Do you know why Fentanyl is helpful for your chronic pain? It is useful for those who suffered high pain levels. However, this drug also has life threaten side effects. There had been studies showing that this drug can lead to fatalities. There are procedures to follow when taking Fentanyl. Always use Fentanyl as prescribed by your doctor. Learn more about the Fentanyl patch in this article.

People who suffered from chronic pain but were unresponsive to traditional painkillers were prescribed with Fentanyl pain patches, 100 times stronger than morphine.

Because it is a powerful opiod, a Fentanyl pain patch should only be used with chronic pain. The transdermal system of Fentanyl includes the narcotic gel that can be found in a reservoir. It is purported to be released after a period of several days.

However, the defective products carry the risks of serious adverse effects, which include a potentially fatal overdose. The common products linked with this drug are the Duragesic patch—which is distributed by the PriCara—and the Actavis fentanyl patch.

Since fentanyl transdermal patches became popular in 1990s, there were several recalls made on this product. In 2008, batches of both Duragesic and Actavis were recalled because there were several types of defects that could have resulted to leaking and over dosages.

The side effects of Duragesic patch and fentanyl patch vary in severity. However, it is important that people who used a fentanyl patch should know the signs of fentanyl overdose, which include slow heartbeat, slow breathing, pinpoint pupils, fainting, clammy skin, and seizures.

The worst consequence of fentanyl toxicity is a fatal respiratory depression; hence, anybody who experiences the symptoms is advised to seek medical help.

The opiod comes in varied forms. The fentanyl citrate is a form that is used as a supplement to anesthesia. In Actiq "lollipop", the drug is enclosed in a flavored lozenge.

The Food and Drug Administration has emphasized that patients must read the label and warnings before taking on this powerful narcotic. Most products bear the black box warnings, indicating that the medication has potential life-threatening adverse effects.

Besides reading the label, it is also recommended checking its physical appearance for any defect such as tears, cuts and folds. Any sign of flaws, the patch should be discarded and the patient should thoroughly wash with water the exposed skin to avoid contamination.

In 2005, following the advisory issued by the FDA regarding the dangers of fentanyl, there were hundreds of fentanyl-related deaths reported. Many of the deaths were linked in three ways.

The doctors prescribed the medicine inappropriately. There was negligence on the part of the manufacturers to issue adequate warnings. There were also many defective products used.

In most cases, the victims, themselves or their families who have suffered from fatal over dosage of fentanyl sought legal assistance. Anybody who has suffered any injury or health damage associated with Duragesic patch or any of its variants should consider consulting a lawyer to determine their eligibility to receive compensation through a fentanyl overdose lawsuits.