Do not flush the foil pouch or patch liners; place them in a trash container out of the reach of children and pets. If you are using the skin patches on a schedule, apply the missed patch as soon as you remember. Continue wearing the patch for up to 72 hours and then apply a new one if needed for pain.
Do not wear extra patches to make up a missed dose. Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at A fentanyl overdose can be fatal, especially in a child or other person using the medicine without a prescription.
Overdose symptoms may include slow breathing and heart rate, severe drowsiness, muscle weakness, cold and clammy skin, pinpoint pupils, and fainting. Avoid sources of heat while you are wearing the patch.
Do not use a heating pad or electric blanket, a waterbed heater, tanning bed or sauna. Do not sit in hot water, sunbathe, or raise your body temperature with vigorous activity. Heat can increase the amount of drug you absorb through your skin and may cause an overdose or death. Grapefruit may interact with fentanyl and lead to unwanted side effects.
Avoid the use of grapefruit products. Avoid wearing a skin patch on a part of your body where a child could reach or remove the patch from your skin. Avoid allowing children to watch you put on a skin patch.
Never tell a child that the fentanyl skin patch is a "bandage. Avoid driving or operating machinery until you know how this medicine will affect you. Dizziness or severe drowsiness can cause falls or other accidents. Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives; chest pain, difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Opioid medicine can slow or stop your breathing, and death may occur. A person caring for you should seek emergency medical attention if you have slow breathing with long pauses, blue colored lips, or if you are hard to wake up. Seek medical attention right away if you have symptoms of serotonin syndrome, such as: agitation, hallucinations, fever, sweating, shivering, fast heart rate, muscle stiffness, twitching, loss of coordination, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Serious side effects may be more likely in older adults and those who are overweight, malnourished, or debilitated. This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.
You may have breathing problems or withdrawal symptoms if you start or stop taking certain other medicines. Fentanyl transdermal patch is used to treat chronic pain in opioid-tolerant people. These are people who have taken another opioid pain drug that no longer works as well. Fentanyl belongs to a class of drugs called opioid agonists. A class of drugs is a group of medications that work in a similar way. These drugs are often used to treat similar conditions.
Fentanyl can cause mild or serious side effects. The following list contains some of the key side effects that may occur while taking fentanyl. For more information on the possible side effects of fentanyl, or tips on how to deal with a troubling side effect, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
These effects may go away within a few days or a couple of weeks. Call your doctor right away if you have serious side effects. Constipation infrequent or hard bowel movements is a very common side effect of fentanyl and other opioid medications.
To help prevent or treat constipation while taking fentanyl, talk to your doctor about dietary changes, laxatives drugs that treat constipation , and stool softeners. A doctor may prescribe laxatives with opioids to help prevent constipation. After your first dose and when your doctor increases your doses of fentanyl, you may have a drop in blood pressure. Your doctor may have you check your blood pressure during these time periods. The following information describes dosages that are commonly used or recommended.
However, be sure to take the dosage your doctor prescribes for you. Your doctor will determine the best dosage to suit your needs. The kidneys of older adults may not work as well as they used to. This can cause your body to process drugs more slowly. As a result, more of a drug stays in your body for a longer time. This increases your risk of side effects. Your doctor may start you on a lowered dosage or a different dosing schedule.
This can help keep levels of this drug from building up too much in your body. Fentanyl transdermal patch is generally used for long-term treatment of severe chronic pain. If you stop taking the drug suddenly, you may experience symptoms of withdrawal, which can include:. For this drug to work well, a certain amount needs to be in your body at all times. If you take too much: You could have dangerous levels of the drug in your body. Symptoms of an overdose of this drug can include:.
But if your symptoms are severe, call or go to the nearest emergency room right away. What to do if you miss a dose: Apply your new patch as soon as you remember.
Never try to catch up by taking two doses at once. This could result in dangerous side effects. If you have an allergic reaction, call your doctor or local poison control center right away. If your symptoms are severe, call or go to the nearest emergency room. If it is almost time to put on your next patch, wait until then to apply a new patch and skip the one you missed. Do not apply extra patches to make up for a missed dose. Store the medicine in a closed container at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light.
Keep from freezing. Fentanyl can cause serious unwanted effects or a fatal overdose if taken by children, pets, or adults who are not used to strong narcotic pain medicines.
Make sure you store the medicine in a safe and secure place to prevent others from getting it. If the patch has not been used, take it out of the pouch and remove the liner that covers the sticky side of the patch before folding it in half. Ask your pharmacist about the best way to dispose of patches you do not use. Do not flush the pouch or the protective liner down the toilet. Put them in a trash can. Drop off any unused narcotic medicine at a drug take-back location right away.
If you do not have a drug take-back location near you, flush any unused narcotic medicine down the toilet. Check your local drug store and clinics for take-back locations. You can also check the DEA web site for locations. Here is the link to the FDA safe disposal of medicines website: www. There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Sign up for free, and stay up-to-date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID, plus expert advice on managing your health.
Error Email field is required. However, if you're using fentanyl to relieve pain rather than using it as a recreational drug it's very unlikely you will get addicted to it because you're not using it to get a "high". You're more likely to get addicted if you use fentanyl when you're not in pain.
It is also more likely if you've been addicted to alcohol or drugs in the past, or you have severe depression or anxiety. This does not mean you cannot use fentanyl.
However, your doctor will need to know about your past and current drug and alcohol use to be able to prescribe fentanyl safely. They will help you watch out for any warning signs of addiction. If you're addicted to fentanyl you may find it difficult to stop using it or feel you want to use it more often than you need to.
Talk to your doctor about getting help with addiction if you're worried or you want to stop taking fentanyl. If you need to take fentanyl for a long time your body can become tolerant to it. This is not usually a problem.
However, you could get withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking it suddenly. If you want to stop taking fentanyl, talk to your doctor first. Your dose can be reduced gradually so you do not get withdrawal symptoms. If you have been taking fentanyl for more than a few weeks, do not stop taking it without speaking to your doctor first. Fold your used patches in half so that the sticky sides stick to each other and then put it back in the packet it came in.
Return any used or unused patches to your pharmacist who will destroy them safely. Fentanyl acts on different pain signals in the brain to some other opioids. The pain relief and side effects will be different for everyone. Your doctor may prescribe fentanyl if you have had side effects from other opioids. The way you take fentanyl is different to some other painkillers.
Fentanyl is not absorbed very well by swallowing tablets. Instead your body absorbs it through your skin, your nostrils, or your tongue or the inside of your cheek.
Some people find skin patches more convenient as it means they do not need to take tablets or capsules regularly. It's best not to drink alcohol when you first start taking or using fentanyl until you see how it affects you. Drinking alcohol while taking fentanyl will make you more sleepy and increases the risk of serious side effects.
Grapefruit juice can increase the amount of fentanyl in your body so it's a good idea not to drink more than a large glass of it. Fentanyl does not affect any type of contraception including the combined pill or emergency contraception. But if fentanyl makes you sick vomit your contraceptive pills may not protect you from pregnancy.
If this happens, follow the instructions in the leaflet that comes with your contraceptive pills. Find out what to do if you're on the pill and you're sick or have diarrhoea. There's no clear evidence to suggest that fentanyl reduces fertility in women or men. Speak to a pharmacist or your doctor if you're trying for a baby. They may want to review your treatment. Do not drive a car or ride a bike if fentanyl makes you sleepy, gives you blurred vision or makes you feel dizzy, clumsy or unable to concentrate or make decisions.
This may be more likely when you first start on fentanyl but could happen at any time — for example when starting another medicine. It's an offence to drive a car if your ability to drive safely is affected.
It's your responsibility to decide if it's safe to drive. If you're in any doubt, do not drive. Even if your ability to drive is not affected, the police have the right to request a saliva sample to check how much fentanyl is in your body.
UK has more information on the law on drugs and driving. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you're unsure whether it's safe for you to drive while taking fentanyl. If you take recreational drugs, such as cannabis, cocaine and heroin, while you're taking fentanyl, you're more likely to get the serious side effects. These include breathing difficulties, heart problems such as high blood pressure , seizure or fits and even going into a coma.
Some recreational drugs, such as cannabis, will also increase the risk of side effects from fentanyl — it may make you feel really sleepy or dizzy.
Taking heroin while you're on fentanyl is especially dangerous. You're more likely to get all the side effects of fentanyl. Tell your doctor if you think you may take recreational drugs while you're on fentanyl.
Page last reviewed: 15 April Next review due: 15 April Fentanyl - Brand names: Durogesic, Matrifen, Fencino, Fentalis, Suplimaze, Actiq On this page About fentanyl Key facts Who can and cannot take fentanyl How and when to take it Taking fentanyl with other painkillers Side effects How to cope with side effects Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions.
About fentanyl Fentanyl is a strong opioid painkiller. Fentanyl is available only on prescription. It comes as: patches to be put on your skin lozenges and tablets that dissolve in the mouth nasal spray injections usually only given in hospital Fentanyl patches are used for long-lasting pain. Help us improve our website Can you answer a quick question about your visit today? The most common side effects of fentanyl are constipation, and feeling sick and sleepy.
It is possible to become addicted to fentanyl, but your doctor will explain how to reduce the risks of becoming addicted. If you need to take fentanyl for more than a few weeks, your treatment plan may include details of how and when to stop taking this medicine. It's best not to drink alcohol when you first start taking or using fentanyl.
You're more likely to get side effects such as feeling sleepy or drowsy. Tell a doctor or nurse about your fentanyl patch if you're having any treatment or tests. Also, remind your pharmacist about your patch when you collect prescriptions or buy other medicines.
Fentanyl can be used by most adults. Tell your doctor before starting this medicine if you: have ever had an allergic reaction to fentanyl or any other medicines have breathing difficulties such as asthma or a lung condition are addicted to alcohol or a heavy drinker have a head injury or condition that causes fits or seizures have irregular heartbeats arrhythmia have adrenal gland problems have kidney or liver problems have an enlarged prostate have low blood pressure are trying to get pregnant, are pregnant or breastfeeding.
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