Fentanyl Patch

This Fentanyl patch is an opioid pain medication, sometimes called a narcotic. The patches are use to treat moderate to severe chronic pain around the clock. Fentanyl patches are use when other pain treatments such as non-opioid pain medicines or immediate-release opioid medicines do not treat your pain well enough or you cannot tolerate them. This medication is used to help relieve severe ongoing pain (such as due to cancer). Fentanyl belongs to a class of drugs known as opioid (narcotic) analgesics. It works in the brain to change how your body feels and responds to pains. Do not use the patch form of fentanyl to relieve pain that is mild or that will go away in a few days. This medication is not for occasional (“as needed”) use. Before you start using this medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist if you should stop or change how you use your other opioid medication(s). It may take up to 24 hours before you have pain relief from fentanyl patches. Other pain relievers (such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen) may also be prescribed. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about using fentanyl safely with other drugs.

The fentanyl skin patch is only use for opioid-tolerant patients. A patient is opioid-tolerant if oral narcotics have already been use for severe pain. Check with your doctor if you have questions about this.