My mom was put on a 25mg. patch days ago. It takes about 18 hours to fully hit the blood stream. Well the next day she was nasty with the nurse, whom she actually likes.
The next nurse visit was three days later. OMG, I was embarresed for both of them. Mom actually ignored the nurses questions and when she was coaxed, by me, to answer we got one word replies.
The nurse asked what day of the week it was, Mom said....Wed, Thurs, Fri, take your pick. When asked what season it was Momma said spring., You done now,? I wanted to crawl under a rock.
She was NOT like that before the patch. All Mom did today was sleep and cry. She says she just can't take it anymore and wants to die.
She only had 2 a sips of coffee, not a morsel of food, all day.
I reached out to the on call nurse tonight. Explained the change in her and that seemingly coincide with the patch. She said give the patch more time. And she'd call and check on us tomorrow.
Im lost and a blubbering idiot.
The internet has way too much info. I'm hoping for some personal experiences, as opposed to blind/double blind studies. Thanks if you can help.
Sorry that I did not reply earlier, I never saw your question listed under the "Recent Questions" on the forum's regular webpages. I did a "search" for you as I was wondering how your Mom is doing.
Is your Mom still getting the fentanyl transdermal patches as of August 2nd?
It sounds like your Mom's behavior changes are related to the Fentanyl patch. When does the anger occur in relation to when the patch is put on?
If your Mom is getting angry towards the end of the 72 hours (which is the duration of the fentanyl medication in the blood stream) or between the 72 hours, then your Mom needs a PRN oral pain medication that can be given between the 72 hours that the patches are replaced and/or she needs a higher dose fentanyl patch as she is not getting enough fentanyl to cover her pain.
If the anger is occurring at the peak fentanyl blood level (12-24 hours after patch applied) then it might be the fentanyl that is causing the angry behavior.
Also, fentanyl patches work best if placed on areas of FAT and not on areas of muscle. SO the abdomen and the back are the preferred locations for the fentanyl patches. I have found that patches placed on the upper arms and thighs do not work as well at controlling pain.
My Mom (age 87) had the Fentanyl patch while she was in the hospital in May 2017 and she started to have conversations with people who were not in the room. It sounded like she was talking on the telephone. She would talk, then pause as if listening to someone and then response to whomever she supposedly had heard. I immediately had the fentanyl patch removed and Mom quit having the hallucinations within 24 hours.
Please do not feel embarrassed about your Mom's behavior as it is NOT a reflection of your care of your Mom. You cannot control every aspect of your Mom's health and if she has an adverse reaction to a medication that is her body's way of saying that the medication is not the right one for her--it is not an indication that you chose the wrong medication.
You have done SO MUCH for your Mom and you are doing a wonderful job taking care of her.
🌷😃❀
Here are some good websites that explain drugs to consumers:
drugs.com/
rxlist.com/
webmd.com/drugs/
everydayhealth.com/drugs/
goodrx.com/
drugwatch.com/
I hope that these help. If you have any other questions and I don't get back to you within 24-48 hours, send me a message on my Profile Page. DeeAnna
Sending hugs your way.