Fentanyl (Duragesic) Uses

Fentanyl is used to treat severe chronic pain in opioid-tolerant patients. It is used to relieve pain that needs to be controlled daily around the clock and for which non-opioid pain medications are inadequate. Fentanyl patches are not for acute pain (short-term pain) that can be managed with other analgesics.

Patients are considered opioid tolerant if they have been taking, for at least one week, 25 mcg transdermal fentanyl per hour or oral opioids (60 mg morphine per day, 30 mg oral oxycodone per day, 25 mg oral oxymorphone per day, 60 mg oral hydrocodone per day, 8 mg oral hydromorphone per day, or an equianalgesic dose (equivalent dose) of another opioid drug).

There may be other uses of fentanyl—your doctor or health system pharmacists can give you further fentanyl drug information.

Fentanyl (Duragesic) Mechanism of Action

Fentanyl binds to opioid receptors and affects how the brain responds to pain signals.

Fentanyl (Duragesic) Doses

Fentanyl transdermal system is available as 12 mcg/hour, 25 mcg/hour, 37.5 mcg/hour, 50 mcg/hour, 62.5 mcg/hour, 75 mcg/hour, 87.5 mcg/hour, and 100 mcg/hour fentanyl patches.

Due to the risk of serious adverse effects including respiratory depression and a fatal overdose, your pain clinic doctor will prescribe the lowest effective dose of fentanyl patch for the shortest time possible to provide pain relief. They will decide the dose of fentanyl patches based on pain severity, previous experience with opioid analgesics, and the risk of misuse, abuse, and addiction. 

Note that fentanyl patches are not for opioid naïve patients, i.e., they cannot be your first opioid. Your doctor will tell you how to convert from other opioids to fentanyl patches. The dose may need to be adjusted for elderly patients and those with liver or kidney disease.