Fentanyl Lozenge Dosage

An Introduction to Your Dosage of Fentanyl Lozenges

The dosage of fentanyl lozenge (Actiq^®) your healthcare provider recommends will vary depending on a number of factors, including:

 

 

As is always the case, do not adjust your dose unless your healthcare provider specifically tells you to do so.

 

Initial Fentanyl Lozenge Dosing

The initial dose of the fentanyl lozenge for breakthrough pain is 200 mcg every fours hours as needed. This dosage should be consumed over a 15-minute period. If pain is still present 15 minutes after completing the lozenge (30 minutes after starting it), one additional 200-mcg lozenge may be used. After that, another lozenge may not be used for at least four hours.

 

Your healthcare provider will likely ask you to record your fentanyl lozenge usage for several episodes of breakthrough pain, in order to determine if you need a higher dosage. Normally, only six lozenges are prescribed at a time, especially initially, to allow for close monitoring and individual dose adjustments.

 

Adjusting the Amount of Your Dosage

If needed, your healthcare provider will increase your dosage until most of your breakthrough pain episodes are relieved with just one lozenge. If one lozenge causes extreme side effects, your healthcare provider may decrease your dose.