narcotic pain meds

[Deniseilo]

I have had 5 back surgeries in a little over 4 years and have been on 30 mil Oxycodone 4x daily. 10-325 Norco 4x daily and Lyrica 300 mil 2x daily. My spine doctors PA told me that he would find me another pain doctor and for me not to worry.  He didn't want me to worry! Well last week when I called my scripts in I was told that they would not be filled and pretty much kick rocks. I ended up in tbe ER last night in severe pain and withdrawals. I have rods etc all the way up my back to my neck and severe nerve damage on my left side and especially my foot. The ER doc was not happy that they didn't fill my scripts and left me to my own defenses. I can't get another pain specialIst to take me because they say that I have too many health issues. Isn't that what they are there to help with? I am on some pretty high doses of medicatIons. Can they just cut me off of when it's that high of doses? I was told by my old pain specialist thst I will never be off completely because of everything thst I have wrong with me. They said all they could do is try to make me comfortable and give me tbe best quality life they can. Does anyone have any ideas? I would appreciate it very much! Thank you!

[Dee1956]

Last year we were told my husband would not have to worry about pain medication.  My husband was seeing a Pain Management Specialist and the guidelines were only for PCP.
Now pain doctors are running scared as well.
It is a real shame and inhuman what is happening to the chronic pain patients in our country

[fntn]

Sorry to hear that he is being deserted by his pain doctor as well, insane world now days. I was lucky and my pain doctor pushed back for me, at least for now anyway. There is a great deal of fear out there within doctors wrt lawsuits and stepping outside of the "guidelines". I'm sure the CDC knew that the guidelines would likely be interpeted as law but could still act as though they were merely a suggestion.

We pain patients will likely be forced to deal with our issues alone, sad days. Our doctors almost feel like our adversaries these days.

[Dee1956]

FNTN!!! I'm so so happy to see you. Yes, I remember when your meds were being reduced. It is very frightening that pain patients have become the enemy. I'm so afraid for my husband, he has been reduced too quickly, by a third and now is expected to be 100% off by the the end of this month. He has osteoarthritis of the knees and spine, spinal stenosis and spondylosis, needs knees replaced and spine fused. He is not a candidate for surgery. No pain patient I know would let go of one pill.He keeps them under lock and key, always.  I just read that there are counterfeit drugs coming from China disguised as Percocette or tylenol 3, they are fentanyl.  The CDC has estimated that half of the deaths are from these counterfeit drugs.

[JulioGuzman]

Hi:

First of all, when you went into pain management, you probably signed a pain contract.  They should have given you a copy of that contract.  If they did not, call the office to request it, go down there and pick it up.  Usually, those contracts say that if the doctor feels that opioids are not working, or agrees to discontinue opioid treatment, he will give you an appropriate dose reduction taper.

Secondly, I'd like to address the CDC guidelines since they were brought up here.  These guidelines were meant for primary care pysicians.  If you read medscape, and read the comments on articles and news stories recently posted there regarding opioids, you will see that most docs are angry about these "guidelines".  Having read them myself and having a medical background, I will say that some of the guidelines make sense, some do not and some are outright ludicrous.

I know how you feel, as I have had docs leave me hanging twice.  The first time was when I got into a disagreement over a lost prescription that was mailed to me that I never received, (I lived several hours from my doc at that time).  The office manager claimed she mailed it, when I was intending to pick it up and I was naturally frustrated since I had made the plans to get down there and back.  Then, when the script never came, she refused to tell the doc to see if I could be given something else temporarily.  My state has a prescription monitoring program, so they could see I had not filled the script or been to ER.  The office manager was the doctor's daughter, so they found a reason to kick me out of their practice a few months later for "being difficult with staff".

The second time, my doc decided to move to a different state.  He didn't give any of us tapered scripts or any kind of referral to another doc, he just left.  So, having said all that, I hope you understand that I truly feel your pain.

[Dee1956]

Oh. I am so sorry! I have heard of this but had hoped that pain patients would be grandfathered in.  Also the CDC guidelines were just that guidelines, not law.  This is a nightmare for all pain patients and will force them out on to the streets for help.

[fntn]

As you've mentioned, you are on what is considered to be a high dosage level. The CDC has seen fit to issue very restrictive guidelines that will focus on keeping most pain patients off opioid meds or at 50 mgg equivalent morphine per day - 90 mg at the extreme limit, and only for a very restricted patient list.

So those of us that are around 200 mg equivalent morphine per day, such as yourself and myself, we will find our doctors leaving us since the higher dosages are no longer tolerated and most pain clinics are falling in line with the CDC.

I am dealing with upcoming reductions as well. I was told I will have to move from 200 MED to around 70 MED. This will not work of course, so I will be left untreated by my own doctors. This is happening now, across the country.

[earlgirl99]

Sue your doctor, we all should, to get these politicians & doctors off their high pain-free horse!

[Dee1956]

Hi I just happened by.  I am sure someone will be a long soon with some assistance/help.
I can't believe a doctor would leave you hanging like this.  It is awful!
What state do you live in? Have you tried looking online for a pain management specialist? Normally you would want one that is also an anesthesiologist. Did the ER help you at all? They may know of someone they could refer you to.  Can you go back to the PA?  Sorry I don't have an immediate answer.  Pain management is getting harder to find all the time.
Hang in there! Dee

[earlgirl99]

PA as in Pennsylvania politicians have decided, with no medical background, that heroin & opioid overdoses are caused by those of us who took our pain meds as directed. Idiots, they are reason why so many more heroin users since dr's won't help them. I am looking for heroin at age 61 cuz of these politicians and scared cat doctors.