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Updated: Jun 20, 2025

Determining heat and mechanical pain threshold in inflamed skin of human subjects
Published on: January 14, 2009
Direct rotation from a fentanyl patch to a buprenorphine patch in a patient with chronic pain
Naomi Steenhof1, John Flannery2, Joyce Lee2
1Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7931-9134.
Abstract:
Transitioning a patient with chronic pain from a fentanyl patch to a buprenorphine patch has not been well described in the literature. Even after a patient removes their fentanyl patch, the residual fentanyl in the skin continues to be absorbed for hours. Due to the risk of precipitated withdrawal when initiating buprenorphine, this transition is a more challenging opioid rotation to plan safely. We report a case of a patient who had been using a fentanyl patch for over 10 years and was successfully rotated directly to a buprenorphine patch.
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