On Fentanyl patches for back pain, no energy, what can I do?

[Nottooshabby]

Catch 22 really! I'm on these heavy duty pain killing patches for severe back pain, but they make me so tired, lethargic, sick, make me stay up late at night, not want to get up in the morning, and it's horrid. Without them I can hardly move. Has anyone else been prescribed these, and how have you managed to carry on a normal life, taking care of young children, keeping house etc.... Any miracle pills that will give me energy? Legal of course! Any exercises that I can do at home, any routines that I should try to adopt to give me more energy? Any fellow back sufferers got any good advice? struggling.....

Not sure I can give you any advice, but I used these last year for severe RA pain, and I wouldn't touch them again.

They made me manic for the first 48 hours, then unbelievably slow for the next 24 hours, before the new patch was due.

I stopped using them after discussion with the GP, and had 72 hours of horrific withdrawal - shaking to the point of fitting, proper drug withdrawal stuff.

I've ended up going back to codeine, morphine and tramadol which aren't as effective but I don't have to deal with the terrible mania/lethargy.

Sorry not to be more help

Go back to your GP and ask to swap to something else. My mum is on fenatyl patches for her back pain, and it seems to really suit her - but everyones different

You could possibly try a lower dose patch or maybe buprenorphine patches instead.