Pain Killers

Been seeing a lot of that from the VA folks. People have successfully been on a benzo and narcotic without any adverse effects for years. Again thank those who take the mix for a better high at larger than normally prescribed doses.

As for taking you off the hydro did they taper you off?? I sincerely hope so after that many years.

As for what you can do? Not much,short of seeking pain management outside the VA. We have a few who pay out of pocket for a private Dr instead of relying on VA or other government backed clinics.

Oh and welcome to the forum!

Yes patients who likely don't follow the prescribed orders.

CaryF, I believe as you do that PM will eventually become a thing of the past. I have my own thoughts on what brought PM to the state that it is now & not for a moment do I believe its the war on drugs either. That battle has been fought for years with a no win situation. That is being used as the scapegoat & the public is buying into it just as they knew they would. For the sake of not breaking HW's rules I will stop here, lol. I have been under the care of PM drs a very long time & prior to that other specialists that took care of my pain. What we see today in PM is not something that just came about in a year or so as some people think. These changes started several years ago & now look at where we are today.

We have seen here over the years what being non-compliant will get a patient in PM.

Vickie & I both have preached to people to not rely totally on meds for relief because the days of getting increases are numbered & short.

I have a pain pump that is not functioning & it will be getting replaced soon. We have known for almost a year there was a problem going on. My PM dr has twice offered oral meds because of this situation. He knows I am not doing well, & said you have never complained nor ever asked for anything since becoming a patient here. For those reasons is why he offered some oral meds. I told him yes, I have a lot of pain, but I also know drs do not like giving orals meds to pump patients. I have had chronic pain for so long that you can become use to being in pain.

It also seems that Methadone being used to treat chronic pain is going to be another no, no, in the near future. At least that's the way I read it.
" The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that the use of methadone in pain treatment is associated with a disproportionately high number of overdose deaths compared to other opioid pain relievers."

FACT SHEET: Obama Administration Announces Public and Private Sector Efforts to Address Prescription Drug Abuse and Heroin Use-
/www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/10/21/fact-sheet-obama-administration-announces-public-and-private-sector

Presidential Memorandum -- Addressing Prescription Drug Abuse and Heroin Use-
/www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/10/21/presidential-memorandum-addressing-prescription-drug-abuse-and-heroin

Post Edited (Mercy&Grace) : 10/28/2015 11:30:24 PM (GMT-6)

Wait here's another thought,the heroin use has increased greatly since the clamp down on opiate prescribing,all the folks who were caught up in the Roxy hoopla then the dilaudid they used to replace that turned to the cheaper more accessible opiate in the form of heroin and the methadone clinics the only reasonable treatment option that we have for them since the Roxy squeeze left those pills at around $35-45 a 30mg pill on the street followed by dilaudid at $25-30 and heroin coming in at a fraction of the cost so addicts don't generally hold jobs the cheaper of the bunch wins out simply because treatment is not free or readily available or isn't a medical detox program and let's face it we know what those w/ds are like,its a addicts biggest fear,and the majority of detox is cold turkey with only psychological support,rarely works proven useless for the most part. Throw up the methadone clinics that dose at approximately $15 a day,about the cost of one good dose of heroin,lasts 24hrs,nobidy has to be put through w/ds,they see a medical Dr weekly and a counselor daily,urine tested weekly as well to ensure they're not using anything else. Here comes the lawmakers wanting everyone on suboxen(bup+Nal) and the cost of that jumps over the moon at over$200 a week at the clinic and the urine testing is around $130 more than the regular opiate benzo mj they're are usually using. Now ask yourself what is really the agenda here? What is the governing agencies trying for an who exactly are they trying to help?

Medicaid/Medicare stopped paying for drug addiction treatment several years ago,your run of the mill addicts don't have private insurance,they don't care if they're penalized for not having Obama care they don't file tax returns.

Treatment for addiction has always been the simplest answer for the drug crisis,ours the PM patients,the burden of tax payers supporting through welfare programs those addicts who don't work,the organizations plighted to fighting the drug war and addicts themselves. All that ever needed to happen was lower the demand for the opiates by lowering the number of addicts by increasing readily accessible treatment and all this years of battling the drugs designed to alleviate pain and suffering long-term would not have had to happen.

For whatever reason the powers in play here don't want to do that or can't see the answer for the rose colored glasses or they they simply have a bigger agenda in play here. The big pharma generates into big money through revenue and taxes,greed has always been a driving force behind the reaction to greater problems and why would this one be any different?

Ok my rants done.

Oh its fine its just a thorn in my side when the powers that be use bs data to try to stir us in the direction they wish us to go. If they follow through they're eliminating the cheapest option for many with no insurance coverage and although I say yet again you know how I stand on this med its also the only option for pain relief some have due to the financial situation and I think its outrageous to eliminate a only option for some on skewered data.

You know about 6 months ago my PM Doctor asked me exactly what meds I was getting from my MD.

He said they were asking every patient just to be 100% that nobody was mixing narcotics with benzos.

He said the DEA was requiring them to document this for each patient due to a rise in accidental overdoses in mixing the two.

So it must be something that is happening everywhere.

Cindy

Mercy&Grace, I know you are absolutely correct and I am sure they checked the PMP. Maybe they were just asking to see what patients would say. I'm sure they are lied to on a regular basis and that makes it so hard on the patients that are compliant. They have really gone above and beyond for me so I have no complaints. Just feel lucky to be able to get the help I need and that insurance covers it! Thanks you so much for your post.

Cindy