ohio and pain meds

I have multiple herniated discs in back and neck. Chronic pancreatitus rheumatoid arthritus and regular arthritus in about every joint in my body neuropathy spinal stenosis sporadic sciatic nerve pain a torn rotator cuff gastroparisis in which i had a experimental implant put in and constant pain in left foot where i had a bone infection and 2 knuckles removed. I am and have been on 30mg roxicodone pills 4 times per day. Went to drs yesterday and he tells me hes gonna have to cut my pills down to 15mg 4 a day. Half of what i take now and claims its the government cracking down and hes affraid of loosing his medical license. I was under the assumption that my 4 30mg roxicodones were ok taking under state and federal guidlines. If i get cut back im not going to have that much quality of life when im in so much pain ill end up in a wheelchair. Does anyone know what the federal and state guidelines are for ohio as to how many roxicodone 30mg pills a patient is allowed to take per month? Also guidelines that drs in my state have to follow for writing dispensing these meds? My dr is just a primary dr and not a pain specialist he has had problems in past with a few bad patients and also one of his family members stealing his script pad and forging scripts. So hes got a few red flags by government and is cutting back on peoples meds as hes affraid of loosing his license claiming its not him but government making him do pain med cutbacks on patients. Im about to look into going to an actual pain managment clinic and hopefully still can get my 120 roxicodone 30mg pills per month. Im really gonna be in a worrlld of hurt and paiin if i get them cut back to 15mg 120 a month. Any information or suggestions on what i should do? And any info on state and federal guidelines as to what amount ohio patients are allowed monthly would greatly be appreciated. Thank you and god bless. Dave

Hello & welcome to the forum. I am surprised that a GP would rx those meds to a patient for long term care. Most of them stopped doing this several years ago. You must not be aware of all of the hype about people & the use of opiates. Its been in the news for ions now. The DEA is involved & even though there are no real laws in effect, it is the DEA's recommendations that drs including pain mgt drs are going by. Otherwise, the good drs are at risk being flagged & losing their license. No dr will risk that for any patient. We have a prescription monitoring system in place so they know who is writing what these days & who is getting them.

Considering all the medical issues you have listed you would probably have much better pain mgt if you were under the care of a pain mgt dr. That is their specialty & they tend to be more helpful. Taking the instant release meds you are on now, about all you do is chase your pain & watch the clock until its time for the next pill. Besides the Roxys are you on any of the medications used to treat nerve pain? Like Mrs123 said above, you should be on an extended release pain medication for better pain control than what you are doing now. There are lots of different meds than can be tried. What else do you do to help ease your pain besides medications? I doubt very seriously you will find another dr willing to rx those meds at that dose & I would be asking for a referral to a pain mgt dr.

It sounds like your dr knows he is skating on thin ice & he is trying to salvage things before it all goes down the tubes. Take care.

I know many people get annoyed and frustrated having to see a pain management Dr, but I see it like this: If you have a heart condition, you see a cardiologist. If you have an issue with your brain, you see a neurologist. A primary Dr does not have the training in those specialties. So, if you are in chronic pain, you should see a pain management Dr. There are different options and treatments when it comes to treating pain, and your reg Dr does not have the training necessary to implement these options.

As far as you meds, and dosages, you have been very lucky to have been prescribed those with your regular physician. Like Mercy and Grace stated, their are FDA guidelines that Drs, and insurance, use when prescribing pain meds. I could be way off, but using a chart, 30mgx4 roxicodone=180mg morphine. Again-I could be way out in left field, I often am.

Your Dr can prescribe, and appeal to insurance, for the higher doses of meds. My pain doc did have appeal to insurance, since I don't have pain directly related to cancer(which is often and area where the FDA guidelines do not apply). While this can be done, I'm pretty sure a new Dr will start you at a lower dose. But-it would make sense for a long acting med to be prescribed. With a short acting med you are chasing pain. A long acting med should provide steady relief, with the short acting med used for break-through pain.

If you are planning on seeing a pain management Dr, it is best to call as soon as possible. The wait for some Drs can stretch into months.