Duragesic® Patch Withdrawal
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Patients who have been treated with a Duragesic® Pain Patch often suffer withdrawals following discontinued use. The Duragesic® patch slowly releases fentanyl, a narcotic that is 80 times stronger than morphine, into a patient’s blood stream. Because fentanyl is such a potent pain medication, patients may suffer unpleasant withdrawals, even if they use the patch as directed by their physicians.
Duragesic® Patch Withdrawal Symptoms
Patients who have been treated with the pain patch may develop a physical and psychological addiction to fentanyl in just a short period of time. After they stop using the pain patch, patients may experience a number of mild to severe withdrawal symptoms including:
- Severe abdominal pain
- Anxiety, tremors
- Confusion
- Constipation
- Unexplained hot flashes
- Insomnia
- Loss of appetite
- Muscle aches
- Rapid, irregular breathing
- Excessive sweating
- Uncontrolled irritability
How Long Will Duragesic® Patch Withdrawal Symptoms Last?
The severity and length of time that a patient experiences Duragesic® patch withdrawal symptoms depends on many factors. Because every patient is different, each individual case will depend on the following:
- How long the patient was treated with fentanyl
- The strength/dosage prescribed
- The patients overall health and age
- The patients medical history and reason for treatment
- Whether the patient has previous experience with fentanyl or other pain medications
Fentanyl Abuse Leads to Duragesic® Patch Withdrawals
Because of the strength of fentanyl and the high risk of addiction, more and more individuals have begun to abuse the Duragesic® pain patch. Fentanyl abuse can occur in various ways. For instance, patients may pretend to be in more pain than they really are, or in other cases they may fake a heightened tolerance to the drug — all to get a higher duragesic dosage.
In some cases, patients (or users who steal Duragesic® patches) take apart the Duragesic® patches and eat the gel that contains the fentanyl. The gel that is housed between the layers of the patch has enough fentanyl to last (through slow release) 72 hours, however many abusers take the entire dose at one time.
This can extremely dangerous and can even lead to a fatal overdose. But, in less severe cases, abusers will most likely experience fentanyl withdrawals once they come down from their high.
If You Have Been Injured by the Duragesic® Patch
Have you or a loved one been injured after using the Duragesic® Patch? If so, contact us to speak with an experienced Duragesic® Patch attorney who specializes in drug recall litigation & lawsuits. Let us help you win the compensation you need and deserve.
