Withdrawing from 100mcg patches

[StaffWriter]

I've had 2 100mcg patches which I have been wearing over the past 6 days and just put on another one about 2 hrs. ago. After this one comes off, I'm left with only one. I want this wd to be as painless as possible (lol, yeah, I know) so would it be worth maybe cutting the last one in half and wearing each half for 3 days (72hrs)? Would it make that much of a difference? Or should I cut it into 4 pieces, thus wearing 25mcg over 12 days? Would that even hold me? I'd like to hear some advice from those experienced in wearing these things. I hit the jackpot when I bought 4 patches for $100 and could not turn down that deal. Also, I will have access to 6 or 7 OC 20's in the next couple of days. I've taken the patches in the past, but not for this long. I'd much rather wear these jokers and feel pretty damn good for 3 days each and sleep so well and comfortably each night. I don't really get that high anymore, just really comfortable and it helped save money bec. I'd probably be buying more than $100 worth of pills during that 10-12 days of wearing the patch. Thanks in advance for your replies! :)

[samsong]

Depends on what your usage with other opieates was before you starting using the patches--if you weren't on anything, then the w/ds from just wearing the patches for a week or so won't be that bad, but you should taper them down if you can. I assume you have the Mylans, becuase you can't cut the gel-filled patches. If you had a good sized tolerance and were using something prior to the patches, the only thing th patches would have done was delay your w/ds from the previous opiates, so I would assume your w/ds in this case will be as bad as your previous w/ds.

[Tbird921]

I'm not quite sure what your asking? are you asking what the w/d's are gonna be like, I went though 4-5 100mcg patches in about a week and when I stopped I was no a happy camper, it SUCKED, worst w/d I've probaly ever had, but the good thing was it didn't last quite that long. If I was you I would get the OC20's and taper with them then try to jump. Good luck.

[Inspektahdek]

I'm not quite sure what your asking? are you asking what the w/d's are gonna be like, I went though 4-5 100mcg patches in about a week and when I stopped I was no a happy camper, it SUCKED, worst w/d I've probaly ever had, but the good thing was it didn't last quite that long. If I was you I would get the OC20's and taper with them then try to jump. Good luck.


I was going through 12 100mcgs a week! Try coming off of that! I lost 10lbs, I slept 20 hours maybe 22 hours a day until I got right again. Fent is horrible w/d! It doesn't last as long as other withdrawals but the days that it does, it is pure hell. I couldn't eat, drink, or move except water to live and sometimes I was puking that up. Now at the klinikum, I pick up only a portion of my dose a week I said something along the lines of I'm afraid of my roommates taking them if I have alot at once so I just get them portioned and that helps my self control alot. For me atleast....

[StaffWriter]

Sorry for not giving you guys all the pertinent information. I have a 150-200mg hydro-oxy tolerance per day and was dosing some 90-150mg of MSContin prior to dosing up on these Mylan 100mcg/hr patches. Seeing how they are indeed Mylans, they can be cut into smaller pieces to be used buccally, as well as transdermally. I will have one patch for buccall/sublingual use after w/d. Re-read my first post then give me some well needed advice on syiiiiiin

[KiloByte]

Sorry for not giving you guys all the pertinent information. I have a 150-200mg hydro-oxy tolerance per day and was dosing some 90-150mg of MSContin prior to dosing up on these Mylan 100mcg/hr patches. Seeing how they are indeed Mylans, they can be cut into smaller pieces to be used buccally, as well as transdermally. I will have one patch for buccall/sublingual use after w/d. Re-read my first post then give me some well needed advice on syiiiiiin

Wow, so how many pills does 1 patch equal for you?

[jonny-5]

are you gonna keep taking oxys now or are you quiting all opiates? if youre quitting then you will have wds, no question. if youre gonna keep taking oxy then youll be fine. you might not get as high the first couple days but youll be fine.

[Tbird921]

Sorry for not giving you guys all the pertinent information. I have a 150-200mg hydro-oxy tolerance per day and was dosing some 90-150mg of MSContin prior to dosing up on these Mylan 100mcg/hr patches. Seeing how they are indeed Mylans, they can be cut into smaller pieces to be used buccally, as well as transdermally. I will have one patch for buccall/sublingual use after w/d. Re-read my first post then give me some well needed advice on syiiiiiin
This still doesn't clear it up, like j-5 said are you going to keep using other opiates like morphine and oxy after using the patches, if so you may feel some discomfort, but deff not any w/d. If you stop using all opiates you will w/d real bad. Although I doubt you doc would just drop you from since a high dose without tapering(unless you buy all your stuff on the street, although that doesn't seem very likely)

[StaffWriter]

I'd be using the the 6-7 OC 20's to help me get through some of the more difficult aspects of the withdrawal from the patches. Possibly some MSContins as well. But my aim is to quit taking patches and pills for the most part. I would never see me never taking pills again, but for now, I want to at least wean myself off these strong patches. I would just like to hear some experiences fellow opiophiles have gone through, as far as patches and pills are concerned. Just need to know what to expect. I've got to be able to work as a newspaper journalist (reporter) throughout the week. Give me some ideas or something. Thanks, folks!:)

[bronyraur]

I'd be using the the 6-7 OC 20's to help me get through some of the more difficult aspects of the withdrawal from the patches. Possibly some MSContins as well. But my aim is to quit taking patches and pills for the most part. I would never see me never taking pills again, but for now, I want to at least wean myself off these strong patches.<snip>

Well, since you'll be using OC's after the patches, you'll have a very mild (if any) WD symptoms. You won't get high from the OC 20s, but you won't be sick.

If your goal is to quit taking pills and patches for the most part, you might as well walk away completely. Most Opiophiles here will tell you that there is no "middle ground", you either go balls to the wall, or don't touch anything. Some people are able to "chip" (use occasionally) successfully, but more often that not it is impossible to do.

And I hate to tell you, but now that you've used the "strong patches", anything less isn't going to cut it. In other words, you're gonna need more of everything to get you right.

Hang in there though, almost all of us have been through this shit.

[Papa Verine]

The key to tapering off opiates is to just take enough to not be sick. Better yet, take enough to just feel mild withdrawals. That means, if you can handle how you feel on 1 Oxy a day, don't take any more. Expect to feel horrible and prepare yourself for that. Then whatever relief you get from the Oxy is a plus.

This is all much easier said then done however. I couldn't do it myself. As soon as the fent ran out I'd snort all 7 of the Oxy's the same day.

Here's to hoping you have more self-control then I do!

[StaffWriter]

Thank you all for your replies. Basically, I'd like to take the last 100mcg patch and wear it whole instead of cutting it in half and wearing 50mcg for 48-72 hrs and then using the last bit as 25mcg for 4-6 days. Since I will have some OC 20's and percs around, is it possible to taper from 100mcg straight down to 1 or 2 OC 20s' (taken whole) a day for 4 or 5 days? What do ya'll think about that? And when I mean by quitting "for the most part", I mean, I will not be wearing 6 100mcg patches in a row or abusing anything nearly as strong as fentanyl, except on special occasions. That's how I usually do it. I guess I would consider myself a chipper because I have maintained a reasonable habit for almost 10 years and only use the strong stuff when I get lucky. I've always been way too scared of serious wd's for shooting up H. I usually take 80-100mg of oxy maybe twice a week. So...how should I use these patches and pills? Can I get away with taking a whole 100mcg/hr patch for 72 hrs then wd with Oxy or should I break those down, too? What would y'all do? Cheers.

[resorcinol]

It would probably be less painful than just coming to a full stop, but idk man I think you'll still have some w/ds. That taper you're thinking of doing is very fast.

IDK about you guys, but for me any w/d symptoms is intolerable.... it doesn't matter if it's just a few chills and extra sweating with a touch of anxiety or full blown sheet kicking puking shitting w/d. well I suppose the first kind IS more tolerable on the whole, but either level of w/d causes just as strong an urge to alleviate it with opiates. Either way I'm gonna gobble up, snort or smoke anything that I can get my hands on and If i can't i'm gonna be one nasty person to be around. Possibly nastier to be around with the milder w/d actually, because nobody would be allowed near me in the severe w/d, uh uh.

[upstate_007]

Here is what I think.

1. The withdrawal from fent is relatively short, but also relatively fucking horrible. Having the oxy's on hand will help a lot.

2. papa v's advice was great. Take just enough to feel kinda shitty. Not comfortable. Not high. Just enough to take the edge off. It takes a lot of willpower, but if you can do it, that is the best way.

3. You asked if 1 or 2 percs or oxy 20s a day will hold you over. Probably? Maybe? It's hard to say. everyone is different. Give it a try though. You will surely feel a lot better than if you had nothing.

Overall, I would say that you should be pretty ok. Nothing at all like cold turkey kicking. Give it a try and see what happens. We could give you advice all day and night, but you gotta find out what works best for you.

[StaffWriter]

Alright, thanks for your help guys. I'm on my last patch, I just put on 75mcg this morning. I've got 25mcg left to help alleviate the wd's for just a little while and will be getting the oxy tomorrow. Also, I will have 2 100mcg patches that have been worn for 72 hrs or less, which I will be chewing to make me feel a little bit better. Always helps me. I dont get the shitting, puking kicking type of wd's many of you guys have, but I just can't stand the sweaty cold, shitty, anxious and shaky feelings with the general overall weakness and lack of motivation that I will be feeling for quite a while. Wish me luck, all hell should break loose sometime on Monday. It's kinda like an approaching hurricane. Time to board up and leave, lol. BTW, love your sig Upstate. I forgot which song that was, but I think it was from The Smiths Era. Or was it Morrissey?

[upstate_007]

BTW, love your sig Upstate. I forgot which song that was, but I think it was from The Smiths Era. Or was it Morrissey?

Thanks man. That one was from the Smiths era. "There is a light that will never go out" is the song.

That song was playing on the radio (local college station) while I was driving to meet the woman who is now my wife for the first time. I always liked it before that, but that moment gave me a new and more special connection to it.

[OXYKANTSTOP]

well let me start off by telling you that you are instore for one fuct up couple of days of withdrawls that

you will never forget. pretty much the same thing happened to me i thought i could save some cash

and get some patches instead of buying a bunch of pills. i was in jegas for a week wit my girfriend and

had 2 100mghr patches on for about 12 days and i had a hell of a time in vegas. i saved some for

when i got back my plan was to tapper off them and use some ocs that i had waiting for me when i got

home. good plan but fuct from the getgo.when i called my connect for the ocs that he owed me

wich was about 90 80mg ocs he was nowhere to be found. after a day the wd started kicking in i was

pukein and shiting uncontrolable.now my girlfriend whos a respiratory nurse was starting to get

worryed and suspisious i was geting bad fast from the shits to sweats to haveing trouble breathing

she said i was falling in and out and took me to the doctor thankgod while i was getting checked out by

the doc he suspectid nothing about wd or past drug use he thought he was seing a bad case of the flu

and a possible infection in my nasal passage and ear,wich wa a godsend he perscribed me some

percasets for the pain and some cough syrp with codine i think it was phernagan while i was seing him

i told him i was haveing trouble sleeping and he refilled my xanax script wich i had from a different

doctor. once i got some of the codine xanax and percs in my systrem i was like a a million bucks.

i got some sleep and my girfriend who was wondering what was wrong with me just thought it was a

severe case of the flu witha res infection, i was ok for a while but i knew that i had to get agold of those

ocs so she wouldent find out about my addictions wich i have been hideing for years .

so do your self a favor and get yourself something so you dont have wds real bad. its hell and truthfully

its was worse than kicking tar wich i have done a couple of times i was supprised how bad the wds

were from fent i totaly underestimated it and it really fuct me up and almost exposed my habbit

to my girlfriend....i dont want to be a tread jacker but you really need to taper slowly from fent or you

will be in a whole world of pain..


goodluck man and if you have any questions let me know

[StaffWriter]

^^Thanks, man. And thank you to all those who did reply. I took my last patch (Mylan) and cut about 20 % off of it and wore the other 80% for 3 days, then stuck the smaller piece on 2 days ago. Every morning I wake up and take 40mg of oxy then chew on 1/3 of a patch that I have been saving. Yesterday, I felt like shit, but not really bad, just the chills, sweats, diarrhea and tiredness. Today, I woke up and did the same thing and feel a little better. Tomorrow I take off that small piece of patch and I'm out of oxys, so we'll see what happens. I never dreamt that 40mg of oxy and 20mcg/hr patch would not hold me well. I guess I've dug myself a hole here. I'll try to score 80mg of oxy tonight and get a used patch from a friend (yuck). Hopefully, that will get me back on my feet. I'm getting sick of just maintaining normalcy. I'd love to get on suboxone, its just too fuckin' expensive.

[StaffWriter]

FYI, I'm entering Suboxone treatment as of tomorrow. I hope to turn over another leaf and start becoming the productive citizen I should be. Wish me luck, folks. Good luck to you good people as well. Thanks.

[Young Professor]

Best of luck staffwriter! Sounds like it really is the best course of action for you. In reading through your older posts, sounds like you had it rough.

If you don't mind, can you post what led you up to this decision, and how you got into the program. I'd like to learn if possible.

Thanks.

YP

[roxi*stardust]

FYI, I'm entering Suboxone treatment as of tomorrow. I hope to turn over another leaf and start becoming the productive citizen I should be. Wish me luck, folks. Good luck to you good people as well. Thanks.


Good Luck! Suboxone can be a miracle drug. Just remember to keep a positive outlook. Alos check out the Bupe forum for lots of Suboxone info.

[StaffWriter]

Young Professor and RoxiStardust, thanks so much for the encouragement. Although this post may need to be in the Suboxone forum, I think everyone who thinks that their addiction is getting out of control should look into this treatment. I ended up paying $500-600 today for the doctor and prescription, but hopefully in the long run it will be well worth it. I took my first dose about 3 hours ago and I feel like a million bucks. Normal, after all of the ups and downs I've been through during the past decade. Granted, this is my first day but I feel great. Not too high, just normal and motivated, which is what I have been seeking from pills for the past 2 or 3 years. Just....normal. And I'm goddamned lucky that I have parents who love me very much and could confide in. I'm slowing down and getting my life back, but for those of you who are doing well, enjoy the ride! I did while it lasted. But rockbottom is not too far away, so keep that in mind fellow opiophiles! Thanks for all your support.

[StaffWriter]

To respond to Young Professor's question, I really got tired of waking up feeling so drained. Even while stocked up with opiates, mornings were very difficult. You get tired of thinking about how many pills you have left to get through the week. How many milligrams do I have to write that story with a looming deadline? How many pills do I have to cut the grass? Do I have enough to vacuum and wash dishes? Do I want to spend the weekend in withdrawal? Fuck that shit. That's what changed my mind. A year ago, I went on Suboxone.com and looked at the locator directory for doctors in a certain mile radius of your zip code. Well, there was only one doctor. I went to him and he wanted me to pay him at least $1,500 in the FIRST TWO WEEKS!!! I walked out terribly disappointed. I couldn't afford that. After another wasted year, dead broke from Fent patches, hydrocodones, and oxys, I talked to my parents and they said I couldn't live like this and offered to help. I went back on the physician locator and found 5 more doctors and figured competition would drive prices down. Sure enough it did. So finally I'm on the right track. Feel free to contact me if you would have any more questions.

[samsong]

staffwriter--did you ever try kratom in the past to help with w/ds? A lot of people on the kratom forum, have quit opiates by switching to kratom. And I can see why they were successful for the most part, as I run out of my fent patches and oxys usually with about 10 days left in the month and use kratom exclusively during those 10 days--been suing the kratom for the past four months or so. The frist two days after the opies are gone, are a bit togh with the just the kratom, but by the third day I am feeling a lot better, and by day 5 onwards I just keep getting better each day. By day 10, I have virtually no cravings for fent or oxy, my old personality is back, and I feel like I could certainly give the opies up for good. However, I stil am in quite a bit of pain--have had 3 spine surgeries in he past 2 years and they have all failed to rid me of the pain, and the kratom doesn't really do much for that.

So I keep getting my refills to help with the pain, and also because I actually don't want to qite opiates--I like them way too much and they work pretty damn good for the pain--the fent and oxy combo takes my level 7 daily pain down to about a 3, sometimes a little better. But i certainly feel that if I ever get cut off or want to quit the opiates, kratom will certainnly be there for me. I am not trying to evangelize you with the kratom talk, just suggesting it as it is a heck of a lot cheaper than the subs from what i understand--I go through maybe $40 a week of kratom, and becasue I don't get cravings to take more becuase if you take too mch you get really dizzy and nauseuos, but once you get the right dosing shceudle down with it, I feel really really good on the kratom.

Anyway, FWIW.

And good luck to you and congrats for taking that initial hard step of giving up the opiates.

[StaffWriter]

Thanks for your advice on Kratom, samsong. I really think this whole suboxone therapy thing is going to work out. I'll wake up in the morning and the first thought is, "Do I have any (whatever opiate) left for today?" or "What am I going to do about getting (DOC) so I can work more efficiently?" But now, I wake up and feel so much better knowing I have those Subs. I lay in bed and put the sub under my tongue and wait until it dissolves. Then I'm on with my life. You guys just can't even begin to understand how reassuring it is, knowing the cure is right there at my bedside. It's really working out. I'm happy for the first time in a long time.

[paroxetina]

And I hate to tell you, but now that you've used the "strong patches", anything less isn't going to cut it. In other words, you're gonna need more of everything to get you right.

Not true from my experience. I use 75s, 50s, and 25s, and even on the 25s I'm high "enough"

Not like on the 75s but it's still pleasant on the 25s, even if I go straight to that from several 75s in a row.

Clearly, everyone has different experiences, but you may be lucky. Also, I've never had bad withdrawals from fent. HORRIBLE withdrawals from dilaudid, but almost nothing from fent.

[KiloByte]

Well I used 4 100 mcg/h Fent patches over the course of about 4 weeks with no tolerance before that. I ran out on Friday and chewing the last patch in strips lasted me till Sunday. It's 4 am on Wed and I'm still feeling like shit but I never got sick, just a whole lot of headaches/depression.

[roxi*stardust]

Young Professor and RoxiStardust, thanks so much for the encouragement. Although this post may need to be in the Suboxone forum, I think everyone who thinks that their addiction is getting out of control should look into this treatment. I ended up paying $500-600 today for the doctor and prescription, but hopefully in the long run it will be well worth it. I took my first dose about 3 hours ago and I feel like a million bucks. Normal, after all of the ups and downs I've been through during the past decade. Granted, this is my first day but I feel great. Not too high, just normal and motivated, which is what I have been seeking from pills for the past 2 or 3 years. Just....normal. And I'm goddamned lucky that I have parents who love me very much and could confide in. I'm slowing down and getting my life back, but for those of you who are doing well, enjoy the ride! I did while it lasted. But rockbottom is not too far away, so keep that in mind fellow opiophiles! Thanks for all your support.


This is great news StaffWriter!! The biggest problem most people have with Suboxone is what most Sub users here would call "Bupe Boredom". Essentially it is really just mourning the fact that you are no longer using your DOC and you can't seem to find interest in anything without it. The one way I have found to alleviate this is to have a positive outlook or attitude about your new life on Suboxone. It's almost like when people say you have to quit for yourself, not for others. If you are happy about what you are doing and want to do it, you will have a much better experience with Suboxone than someone who didn't/doesn't want to be taking it. I have found this to be true in my own experiences. When I just used Bupe when I ran out of other meds, I hated it. I felt like shit all the time. But when I decided that I wanted to do this, I wanted to quit, I kept a positive outlook and the Bupe seemed to help me alot more, I actually felt good!! I'm glad to hear you are doing well. I'd be happy to share any info I can with you, if needed. Good Luck!!

BTW if you don't mind me asking, what dose have they started you on. My friend just went and admitted a habit of at least 3x OC 80mg a day or more if they have money and they were given 24mg a day plus extra tablets each script to take 1/4 to 1/2 for extreme cravings.