Fentora / Fentanyl Patches
The FDA is issuing a public health advisory to alert patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals of important information regarding the safe use of Fentora, Fentanyl and Fentanyl Patches. Abuse and/or improper prescription of the medication has been reported to cause death and other life-threatening side effects.
Fentora (Fentanyl) is a very powerful narcotic pain medication, with a potency eighty times that of morphine. The drug, which is recognized as a federally controlled substance, has only been approved as a treatment for pain in cancer patients that are opioid-tolerant. In order for a patient to be opioid-tolerant, they must already have a tolerance for narcotic pain medications as a result of taking these drugs around the clock, day after day, to treat the symptoms caused by the cancer. This tolerance is essential, as it makes the patient less susceptible to the dangerous side effects that narcotic pain medications have on people who are not everyday users.
The advisory made by the FDA indicates that:
- there have been patients who should not have been prescribed this medicine which have resulted in death;
- patients were prescribed the wrong doses of Fentora;
- patients took too many Fentora doses;
- healthcare professionals have been substituting Fentora for another fentanyl-containing product that is not an equivalent medication;
- healthcare professionals have been prescribing Fentora to patients who are not opioid-tolerant.
Fentanyls are also used for anesthesia and analgesia, in operating rooms and intensive care units across the country. Fentanyl transdermal patches are also manufactured for chronic pain management. Fentanyl patches work by releasing fentanyl into the body fats first, which then slowly release the drug into the blood stream over a period of time, allowing for a long-term solution to pain relief. In the past few years, the different versions of the less potent patches have gone generic and are available from several manufacturers. Janssen Pharmaceuticals’ Duragesic patches are a good example of this, offering a similar solution to that of the Fentanyl patch at a lower cost.
The Duragesic patch has also been under FDA scrutiny due to the increasing number of reports of severe side effects including blood clots and even death.
Fentora has been associated with numerous other side effects as well. The most common side effects of Fentora and Fentanyl are nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sleepiness, headache, and constipation. Constipation is a very common side effect and will not go away without treatment. Additional side effects from Fentora include:
- pain or sores at the application site (on your gum or the inside of your cheek);
- severe drop in blood pressure;
- physical dependence;
- highly abusive and addictive.
If you or a loved one have experienced any serious side effects from Fentora, Fentanyl or Fentanyl Patches, please call us at 1.800.966.4999 or fill out our online contact form for a free case evaluation.
