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laws regarding pain medicine refills?
Does anyone have any idea where I can find out whether it is legal or illegal to ask a pharmacist to bypass insurance and allow me to pay cash for controlled substance? They are schedule III and some schedule IV. My prescription has valid refills on it. The pharmacist keeps saying it's illegal to allow me to pick it up earlier than usual. Yes, I'm running out sooner than usual, and my pain isn't controlled. I have an appoitment in april to fix this issue. I'm just curious what the law is in MIchigan regarding this subject? I googled it, but can't find a straightforward answer. I only get this medicine from one prescriber so it is not like I have multiple scripts floating around by different doctors. Thanks!
Hello Addict63,
I find the differences between our pain experiences interesting. You talk about the buzz and honestly my pain meds have never, ever given me a buzz. The most they gave me is to dull the pain enough to allow me not to be screaming all the time. (Ah, to put it another way, they take the edge off the pain, only.)
I suspect it is the type of pain, as well as my having a conservative pain doctor.
I'm been on Methadone (for pain) and Oxycodone since 2005 going from 15mg-30mg/daily for Methadone and 7.5mg-40mg/daily for Oxycodone during those 8 years. Before going on Methadone and Oxycodone, I was on morphine for the pain and it did give me some side effects in my dreams being very vivid. The morphine period lasted around 6 months (injections, liquids, and pills).
Honestly, speaking about dreams and sleeping, the longest periods of sleep I get at one time (with the pain medications) is around 60 to 90 minutes, with an average of 78 minutes. These times are from when I was tracking my sleeping patterns.
I guess my point is one can have pain relief without a buzz. I don't know if the following is true, but I've heard it from two different doctors, I suspect they mean in typical and general cases. One key aspect to insuring someone does not get addicted to pain medication is to prescribe a dosage low enough to only dull the pain (e.g. remove the bite) but not remove the pain. Allow the body and mind to feel / experience pain instead of feeling the medication over the pain. REMEMBER: This is a lay person's understanding and his relaying it. So take it with a grain of salt. Check with your own doctor, please.
The only time I truly have been pain free since the infection burnt my nerves (foot, ankle, and lower leg) was during my hospital stay. The infection caused so much damage it burned my skin off and I ended up in a burn ward for 3 weeks (plus the week fighting the infection for a total of 4 weeks). They had me on a morphine machine, where I could give it to myself. The nurses would come in to fill the machine a couple of times a day (2 to 3 times at the start). It always took two of them. Each one had her/his own key and no one ever had the two keys at the same time (at least not in front of me). The morphine they brought was also under lock and key until it arrived in the room, I assume. It looked like a lot being in a cylinder about 5.5 to 6 inches tall and 3.5 or so inches in diameter. Maybe I'm getting the size wrong, it was 8.5 or so years ago and I was fighting for my life.
In any case, I'm sure some will say I'm addicted and maybe I am. I know I tried to stop taking my meds a couple of times. When I did it the last time, it ended up with my friend and family asking me to go back on the pain meds. Why, as it is normally the other way around? Well, in my case, when I go off my pain meds I go through a couple of phases.
First I'm OK for a day or so and then I become a bear to live with at home and outside the home. I get a short fuse and get angry with people. My personality changes from one of being loving and caring to a selfish short tempered ahole, IMHO. In the next phase people withdraw from me and I from them. Finally, I stay in bed and end up crying while curled in a ball. I stay this way till someone tells me this attempt is over (or I come to the same realization on my own). I should note the first two times I tried, I took it as a matter of pride and honor and whatever else I could think of to not take the pain meds. I said to myself and others I can do this and I'm not weak. In my case I had an intervention from friends and family to go back on my pain meds.
OK, I could be lying or deceiving myself, but this is my perspective. (I learned at work once you have to accept and work with another person's perspective, as it is real to them. As my boss' boss told me. It doesn't matter if the person's perspective is right or wrong. To him (or her) it is real and to you this is a fact. You can work to change a perspective and/or use "this fact" to your advantage. In any case, take it and process it as one of the facts in the problem.)
Well, that's it. If there is one thought I'd want to insure you 'walk away" with from this message, it would be: Pain relief is NOT a buzz, it is taking the edge off the pain and nothing more and nothing less.
Take care.
Final Fantasy XI Red Mage (FFXI_RDM)
(FFXI is a MMORPG - Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game)
I find the differences between our pain experiences interesting. You talk about the buzz and honestly my pain meds have never, ever given me a buzz. The most they gave me is to dull the pain enough to allow me not to be screaming all the time. (Ah, to put it another way, they take the edge off the pain, only.)
I suspect it is the type of pain, as well as my having a conservative pain doctor.
I'm been on Methadone (for pain) and Oxycodone since 2005 going from 15mg-30mg/daily for Methadone and 7.5mg-40mg/daily for Oxycodone during those 8 years. Before going on Methadone and Oxycodone, I was on morphine for the pain and it did give me some side effects in my dreams being very vivid. The morphine period lasted around 6 months (injections, liquids, and pills).
Honestly, speaking about dreams and sleeping, the longest periods of sleep I get at one time (with the pain medications) is around 60 to 90 minutes, with an average of 78 minutes. These times are from when I was tracking my sleeping patterns.
I guess my point is one can have pain relief without a buzz. I don't know if the following is true, but I've heard it from two different doctors, I suspect they mean in typical and general cases. One key aspect to insuring someone does not get addicted to pain medication is to prescribe a dosage low enough to only dull the pain (e.g. remove the bite) but not remove the pain. Allow the body and mind to feel / experience pain instead of feeling the medication over the pain. REMEMBER: This is a lay person's understanding and his relaying it. So take it with a grain of salt. Check with your own doctor, please.
The only time I truly have been pain free since the infection burnt my nerves (foot, ankle, and lower leg) was during my hospital stay. The infection caused so much damage it burned my skin off and I ended up in a burn ward for 3 weeks (plus the week fighting the infection for a total of 4 weeks). They had me on a morphine machine, where I could give it to myself. The nurses would come in to fill the machine a couple of times a day (2 to 3 times at the start). It always took two of them. Each one had her/his own key and no one ever had the two keys at the same time (at least not in front of me). The morphine they brought was also under lock and key until it arrived in the room, I assume. It looked like a lot being in a cylinder about 5.5 to 6 inches tall and 3.5 or so inches in diameter. Maybe I'm getting the size wrong, it was 8.5 or so years ago and I was fighting for my life.
In any case, I'm sure some will say I'm addicted and maybe I am. I know I tried to stop taking my meds a couple of times. When I did it the last time, it ended up with my friend and family asking me to go back on the pain meds. Why, as it is normally the other way around? Well, in my case, when I go off my pain meds I go through a couple of phases.
First I'm OK for a day or so and then I become a bear to live with at home and outside the home. I get a short fuse and get angry with people. My personality changes from one of being loving and caring to a selfish short tempered ahole, IMHO. In the next phase people withdraw from me and I from them. Finally, I stay in bed and end up crying while curled in a ball. I stay this way till someone tells me this attempt is over (or I come to the same realization on my own). I should note the first two times I tried, I took it as a matter of pride and honor and whatever else I could think of to not take the pain meds. I said to myself and others I can do this and I'm not weak. In my case I had an intervention from friends and family to go back on my pain meds.
OK, I could be lying or deceiving myself, but this is my perspective. (I learned at work once you have to accept and work with another person's perspective, as it is real to them. As my boss' boss told me. It doesn't matter if the person's perspective is right or wrong. To him (or her) it is real and to you this is a fact. You can work to change a perspective and/or use "this fact" to your advantage. In any case, take it and process it as one of the facts in the problem.)
Well, that's it. If there is one thought I'd want to insure you 'walk away" with from this message, it would be: Pain relief is NOT a buzz, it is taking the edge off the pain and nothing more and nothing less.
Take care.
Final Fantasy XI Red Mage (FFXI_RDM)
(FFXI is a MMORPG - Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game)
I have Lupus and Fibro, I just got a new precscrption, 90 tablets of vicodin, at 1 four times a day.Isn't that a 22 day supply.It was last filled on the 18th of last month.
The female WITCH of a pharmacist in the CVS on McMullenbooth and Enterprise is a total *****.,She play games with Chronic Pain Patients. I watch how she reacts when she get a script for pain medication. She like to make you wait till the very last day for pick up..She also like to tell you they are ready when you call. You drive there to pick them up. Then as she looks at you with a **** eating smirk on her face she says you can't have them until tomorrow or even 2 days. Hell I even had one CVS Pharmacist tell me they did not carry narcotic and to go somewhere else. WTF is that? I am a chronic pain patient. For 7 years nor taking the same medications...Until now I get this CVS Pharmacy which I had to move to because I moved. Start telling crap that is NOT TRUE, holding scripts and flipping playing games like its entertainment. Screw CVS They have NO compassion. 2 days early is not illegal! And she is just a *****.
You cannot by pass a refill unless its the right amount of time- it comes down to the "Days Supply" if u have a med that is 1 every 4 hours and you have 90 it is a 15 day supply that u can probably fill 1 day early.
Sorry for all the typos and I am just now reading to the end of this thread didn't realize how old it was. Let me clarify I am on 10-325's and also carisiprodol and lidoderm pain patches. The original prescription was for one every 8 hours on the vicodin and I am now taking 2 of these every 4 hours. Mostly because I feel I am hurting a hell of a lot more and it seems my pain level has gone up. I did just meet with my doc the other day and asked to be put on a medrol pack and she is reluctant to do that. She said she would prefer carisiprodol over the med pack. Yes, I am running out of pain medication really fast and refilling sooner. Yes, I am guilty of getting frustrated with the insurance company about refilling 2 weeks sooner than I should and will just pay out of pocket. I panic at the thought of running out of my pain medications. I remember being taken off Vicodin abruptly once and I was miserable for days. So I think it must have been withdrawal that is all I can think that it was. So the only thing I can assume is that I am in fact addicted. Again isn't there an effective pain medication that I can be put on that isn't addicting? I had been put on many many anti depressants and other off label type meds.. none of them did anything to give me relief. Now I am feeling totally guilty about jeopardizing my doctor who is a very good doctor. I will be out of pain meds by tomorrow. I guess I need to just bite the bullet and get off this stuff. Not sure how I am going to manage the pain though. Maybe I will feel better once my system is cleared of it.
OMG just reading your post. I have had 3 spinal surgeries. I have had everything done that you can imagine and have a great deal of pain. I have been on Vicodin for about 2 years or more now.. and I find I am needing to take up to two 10-325's now to get any type of relief. So I am running out of my pain meds faster now. My pharmacy refuses to refill my meds sooner that the day before now. I guess I must be addicted. It does seem my pain has got up more since using pain medications. Could this be the tolerance thing? Or is this a true addiction. I too get the buzzed feel whenever I take vicodin. I was told by my pharmacist that I am on a system that has flagged me as a possible abuser. I live in the State of Texas. I just called my doc now is there something she can switch me to that will help with pain but not be addicting? Am I going to go through some type of severe withdrawal now if I am taken off this medication? Why don't the doctors talk with you about this stuff? All I ever got was this medication can be addicting, but no other information about it.
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