Refuse To Prescribe (Page 2)

I live in a very small town and the number of doctors here is limited. The number of good doctors is almost nonexistent. I'm finding that calling for an appointment as a new patient the office staff says right away, "We don't prescribe pain meds"! Also have heard "We don't take fibromyalgia patients"! This is said before I ever state what I need to be seen for. Assuming I did have pain, do I no longer have the right to have my pain relieved? I'm so offended by this. If you have chronic pain you are treated like a leper. Apparently it is automatically assumed you have a drug problem. Going to other towns is the same. No wonder people self medicate. Is this happening all over the country?

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BL
hat is not what I said. One more time: I have the right to have my pain ADDRESSED by my Health Care Provider.
I was not calling for an appointment to get pain meds in the first place!!! But if I have the need to have pain addressed, it will be done.
Please re-read my original post carefully and the followup "to be clear". Pain is not the focus of my discussion.

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It's quite ok..I could see how things can get mixed up. It is a, shame, I will say because I've gone through it too, people who need their pain addressed only get it acknowledged. In other words, I've had some doctors say, yes you are in pain, but I'm not going to do anything about it. I recently had a partial leg amputation and I screamed in pain in the hospital for 4 days before they could get the medicine right and I got relief. It was hell...There are so many people in pain for lots of reasons and cannot afford, do not have a doctor, etc..It's very sad.. And the rules, are ridiculous. The majority of people on pain management play by the rules, etc. Follow protocol by not abusing, selling, trading, giving away, etc..It's the drug seekers, drug abusers that make it hard for legitimate people like us to get pain relief. And make it hard to find a doctor. And it's country wide too..Sorry..I got on my high horse. It makes me furious that people have to suffer. It's not right or fair either. I suffered for over 20 years before I found a doctor. Nobody should have to suffer that long or go without pain relief because if poor insurance or low money..I see this problem every day all day long and then people who assume that we are druggie because we are in pain..

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It's no problem, really..This subject makes people mad, me included. There are people out there who make it hard for us to get pain relief, from some doctors who refuse to prescribe to those addicts, drug seekers and doctor shoppers..Not all of us are doing those things as have documented illnesses and injuries.. To me, it's infuriating and irritating that someone who has documented needs cannot get pain relief..

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BL You seem to always scrutinize people's words,shame on you.When I say educate me,I'm asking to talk to me,tell me about changes,that will affect me in any way,that might cause unexpected problems on my monthly visit. Are you following me BL,well one of the first thing we learn in school is the alphabets,so we can learn how to,here we go BL COMMUNICATE.Let me know is any procedures change any thing ,it would make every one and this world a better place to live.So BL if I sound like a jerk I'm sorry,you know that I just communicated how I felt toward you and my self.And I truly mean I'm sorry.Now to most of the people who are having problems with a Pharmacist or staff member,when was the last time you heard a true meant sorry from your great Pharmacy Team.

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Ron, Thank You for clarifying. I apologize for misunderstanding. Seems like I've done a lot of that in this thread.

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Let's not attack BL! They are very helpful and misunderstandings happen.

How is everyone doing?

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It just seems BL pops up no matter where I post and always says negative things that are very hurtful. It's made me reluctant to say anything, anymore. He speaks like he is (or thinks he is) a medical authority. I have felt targeted. So unfair, when he or she doesn't know all the facts.

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Help!!! Ive made several posts and all are under review, nothing crazy just simple questions and answers.

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@BL what is your problem? Dr. have a responsibility to their patients to address EVERY ailment that they PAY their doctors to discuss with them. it is their job to make their patients feel better. whether it be a simple cold or with pain. i am not sure who the hell you are with but you are not needed here with that attitude. i hate last word people. annoying as h3ll.

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Yes, this is a problem. But not just for the reasons people seem to be talking about.

Pain doctors are under increasing scrutiny regarding the medications they prescribe, as are all specialists.

My psychiatrist (who I see for sleep deprivation and the resulting depression that comes from not sleeping for days on end) was served notice from our state board that he was prescribing too many anti-psychotics and anti-depressants due to new standards in place thanks to the (Un)Affordable Health Care(less) Act.

He's a fricking psychiatrist for crying out loud.

My pain specialist, a neurologist who also practices sports and emergency medicine, is under constant threat of having his Schedule II prescription being denied because of Obamacare's increased governmental meddling and the crap science it promotes.

Now with every visit, I have to give a u/a to be sure I have therapeutic levels of morphine in my system. Because the state wants to make sure I am only barely able to walk. While the person who put me in this state of constant agony is living large on the state's teat in prison with his free medical, cable tv, air conditioning, crunchy or creamy peanut butter depending on his mood, and his cellie "girlfriend" for the next 25 years.

But I'm not bitter. Angry, but not bitter. Because I read the law. It took me nearly a year to do so, but I read it. I nearly went blind, but I did something that only a handful of Congressional aides did...because none of the jerks who voted for it read it. I can guaran-durn-tee it.

The insurance companies campaigned and wrote the law so that it is nearly impossible to get the care you need. No matter what it is.

It isn't political... It is strictly financial...

It isn't personal... It's business...

Some states allow you to grow and keep a certain level of medical, and in some cases recreational, marijuana. We'll be retiring to one of those states before much longer because it is becoming so difficult to get the meds I need. After all, THC is much less habit-forming than the multiple forms and doses of morphine I take every day just to function or the Ambien I need to get a few hours of sleep every few days. I'll still have to deal with pain, but not as much. I'll still be a little overweight, but that is just how it will have to be. And my blood pressure won't be a problem anymore...because I won't be stressed about having to cope with whether I can get a pharmacy to fill my prescriptions.

So look to your legislators and ask them why you cannot get the meds you need. They are the ones who did this to us.

Sure there are abuses. There are abuses is every system where the government decides to stick its nose and tell people how they can and cannot live.

Again, it isn't political...It's financial...

And until an informed public stands up for their rights and votes, not for the person who talks a good game and promises free stuff, but instead for the person who has a track record of making positive things happen and takes personal responsibility when things don't go right, things will never get better.

Because it is too easy to just sit back and grab the freebies they throw out to distract us while they obliterate our rights--to quality care, to freedom, to security.

Again...it's not personal... It's business...

And it's high time we made it our business to know what they are up to and how it screws us over.

So, yes. Yes it is happening all over the country.

It is happening to young and old, "rich" and poor (but mostly poor and middle class), smart and not-so-smart, healthy and not-so-healthy citizens.

How do we fix it? That is a question I don't have an answer to right now. But I do know that it is up to each of us to educate ourselves on our health situation and what alternatives are available in our care. Because one day filling a prescription simply won't be an option anymore.

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Pain meds work for pain. Pain meds create dependency and/or addiction VERY QUICKLY. Its just a simple fact - opiates are dangerous. I can totally understand why a doc office would state right off the bat "no fibromyalgia..no pain meds" just to waste no ones time. Its not rude - it makes perfect sense considering the huge numbers of people looking for opiate prescriptions for pain that is mostly contrived. Ya.. I SAID IT !! People convince themselves they need opiates for different reasons and so many of them think they are SOOO SMART.. but they aren't (stupid people dont realize they're stupid - thats why stupidity is such an annoyance) and they get angry and frustrated that they are unable to convince doctors that they absolutely must have opiates. People who truly need opiate medication should not even have to ask - their conditions are clear and obvious. If we all could have unlimited access, we'd all be addicts, and many of us would OD and die. If you cant get a prescription but cant live without opiates..get on methadone maintenance.

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Glad you could get that off your chest.

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Go to a teaching hospital...a university hospital. You will be treated very differently. Call the hospital and as to be assigned an internist, and that doctor will send you to other specialists with the hospital as needed. Even if you have to drive several hours each way, it is worthwhile to receive competent health care.

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This is what's wrong with today's medical system. There is a specialist for everything but our bodies are integrated. One part affects other parts. I worked as an RN for many years & care became more fragmented. I'd call about a patients problems after surgery & the surgeon didn't want to deal with constipation or various issues related to the surgery. They'd instruct me to call in a GI guy. Sometimes the patient would end up with 4 or 5 specialists & each one only wants to deal with their speciality. It's insane. Goodbye to good old family docs who knew the whole you!

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Sharon, with respect your PCP can prescribe pain meds, in fact many, maybe most, patients that come to us were started on pain meds by their PCP, and when the PCP becomes uneasy about the amount of meds they are prescribing a patient they send them to Pain management saying that "they" will continue the meds.
I do not agree with many of the prescriptions being written by PCP's so maybe a better statement would be that PCP's should not prescribe pain meds without a full understanding of a patients condition. Pain Meds MUST not be used to mask pain that should be treated by other means. As an example we saw a patient recently who was on lots of pain pills prescribed by a loca PCP. Yes he hurt like crazy but that was the wrong treatment completely. Looking at his MRI we saw a previous back surgery that had failed over time and he had metal intruding into his spinal canal (using layman a words to describe a very serious condition). He needs revision surgery and had he simply continued on the pain meds the outcome might have been catastrophic.
My view is that a good doctor found this problem and sent him to have it resolved. A good doctor did NOT simply give more medicines (pills) to mask the pain.
Just my 2 cents.

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I disagree: here at Hopkins the specialists all work together and the software allows the doctors and the patients to view everything! If you are stumped where you are, I repeat: go to a teaching university hospital.

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Being psychologically addicted to a med and your physical body reacting when the med isn't there is Not the same thing.

I agree about Family Doctors being better than some specialists. But, in recent years the younger Family drs don't seem to have the knowledge that the older ones did and do. Although I think a lot does depend on dedication. I think a lot is a sign of the times and pushing specialists. It also seems to depend on if the Dr received his medical education and training in the U.S. or a foreign country. Those that are educated and trained here don't seem as quick to refer every patient to a specialist if a problem in a speciality field comes up.

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Actually new doctors are better educated on pain management. As nurses, in good hospitals we were required to attend 8 hour classes and take a test that had to be passed with a 90% or better. In addition, we had to take shorter courses for continuing education. When I first graduated in 1975 we told the patients, too bad , it's not time yet. Doctors ordered lots of placebos. If patients ask an hour early, they were called "clock watchers". That's why I hate to see us go backward on pain control. I hate to see legitimate chronic pain patients suffer because of the abusers.

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Prescription for tramadol (4 per day) held up because new rule. Must see doctor every three months. Ok, went in and had take a drug panel and sign pain contract. Have had RX more than halved. Have to over medicate with NSAIDs till gastric symptoms. Hell with that. 65 years old with chronic problem. Still working full time.

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Nonono, there are no new rules. or laws governing Tramadol. It is your drs choice to make you come in like you would have to if it was a Schedule II. Tramadol is a Schedule IV. It can be called in and you can get refills written on the prescription, no requirements for how often you must see your Dr, no drug panel recommendations.

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