Medication Shortage

Hi Angelina,

It's enough for me to know that I do speak for those that can't. Although I am a Certified Domestic Violence Advocate, I feel my advocacy skills and training, along with my personal experience with chronic pain, are driving me to help fight for this worthy cause. Apparently, none of the bureauocrats creating these ridiculous laws have had to endure years of unrelenting pain from the moment they arise until the moment they are granted the small measure of relief sleep provides, if you are even fortunate enough to be able to sleep. My chronic pain causes me many sleepless nights.

I am now on day 7 of trying to get my prescription filled. I went to the emergency room last night and was given Ultram, Steroids, and a Klonidine patch for my elavated blood pressure, along with the assurance that withrawl is not fatal. Considering I have already been through open-heart surgery, I am hoping they are right. Funny thing is when my pain is managed properly my blood pressure and heart-rate are normal.

I have had stomach problems and esophogial spasms for years due to all of the non-narcotic pain meds which have been forced upon me during my 30 year battle with chronic pain.

It's nice to hear from others who face the same daily struggles, but I do plan on doing a lot more. I will have an informative web site of my own, soon. Of course that is somewhat dependent on my ability to obtain my prescribed medications, as I simply do not function as well when they pain is so severe. I hate taking the muscle relaxsers they prescribe because I sleep too soundly and then wake up even more stiff and sore because of not shifting positions.

Hello, I am nini/Kathy, and I think Jim1969 had the best idea, lol.  But you are young and have a young, you certainly dont want to go to jail, and I feel that would happen if you did take a bat to someone who looks at you like you are a junkie. Its absurd.

But just so you know, its really not about your age, I am 58 and I get the same looks.  I also happen to have 2 lovely tatoos one on each arm, one upper arm, a snake, one around my wrist a mystical bird called a thunderbird, these tatoos have been on my arms for many many years, they meant something to me then and they mean something to me now.

So, good luck to you, I think everyone did a great job of giving you great advice, hope all turns out well for you, along with the rest of us, we did not ask for this, it just is.

Take care,

Kathy

What a crock! They need to regulate prices of these meds too! It isn't right to smack the cash-paying customers just bc they can! When I worked at an independent pharmacy we always price matched! (Depends totally on the owners). I fear what this is coming to!
You may want to ask your Dr to switch meds -maybe then u could find it! I use patches & they work alot better 4pain for me than anything else.
oh & I know your speaking hypothetically @punching someone! It happens to all of us no matter who we are or even what pain med is prescribed. It's ignorance & naivete. If they had 1 day of this you can betcha things would be seen differently!

Janet...I live in Canada and so far (fingers crossed) have not had any problems like this. I have had the same pharmacy since 2002 and have never been treated like a drug seeker, However I did one time when I went to one of our local emergency rooms the nurse took my husband in a private and told him he was noy helping me by bringing to th ER seeking drugs. When my husband came back and it was written all over his face he did not know what to do, so I asked what was wrong and when he told me I was furious an in extreme pain....I told that nurse that she had over stepped her boundries and she looked at me and said honey you are addicted to drugs....I looked at her and said "DUH" I am a chronic pain patient I guess that I am addicted its the only thing that allows me to get out of bed in the morning. I also take these meds so I am able to work pull my load so I am not taxing the system. She was not sure what to say when I said maybe you should ask your colleague why she prescribes them. Lets just put it this way when my husband threatened to call our local newspaper and let them know how a chronic pain patient is being treated. She sure changed her attitude I think she was even disciplined as when the doctor came in he was quite apologetic. There is no reason to be treated so poorly. So I say your advice is great and I hope all people who have been treated like that do what you have mentioned...power in numbers everyone! Good luck and I hope you make progress.

Amy

I live in Oregon and we are in a crisis with medication here. Methadone, ADHD and many opiate prescriptions are not available. We are not told why, but as of the first of the year the pharmacies are not getting them. I am 72 years old and on Methadone for a broken Thoracic and I cannot do the withdrawal that will happen to me. I only take 3 a day but that may as well be 300 as the half life of these is not even known for sure but at least a year to feel better again if I make it through this.

Any information is appreciated. I am so sorry for so many this is surreal cannot believe its happening. Methadone is not on the list given here as one that was contaminated, so with that known we have to find out, or get out that this is happening. Northern California and all of Oregon as far as I am hearing are not getting these medications.

Bob

Post Edited (BobbyBog) : 2/2/2012 12:55:30 AM (GMT-7)

Hello Bobby!

Welcome the the forum!

I too!…would be curious as to what your pharmacy says about this, and I agree with Straydog. My Dr has told me repeatedly that this is going to get worse, and when the DEA sticks their nose in his business, he will no longer script pain for chronic pain.

He believes that the current attorney general at the federal level (EH) is to blame, and as long as he is in office it will continue.

Again, Welcome!…and Enjoy the forum!

SE

Hello everyone, heres a little story about my search today for scripts, I live in Lakeland and went to Winter Haven and Auberndale today stopping at every pharmacy I saw on the way.

I just drove to 15 Walgreens, 3 walmarts, 13 CVS stores, 4 Publix, 2 Winn Dixie's and 3 mom and pops, plus a K MART and heard the same crap everywhere I went. "let me see if we have that,,,,,, no" , or that has been on backorder for months, or we do not carry that medication at this location, One of the places I believe had it but the pharmacists said under her breath to the tech "whos the doctor" the tech replied and the pharmacists shook her head and the tech came back to me and said no we dont have it. I'm wearing dry cleaned pressed slacks, a starched long sleeve Ralph Lauren dress shirt, tie, wing tips, and a rolex that cost as much as a new KIA, fresh hair cut, and I do not look like Im medication sick cause I have my methadone,,, THANK GOD.

Last month I was able to get filled at Walmart after trying about 30 places,,,, Now Walmarts have been telling people that they get thier shipments on Fridays, so today when I went to the one I got filled at last month they told me they dont know when it will be coming in now because people have been hanging out in parking lot on Friday's looking to rob the delivery guy.

Armored trucks and armed guards should be delivering this crap OR END THE PROBLEM AND MAKE THE MEDICATION AVALIABLE TO PEOPLE. IF IT'S AVALIABLE AND PLEANTYFUL PEOPLE DONT HAVE TO ROB THE DELIVERY GUY TO GET THIER script....................................................

This country is so screwed up and we do everything backwards.

If you want to end the war on drugs make them pleantful and avaliable. People want to rob the delivery guy because they cant get thier script filled anywhere. Then the pharmacies frown on you hopping but you have to BECAUSE the place you did business with for 6 years suddenly stopped taking insurance. I dont blame him for stopping accepting insurance,,,, heres why: BCBS of Florida pays him 68 bucks for 168 30mg 30's.

FACT: 168 30's cost him more than $68 to buy.

Im sure they dont cost that much to make but I know they cost more than that to buy from any supplier.

I tried to stop cold turkey and after 3 weeks the withdraws were only getting worse and the sleeep deprevation was so bad I was seeing things that were not there, I flet like I was on acid the whole time, I could not drive, I could not walk, and stayed on the toilet all day shiverring while sweating....

Detox off Oxy or methadone, hydrocodone, etc IS NO JOKE AND IS NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLEY. THESE IDIOTS THAT SAY THEY JUST STOPPED AND IT WAS ONLY A FEW DAYS OF "MILD DISCOMFORT" ARE TOTALLY FULL OF IT. MILD DISCOMFORT,,,,,,,,,, MILD DISCOMFORT IS HAVING DIREAHHA FOR AN HOUR OR TWO, NOT FOR 3 MONTHS. AND THE PAIN IN YOUR BONES WHILE SHIVERRING AND SWEATING AT THE SAME TIME IS SO FAR FROM "MILD DISCOMFORT", THE DIFFERENCE IS LIKE GOLF BALLS AND NUCLEAR BOMBS.

ID LIKE TO THANK THE PM GUYS THAT WRITE THESE USELESS scriptS FOR 150 CASH A MONTH AND THEN THEY DISAPPEAR FOR A MONTH AND YOUR NOT EVEN SURE IF THEY WILL BE open FOR YOUR NEXT VISIT NO MATTER HOW LIGIT THEY ARE CAUSE THE DEA AND COPS CAN SHUT ANYONE DOWN FOR ANY REASON, I'VE HAD 4 OR 5 LIGIT DOCTORS GET SHUT DOWN FOR NO REAL REASON AT ALL SINCE IVE BEEN IN THIS MESS GOING ON 11 YEARS NOW WITH A L5S1 DISOCTEMY / FUSION THAT WAS DONE BY THE BIGGEST BUTCHER IN TAMPA, DR NUCCI THAT KNOW LOOKS LIKE HE IS STRUNG OUT ON THE NEEDLE/ WITH HIV HIMSELF.

Foreign countries dont have these drug problems because they make DRUGS avaliable. Northern california does not have a pot problem because it is legal. I do play by the rules and Everyone I know of that sells the drugs they get from doctors I flat out turn in. I call the doctors, I call the cops and THEN I call them and tell them what I have done after I have done it to let them know it was me that has ended the party and good luck with the cops.

WE NEED TO HAVE A RALLY , RAISE MONEY, AND BECOME A XXXXXXXEXTRA LARGE PAIN TO ALL PHARMACIES, DEA, POLICE, THE FDA, PICKET ALL PEOPLE / AGENCIES THAT HOLD ANY KIND OF "VOTED IN" POSITION WITH THE CITY, COUNTY, STATE, AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

OR

THE OTHER OPTION WILL ONLY LEAD TO MORE PAIN AND SUFFERING AND THE WORLD DOES NOT NEED MORE OF THAT BUT IT JUST MIGHT TAKE THAT TO GET OUR POINT ACROSS,,,,,,

I JUST CAN NOT BE A PART OF IT FOR I DONT WISH THE PAIN I LIVE WITH ON ANYONE AND IF I HURT SOMEONE AND CAUSED MY TYPE OF PAIN TO THEM FOR LIFE I JUST COULD NOT LIVE WITH MYSELF.

SO WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?

IV'E CALLED THE DEA AND WENT TO THE OFFICE IN TAMPA, THEY DO NOT CARE,
THE PHARMACIES DO NOT CARE
THE FDA DOES NOT CARE,
THE POLICE DO NOT CARE,
NO ONE CARES AS WE ARE ALL THROWN IN THE SAME GROUP AS ABUSERS AND ADDICTS BECAUSE WE NEED THESE THINGS TO HAVE THE BEST QUALITY OF LIFE POSSIBLE.

Post Edited By Moderator (Momto8kids) : 5/9/2012 10:33:43 PM (GMT-6)

That is awful!!! I cannot believe people in Florida in true pain have to go through all of that!!
The pharmacy I use is Target! They are like family, they never frown upon what I take and if anything treat me better because they know of my pain. So maybe if you have a Target close to you try them. Also I beleive you can read your Target pharmacy reviews online, because before I went there I felt that CVS was very judgmental. So I switched but I switched to Target because of their good reviews. Good luck I hope you can find your meds.

Hi there, I am also from the Tampa bay area. Yes The pill mill state...... anyways, since our Governor took office he been pulling a redneck mechanic job on the citizens of this state. While I appreciate him trying to stop the illegal sales of pills which apparently were a lot, not to mention the Overdoes, In the 4 county area citrus, hernando, pasco, hillsborough over the last 2 yrs OD's rose 350% just in citrus alone they would have maybe 12-15 a year, had over 40, now these are confirmed dead. Hernando was pushing over 100. hillsborough over 300. Almost all the dead were illegals users who had purchased their pills according to leo.

Now back to the matter at hand, I have been on prescribed medications since 2003, due to a fall injury. 2 different muscle relaxers, a base and a binder to help with the pain. I was taking 10/325 endos/percs qid and ms contin 15 bid along with my regular meds everything seemed to be ok, then last year when the Governor took office, now the pill mill law had been kicked around for sometime. and as being challenged due to hippa laws, and protecting our rights. They basically put a system together quickly without double checking. So that put a monkeys wrench in supplies for Rx's and dr's offices, than, they made it illegal for a doctors office to prescribe pills in their office.

So my Dr tells me we are going to change a few things because your meds are going to be harder to get. Plus I had to get off of apap, as my liver was showing some issues. So I was switched to Dillaudid 4mg bid, mscontin 15 tid which worked all good. than i started having issues being able to fill them. Reasons were so many the top ones were back order , discontinued, special order. Now keep in mind we are now on a controlled monitoring system, everything is being watched.

So I would go where i could to get it filled whether it be Walgreens, Wal mart, CVS, a few mom n pop places. Usually if walgreen didn't have it wal mart did. Then 3 months ago, Noone had it. I would go anywhere there was a RX, most wouldn't even look, thy just say no, I later find out that individual stores took care of their regulars. ok i can live with that, but to be told no, and asked what is a better alternative to avoid in lapse of medications, because the stores will not fill just one rx if you present more than 1 and if they don't have it they won't fill the ones they can. "law" they say. Now, Last I remembered was we could shop were felt like and shop around.

So this month I talk to the doctor and he says he is well aware, and he is totally at lost how to fix it. all we can do is try different rx's see what i can fill. So I went back to 10/325, (mind you my Primary is mad, because he is afraid the apap is the culprit for my high triglycerides which is mimicking cirrhosis of the liver,) and he prescribed opana er 20. Ok I take it to walgreens, she allowed a one time fill for the 10/325, next time i present i must do so seperatedly. she did not have opana there. So I get some relief, I go to a nearby walgreen, after she cut through the redtape, because i was "RX shopping" apparently you must try and keep your rx all together, puts you on a list, which creates more red tape.

So I go to pick my meds up, i am told their is no generic form. and the total cost for a 30 d supply 60 tabs bid. comes to 401.86 thats with my plan, orginal cost is 1112.34. I am totally floored here as i don't know what to do. I can't afford 400 bucks on top of my 123.09 a month. and i am told that opana maybe backordered by my next appt. as well 10/325 or 10/650. Now keep in mind I had to drive to all these places, I bet I burned a good 1/2 tank. So trying to call ahead is a no no cause no one will tell you over the phone due to all the RX robberies we have had.........

So.. What do we as legit claims for medicines needed do? The DR's aren't sure what to do, The Pharmacies are just not providing any info, and picking who and what to fill. but everytime we present a script the law knows we were trying to fill somewhere thus putting some of us on a list, which I could care less let them come count my meds. But the point is who is the one really suffering? i am lost what to do or ask what to do? I think this whole mess has a lot of people confused.

I am so sorry you are going through this....If I were you I would get my med swithced to morphine possibly or demoral. They both come in patch forms, I use butrans patches and have hydrocodone for BT pain after years of pain this combo works great. Good luck I hope you can locate your meds or get other ones prescribed