Breakthrough Cancer Pain

Treating Breakthrough Cancer Pain

Even if an around-the-clock opioid medicine (like oxycodone, morphine, and transdermal fentanyl) relieves your persistent pain most of the time, you may still experience sudden flares of intense breakthrough pain. It can strike without warning and go from moderate to severe in just a few minutes.

There are many treatment options available including non-drug therapies such as diet and exercise, counseling, massage, and acupuncture.

To get the treatment that best matches the pain you have, it's important for your healthcare provider to understand the breakthrough pain that you or the person you care for feels. Learn how to talk to your healthcare professional about the pain and your treatment options.

Here are some important things that can help you get the most effective treatment for breakthrough pain:

Preparing for Your Healthcare Professional Visit

One way to help manage breakthrough pain is to be prepared for appointments.

Learn the different terms for cancer pain and use them. It may help your healthcare provider get a better idea of what you or the person you’re caring for is feeling and how to personalize the treatment.

Keep a pain journal. Keeping a written record of your pain may help your healthcare professional understand your breakthrough pain, and if your current medication for the pain is effective. It is important to be as detailed as possible when describing your symptoms. Describe the kind of pain you feel, and when it gets better or worse.

Before you arrive for your appointment, make a list of questions to ask and bring these with you. You should also bring your pain journal. You may want to take notes during your visit, or bring a friend or family member to listen, remember, and help organize the information shared during your visit.

IMPORTANT:

Do not use FENTORA unless you are regularly using another opioid pain medicine around-the-clock for your cancer pain and your body is used to these medicines (this means you are opioid tolerant). You can ask your healthcare provider if you are opioid tolerant.

Keep FENTORA in a safe place away from children.

Get emergency help right away if:

  • a child takes FENTORA. FENTORA can cause an overdose and death in any child who takes it.
  • an adult who has not been prescribed FENTORA uses it
  • an adult who is not already taking opioids around-the-clock, uses FENTORA.

These are medical emergencies that can cause death. If possible, try to remove FENTORA from the mouth.

Read this Medication Guide completely before you start using FENTORA, and each time you get a new prescription. There may be new information. This Medication Guide does not take the place of talking to your healthcare provider about your medical condition or your treatment. Share this important information with members of your household and other caregivers.

FENTORA is used to treat breakthrough pain in adult patients with cancer (18 years of age and older) who are regularly using other opioid pain medicines around-the-clock for their constant cancer pain.

The most important information you should know about FENTORA is:

FENTORA can cause life-threatening breathing problems which can lead to death.

  1. Do not use FENTORA if you are not opioid tolerant.
  2. If you stop taking your around-the-clock opioid pain medicine for your cancer pain, you must stop using FENTORA. You may no longer be opioid tolerant. Talk to your healthcare provider about how to treat your pain.
  3. Use FENTORA exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider.
    • You must not use more than 2 doses of FENTORA for each episode of breakthrough cancer pain.
    • You must wait at least 4 hours before treating a new episode of breakthrough pain with FENTORA. See the Medication Guide section “How should I use FENTORA?” and the Patient Instructions for Use at the end of this Medication Guide for detailed information about how to use FENTORA the right way.
  4. Do not switch from FENTORA to other medicines that contain fentanyl without talking with your healthcare provider. The amount of fentanyl in a dose of FENTORA is not the same as the amount of fentanyl in other medicines that contain fentanyl. Your healthcare provider will prescribe a starting dose of FENTORA that may be different than other fentanyl containing medicines you may have been taking.