Transdermal Patches: Convenient, but Use with Caution

Kristin Wenger, education coordinator for the Blue Ridge Poison Center, contributed this post. It's repurposed from The Antidote, the poison center's newsletter.

Do you have trouble swallowing pills? Do pills upset your stomach? If so, you might try a medicine patch. You wear this sticky patch, called a transdermal patch, on your skin for a prescribed amount of time. The patch releases medicine into your body through the skin. This slow, steady release of medicine gives you:

• A consistent level of medicine in your body during the day
• Relief from having to remember when to take your pills

Types of Transdermal Patches

You can get many medications in patch form, including:

• Hormone replacements
• Birth control
• Nicotine, to help you stop smoking
• Motion sickness drugs
• Drugs that treat angina, a painful cardiovascular condition
• Pain relievers

Transdermal Patch Safety

If you use a transdermal patch, take steps to avoid an accidental overdose and harmful side effects.

According to the FDA, one man died after his wife misunderstood the instructions and put 6 prescription pain relief patches on his body at once. Other people have gotten sick by forgetting they're wearing a patch and taking other medicines or substances, such as alcohol, that interact poorly with the patch medication.

You may also:

• Become confused about when to change the patch
• Put the patch on the wrong part of your body or on inflamed skin
• Put a heating pad on the patch, which releases the drug faster

Having multiple caregivers taking turns changing your patch can also lead to mistakes.