My husband (76 years old) has been using fentanyl patches for a year because of back problems with radiating pain in the legs. The pain does not diminish. How long is it justified to continue with this?
Long-term use of the painkiller fentanyl is not very harmful, as long as you do not use more and more. Fentanyl is an opiate and therefore addictive.
nerve constriction
Pain radiating into the legs is caused by nerve compression. The most common causes are a bulging intervertebral disc (herniated disc) or spinal stenosis (a narrowing of the spinal canal due to osteoarthritis). A bulging intervertebral disc often goes away after a few months; therefore it is advised to wait a few months with good pain relief. If after a year there is still no improvement, something else has to be done. Spinal stenosis can be operated on. First we have to look at what exactly is going on. Discuss the situation with your doctor.
