Pain patches as the name implies is a patch that you place on your body in order to relieve moderate to severe pain. Unfortunately, many people suffer from a wide range of painful diseases and need to manage their pain. One such way is to use a pain patch that is very easy to apply, either by a patient or a doctor. In this article, we will take a closer look at some of the more common patches that are widely used.
Fentanyl Patches
Fentanyl is an extremely strong pain killer and is as effective as morphine for combating pain. When you apply a Fentanyl patch to your skin, the drug is absorbed into your skin slowly to provide pain relief. It should be noted that these patches come in different strengths and a doctor has to calculate the correct strength for you before prescribing it. These patches come in five different strengths and these are 12, 25, 50, 75 and 100 micrograms per hour. These patches will need to be changed every three days and if it is prescribed by your doctor, you can wear more than one patch at a time. In the event that you’re wearing more than one patch, you need to make sure that the patches don’t touch one another or are overlapping one another. They can be worn next to each other, without touching. Also, you should change all of your patches on the same day at the same time.
Warnings
Fentanyl can be addictive and habit forming, especially when you use it for a prolonged period of time. Therefore, it is essential that you don’t apply more patches or patches more often than is prescribed by your doctor or specialist nurse. In order to determine if you’re at risk, you should tell your doctor whether you suffer from depression or any mental illness, if you or anyone is your family is or was an alcoholic, if you’ve ever overused prescription drugs, if you’ve ever used street drugs etc. In the event that you think you have an opioid addiction, then you should speak to doctor for advice and medical support.
Also, using Fentanyl can be quite dangerous and you may develop life threatening problems with your breathing within the first 24 to 72 hours of starting your Fentanyl treatment. Therefore, your doctor needs to carefully monitor you during first treatment as well as when additional doses are prescribed.
These patches should only be used by persons who have shown tolerance and it should not be used by persons who are experiencing light to moderate pain. You should let your doctor know if you have asthma or slowed breathing because if you suffer from those issues, then Fentanyl patches are not the best medications for you to take. Also, if you have any diseases where your lungs have been affected or any head injury, then you should not take Fentanyl. If you’re an older person or are malnourished or weak, then you should avoid taking this drug.
Additionally, if you are already taking any other drugs, then you need to let your doctor know what you’re taking. This is because Fentanyl can react with a variety of commonly taken drugs which may lead to a coma, sedation or life-threatening problems. Some of these drugs include Xanax, Klonopin, diazepam, tegretol, fluconazole, Nizoral etc.
If you’re taking Fantanyl and you start to experience lightheadedness, extreme sleepiness, difficult or slowed breathing, dizziness, unresponsiveness etc, then you should call your doctor immediately as well as get emergency medical care.
It should be noted, even though you have worn your patch for three days, the patch will still contain a significant amount of medication that can cause harm to other people or children. Therefore, when you remove your patch, you should not throw it on the ground or anywhere that it can be accessed by children or other adults. You should always dispose of your patches as instructed by your doctor to prevent anyone, especially kids from getting hurt by them.
Buprenorphine Patches
Next, another type of pain patch that exists are Buprenorphine patches. Buprenorphine is a very strong painkiller that is similar to morphine or fentanyl. Your doctor will advise you on which patch is best for you to use and why. The Buprenorphine patches are available in two different types and these are butrans which you change every seven days and transtec which you change every four days. Butran patches come in three different strengths which are 5, 10 and 20 micrograms per hour. Transtec patches also come in three different strengths and these are 35, 52.5 and 70 micrograms per hour.
In similar fashion to the Fentanyl patches, you can wear more than one Buprenorphine patch at a time if it is prescribed by your doctor. If you do use more than one patch at a time, you should always place them next to each other, but they should never touch or overlap.
The warnings and precautions for the use of these patches are about the same as those for using Fentanyl patches. Also, you can be prescribed to wear both Fentanyl and Buprenorphine patches at the same time.
Lidocaine Plasters
The next type of pain relief patches that we will look at are Lidocaine plasters. These plasters are usually given when you have severe nerve pain in one particular spot in your body. These plasters are typically placed directly over the area where you are experiencing pain. You should always ask for the assistance of a doctor or specialist nurse if you are unsure on where to place the plaster.
You can use up to three plasters at a time and the plasters can be cut if needed for optimal sizing. You should never place the plaster anywhere near your eyes, ears or mouth. The plasters should be worn for a maximum of 12 hours and then removed for another 12 hours to prevent any skin issues.
Closing Thoughts
In conclusion, we have just discussed three different pain patches, how to use them and the precautions that should be taken when using them. So, be sure to keep these in mind and make sure that you follow the directions of your doctor closely, especially if you need to use any one of the above patches.