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My Doctor said he was going to taper me off, but this is what he did,This is my first post on here and want to see what you guys think I should or can do? I have been dealing with back pain for almost ten years and have tried almost everything know to man. They haven't be able diagnose what the problem is, blood work, decompression machine, physical therapy, 5 MRI and Bone Scans, have been on and off pain meds for the last 4 years, I moved to a new areas and went to the doctor near my home because my other doctors office got shut down. Which I explained to him, that's why I was a new patient to his clinic. After sometime and perks he fiinally put on the 15 mg oxycodone HCL greens, and seemed to help, he started to increase my dosage until I finally was taking 130 -30 mg blue oxycodone monthly, and was able to lead a productive life, am not an abuser. So he had me on this amount for almost 1 yr and told me that I had to get MRI and some x-rays done so he wouldn't get in trouble. I did as he ask and also showed him the other films knowing that he wasn't going to find what was giving the pain. I also went to the neurosurgeon on his request, he told me if I didn't do this things he would not write me scripts anymore, I never once went early, never once lied and said I lost my pills, never Doctor Shopped etc. I get the call about the results and of course everythings normal, I started cutting out Diet soda , exercising more, changing shoes, taking more vitamins and minerals and we both thought it would be a good time to start tapering me off the pills. At one time he told me that it will take him at least 6 months. So here what I need your help on, He cut my 1st script down to 90-30 a month, I was still having the pains and was concerned about what he wanted me to do once we where done tapering me off? I had asked hi if there was a pain clinic that he could just refer me too, instead of his plans, and I told him I did not want him to get into trouble, he sent me to a pain management clinic close to my city. I had some problems with my new health ins. starting before my appt with them. So on the day of the appt the new clinic called me and said ins won't be in effect, would I like to reschedule I asked how much would the appt be.$ 300 including injection. I asked her what injection are you talking about, she told me that's how they treat the patients, I said well what do I do about not having any pain meds now, because I TOLD HIM THAT'S WHY i WANTED TO BE SENT TO A CLINIC THAT CAN WRITE ME THE SCRIPTS, SHE TOLD ME THAT HE KNEW THAT THEY DON'T GIVE MEDS, YOU GO BACK TO SEE HIM TO GET THE MEDS UNTIL THEY CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT INJECTI0NS WORK AND THEN HE CAN TAPER YOU DOWN AND EVENTUALLY GET YOU OFF THE MEDS ALL TOGETHER. i CALLED HIS OFFICE AND WAS TOLD TO COME IN AND WAIT TO BE SEEN AND SINCE MY HEALTH INSURANCE HADN'T TAKEN EFFECT YET i WOULD HAVE TO PAY CASH FOR THE APPT. AND WAS TOLD THAT HE WAS NO WAY GOING TO GIVE ME ANYMORE PILLS,I SAID WELL WHAT AM I SUPPOSE TO DO KNOW THAT THE 90 HE WROTE ME LAST MONTH ARE GONE AS OF YESTERDAY, THE NURSE ASKED HIM AND HE SAID THAT'S HIS PROBLEM. SO HE WAS GOING TO CAUSE ME TO GO THRU WITHDRAWLS AND HE HAD NO PROBLEM WITH THAT. WOULDN'T EVEN GIVE ME SOMETHING TO HELP ME WITH THE WITH-DRAWLS SYMPTOMS, AND ASKED HER WHAT WAS THE POINT OF SENDING ME TO THAT TYPE OF CLINIC, IF HE KNEW THEY DON'T WRITE SCRIPTS, AND WHAT HAPPEN TO THE 6 MONTH PLAN OF TAPERING ME OFF THE PILLS? HE WOULD'T EVEN TALK TO ME, i HAVE SENT HIM VOICE MAILS ASKED THE FRONT DESK FOR HIS EMAIL ADD, I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT I DID. HOW CAN A DOCTOR JUST STOP WRITING SCRIPTS FOR SUCH A STRONG PAIN MED THAT HE SUGGESTED I GO ON???? Sorry about the lenght and if the grammar isn't the best but there's so much more I tried to condensed it without forgetting some off the main points. Can someone please tell me what legal right do I have as a patient? ( categories: Chronic Pain and Pain Management )
He sent you to the
He sent you to the interventional pain management specialist for evaluation and possible treatment. You did not make and go to the appointment. That makes you noncompliant. Being noncompliant is a reason to stop prescibing narcotics for someone. You may try your luck with another doctor, but what he is recommending for you is pretty standard.  Dr. Lois is right. A
Dr. Lois is right. A primary care physician that cannot seem to eradicate the source of pain may not feel very comfortable with the palliative care of pain requiring strong pain medications to be scripted over and over again. You must remember that this physician has to make a living also, and simply supplying someone with an endless supply of narcotics is rather antithetic to the hippocratic oath. Your physician made a referral to someone that is more inclined to aggressively treat the pain and like she said your refusal to go makes for non compliance and thus the MD has every authority to discontinue treatment if you are not willing to follow his/her orders. It is not the doctors fault, there is no law stating they must taper you off of narcotic medications and if they are found to be prescribing to a drug abuser and fail to either offer treatment and stop the meds they are only harming you and making the situation more difficult for you in the future. Well isn't that so
Well isn't that so convienent.I hate that there's doctors that would put someone on meds like that and then just say it's their problem on how to get off of them.I have heard many stories like that.Don't they have hearts?Hopefully none of they're loved ones ever have a doc like themselves. this doctor is a complete
this doctor is a complete jerk. did you go in there asking him for O.C.? NO. he precribed them to you, built up your tolerance, and then cut you off cold turkey. doctors are supposed to be there to help you. not to cause you pain. this doctor is obviously in the wrong profession and has completely lost touch w/ why he became a doctor in the first place. you should sue him for malpractice Definatly Sue for Malpractice
Definitaly sue for Malpractice and dont worry what defensive responses you get from doctors, even on here. Go for it. Withdrawals can be life threatening. Everyone has a right to miss one appointment. If we as patients are to be held to a high standard, so should the doctors. SUE SUE SUE!!! Pain med withdrawals
Quote: Withdrawals can be life threatening Quote from flyer1976
This isn't correct - withdrawals from pain meds are not life threatening. They are merely very uncomfortable for 7 to 10 days depending on the dependency level. Withdrawals from benzos and alcohol might be life-threatening since seizures could result, leading to death. We've never heard of serious complications from opioid therapy (unless it's polydrug abuse). It's possible you might be able to sue for undertreatment of pain though. Pain is not adequately treated in the United States although doctors and the hospitals are trying. Have you noticed in the last few years they ask you to rate your pain level? You do so and you are still ignored! Nothing has changed but at least they are asking. pain level
yea u go to the ER and they ask u to rate your pain from 1 to 10, so lets say you say 8. they compare this number with your normal to low blood pressure, and know that u are faking. I think they ask u your pain level to see if you are seeking or not. personally thats what I think. UNLESS its an obvious injury that they can see, but if some dude walks in an ER complaining of back pain and says, " oh 10, 10, definately a 10", and his blood pressure is 110 over 70, would they still believe hes in that much pain, if any at all?? This is why pain is not adequately treated like pharmd.. said. because of this happening so often. so the people that are in pain for real, but it didnt raise their blood pressure a lot for some reason, wont get the relief they need.  PharmDwannabe you are not
PharmDwannabe you are not correct in thinking that opiate withdrawal isnt liefthreatening. Withdrawal from Opiates/Opioids can be life threatening under the right circumstances. It isnt very common though. The excessive vomiting and diarrhea that does occur during withdrawals from heavy opiate use can cause excessive dehydration which has been documented as causing death. There are also other preexisting undiagnosed conditions related to the heart that can become lifethreathening once the patients heart rate becomes extremely elevated during withdrawal. Both of these are pretty uncommon, but can and do happen.  Keeping appointments
I've had some of the same experiences, (no clear reason for the pain in the MRI's)but I have always kept my appointments, called in if I had any questions about violations of the 'contract' to the point that I am over careful that I don't get kicked out of my plan. My first surprise UA I couldn't give them a big enough sample so they gave me a couple of large cups of water, finally it was getting late in the day and I still couldn't give them enough, they told me to go ahead and leave and they would try again at a later date. I believe since I had been so cautious with how I communicated with them and asked them about everything, they let it go. The last time I was in my BP was elivated as well so that added to convincing them of the pain level, which is real and chronic inspite of the lack of any MRI evidence. I've got another MRI scheduled and the doc indicated that if nothing shows up he might have to find another way to treat me with no evidence. I sure hope something shows up because there is difinitely something very wrong. Currently taking Opana ER 10mg, Opana IR 5mg for BT pain. Good luck. Where is pain?
sparky, what is your injury or illness? like is it a back prob or something like that? where is your pain? mdonia, my pain is in lower back, but the MRI's have not revealed anything specific. I'm going for another MRI this week this time for the SI joint, hopefully it will reveal what is going on... what is that
what is opana er ? and opana ir? i have major back pain.. and it showed up on my mri... plus seriouse blood pressure prob..s its always high for no good reason.. its weird.. but does it work well? is it like vic. or darv ? when i get a doc.. i would like to know.. so i could give him some choic.. lol You may be in severe pain
You may be in severe pain Sparky, but you sure don't want to hope for something to be found if your test are ok. You should really be glad that your tests are showing fine. I know from experience that if you are really looking for something, you will eventually find it, but you may create more problems for your self. Good luck with your pain issues.  Whoever said that opiate
Whoever said that opiate withdrawal is not life threatening is completly wrong....Not the everyone who goes through w/d is gonna die (you might feel like it), but I personally know 2 people that have died as a result of withdrawal from opiates and one from benzos....Don't kid yourself....that is a serious matter. Ray Remember: Just do it.. EVERY PILL EVERY DAY i agree..
I definately agree that opiate w/d is definately life threatening if the circumstances are right. Benzo w/d even more! Slitter, first off, im sorry to hear about the people that passed on because of w/d. Were you close to them? Anyways I was just curious, what the specific thing from the w/d's was that caused them to pass, if you even know. If u dont want to talk about it thats cool too. But from my experience being in opiate w/d, with no other meds besides immodium and ibuprofen to help me, I could definately justify having a heart attack if u are in severe enough w/d. I mean i think that would be brought on by not only your physical symptoms, but your mental state too. Being dopesick is like being in another world all together. And u feel like u are never gonna get out of this world. it really does quite a number on you. Anyways I have a question for well anyone I guess....has anyone here been in serious w/d and gone to the ER? And if so, did they tell u they cant help u and to go home, or did they actually help ?? I was just curious how a hospital would handle someone in opiate withdrawal. i would think the most they would do is start an IV to rehydrate you, and maybe something to calm u down or clonidine for BP. But I was just curious if anyone has done this and how they were treated. Not coz I am thinking of doing it, I just wanted to know if that was yet another situation where a user would be discriminated against. Me personally, Im all done being dopesick. Im on the clinic, and leading a normal life. Well other than bad anxiety. It is POSSIBLE to die
It is POSSIBLE to die opening a can of creamed spinich. You cut your hand on the edge of the can top, the cut becomes infected, you become septic because of an impaired immune system, get put on a ventilator for ARDS and die from a massive GI bleed caused by an ulcer due to physiologic stress. People generally do NOT die from opening a can of creamed spinach, and they generally do not die from narcotic withdrawal. Did Jerry Garcia die from
Did Jerry Garcia die from opening a can of creamed spinach? Jerry Garcia suffered a fatal heart attack while in a rehab facility for heroin use. He certainly was not going through withdrawal. He was an overweight smoker with diabetes who did not take care of his health. withdrawls
off those blue oxycodone HCL's is horrible...I was addicted to those and i went cold turkey. The first 4 days was bad, after that, things get alot better. If u cannot get them back, I would check into a methadone clinic. It is used to help with opiode withrawls and it will help u with ur chronic pain. If u do get them back, i would try to ween off of those and take a low level pain killer like vicodin. It is easier to get off of those if ur pain becomes managable. sparky
sparky, i agree with whoever said it , i forget their name, but u dont want your tests to show something wrong. like that person said, i too can tell u from experience, if its nothing u are lucky. i mean it has to be something if u are in as much pain as u say, but it could be nothing more than a muscle spasm. if it is a spine problemlike with discs or something thats bad news. i have 2 herniated discs and degerative disc disease in my neck, and it has ruined my life. it happened at work so i am on wkmns comp but still, in the beginning months after it happened, i lost my apartmant, my brand new car got reposessed, all my bills were going unpaid, and i was forced to move to maine and live in my inlaws basement. trust me u want to wish for a clean bill of health. oh also i was an opiate addict before this happened, and after it happened my addiction got so bad, i had that to deal with on top of everything else. i eventually hit bottom for the last time and wound up in a detox, and to the present day, a methadone clinic. which by the way, someone else recommended that u check into one if u dont get your meds back. first off if u havent been using opiates for a long time, like just for this injury, you wont need a clinic. they are for people who have been using for a number of years and use it as a last resort to help them stay clean. Also when u are on a clinic it does not help chronic pain, they told us this in the orientation u go to when u first join. (im sure they just say it so anyone who joined for that reason will think twice) i mean it does take the edge off but im on a pretty huge dose and im still in pain. and if u go to a clinic and tell them u are a chronic pain sufferer they probably wont admit u. granted everyone is different and 'done may help some peoples pain, but thats not what clinics are for. so unless you are an addict and have been for years, i would stay away from the clinics, it will be a waste of your money. if u lose your meds, just make sure u ween off of them slowly, and u should be fine. So if u want your problem to be revealed so u dont lose your pain meds, i understand. just be careful if u stay on them. good luck to you.
 the doctor is not crazy.yes,
the doctor is not crazy. yes, withdrawals are terrible from opioids however they are not life threatening. it is possible for someone to die from OTHER causes that may be aggrivated from withdrawal, but not from the withdrawal itself. all thoughts and opinions expressed are those of my own and should not be mistaken for medical advice. i am not a doctor nor a pharmacist. all medical questions should be answered by a licensed pharmacist, doctor, or primary care manager. I don't think they ask you
I don't think they ask you your pain level in the ER to trick you... I think its just a standard question that may not effect your treatment too much, but lets them know your perspective on your own pain... if I stump my toe and say the pain level is 8, then maybe I've never had much pain to compare it to (such as pain from a compound fracture)... that doesn't mean that I need oxy for the toe though, and I shouldn't expect it just b/c I say my pain level is 8... ashville is correct;
ashville is correct; every-ones perception of pain is different (essentially). although the "pain scale" system is not perfect, it is about the best way the medical community can access pain. a patients report/assessment of their pain is the best indicator that there is. changes in vital signs, medical conditions, sleep patterns, et cetera, cannot be used to measure pain. unfortunately there is no machine that will tell you how much pain someone is in. i do know that some doctors do often consider 10 out of 10 or unusually high patient pain reports to be a sign of over-reporting of pain, or possibly med seeking. all thoughts and opinions expressed are those of my own and should not be mistaken for medical advice. i am not a doctor nor a pharmacist. all medical questions should be answered by a licensed pharmacist, doctor, or primary care manager.  Pain Scale-Oh, it amuses me...:):).
...just my opinion, and I may get slammed with this, and it may depend on the area, but- NO AMERICAN DOCS!!! They 'guinea pig' you to death (I've been on a TON of stuff for my migraines & MS-conflicts, side effects worse than the original pain...just hand the narcotics, buster, I'm not 20 anymore, I know how to get through my day & function) and think they can 'save' you. Dr.s that scooled/were raised elsewhere, be it Mid-east, Pakistan, Buenes Arias, to me anyway, always seem kinder & more ready to put you out of your misery. A friend once speculated that a lot of these gentlemen were used to 'shutting up' their women. Well, shut me up. But seriously, the only docs I get narcotics from (Trans/Vicodin/Norco, etc.) are Pain Mgmt. & my surgeon, and I'm not ALWAYS having surgery:). Thank the Lord I don't need refferalls, I barely see my primary anymore, with the huge mental health copays (not psycotic, just need to be balanced a little, GOOD ADVICE for anyone on constant pain meds/benzos)...my Pain guy (graduated-Buenas Arias:)) sees me every 2 months, I get scirt 4 2 months,for 120 pills-and I'm 105 soaking wet. Actually, he just raised, not the amount, but took me from Vic ES to Norco (10 compared to the ES 7.5). Didn't even have to ask...everyone should have a good pain guy, EVERYONE! Only problem I have is getting my xanax (any benzo would do, TYVM). I don't sleep. I just DON'T. And no one, Pain included, wants me on 'em. Sigh. It's always something...
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