Duragesic: The Flip Side

There are two main reasons why Duragesic pain patch has gained media attention. Duragesic drug can have potentially mortal side effects if used incorrectly.

It is not recommended for all patients. For example, pregnant and nursing women shouldn't take Duragesic. It can't be used with certain medications as well. It's not surprising that a number of patients have unwittingly suffered because they were unaware of the warnings. Duragesic drug also hit the headlines when it was the subject of a product recall.

But now, Duragesic, along with a number of other synthetic drugs, is being linked with overdose cases. Recent reports have shown synthetic narcotics are being used to cut drugs like heroin. Unlike other drugs, these narcotics are made completely in the laboratory, which means that they are extremely potent. Duragesic, in particular, is a strong, slow-working pain killer that should only be used under medical advice. It isn't an everyday pain medication. Duragesic should only be used when chronic, long-term pain starts flaring up and your normal medication doesn’t work.

One of the primary dangers and main lures of Duragesic is the fact that it is almost 80 times more potent than morphine. When heroin is cut with this narcotic, it becomes incredibly strong which is why many users take an amount that they think is normal and end up overdosing. Many drug addicts have taken to stealing Duragesic pain patches as well.