Fentanyl Patch

Fentanyl is a synthetic analgesic related to phenylpiperidines, which interacts predominately with the opioid μ-receptor. Fentanyl primary actions are analgesia and sedation. Minimum effective analgesic serum concentrations of fentanyl in opioid naive patients range from 0.2 to 1.2 ng/mL, and side effects increase in frequency at serum levels above 2 ng/mL. Both the minimum effective concentration and the concentration at which toxicity occur rise with increasing tolerance.Fentanyl is estimated to be 80 times as potent as morphine as an analgesic. At therapeutic dosages, fentanyl usually does not exert major effects on the cardiovascular system. Respiratory-depressant effect of fentanyl is of shorter duration than that of meperidine. In non-opioid-tolerant patients the risk of hypoventilation increases at serum fentanyl concentrations greater than 2 ng/mL, especially for those who have an underlying pulmonary condition.As with other dru...