ACTIQ Reviews (FENTANYL CITRATE)Average Rating: 3.4 (104 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare ACTIQ with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by length of time drug was taken from shortest to longest duration (reviews with no time reported listed first). Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
More on ACTIQ: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR ACTIQ | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 5 | severe cronic back pain neck &low b | Like just about all pain meds. DRY MOUTH is main one. if these other people would have read the inclosed drug info they would have read that BRUSHING YOUR TEETH more is necessary with sugar content of Actiq. Any dentist will tell you side effects of dry mouth: the decaying of teeth & gum disease!! drinking soda is the worst...but it worked for me. Dentists can also prescribe special toothpaste to help. The best side effect.....I was able to have somewhat of a more normal quality of life! So many meds. make you feel so tired, ACTIQ didn't for me. Can someone tell me why it's so expensive?????? The cost is just not right. The people that need it can't afford it. | ACTIQ name brand works. It's the only one. The first generic to come out did not! Not at all. Pharmacists kept telling me they were the same. Who would you believe the person one it for years or someone that never used it! Most Insurance company's would then only pay for generic (which wasn't much cheaper) then they said unless you have a severe form of CANCER that they will not pay for it. It was the best pain regiment I had when ACTIQ was included. I told my Dr. that it made me feel like a real person again. I felt great! now I can"t have it. Why is it so expensive?????? | F | 50 | 800mg 4X day | 7/31/2010 | 5 | Chronic LBP | Hot flashes. Could be from Norco, but onset of flashes noticed after starting Actiq. | I have been using Norco 325/10 x 3 daily for years to manage chronic lower back pain. Even at that level this amounts to too much Tylenol, as I am HCV positive. My blood levels are fine, and have been since contracting Hepatitus C in the early 80s. I developed stasis dermititus as a side effect of all this hydrocodone in my system. It's not serious, but I wanted to remove the Tylenol component. With pain meds all of my pain is break through, my pain is only chronic in the sense that it happens about three times a day, every day, especially if I am active. W/o pain meds I am in chronic pain 24 hours a day. So, I started up with Actiq 200, and now I only need one Norco a day and two Actiq to live pain free. As far as I'm concerned, this drug is a miracle, because there is no | M | 51 | | 8/25/2005 | 4 | cerv/lumb herniated discs; more | I had to stop the Atiq several yrs ago, so I don't remember exactly how long I took it. I think it was 2-3 yrs. I also don't remember the dosage amount. It worked quite well, however, if I had known what it was doing to my teeth, I would NEVER have taken it. | Worst thing I've ever done to my body. | F | 56 | don't reme 6X day | 3/20/2011 | 5 | Surgery on hand. | None. < don't remember. It was one of the narcotics the surgens/doctors used on me with several other drugs along with ketamine and nitrous oxide to put me under. | Worked, but when I came to my hand was in pain so I needed a shot of a ligher narcotic (demerol) and then when I was out of the P.O. room and was ready to walk out and leave I was in pain again so i was given a 10mg dose of vicoden before i left. She said something about me having a high tolerance, but thats just how my body workes I guess because she said most people are at least slightly naseaus after surgery and don't need extra pain killers right away. anyway, I got a ride home from my mother and I had the munchies so we went to get coffee at dunken donuts and I ate a dozzen soft tacos toco bell after because I remeber the nurse saying before I left surgery that eating greasy food would keep the drugs in my system longer. anyway, after that I took four vicodens watched some T.V. then went to sleep early. All in all what ever did what worked the day I had surgery. | M | 23 | 1 days | 11/5/2004 | 4 | 8 bldgng discs-rheumatoid arthr- fi | excited to find this site. on 150 duragesic and was on roxicet 30mg every 4-6 and valium 10 mg. Now on 800 Actiq 3xs a day. works great for 4-6 hours but 8 is tooo long. been on 2 1/2 mos none of these teeth probs. Scared of going off though, i am sure at this price they wont let me on forever..... no detox on insurance. How can they just stop dont they at least have to approve a titrate down?? | Neuro surg wants to do anterior posterior fusion and decompression, but denied 3 times by ins. I guess they would rather spend 4 thous on meds. Didnt know there were higher doses, now have torn miniscus, cant sit down or stand up. Ive mentioned the 4-6 hour thing 2 Doc but he hasnt upd dosage?? Any one depressed at the thought of a lifetime of the unbareable pain that family is sick of hearing about??? Bad car acc 20 yrs ago, had breast reduc and bilateral carp tunnel b4 they figured out I had gone from 2 buldg discs in 03 to 8 in 06 w/2 protrusions. live in vegas nowbut moving and stressed bout finding a new doc in florida and having to start all over with the pain management thing, trying for social security/disibility. Does medicare cover this?? Hope you all feel beter, I thought it was just me..... you feel very alone.(did I mention 3 kids and a very patient 20 yr marriage)Pls if you email me, put actiq in subject line so I dont delete as junk or unknown :>} | F | 43 | 2 days | 6/12/2006 | 1 | migraines | the medication was short lived in my body and tolerance builds very quickly by the time i stopped using this i was up (8) 1600 MCG POPS A DAY | IF I CAN JUST STOP ONE PERSON FROM TAKING THIS MEDICINE I'LL FEEL BETTER ABOUT MY SUFFERING I'M44 YEARS OLD AND I'VE HAD 6 TEETH PULLED THIS YEAR MY DENTIST TELLS ME THERE IS NO WAY TO SAVE MY TEETH AND I NEED TO HAVE THEM ALL PULLED AND GET DENTURES I BRUSHED AFTER EVERY POP AND USED LISTERINE. ALSO I FEEL I HAVE TO MENTION THE CONSTIPATION AND HAVING TO BE PUT IN THE HOSPITAL IT WAS SO BAD. I ALSO HAD TO GO THROUGH REHAB TO GET OFF THIS AWFUL MEDICINE MY MIGRAINES HAVE MADE MY LIFE HELL BUT NOTHING COMPARES TO HOW ACTIQ SCREWED ME | F | 44 | 3 days | 7/8/2005 | 3 | Severe Migraines and BTP for Fibro | Teeth ruined Nausea Anxiety Dizziness | There must be a lawyer out there tp help us. There are 1000s more like us out there. | F | 50 | 4 days 800mcg | 6/3/2020 | 5 | IVC filter removal & TPA | I couldn't feel a thing while they were doing the procedures. I was extremely nervous and even though I was wide awake and able to communicate with the doctors and nurses, I still didn't have any pain. | F | 24 | 5 days | 1/16/2008 | 1 | spinal surgery and constant pain | Why is there no class action law suit on this drug??? Everyone I meet that has taken it has lost their teeth or half their teeth and my doctor will not even prescribe it any more because all his patients had tooth problems. I brushed before, after, it does not matter. This stuff just sits on your teeth and rots them away. THe company is now in trouble because none of the insurance companies are willing to pay for it anymore. So between the price and the rotting teeth the company has some real PR work to do. I think a big law firm should take them on. There are thousands of patients who have lost their teeth and this company could care less. | Stay away from this drug at all costs. That is my best comment. | F | 45 | 5 days 1600 mcg 6X day | 7/5/2010 | 5 | Narrowing spinal canal | Used 1600 Micrograms as a means to control breakthrough pain. ACTIQ was the ONLY drug fast and powerful enough for the control of the breakthrough pain. My insurance company has refused to pay for it anymore, and I live in Hell! | I have a hard problem understanding the "sugar" issue, and the teeth. ACTIQ uses a substitute sweetener that is approved by the Dental Association. | M | 58 | 6 days | 9/3/2006 | 5 | arachnoiditis,5 spinal surgeries | I had perfect teeth, always from childhood til date seen dentists and kept great oral hygene. I began a couple of years ago with extensive decay to now 2 teeth and 16 drilled to the gum all of which will be extracted on or about March 1st. Dental Caries cause by Actiq has caused me to need a full mouth recunstruction after 60k of root canala,prostho to help save and oral surgeon as well as infections. Just yesterday my face blew up and I waqs rushed over and had two teeth removed and grafted to releive the serious infection. I have been hopitalized for c-diff colitis fro clindomyacin 3 times. I am at my wits end and now a full mouth recunstruction after all this work.I have been so sick physically and mentally and without our Government thinking out mouth is part of our bodies when it comes to medical coverage it is making people struggle even disbled with no where to go when these problems occurr except blogs like this for us to vent and know we are all not alone. | I think we all need to get a class action started, I am sure any attorney would take this on as there are enough of us out there if anyone agrees or is interested respond here or to my email and put it on any site you see someone has to help us all get some help with our teeth and medical issues compromised from this as well. thank you | F | 48 | 6 days 600 mcg 4X day | 2/19/2011 | 1 | Chronic Pain | The drug was very helpful for pian, BUT IT RUINED ALL MY TEETH AT THAT TIMR THERE WERE NO DENTAL WARNINGS AND I HAVE LOAT MORE THAN HALF MY TEETH. THE TOTAL BILL IS GOING TO APPROACCH 6 FIGURES. | AVOIDI ACTIQ, YOUR TEETH AREN'T WORTH IT. ANYONE KNOW OF A GPPD LAWYER [email protected] | F | 45 | 12 days | 12/7/2005 | 4 | Botched L3-L4-L5 anterior fusion. | Super dried saliva in mouth. Inside and out. Caused many gum infections and use of antibiotics. And eventually the loss of teeth. Workcomp paid for most the meds and teeth replacements caused by ACTIQ!!! ACTIQ DENIAL same as TOBACCO DENIAL. There isn't any doubt "ACTIQ CAUSES GUM INFECTION AND TOOTH LOSS" As tobacco causes lung cancer and heart disease. ACTIQ patients are VICTIM'S of Big Corporations. Where is the A.C.L.U? WHERE IS PRESIDENT TRUMP? WHERE ARE THE LIBERALS? WHERE ARE THESE QASI PROTECTOR'S OF HUMAN RIGHTS? OH YEAH? IT'S NOT THEIR CUP OF TEA. GLORIA ALDRIDGE, ACLU, JERRY BROWN,NAACP, LIBERALS, CONSERVATIVES AND POTUS ARE ALL MISSING IN ACTION. IT'S SICK. | NEEDS TO BE SUED LIKE THE TOBACCO COMPANIES WERE. NOW!!! THE PROOF IS THERE AND OVERWHELMING! | M | 64 | 13 days 400mg | 5/18/2018 | 1 | migraine | it help right away but I needed to take more very fast, very addicting, this drug was only approved by the FDA in 1998 for cancer patient and the company allows the representative to go to othher doctors office like sport medicine and medicine to peddle their drug for pain management, knowing very well that this drug is extremely addictive | I had sever problem getting off the drug, develop severe abdominal pain, had abdominal surgery. This drug has totally messed up my life. I wished I had never taken it. It has 8o times the strengh of morphine, it should never be in the hands of people who have a life to live. It should only be given to terminal patient whom addiction is no longer a problem. This company is a joke. All they were after is making monies at the expense of the patients. The docs are not to blame, they found out too late that it was not what is was intented for. Shame on the pharmaceutical company. many people have dies from this drug, children thought this drug was a lolipop and died!! I think they should go to court and pay for what they have done to all the patients who have been administred this drug and who were not cancer patient. This is negligence at its worst!!!! | M | 42 | 35 days | 3/17/2007 | 5 | 18bone/jnt surgeries/100's of falls | None to speak of.I was free enough of daily/nightly constant excruciating pain, to be in my yard this past summer first time in TWO years.I was cooking again and able to do most household chores.Always on a walker , slight ,very slight dizziness at first then no more. | Insurance as of 1-1-08 will no longer allow it because I do not have breakthru cancer pain. I am again limited to bed and lounge chair.Drs. are helping me fight this w/ an appeal.Fingers spine ,knee areas,shoulders back to constant agony.Now buying Dilaudid (nausea) and wearing 2 Fntanyl patches ,12 and 25.Barely relief but insurance APPROVES this route. | F | 56 | 400 days | 1/20/2008 | 3 | Degenerate disc disease-cervical | Same side effects such as constipation like with all other opioid pain medications | After reading so many reviews on this medication I'm seriously afraid of losing my teeth because of the high sugar content and the way in which to take this medication. I was prescribed Subsys-a Fentanyl sublingual spray for the past 3 years (this contains alcohol instead of sugar) but my insurance company increased the monthly cost from $20 to $47 per prescription. I simply couldn't afford it and decided to try the generic version of Actiq (Fentanyl citrate) as a substitute because it only costs me $8 a month. After reading all the horrible reviews of almost every patient losing all their teeth, I'm wondering if paying the extra money per month is better than the thousands of dollars I'll eventually need for dental repair/replacement of my as of now "health teeth?" I'm so young and I care about my teeth, should I stop taking the lollipops and switch back to the more expensive Fentanyl sublingual spray (Subsys)? I've even called my dentist asking what his opinion is and if brushing, flossing and using an anti-cavity mouthwash after using the lollipops would that help fight the decay? Also I want to note that I only use these 2-3 days a week and go through about 30 in a 6-8 week period and I've noticed most of these patient reviews they are using these 3-4 times a day. Please let me know what your advice is or your personal thoughts. Please don't spam me. Thank you in advance for your time. I'll accept and reply to emails from patients, doctors and/or dentists. | F | 31 | 1 weeks 400mcg | 9/24/2015 | 5 | Myofascia Chronic Pain | None. | I LOVE this drug for breakthorugh severe pain. I am on a durgesic patch, currently getting trigger point injections, I just lowered the patch dosage to 50 mg from 75 mg. I use a 400mg lollipop and it usually lasts for hours. I am spending a small fortune because Blue Cross Blue Shield will not touch it, even though it is the same drug that is in the stupid patch. Jansen has assitance in fighting/pursuing coverage w insurance. I save this drug for the emergency | F | 43 | 13 weeks | 6/14/2005 | 5 | Myofascia Chronic Pain | None. | I LOVE this drug for breakthorugh severe pain. I am on a durgesic patch, currently getting trigger point injections, I just lowered the patch dosage to 50 mg from 75 mg. I use a 400mg lollipop and it usually lasts for hours. I am spending a small fortune because Blue Cross Blue Shield will not touch it, even though it is the same drug that is in the stupid patch. Jansen has assitance in fighting/pursuing coverage w insurance. I save this drug for the emergency | F | 43 | 13 weeks | 6/14/2005 | 5 | migraines | dizzy, lightheaded. a little sleepy | worked great on migraine when traditional triptans failed and other narcotics couldn't keep down because of vomitting. It has saved me several trips to the emergency room. | F | 38 | 3 months | 10/11/2004 | 3 | central pain syndrome | Not many side effects, the most bothersome is very bad constipation. i also have had a colostomy about 3 years ago and due to the constipation it pushes the wafer off or comes off | another issue with this med is i am having trouble with my pharmacy getting it. i am currently getting it at Walgreens pharmacy in middletown, rhode island. it is prescribed by my doc at saint anne's pain management center in fall river, mass. before this med i was on oxyContin and oxycodone and before that on morphine sulfate. out of them all, i think the actiq is the most effective. i am currently on 8 a day of the 800mcg pops | F | 52 | 3 months | 12/5/2003 |
ACTIQ (FENTANYL CITRATE): This medication is used to help relieve sudden (breakthrough) cancer pain in people who are regularly taking moderate to large amounts of opioid pain medication. Fentanyl belongs to a class of drugs known as opioid (narcotic) analgesics. It works in the brain to change how your body feels and responds to pain. This medication should not be used to relieve mild or short-term pain (such as due to headache/migraine, dental procedures, surgery). FDA Approval Date: 1998-11-04 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)