I am on 200ug/h fentinol patches for the migraines....it's a really high dose, but it's the only dose that completely controlled the pain without any feeling high or any bad side effects.....I've been on this same high dose since 2003.....almost 9 years now without any problems or need to raise the dosage.

I really like the patches because I don't have the ups & downs that I did with pills or even the actiq....which was fentinal in a lollypop form......it was good for about 4-6 hours & the migrain pain was right back....with the patches I don't get any of that....it's just constant relief....even if I go over the 72 hours by a bit......did start the withdrawal one time when almost 12 hours over & need to be right on time if not a little early when it's in the heat of the summer because of the absorption level....but never get any high feeling from it....have always functioned like normal......it was the first time I felt like a normal human from around 1995 when the migraines started.

Initially I kept ending up in the ER & it would take 200mg of demoral to even touch the migraine pain....they were claiming I was drug seeking...lol....just pain relief thank you....as soon as they got the pain under control, I never had to go back to the ER once.

I can't take morphine or dilauded (sp?) any morphine or morphine derivitive makes me ITCH to bad it drives me crazy. The initial neurologist I had that was trying to treat my migraines put me in the hospital for a week treatment with DHA IV....but he was giving me morphine instead of the demoral & I went out of the hospital itching so bad & still in pain.

I know with the fentynal patches, if you don't get the right dose, it doesn't work....but sometimes you have to work it up to the level that works.....most pain specialist weren't willing to prescribe the high dose I am on......lost one pain specialist because he told me to try the higher dose because I had some extra patches (my husband was there & heard him say that)....next time I went in, he denied ever saying it & said he wouldn't treat me & to find another pain specialist. Found one from UCLA med school & he was awesome......then found another one here around where I live & it took us about a year to start to trust each other, but have been going to him for almost 4 1/2 years now & he's WONDERFUL.....& willing to work with me through some difficult times when the manufacture of the fentynal patches was stopped by the DEA because of a faulty batch & faulty manufacturing that was found.....that was a difficult time....but he helped me through it along with my pharmacise who has become a good friend & found out he was actually also a neighbor & now we even go to the same church.