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Fentanyl, administered in the Duragesic Patch, is a powerful narcotic
painkiller for serious pain. It is generally only prescribed for long-lasting
relief from intense, persistent and chronic pain. The Duragesic patch
should only be used when less potent medicines have proved ineffective
and pain needs to be controlled 24/7.
Duragesic patches are a transdermal system providing 72 hours of
continuous systemic delivery of this potent opioid analgesic.
Duragesic is available in 4 color-coded patch strengths: 25 mg, 50
mg, 75 mg, and 100 mcg/hour. As with all pure opioid agonists, there
is no analgesic ceiling effect with fentanyl, thus there are no dose-limiting
adverse effects, and dosages can be gradually increased until adequate
pain relief is achieved.
Duragesic should never be used in the following situations:
- where the right dosage hasn't been established in
advance – for instance, after an operation or
an accident.
- for mild or intermittent pain that responds to other
medications.
- in children under 12 or teenagers who weigh less
than 110 pounds.
What are the side effects of Duragesic?
Typical side effects of Duragesic therapy include abdominal pain,
anxiety, confusion, constipation, depression, diarrhea, dizziness,
dry mouth, euphoria, hallucinations, headache, impaired or interrupted
breathing, indigestion, itching, anorexia, nausea, agitation, shortness
of breath, sleepiness, sweating, urinary retention, vomiting, and
weakness.
What are the symptoms of Duragesic overdose
Users are susceptible to an overdose if they take too much transdermal
fentanyl, or combine it with excessive amounts of another narcotic.
An overdose can cause severe breathing problems (breathing may even
stop), unconsciousness, and death. Serious signs of an overdose include
very slow breathing and drowsiness so severe the person is unresponsive.
Other signs of an overdose include cold, clammy skin; low blood pressure;
pinpoint pupils of eyes; and slow heartbeat. If this occurs, get emergency
help right away |
The number of drug-abuse related visits to hospital emergency rooms (ERs) involving benzodiazepine medications exceeded 100,000 in 2002, a 41 percent increase since 1995, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration's Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN). Nearly half of the emergency department (ED) visits involving benzodiazapines -- which include such psychotherapeutic sedatives as Valium, Xanax, Klonopin, and Ativan -- were connected with suicidal ideation, gestures or attempts.
Today, some of the most pressing substance-abuse concerns in the U.S. military involve prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Some health officials contend that too many troops are being authorized to take antidepressants and sleeping pills, while others are worried about the illicit sharing of prescription drugs and the overuse of OTC meds by men and women in uniform.
Some of the Basic Facts
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