Cindy, I was on the duragesic patch for quite a while and it helped me a great deal. My doctor put me on 50mg for a few months, then down to 25mg , then back down to demerol again. My doctor explained that duragesic is the mother of demerol. It is much stronger than demerol and it can be highly addictive. The patch helped while I was recuperating from surgery. I still have some of the duragesic patches left incase the pain is so severe, that not even demerol can take the pain away. Duragesic patches should last for 72 hrs per patch. It only takes 20-25min for it to take effect. I don't know how many mgs your on, but maybe you should ask your doctor to increase the dosage if it is not working for you. I hope this helps you. Dee