Hi. I have been using fentanyl patch for around 8 years (025 mcg), but I need to get off of it because of how it depresses respiration. I have recently added central sleep apnea to my list of factory defects. I accidentally took myself off the patch when we went on a 6 day road trip and I forgot to put a patch on before leaving or to take any with me. I was blissfully unaware of possible withdrawal symptoms and was not told of them by my PCP. I got home with an awful cold, an elevated pain level - degenerative disc disease, stenosis, and fibro. Now, on day 7, I can t sleep because of pain and the whole restlessness and twitchy thing going on in my arms and legs. After reading several of the posts on this site, I decided to do this in a more controlled and reasonable way. I put a patch on and am waiting for any relief I may feel (nothing yet after an hour). Is it harmful to just slap on a .25 mcg patch after being without for 7 days? thanks, -nw