Journal of Anesthesiology and Pain

Abstract:                                                                                                         

Aims and background : Cancer pain is a major problem for the health care providers. One of the most important aspects of cancer pain is palliative care management.  Recently, different research finding shows the efficacy of opioid analgesics such as fentanyl transdermal patch in chronic pain management.Transdermal Fentanyl patches may cause side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, itching, life-threatening or serious breathing difficulties and diarrhea,  mainly during the first 72 hours of patient’s treatment initiation and any time when the drug’s dose is increased.

Case report:  We report three cases of severe diarrhea associated with Fentanyl patches during the first 72 hours of patient’s treatment, however no other common side effect of this drug was observed in these patients.