of them... then started Sub on Dec 1st.... haven't looked back since. So, the patch is stronger than morphine. That's why they can't even prescribe it in mgs... it's a smaller dose than that and yes, you can abuse it... Just be careful. It's hell to come off of.
My doc gave them to me when I was detoxing from lortabs.... THEN.. after being on them for three weeks, we switched to Suboxone. He did this because I had taken a few methadone pills and you can't start Sub w/methadone still in your system. I was taking about 20 lortab 10s per day and the 50 micg duragesic patch handled my withdrawals but gave me NO HIGH... I hated it, of course... because I wanted that high. However, I did what he said and I actually ended up taking 75 micg (not mg but whatever the dose is) and then I started trying to wean back down to 25 and the withdrawals were 1,000 times worse than 20 lortab cold turkey. I had a friend that had methadone and I took that for about 2 weeks... long enough to get the patch out of my system... then tried to stay clean for about a week and couldn't so I got 50 lortab 10s and abused the heck out of them... then started Sub on Dec 1st.... haven't looked back since. So, the patch is stronger than morphine. That's why they can't even prescribe it in mgs... it's a smaller dose than that and yes, you can abuse it... Just be careful. It's hell to come off of.
you really can abuse it how so i mean i know people take the liquid out but i would never turn to that because i just want rid of my pain god your experience sounds awful now i don't know if i should keep it on or not i mean i used it to wean off methadone which did'nt mask my w/ds much at all so i figured it was pretty safe now with all this info i don't know what to do thanks for sharing your story though it gives me something to think about luv kelleigh
I Have Taken One Of The 25 Ug Or Whatever They Call It Before, And I Could Not Hardly Feel It, But It Did Keep Me From Getting Sick. I Felt It Most The Next Morning When I Woke Up. They Give These Out Because They Are Harder To Abuse Than Pills. You Only Get 10 Patches For A Month, So If You Cut Them Open You Will Be Out Quickly, But That Is How They Are Abused I Believe. My Wife Told Her Doctor She Was Abuseing Oxycontin So He Wanted To Put Her On The Patches, She Tapered Off W/suboxone And Is Clean Now. Has Been For About 8 Months. I Also Tapered Off W/suboxone, But Did Not Last Without A Maintaince Plan. I Stayed Off Opiates For About 3 Weeks And When I Started To Feel 75 % Better, I Thought I Could Control A Shot Of Morphine On The Weekends. Of Course I Was Wrong. I Am Now On Suboxone And Will Have 90 Days Clean 05/26/04. Suboxone Is A Mircle Drug For Me. Sorry About The Large Caps.
I Have Taken One Of The 25 Ug Or Whatever They Call It Before, And I Could Not Hardly Feel It, But It Did Keep Me From Getting Sick. I Felt It Most The Next Morning When I Woke Up. They Give These Out Because They Are Harder To Abuse Than Pills. You Only Get 10 Patches For A Month, So If You Cut Them Open You Will Be Out Quickly, But That Is How They Are Abused I Believe. My Wife Told Her Doctor She Was Abuseing Oxycontin So He Wanted To Put Her On The Patches, She Tapered Off W/suboxone And Is Clean Now. Has Been For About 8 Months. I Also Tapered Off W/suboxone, But Did Not Last Without A Maintaince Plan. I Stayed Off Opiates For About 3 Weeks And When I Started To Feel 75 % Better, I Thought I Could Control A Shot Of Morphine On The Weekends. Of Course I Was Wrong. I Am Now On Suboxone And Will Have 90 Days Clean 05/26/04. Suboxone Is A Mircle Drug For Me. Sorry About The Large Caps.
thats awesome you'll be 90 days clean soon what a great job also thanks for the info i don't intend to abuse them just want rid of my pain i've heard of people cutting them open and also using a syringe i guess it's a good way to kill yourself quickly but i fully intend to use it as prescribed they started me out on 50 and it's awesome i feel only slight pain and you're right it's definitly better than taking the hydros there so short acting i probably would've had to take 8 to 10 a day to feel any significant pain relief thanks for replying every little bit of info helps and again congrats on 90 days on 5/26 thats great
Most of what it says has been covered here, but I just want you to fully understand how powerful this drug is...analgesic potency about 80 times that of morphine. I know the desire to be pain free can cause us to justify things we normally would not. Please listen to those who are warning you from first hand experience.
[QUOTE=User 205000]Most of what it says has been covered here, but I just want you to fully understand how powerful this drug is...analgesic potency about 80 times that of morphine. I know the desire to be pain free can cause us to justify things we normally would not. Please listen to those who are warning you from first hand experience.
i know everyone is looking out for me and i appreciate that there are people on this board that take methadone for methadone maintence and i would like to warn them of the w/ds and dangers but they are on it for a reason i'm strictly on this patch for pain relief only i clean 4 to 5 houses 5 days a week and my back can not handle it i've tried just about everything including combinations of nsaids and they just don't touch the pain i'm definitly gonna mention all these stories to my pain management dr when i see him because believe me now i'm worrying all the time about this patch but i have'nt worked pain free in 3 months i cried everyday i came home it hurt so bad and for the first time my pain is controlled i know people can abuse this patch but i'm just not that type of person personally i hope i don't offend anyone but in the ways they can be abused i think it's disgusting i know eveyone cares and i appreciate that i have severe pain that comes with delivering a 10lb baby with no c-section it completly ripped my cervix in half and ruined my back along with having arthritis i just cannot take this pain anymore but thank you so much for caring it means so much that people try to warn you and step in when they think someone is in danger i have friends that would not even do that but all of you understand again thank you for your concern kelleigh
[QUOTE=no patience]thanks for the info but this patch is really helping my pain tremendously i don't know what to do everyone is making me nervous are the w/ds worse then methadone because i went through that and was just curious if you know p.s. now i'm scared kelleigh
Hey Kelleigh,
I am also on Duragesic Patch along with Darvocet N-100 for chronic back pains. I didn't realize until now that the patches are stronger than the Morphine. But, since I am taking it for a valid reason and only use both of my medications for pain relief, using my medications the right way (meaning, I'm not abusing it) therefore, I will not worry about how it'll affect me coming off it since I know to go thru the weaning route before coming off it. And so, I"ll worry about that when either my Dr. wants me off 'em or I have became mostly pain-free. I would suggest that if you are taking it for a valid medical reason and are in pain- and that the Patches are a tremendously, then continue on 'em and not worry much right now. I'd worry more if you were using any type of medications for the wrong reasons, kwim? I mean for me, the patches helps tremendously, also and changed my life somewhat to be able to actually do things and play with my little girls.
Ya take care and keep me updated on what you've decided to do- as in staying on the patches or not. Oh, btw, what type of pains are you in?
I am also on Duragesic Patch along with Darvocet N-100 for chronic back pains. I didn't realize until now that the patches are stronger than the Morphine. But, since I am taking it for a valid reason and only use both of my medications for pain relief, using my medications the right way (meaning, I'm not abusing it) therefore, I will not worry about how it'll affect me coming off it since I know to go thru the weaning route before coming off it. And so, I"ll worry about that when either my Dr. wants me off 'em or I have became mostly pain-free. I would suggest that if you are taking it for a valid medical reason and are in pain- and that the Patches are a tremendously, then continue on 'em and not worry much right now. I'd worry more if you were using any type of medications for the wrong reasons, kwim? I mean for me, the patches helps tremendously, also and changed my life somewhat to be able to actually do things and play with my little girls.
Ya take care and keep me updated on what you've decided to do- as in staying on the patches or not. Oh, btw, what type of pains are you in?
-daydreaminmama
hi there i have degenerative disc disease and 2 bulging discs and going on this patch has helped considerably i have a 7 yr old daughter myself and they have enabled me to do alot more with her then i was plus i clean houses and i'd come home on the verge of tears everyday i did'nt realize they were stronger thaan morphine either until i read a lot of the posts but we have to do what we have to do right everytime i get a positive response it makes me feel so much better thanks very much you mentioned you have chronic pain whats wrong with yours? post me back luv kelleigh p.s welcome to the boards :wave: :angel:
