Doxepin - often used for management of depression and sometimes beneficial for chronic pain.
But won't take the pain away.
There are no pain medicines which take pain away - ie there is no magic pain killer.
Which one:
Is it a tiny transparent one? or a big one that looks like a square bandaid?
I don't like the tiny transparent pain patches and I would never prescribe them for non cancer pain.
Reasons:
1) Very dangerous in patients who are opiate naive - many deaths
2) Very dangerous in families with children. Stories of patients not discarding the patches properly when changing to a new one. The child comes along and finds it and thinks its a sticker or eats it Guess what happens
3) Highly addictive
4) No TGA recommendation for non cancer pain. But its used unfortunately
5) Very hard to adjust dose
They should only be reserved for patients who have cancer pain and where it has been shown they require large doses of opiates on an ongoing basis and are dose stable
Even in the Palliative care setting for cancer pain they are not used
@JohnK re your father. Does he have a GP who is able to provide comprehensive long term medical care?. I can't emphasise enough that the patients with complex medical needs require an excellent GP with regular medical reviews. While I don't know your father's individual circumstances, I think based on estimated age, he should also be looked after by a good Geriatrician.