What are Duragesic Pain Patches used for?

Duragesic patches are prescribed for people who suffer chronic pain and no longer respond well to less powerful pain relievers. In most situations, simple pain relievers such as acetaminophen or anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin can control mild to moderate discomfort, but are too weak to control pain caused by chronic conditions such as cancer. Duragesic patches provide around the clock relief of otherwise persistent unmanageable pain.

All Duragesic patches contain fentanyl, a powerful opiate that is prescribed by doctors to patients who no long respond to potent pain relievers such as codeine and morphine. These patches have a short effective duration, typically three days. During this time the physician will consult with the patient on how the patch managed the pain, and adjust the dosage accordingly.

The reality of duragesic patches was that although they provided adequate relief for long term chronic pain, a manufacturing defect in some of the seals allowed the power active ingredient fentanyl to leak out. This flaw can cause potentially fatal overdoses or underdoses in people who are already weakened by agonizing pain and high drug tolerances.

If you or someone you know uses a Duragesic patch, you should contact your doctor immediately. Fentanyl overdose can lead to dangerous and potentially deadly side effects. Conversely, lack of necessary fentanyl can cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms combined with a relapse in pain. If you think you many have defective Duragesic patches, contact your medical health care professional immediately.

Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is discomfort that lasts longer than six months and serves no medical purpose, such as aiding the body in recognizing or preventing injury. Pain is the way the body lets the brain know that some aspect is either damaged or suffering damage, but when pain lingers beyond this initial phase it becomes pointless and distracting.

Many types of conditions cause a variety of types of pain. Simple injuries such as minor burns, cuts, and bruises rarely develop long range consequences, but more complex conditions such as cancer often inflict great suffering that serves no medical purpose. It is to treat this type of pain that Duragesic patches were first developed.

Cancer patients must undergo a great number of treatments to mange the pain they experience, and unfortunately often become tolerant of many pain relievers. Management of chronic pain was possible through extended release of the drug fentanyl through a small patch strategically positioned on the body. This delayed release mechanism gave continuous relief without having to endure injections or large pills of expensive medication.

Most patients found the Duragesic patches managed their chronic pain far more effectively than conventional treatments, but unfortunately problems began to develop in the manufacture of certain models leading to potentially fatal overdoses. These catastrophic failures led many to doubt the safety of any of these important therapeutic devices.

Persistant Pain

Many Americans live in a state of persistent pain. Pain is a natural and normal part of the human body; it serves as a warning system that alerts the brain to a potentially harmful situation. Without feelings of pain, the brain would never know when the body suffers damage or when to rest and allow tissues, muscles, and organs to heal.

Unfortunately, persistent pain is pain that no longer serves any physiological purpose. Initially most instances of persistent pain stem from severe or long term injuries, and the pain was part of the healing process. If the body heals but the pain lingers persistent pain is a signal of a greater problem.

Pain that lasts longer than the injury causing it is termed persistent. It is caused when the brain receives constant nociceptive, or pain, impulses during the initial trauma. In some cases this constant bombardment of pain impulses change the pathways the brain uses to recognize nerve signals, which cause the pain to last even once there is no longer any damage.

Persistent pain also causes severe mental anguish. The anticipation or expectation of constant pain affects the way many people live their lives which causes them to develop pain-avoidance strategies. The Duragesic Transdermal patch attempted to relieve both the physical pain and the mental suffering through constant relief through extended release of fentanyl, a powerful narcotic. By releasing a constant supply of low dose fentanyl, the Duragesic patch allows patients suffering from persistent pain to lead a normal and relatively active life.