Fentanyl Side Effects and Warnings

What are the precautions when taking this medicine?

All forms:

• Do not run out of this medicine.

• This medicine may be habit-forming with long-term use.

• If you are 65 or older, use this medicine with caution. You could have more side effects.

• If you have been taking this medicine for several weeks, talk with healthcare provider before stopping. You may want to gradually withdraw this medicine.

• If you have kidney disease, talk with healthcare provider.

• If you have liver disease, talk with healthcare provider.

• If you have lung disease, talk with healthcare provider.

• If you have thyroid disease, talk with healthcare provider.

• Check medicines with healthcare provider. This medicine may not mix well with other medicines.

• You may not be alert. Avoid driving, doing other tasks or activities until you see how this medicine affects you.

• Avoid alcohol (includes wine, beer, and liquor) or other medicines and natural products that slow your actions and reactions.

• Avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice.

• You can get sunburned more easily. Avoid sun, sunlamps, and tanning beds. Use sunscreen; wear protective clothing and eyewear.

• Tell healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan on getting pregnant.

• Tell healthcare provider if you are breast-feeding.

Skin patch:

• Avoid use of heat sources (such as sunlamps, tanning beds, heating pads, electric blankets, heat lamps, saunas, hot tubs, heated waterbeds). Avoid long, hot baths or sunbathing. Your temperature may rise and cause too much medicine to be released at once.

• Fever may cause too much medicine to pass into your body. Call healthcare provider.

• The patch may contain conducting metal. Remove patch before MRI.

What are some possible side effects of this medicine?

• Difficulty breathing. Slow breathing, shallow breathing, or trouble breathing are all signs of this. Call healthcare provider immediately.

• Feeling lightheaded, sleepy, having blurred vision, or a change in thinking clearly. Avoid driving, doing other tasks or activities that require you to be alert or have clear vision until you see how this medicine affects you.

• Feeling dizzy. Rise slowly over several minutes from sitting or lying position. Be careful climbing.

• Nausea or vomiting. Small frequent meals, frequent mouth care, sucking hard, sugar-free candy, or chewing sugar-free gum may help.

• Constipation. More liquids, regular exercise, or a fiber-containing diet may help. Talk with healthcare provider about a stool softener or laxative.

Reasons to call healthcare provider immediately

• If you suspect an overdose, call your local poison control center or emergency department immediately.

• Signs of a life-threatening reaction. These include wheezing; chest tightness; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; fits; or swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat.

• If anyone else takes your Fentora®, or lozenge, (eg, Actiq®), or Onsolis™ by mistake.

• If anyone else comes in contact with your patch by mistake.

• If you have a fever higher than 102 °F. Your healthcare provider may tell you to use a lower dose while you have the fever.

• Severe dizziness or passing out.

• Difficulty breathing, slow breathing, or shallow breathing.

• Significant change in thinking clearly and logically.

• Poor pain control.

• Severe nausea or vomiting.

• Severe constipation.

• Feeling extremely tired or weak.

• Any rash.

• No improvement in condition or feeling worse.