Fentanyl withdrawal symptoms

[gw1951]

My doctor has me on Fentanyl for almost two years now and i am wondering what effects I can expect when I gear down and off this Rx. I am a chronic pain patient (degenerative disk desease of the neck).
I am going to have surgury to correct the problem and I am afraid of the withdrawals I will experience. Is this something I can do alone? Do I need professional assistance to safely seperate my body from this med?

[Alfa]

Moved from the rehab index to a dedicated thread.

Please add your remarks about Fentanyl withdrawal symptoms

[OhCasey]

Fentanyl withdrawals can be bad. It depends on the dose of the patches but i can tell you from experience they are no joke either way. Your doc should taper you down to 12.5 mcg/hr patches then down to an oral opiate after the patch. Youll most likely want and get a benzo like klonopin. With the help of a doctor the withdrawals should be minimum. I wouldnt do it without the help of a doc. Good luck.

[Voyager]

Withdrawals from Fentanyl are fast and furious. They can be dangerous.
You will need to taper down to the lowest dose possible then switch to an oral opiate like Morphine, then taper off of it, then use some Klonopine and Zoloft for the last week.
That is my suggestion.