What is fentanyl, dose and what it is for

Fentanyl, also known as fentanyl, is an opioid drug with a potent analgesic effect, indicated to relieve chronic or very intense pain, and can also be used as a complement to general or local anesthesia or to control postoperative pain.

This medication can be found in the form of a transdermal patch, in various concentrations, and can be applied by the person himself, and can be acquired in pharmacies in its generic form or under the commercial name of Duragesic, upon the presentation of a medical prescription and the retention of the receipt by the pharmacy.

Fentanyl can also be found in the form of injection, under the commercial name of Avaric or Fentax, for example, to be used in hospitals and applied directly in the vein, in the muscle or in the spaces between the vertebrae of the vertebral column, for a health professional and an agreement with medical indications.

The dosage of fentanyl depends on the pharmaceutical form to be used:

1. Transdermal patches

There are several doses of transdermal patches available, which can release 12, 25, 50 or 100 mcg of fentanyl per hour for 72 hours. The prescribed dose depends on the intensity of pain, on the general condition of the person and on the medication that was administered to relieve the pain, and can be used by adults or children older than 2 years of age, in the doses and during the treatment time established by the doctor.

To apply the patch, you must choose an area of ​​intact, clean, dry and without vellos skin, on the upper part of the trunk, on the arm or on the back. In the children, it must be placed on the top of the backrest so that they cannot remove it. Once applied, it can be in contact with water.

If the patch comes off after a certain period of use, but before the 3 days, it must be properly arranged and applied a new patch in a different place to the previous one and inform the doctor. After 3 days, the patch can be removed, folding the adhesive face inwards and leaving it in a safe way. Subsequently, a new patch can be applied with the instructions of the packaging, avoiding the same place as the previous one. It should also be noted in the package the day of application of the patch.

2. Injectable solution

Injectable fentanyl can be applied directly in the vein or in the muscle by a health professional, depending on the indication of the doctor, or by epidural route, which corresponds to the spaces between the vertebrae of the vertebral column, having to be the doctor who performs this procedure.

Some of the factors that must be taken into account when determining the appropriate dose must include age, body weight, physical condition and health condition of the person, in addition to the presence of other medications that may be being used, the type of anesthesia that will be used and the surgical procedure involved.

Fentanyl transdermal patch is a drug indicated for the treatment of chronic or very intense pain that requires analgesia with opioids and cannot be treated with combinations of paracetamol and opioids, non-steroidal analgesics or short-term opioids.

In cases of injectable fentanyl, this is indicated when it is considered necessary in the immediate postoperative period, for use as an analgesic component or in the induction of general anesthesia and complement of local anesthesia, for administration together with neuroleptics in premedication, for use as a single anesthetic agent with oxygen in certain high-risk patients, and for epidural administration in the control of postoperative pain, cesarean section or other abdominal surgery.

Learn more about epidural anesthesia.

The most common side effects that can occur with the use of the transdermal patch in adults are insomnia, somnolence, seas, nausea, vomiting and headache. In children, the most common side effects can occur with headache, vomiting, nausea, strenuousness, diarrhea and generalized comation.

In the case of injectable fentanyl, the most common side effects that can occur during treatment are nausea, vomiting and muscle stiffness.

The regular use of fentanyl and doses higher than those recommended can be addictive, as this substance is more potent than morphine, so only a small amount is capable of causing this effect. For this reason, if the dopamine receptors are regularly used, which is the neurotransmitter that is released after the use of opioids, they may not work properly, so it is necessary to increase the dose of substance so that it has the same effect. , giving rise to the addition.

This medicine is contraindicated in children under 2 years of age and in people allergic to fentanyl or any of the components present in the formula. This buffer drug should be used in individuals allergic to other opioid drugs.

Likewise, it should not be used in embarazadas women, who are breastfeeding or during childbirth, unless it is indicated by the doctor.