My husband has been diagnosed with stage 4 small cell lung cancer. It has spread to lymph nodes, bones ( spine, ribs, pelvis, femur, back of the skull) and liver. He has been in great amounts of pain. The dr. prescribed the fentanyl patch, beginning at 12.5 and increasing over the weeks til he is at 150. It seems that when the patch is increased pain is less of an issue for about 2 weeks, then pain returns and the dosage is increased. My question. Is the pain with the cancer increasing so that my husband needs the increase in the patch or is his body adjusting to the medicine and it takes more of the drug to tolerate the cancer pain?
Hello! Though not very common, few people can have tachyphylaxis with fentanyl and other opioid medications. Meaning to say, they will have rapidly diminishing response to successive doses of Chat Doctor.  Looks like it is this reason that is causing the need for increased dosage every week for your husband.