Fentanyl is a pain medication frequently used after surgery.
Fentanyl is also commonly known as fentanyl citrate, Sublimaze, Actiq, Fentora, and Matrifen.
How Is It Given?
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For patients with cancer, Actiq is available to provide medication orally in a lollipop form.
The administration of fentanyl is selected based on the patient’s needs and concerns about safety.
Fentanyl is a very potent pain medication.
Due to the potency, initial doses of fentanyl are very small.
For example, an adult one-time IV dose may be 50 to 100 mcg.
However, for long-term patients, such as cancer patients, doses may be substantially higher.
A dose of 100 mcg of Fentanyl is roughly equivalent to 10 mg of morphine.
However, there is a significant risk of addiction when taking fentanyl for extended periods of time.
In addition, it is often blended with heroin to increase the “high” the user experiences.
Like other opioids, naloxone can be given to block and reverse the effects of an overdose of fentanyl.
That said, when an opioid overdose is suspected, naloxone hydrochloride should be administered as soon as possible.
Naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray is currently available under different brand names.
Prescription options include Kloxxado, Rextovy, and Rezenopy.
Over-the-counter options include Narcan (4 mg/spray) and ReVive (3 mg/spray).
Some use it as a substitute for heroin.
Child safety kits are available to prevent the accidental ingestion of this medication from the makers of Actiq.
To obtain your Actiq child safety kit, call 1-888-534-3119 to make your request.
For this reason, it is essential that patches are discarded where children and pets cannot find them.
The manufacturer of the patch recommends flushing used patches down the toilet immediately after removal.
Cutting or altering the patch can cause an overdose of fentanyl.
There is a real risk of addiction and serious or life-threatening effects when used for long periods.
Also take special care to protect children and pets from discarded patches, which can be lethal to them.
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