Fda Renews Alert On Painkiller Patch

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The drug Fentanyl has been rated the second deadliest drug in accidental deaths. The FDA said it has been misused and wrongly prescribed, and is suspect to contributing to 3,500 accidental deaths. This is in the patch form. One child has died after applying the patch for a parent. Honestly, it's sad to say that I don't think the new warning will help. That's a potent painkiller, and is a great help to people that are truly suffering, but it also leads to addicts trying to get ahold of the patches and of course eating the inside of the patches all at once. It absorbs into the skin and depending the strength there's no doubt a little child could die from having contact with it. Also, people aren't properly disposing of them after use.http://www.latimes.com/news/printed...2dec22,1,4417645.story?coll=la-news-a_section
 
The drug Fentanyl has been rated the second deadliest drug in accidental deaths. The FDA said it has been misused and wrongly prescribed, and is suspect to contributing to 3,500 accidental deaths. This is in the patch form. One child has died after applying the patch for a parent. Honestly, it's sad to say that I don't think the new warning will help. That's a potent painkiller, and is a great help to people that are truly suffering, but it also leads to addicts trying to get ahold of the patches and of course eating the inside of the patches all at once. It absorbs into the skin and depending the strength there's no doubt a little child could die from having contact with it. Also, people aren't properly disposing of them after use.http://www.latimes.com/news/printed...2dec22,1,4417645.story?coll=la-news-a_section

Looked here National Library of Medicine and can't find the article in refereed journals; may have been a "throwaway" journal so the research may be suspect.

Most of the drug experimentation deaths are listed as accidental, so many of these are people trying to abuse fentanyl, which is not a smart choice given its potency.

I don't like the patch because of erratic absorption, but they work well for some people.

Crypto6
 
Looked here National Library of Medicine and can't find the article in refereed journals; may have been a "throwaway" journal so the research may be suspect.

Most of the drug experimentation deaths are listed as accidental, so many of these are people trying to abuse fentanyl, which is not a smart choice given its potency.

I don't like the patch because of erratic absorption, but they work well for some people.

Crypto6

Definately people abusing it, Crypto. Even some of the lifer heroin addicts out there fear it. They had a problem here with people going into the Hazard Waste of hospitals trying to retrieve the throw aways. It's a life send to some poor people that are suffering. Hopefully they don't pull it off the market as I hate to see people in pain due to others abuse.
 
Definately people abusing it, Crypto. Even some of the lifer heroin addicts out there fear it. They had a problem here with people going into the Hazard Waste of hospitals trying to retrieve the throw aways. It's a life send to some poor people that are suffering. Hopefully they don't pull it off the market as I hate to see people in pain due to others abuse.[/QUOTE]


You hit the big problem, how to keep legit use avenues open and shut down abuse. It's hard when the abusers and their enablers have all day with little to do except somehow pander money and and spend the rest of their time devising ways to circumvent controls.

Crypto6
 
I am fairly new here, but saw this discussion and know quite a bit of knowledge firsthand on these patches, so I thought I would throw in my :twocents:.
I have been using fentenyl/duragesic patches for almost 3 years now for chronic back pain from an acccident and fybromyalgia. I was having a hard time with pain pills (vicodin, morphine, oxycontin) tearing up my stomach. My doc switched me to the patches and they have taken all of my stomach problems away since the medication absorbs in the skin and not in the stomach. Each patch last anywhere from 48-72 hours, so you dont have to remind yourself daily to take pills ( I am HORRIBLE about remembering to take pills).
There are MANY inserts and precationary leaflets regarding how pontent each patch is and even suggests SEVERAL ways to dispose of them. You can even send away for a carrying case and disposal kit found in your inserts to help you properly dispose of them. IT is YOUR responsibility to read the inserts to not only see what you are taking, but the possible deadly side effects that a particular medication may carry with it.
If any one has anymore questions, please feel free to PM me.
I am a NP and also a 3 year chronic pain patient and dont know what I would do without them!!!
Thanks for your time:crazy:
 
We have a friend whose 19 year old daughter died last week from too much alcohol and swallowing a pain patch.
 
We have a friend whose 19 year old daughter died last week from too much alcohol and swallowing a pain patch.


omg!
Prayers to you and your friends family.
How devastating that must be.
 
I am fairly new here, but saw this discussion and know quite a bit of knowledge firsthand on these patches, so I thought I would throw in my :twocents:.
I have been using fentenyl/duragesic patches for almost 3 years now for chronic back pain from an acccident and fybromyalgia. I was having a hard time with pain pills (vicodin, morphine, oxycontin) tearing up my stomach. My doc switched me to the patches and they have taken all of my stomach problems away since the medication absorbs in the skin and not in the stomach. Each patch last anywhere from 48-72 hours, so you dont have to remind yourself daily to take pills ( I am HORRIBLE about remembering to take pills).
There are MANY inserts and precationary leaflets regarding how pontent each patch is and even suggests SEVERAL ways to dispose of them. You can even send away for a carrying case and disposal kit found in your inserts to help you properly dispose of them. IT is YOUR responsibility to read the inserts to not only see what you are taking, but the possible deadly side effects that a particular medication may carry with it.
If any one has anymore questions, please feel free to PM me.
I am a NP and also a 3 year chronic pain patient and dont know what I would do without them!!!
Thanks for your time:crazy:

Glad it works for you. I prefer using Opana ER, but in a case like yours, the choice is clearly transdermal fentanyl. I RX them for two days because they begin to run out at about 2 1/2 days.

Crypto6
 
We have a friend whose 19 year old daughter died last week from too much alcohol and swallowing a pain patch.


Sorry to hear that. Any more info? Was the patch new or used and discsarded?

Crypto6
 
I think they need to take it off the market completely discontinue producing it. It's way too dangerous.
 
I think they need to take it off the market completely discontinue producing it. It's way too dangerous.

Respectfully, why? Because abusers die from abusing it? If it were the only drug delivery system that worked for you, how would you feel about pulling it?

Crypto6
 

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