Craziest PM appt today

OK so for 5 years being seeing the same PM doc whom I thinks awesome and I have always saw him every other month leaving with 2 scripts. One dated for this day and another one dated this day but with a Do Not Fill date for next month and must be 28 days.

Today when I signed in the receptionist hands me a paper and says to read it concerning new pharmacy laws taking effect Dec 1st??

The thing says he can no longer write 2 scripts and you have to pick each one up in person every month but since he is only required to see patients on narcotics every 90 days our appointments will go as follows:
Nov 26-Nurse p.u.
Dec 29-Nurse p.u
Jan 27- Dr J

Please note that insurance companies will Not Cover a nurse appt for picking up prescription so you will be required to pay $15 out of pocket to receive scripts. Upon leaving the office you will now have 3 appts scheduled.

Well that's nice since I pay nothing for office visits but now folks already on tight budgets have to cough up $30 every 2 months. Wait that's not all!!

Get to the back office and Nurse comes in and asks how I'm doing and says " you will have an extra script or two since he is required to have you on a muscle relaxer as well as an anti-inflam meds according to your diagnosis. What?? Now I'm getting angry versus flustered and I want to know who says I have to take a bunch of things I don't want? He says " new guidelines " if we don't write them and you don't fill them the pharmacy can refuse to fill your pain meds!! Now I'm very very angry not only is this new stuff going to cost more in office visits its adding 2 more co-pays for meds I refuse to take.


Dr comes in says sorry we don't have choice and your only one is to go to class III or non-narcotic meds. He said since you already take Voltaren pills on 2 months off one I will just change it to all the time but would rather you stay on the 2/1 scheduled and I'm going to write flexeril and don't care if you throw it away but your probably not going to get your MS contin if you dont fill them all.

I get the appts, scripts, and it now says must last 30 days meaning it cannot be filled in 28 or 29 and it has 1 line on the computer generated scripts for a diagnosis. One? No wonder the RPHs look at us like we are addicts or junkies, would I really be on this stuff for one issue?? Most of us have multiple issues that cause the amounts of pain we deal with. He says whichever dx code he picks to use the treatment has to fit the criteria for symptoms thus when he chose pars defect with neuropathy he had to add muscle relaxer,anti-inflam,to the lyrica and narcotics.

I'm still mad as a wet hen and everytime we turn around some entiety is deciding how to treat us and now with what. How can the pharmacy refuse to fill my med if I'm not on certain other meds?

This is the stupidist thing I have seen yet and how is any of this going to prevent diversion and abuse? Do you think someone selling those pills cares whether it cost them $15 to make thousands? Are they going to worry about having to fill 30 flexeril at less then $4?? It only is attacking legitimate patients again because we're the ones getting SSDI and $15 means it has to come out of an already tight budget from somewhere else.

I don't know how many more ways they can push, regulate, and restrain our Doctors hands until they get fed up and stop treating pain patients altogether. It's just not worth it to them and finiancially costly in added staff, more paperwork and time they can't take from patient care without lowering that standard of care and most good Dr's are not going to sacrifice that.

I have to go every month.I have Medicare and I pay $12 and see the PA(Nurse).

Last month I went in on the 29th day and couldn't get my prescription filled til the next day.

I got something from my Medicare Part D last month that said they will no longer pay for Soma.They'll pay for Opana,Dilaudid,but not Soma.

There goes a $20 bill.

Rick

Dear Vickie

This is how it goes with most Pmds in Ok. My son goes to one that has to prescribe flexeril with his pain med. He also has to see him monthly for script and ua.

Mine sees me every 3 months for the past few appts. Before it was every other month. I have to go in on my 28 or 29 th day pick up the script sign for it and then usually fill that day or the next. I have to fill neurotin and diflocanac with my pain med. I don't take the high amounts they give me but I get them filled anyway. It costs but -& I'll be blunt it sucks - I'm in survival mode. Without my med to help me function I couldn't right now. If I have to buy a few other scripts I cant take regularly then I will (the NSAID cranks my BP dangerously high & neurotin does too as well as dizzy fatigue). I have no idea who makes these rules up. They seriously don't have a clue about cp and life. I'm so angry that we are manipulated like this. I'm even angrier that Pmd are so overwhelmed with this red tape. I'm so sorry for what is happening with yours and how it will affect your well being. It's incredibly unfair and just wrong.

Prayers for smoother roads
Cheri