Welcome to the current newsletter issue of
Advances in Medicine (AIM)- Take AIM against pain.
Feel free to send me an e-mail with your own thoughts
and experiences. Email: timsams@mypainreliefdoc.com.
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Have you heard about Fentora?
There is a new opioid (narcotic) medication that was recently
FDA-approved for use in the United States. It is a fentanyl
opioid called Fentora manufactured by Cephalon. It is a tablet
that is designed to be dissolved between cheek and gum, not
chewed or swallowed whole. Opioids dissolved between cheek and
gum, referred to as buccally, have an onset of analgesia within
a few minutes - virtually the fastest available. Cephalon says
the Fentora tablet will dissolve within 14-25 minutes.
Fentora can be compared to the fentanyl lozenge or sucker
referred to as Actiq. It is manufactured by the same company,
Cephalon, as Actiq who was losing the patent rights. Cephalon
had been criticized for the high sugar content and teeth and gum
problems caused by the Actiq lozenges. It is presumed that
Fentora does not have these side effects. Fentanyl is also the
opioid in the Duragesic patch.
Fentora is FDA approved for the treatment of breakthrough pain
with cancer when patients are taking another opioid. It is also
being prescribed "off label" for benign, persistent pain. Again,
it is meant to be used for breakthrough pain when a longer-term
opioid is also being used. As a rule, Fentora is not meant to be
prescribed alone as monotherapy. The manufacturer specifically
notes that Fentora is not to be used unless the patient is
already opioid-tolerant from ongoing, continuous opioids.
In the literature describing Fentora written by Cephalon, the
manufacturer describes two routes of administration. About half
the medication in a Fentora tablet placed between cheek and gum
dissolves into the oral tissues and provides very rapid
analgesia. However, about half the medication is swallowed and
processed in the normal oral manner through the stomach. Thus,
Fentora will have the same issues as any orally-taken medication
including nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, and
constipation.
If you have questions about whether or not Fentora is covered by
your insurance, you can call the Fentora Reimbursement Program
toll free at 1-877-4FENTORA to speak with a reimbursement
specialist. If you are taking long-acting, continuous-release
medications such as OxyContin, MS Contin, Kadian, or Avinza, and
you have episodic severe pain, you might consider Fentora. Since
Fentora is a schedule II opioid, most primary care physicians
probably will not prescribe it. You may need to be treated by a
pain physician to have Fentora prescribed for you.
Fentora is available in 100, 200, 400, 600, and 800 mcg tablets.
It is serious medicine for serious pain. It should be taken only
as prescribed. Get more information from the manufacturer at
www.Fentora.com.
Remember, opioids are neither intrinsically good nor bad. That
depends on what you do with them and how they work for you.
Tolerance develops with all opioids, which is not the same as
addiction. You can learn much more about opioids by reading the
article, "Should I take Narcotics for Pain? which is found on
the home page of www.MyPainReliefDoc.com. In ABC's of Pain
Relief and Treatment, Chapter 23 provides even more detailed
information about the advantages and disadvantages of opioids.
If you do not have a pain physician, you can locate one in your
neighborhood by clicking the Pain Clinics hyperlink on the home
page of www.MyPainReliefDoc.com
As always, your comments are welcome. If you have taken Fentora,
your experienced comments might be included in a future
newsletter.
Good light,
Dr. Tim
My Pain Relief Doc
http://www.mypainreliefdoc.com
Copyright 2006-2007. Dr. Tim Sams and My Pain Relief Doc.
All rights reserved. http://www.mypainreliefdoc.com
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You may freely distribute a copy of this newsletter or
use it on your web site or RSS feed, as long as you
include the entire article, along with the web links
and copyright information. Thanks, Dr. Tim
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