Fentanyl
Brand names: Fentanyl
Part of: Opioid painkillers
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 648,680
- Medicare drug cost
- $74.3M
- Average cost per prescription
- $115
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 21,424
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
Fentanyl transdermal system is indicated for the management of severe and persistent pain in opioid-tolerant patients, that requires an opioid analgesic and that cannot be adequately treated with alternative options, including immediate-release opioids. Patients considered opioid-tolerant are those who are taking, for one week or longer, at least 60 mg morphine per day, 25 mcg transdermal fentanyl per hour, 30 mg oral oxycodone per day, 8 mg oral hydromorphone per day, 25 mg oral oxymorphone per day, 60 mg oral hydrocodone per day, or an equianalgesic dose of another opioid. Limitations of Use: Because of the risks of addiction, abuse, misuse, overdose, and death, which can occur at any dosage or duration and persist over the course of therapy, reserve opioid analgesics, including fentanyl transdermal system for use in patients for whom alternative treatment options are ineffective, not tolerated, or would be otherwise inadequate to provide sufficient management of pain.
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated April 2026). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Boxed warning
WARNING: SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING RISKS FROM USE OF FENTANYL TRANSDERMAL SYSTEM Addiction, Abuse, and Misuse Because the use of fentanyl transdermal system exposes patients and other users to the risks of opioid addiction, abuse, and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death, assess each patient’s risk prior to prescribing and reassess all patients regularly for the development of these behaviors and conditions. Life-threatening Respiratory Depression Serious, life-threatening, or fatal respiratory depression may occur with use of fentanyl transdermal system, especially during initiation or following a dose increase. To reduce the risk of respiratory depression, proper dosing and titration of fentanyl transdermal system are essential. Accidental Exposure Accidental exposure of even one dose of fentanyl transdermal system, especially in children, can result in a fatal overdose of…
The FDA’s strongest warning on a label. It doesn’t mean the drug is unsafe for most people; talk to your doctor or pharmacist before stopping or changing any medicine.
Who prescribes it
- Nurse Practitioners 21.4%
- Family Medicine 19.3%
- Pain Medicine 19.1%
- Internal Medicine 11.7%
- Physician Assistants 8.5%
- Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) 4.2%
- Hospice & Palliative Medicine 3.3%
- Hematology & Oncology 3.1%
- Anesthesiology 2.0%
- Medical Oncology 1.1%
- Geriatric Medicine 1.1%
- Neurology 0.9%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions fell 51% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Utah −33%
- Vermont −36%
- Kansas −40%
- Massachusetts −42%
- South Dakota −42%
- Oklahoma (smallest change) −60%
- Louisiana (smallest change) −59%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
Industry payments about this drug
No industry payments to clinicians named this drug in 2025.
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
1 recall since 2020
- Jan 2025 · Alvogen, Inc · Class I
Defective delivery system - patches could be multi-stacked, adhered one on top of the other, in a single product pouch.
Recalls usually affect specific lots from one maker, not every version of a drug. Class I is the most serious; most drug recalls are Class II. FDA recalls (opens in a new tab)
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.