Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Fentanyl - any pharmacists / anesthesiologist

31 replies

Tryingtodobetter82 · 10/04/2025 23:54

Hi,

This is a bit of a strange question, more curiosity than anything else.

I have had two operations recently and both times I was given Fentanyl. It did absolutely nothing, the nurses were genuinely shocked I was still in so much pain. I never got to see the anesthesiologist again so I couldn’t ask him.

all I can find online is abusers can build a tolerance to it.
Am I just really weird that one of these strongest pain killers doesn’t do anything at all to me?

OP posts:
Anonym00se · 11/04/2025 21:28

Not Fentanyl, but I’m the same with Pethidine and Morphine - absolutely useless on me. But shove a (comparatively mild) Diclofenac suppository up my jacksie and oh my God, sweet relief! It’s strange.

AquaPeer · 11/04/2025 21:30

Greybeardy · 11/04/2025 16:26

pain is complex and different people need different amounts of drug and different types of drugs for apparently similar conditions. If a moderate dose of a punchy opioid like fentanyl isn't really helping we add in other agents, partly because multimodal analgesia is sensible, but also partly to avoid the inevitable respiratory depression and drowsiness you'd get if you just stuck to the one agent. Different types of pain respond to different analgesic actions in different ways too which might make different drugs more likely to help.

Anaesthetists are used to giving whacking great doses of fentanyl and other opioids and managing the side effects in theatre where it really doesn't matter if someone stops breathing, but outside of theatre clearly that can cause more of a problem so the dosing needs to be more careful. Some people do find they get on better with one drug vs others for post op pain relief (some drugs affect more/different receptor types), but if fentanyl's not working often it's just because the increments prescribed are smaller than you need.

It also isn't just 'abusers' that develop tolerance - anyone on an opioid long term will have a degree of tolerance and need different dosing regimes. DOI: anaesthetist.

Anaesthetist is my dream job despite not being smart or hard working enough to come close to doing it. But I stan being cool enough to say “you’re in theatre, it doesn’t really matter if you stop breathing” KWEEN

ScaryM0nster · 11/04/2025 21:30

It’s reasonably well recognised that some people don effectively metabolise some opiods - so even if give them lots it doesn’t make the slightest different.

Whereas changing pain killer type does.

Original poster
Tryingtodobetter82 · 11/04/2025 21:34

MagicalMystical · 11/04/2025 18:54

Do you have hypermobility?

A mild version x

OP posts:
Sportacus17 · 11/04/2025 21:37

lunaemma · 11/04/2025 14:04

I’m a redhead and struggle with drugs and anaesthetics
After an anaesthetic I am awake within seconds and asking for food, if I haven’t already tried to extubate myself
currently working having taken the max dose of dihydrocodeine and oral morphine, none of which is really touching the pain
The dentist last time did 5 injections just to get me numb for a filling

Red head here. Same. Mega dose of local anaesthetic to get a wisdom tooth pulled out. Had a placental abruption during labour and was told (after I woke up from the GA) that they tried all the usual drugs to stop it, nothing worked… finally they gave me a megadose of all the drugs at the same time and the bleeding stopped.

lunaemma · 11/04/2025 21:54

Sportacus17 · 11/04/2025 21:37

Red head here. Same. Mega dose of local anaesthetic to get a wisdom tooth pulled out. Had a placental abruption during labour and was told (after I woke up from the GA) that they tried all the usual drugs to stop it, nothing worked… finally they gave me a megadose of all the drugs at the same time and the bleeding stopped.

Show quote history

I’ve got to have a wisdom tooth out next week
Not looking forward to it. Every time he says “are you not numb yet?” And I tell him about the redhead gene and he’s never heard about it
Local anaesthetic wore off during a skin flap I was having done in my armpit which wasn’t fun

New posts on this thread. Refresh page