(WOAI.com) SAN ANTONIO — Controversy is brewing over a patch used for pain relief. At least two people in San Antonio have died after using the Fentanyl patch, and their families are blaming what they say is a defect.
Like most medicinal patches, Fentanyl is used by peeling off a sticky side and placing it against the skin of a patient. The patch is left on the skin for up to 72 hours and is supposed to provide the exact amount of medication needed.
However, the families of two San Antonio women who died say the patch they were prescribed to relieve their pain ended up killing them.
According to lawsuits filed by family members, both women suffered chronic pain. So, their doctors suggested Fentanyl patches.
Fentanyl is stronger than morphine. When it is applied to the skin, it then delivers a certain amount of Fentanyl into the patient.
While wearing the patches, Donna Singleton and Ellen Burks died. Their families say both suffered an overdose of Fentanyl because the patches were defective.
Similar patches have been recalled before because a cut along the side of the patch allowed too much Fentanyl to leak and cause a possible overdose.
Wait a minute, didn’t the Food & Drug Administration approve the use of these Fentanyl patches? Why, doesn’t that mean it’s safe? We know for sure that the FDA wouldn’t let people stick a patch on their body loaded with a Schedule II drug if it weren’t safe, even if this Fentanyl is just one isomer short of being Schedule I “China White” heroin.
We know this because they protect us from that evil Schedule I medical marijuana that never killed anybody in 5,000 years.
I agree with you Tim. For people like your wife and me Fentanyl and medicinal marijuana are essential to survive our pain.
It is simply criminal that the government continues to play politics with our health and our lives.
Thanks for the tip of using medicinal marijuana to reduce the dosage of fentanyl.
Fentanyl is the most Potent analgesic on the Planet. It can be made to be 10,000 times more potent than Heroin. It has to be use in skin patches or very special medical devices for delivery to the body or Death will occur. It is delivered in doses such as 25, 50, 100 micrograms per hour. Fentanyl is use for what is called Break Through Pain. This symptom is when all other conventional Pain Killers are loosing their effectiveness for extreme Pain.
They are very addictive and have very dangerous side effects including death.
When a patient reaches the point when this Medication is needed.. Addiction and the dangers are secondary to the Pain and Quality of life…
My wife has use this drug for 10yrs now and recently found that Medical Marijuana increased the effectiveness of the Patch without going to a higher dosed Patch..
Cannabis is life Saving in my experiences…
Our Government is corrupt and does nothing But Politics.. Saving live is just a conversation to them…