2014 New Pain Medication Laws Dictating To Doctors That They Cannot Prescribe Anything Equivalent 120 Mg Of Morphine Or Higher A Day Per Patient (Page 4) (Top voted first)

I was told Friday by my Pain Management Doctor at my monthly appointment that the DEA was implementing a new law dictating to doctors on how much pain medication they could prescribe per patient per day. It could be equal to no more than 120 mg of Morphine per day per patient and they had to comply within 3 months for all of their patients. I am trying to find out as much information on this as possible. I don't know if my Pain Management Doctor is stating fact or if he is just running scared and if he is stating fact, I don't know if this is federal or state (Alabama) mandated. I spoke directly with the Southeastern division of the DEA in Atlanta this morning and they are not aware of any law of this nature coming into effect and I also contacted another pain clinic locally that has never heard of it either. So I have been trying to reach my Pain Management Clinic and get a copy of the law itself so I will know if it's federal or state and if it is an actual law or just a state regulation and if it's even true but so far no one has called me back so I thought I'd try my luck here and see if anyone has heard of this. This really has me bothered. It looks like either way, true or not, to get adequate pain care I am at least going to have to move out of state if not the entire country. I will ask my questions about that in a different post. But if this is in any way true, and it seems my pain doctor is going to be going by these guidelines whether it is or is not true, it is going to cut my pain meds by almost half. I am on 120 mg of Oxycodone and 8 mg of Dilaudid per day which I was told equals 212 mg of Morphine per day. And before someone decides to tell me that I don't need that much pain medication, I will go ahead and say to you, you don't know me, you don't know what conditions I have that cause me Daily Severe Chronic Pain and other Daily Severe Pain to warrant that much medication, you don't know my tolerance for pain meds, I do NOT take any pain medication to feel high, I ONLY take pain medication to relieve some of the pain as what I am on doesn't even relieve all of my pain, I do NOT drink, I do NOT do street drugs, I see my doctor every 28 days just as I am supposed to, I take my medication as prescribed and the way I am supposed to take it except when I had extreme oral surgery a month ago and I did have to break up my tablets for about a week but they were put on my tongue and NOT up my nose and they were IR tablets so I was fine doing that as I had checked with my pharmacist prior, and you don't feel what I feel or see me lying in bed 24/7 crying from the pain because it is so excruciating and unrelenting so please before anyone starts telling me that I don't need that much pain medicine just stop now before you even start. Those of you that have to live with daily pain will surely understand where I am coming from being this defensive as I'm sure you know you are treated as a drug addict by most doctors even. Thanks in advance for any help with my question.

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Posters,

Many people are not aware that the CDC and FDA have hit this hard due to OD superficial hype being used to put physicians at liability. As long as these government agencies post this if you die suddenly your physician can be sued for malpractice so physicians are running scared.

The overdoses are being caused by ILLEGAL use of prescription pain killers. The DEA is not regulating any new laws. However, physicians nationwide have participated in first the 200 mg. morphine equivalent per day now this lower level. This is all due to your Affordable Care Act and loop holes. Couple this with United Healthcare pulling out of the ACA and when they did thousands were suddenly stopped no opioids and many I have heard died of MI's and other issues that do occur when we stop suddenly. Yes you can die from sudden rapid withdrawal it is a proven fact; I am a professional nurse, published researcher, and suffer IP. I fall into the rare level of IP that is allowed but a permanent WC Medical AWARD used a loophole to stop all medical care for almost a year and I near died.

Do not ask your physician for previous levels, take what you can and work with them to taper down. You will need to do this until Obama leaves and it will take a good two years to go back to what we have proven scientifically for years; that opioids are the safest method of controlling intractable pain that is non malignant.

Do not change physicians for you won't get a new one. They have the right under ACA to reject you. The government is paying physicians incentives to NOT TREAT chronic illness and allowing millions to go bad or die.

I encourage all of you to seek support here and on the phone chats they do and hang tough, you will have to. Do not lose your physician and do not ask for what they will not give as they do not want to be sued.

Take it slow, when you present to the doctor remain calm, dress appropriately and don't make excuses to get fired. We have a few years to manage our pain this primitive way but I promise you our next leader will not allow the government to control medical care. For profit medicine has made America the leader in cures and care! Let us get back to it.

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BL,

How would you know what any physician knows or thinks. The physicians are at high liability for malpractice due to the CDC and FDA hype so they are voluntarily covering their rumps. Do not blame them; it is your government people who has done this not the physicians who always when practicing pain management have a higher risk of liability anyhow their malpractice rates are off the wall!

We must as a group hold tight and be stable and secure for the next few years. Keep your physician and do not push for what you will not due to this liability issue cause you to be fired. Keep your own journal which I've advised in pain support for years with a 1 to 10 daily pain scale, what you take what works and other activities or actions you take to reduce pain.

Hot bath for 15 minutes.

Gentle stretching.

Then each time you see the physician give him or her a copy for your medical record it will if the DEA ever investigates your physician less chance to hunt your chart and arrest both of you. Yes for years physicians getting shut down from DEA raids have had patients also get arrested! Make sure you are valid and make your record valid each trip to the doctor.

Scientifically opioids are the cheapest and best way to treat nonmalignant intractable pain. Therefore, when we remove the disease in D.C. with his arrogant piss poor attitude about chronic illness we will return to the America we once knew and it is up to all of us; physicians and pain patients to act responsibly at all times.

Hope this helps the others here.

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I'm in Oregon as well and this is starting to sound like marshal law. When has it ever been ok to deprive a pain patient of their basic human rights? This country is on the verge of utter collapse as the government keeps trying take control of every aspect of our lives. Which Pain management doc here dumped you like that? You don't have to say their name, maybe their initials, so if this is coming up, It would be nice to know if my doc is next. I don't know How on earth they can take millions of people's quality of life away like we're nothing?

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BL I don't care--I was only passing on 'that it is used for pain'. You might wanna direct it to someone who cares LOL

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In a sinking boat. And until we all band together and take our rights to keep government out of our business we're just screwed! Health care and Religion is private and Politicians have no right to stick their noses in either.

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The blanket answer I received is if your doctor is not prescribing more you must not need it.. at the same time doctors are saying they are not allowed..I would love to have them in the same room and ask the question again.

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Spyz-well put- who the H.. is BL anyway? Has he/she ever introduced themselves with ailments? I cannot get why BL has nose in all biz but never anything helpful just put downs. Very sordid, sad character.

P450 am soooo glad seeing ya making it, why has our country let itself get here? Am still suffering, in bed each day, trying hold onto life but stress is killing my body even with being bedbound & no movement. Body falling apart-got UTI, then kidney infection, muscle atrophy beyond help, dr. says now EDS, I am snowballing into illness that will kill me even if treated & bedbound all due to the sledgehammer of pain uncontrolled.

Sure wish could've gotten to Dr Tennant, Florida has taken all my cash left me in a pile of death. I stay on dosage that keeps withdraw barely at bay, yet my pain never even feels it. All due to Dr. saying DEA wont allow more-how he feels for my situation etc.. hahaha BS!! Agony in front of his face he still not care but DEA, CDC, FDA....... Best to all, doubt will make it til new leader.

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Joe992, Not sure if you read what forum this is but there aren't any politicians, lawyers or doctors here that are able to change laws....we are all IPPs, intractable pain pain who have or who are getting ****ed by a system that is more concerned with appearing like it is concerned about addiction than us pain patients....so how about you b**** and share like the rest of us...or YOU do something about it and let's us know how YOU have helped....good day to you sir!.....

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Thank you for saying that , he or she really made me feel stupid for even being grateful . Thanks so much ! Haven

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Posters,

This is all to do with the government controlling pain the reason your opioids went up in prices is 'killary' was lecturing for $445,000 per hour on HOW to make supply low, raise demand and manufacturers MAKE MORE MONEY with less employees, less pain patients and HIGH cost per product. This is not what you want, you must vote Trump.

Although I've had my Supreme Court Order the bad people now have taken Dr. T. from me again; they are blow ass idiots and they gave me a panel of physicians NONE of which are pain specialists and one which MURDERED a patient not recognizing his alcoholism, getting dirty UA's. waiting 3 months and the guy dies of an OD on Oxycodone. Dr. T. gave me referrals none of which were on this panel and I am fed up. Totally. This has to do with terrorism and making our country and people into Hitler's Jews in modern time terrorist days.

Fight the system your physicians are being paid INCENTIVES to let you GO, not take new patients, and letting those with chronic illness die. Some mention they have a good physician I had the best in the U.S. prior to him another equivalent for 11 years this no longer matters the physicians will TAKE the incentives it is more money then they make on keeping you alive and whining in pain that is the truth of the matter there is no Hippocratic oath any longer it is a hypocrites oath and each physician doing this is earning his or her box in hell (I am positive of this).

Methadone is probably one of the drugs that will be allowed do not believe other posters telling you that Suboxone or Subutex kills pain it KILLS YOU; Methadone will be around for the old fashioned junkies who are applauded after all they are the ONES WHO ILLEGALLY OBTAIN our prescription medications and DIE of overdoses.

Oxycodone does not have thebaine but it is the only opioid that increases mood which is helpful to many who cry, and experience depression on many of the long acting opioids. As most know I made it through a year winning in Court so severely tapered due to my ultra rapid opioid metabolism and then the jerks send me back to California; I am basically on Methadone and a slew of regular opioids which take all my time because they do not last long and side effects from the Methadone well I could write a book (and might I need to) for all that is going on.

The tail end d bag running with 'killary' is part of my problem. When he was Governor he allowed one agency that has no licensed medical professionals to intervene to get government employees injured on duty back to their job TO SAVE MONEY ON NEW HIRE PACKAGES. These stupid rotting a holes have attempted this with me. I am a catastrophic injury and the Court awarded me illegal termination the same day I got my lifetime Medical Award which they can SETTLE if they want to lower costs (minus my MSA or Medicare Set Aside) once my pain is stable again. The damage done me is irreversible Methadone does nothing for the suicide level neuropathic pain the only thing that worked for that was brand Duragesic and due to my metabolism my bill (due to falsely inflated drug shortages and prices) was over $30,000 per month. It's a bad situation but I believe Trump will restore our private for profit health care system and all know I am a professional nurse and published researcher this is WHY AMERICA has the best cures for all diseases and care for profit medicine. We must get out and vote for Trump I know he owes no favors and does not entertain "head cutters" and if you do not you have yourself to blame. The very ****s who voted 'odumma' feel like the worst fools ever and you were and did it twice. Do not mistake what I say, the government wants us and other chronic illnesses dead while they sooth addicts, criminals and illegals to play free military as they bury us in mass graves, throw in some cheap gasoline, and set us a fire with a match.

Don't make this mistake. I am sorry I have not been on but look at what these bucket jobs did again and the Attorney General is who represents them and I WON, and WON, and WON (3) times in the past year writing legal briefs while in severe uncontrolled pain and withdrawal due to their cut throat and criminal actions. We are ready to go to the news unless my reimbursements are fulfilled and they either put me back with Dr. T. or one of the physicians I thought was good on his list of referrals.

Peace and blessings, do not bust your doctor they are scared or taking MONEY to kill you so either make due till we get a new president and he turns it around or open your mouth and NOT get the justice you do deserve. Right now there are only career criminals like 'killary' lying to your face. As a woman I WOULD NOT VOTE for this b***** can you imagine!

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Kitty,

I live with pain researched at 100 x worse than end stage cancer.

I as a nurse have concern that ALL PAIN IS MANAGED but having a terminal illness usually means a good tolerance (they can take almost anything if progressed and get relief) means you have an end in sight.

We with intractable pain are supposed to LIVE believe it or not, terminal patients are LUCKY for they have an end in sight and it is MORE UNFAIR to segregate those with REAL pain by "live or die", we are not addicts we have intractable pain ok?

Geez.

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Posters,

When you first log in it goes to the OLDEST POSTS FIRST. Change the setting to NEWEST.

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BL- the comments were made on CDC guidelines...... They were never acknowledged. Comments were made just never made public as if they were not there. The usual propaganda with screwing of facts & numbers to make the public believe what they say. There were plenty of comments alliterating the wrong of the new guidelines. They were never shown or even counted period. You need to go to a different forum.

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I live in Tennessee and believe me they are cutting everyone down to 120 mg a day, no more. I have taken 3 oxy's 80 and 3 oxy breakthrough pain daily. For reasons unknown that makes my level 410 according to these strange chart the Federal Government has put together. I have RSD, it's considered to have more pain a 3rd degree burn. I have been in that regiment for 11 years. I've never missed an appointment, never lost pills, never had a wrong count, never failed a U/A. I did tell them I could not have any quality of life without my medications. You are then sent to a "specialist" who represents government interest, that has never seen me in my life. Up until recently I've had the same Dr. This Dr saw me at $350. They found a growth in my lung. One Dr set up surgery, the other said we will watch it to see if there are changes. This special Dr made a joke about "If you just had cancer you wouldn't have to worry." I got a clean bill of health from my cancer dr. This dr determined I truly needed the medication, but to comply with new laws felt I should cut my dose by 90mgs.

That is a huge drop all at once. He patted my knee and told me my body would get use to it in a few weeks. This is so wrong! A paper pusher decides my dosage and the drug users around here have a healthy, money making business with illicit drugs. Druggies will find their drugs, this law hurts the people in pain. I'm on day 3 down 90mgs. and I feel awful.

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The 120 mg equivalents thing is evidently everywhere. It is here in Oregon. My Dr. told me I have to go down to that level. MS Contin (extended release) equals 1 1/2 times what it says -so a 30 mg tablet equals 45 equivalents. MSIR is straight across. 30 mg equals 30 equivalents. I here what you say - who the bleep should be deciding what dose our doctor can give us? What's next, death panels?

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No one should be allowed to tell someone how much pain meds they need. Nobody knows how much pain someone else is in. Also everyone is different when it comes to opiate tolerance and body chemistry. I have been on pain management for 10 years. And I have taken every opiate on the market. Finally get on one that helps me the most which is oxymorphone er and ir, now they are taking away my breakthrough altogether and wont even prescribe me my oxymorphone anymore. Going to put me on oxycodone that I was on prior to oxymorphone. It came no where close to ridding me of pain. Thats why he changed it in the first place. I wont be able to control my pain at all. It's total bulls***. They get you on it good then jerk the rug out from under. All this will cause is an illicit drug epidemic. People will turn to street drugs where they wont have to pay 175 - 200 for drug panels when you're not getting the medicine you need. They need to rethink their new approach because they'll be more overdoses from street drugs than prescription drugs ever had.

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I want to know who has the money and power to stop this blind take over of our health care. We legit pain patients have made it clear our distress at being forgotten yet the gov still ignored our agony. This pendulum of overprescribing has swung way too far the other direction. Leaving those of us with legitimately verified pain out in thecold and dying from uncontrolled agony.
Whether it takes money for court hearings or simply the power of an entity then we need to get that so things shall be righted saving our lives.
Anyone with the ability or the answer or even An idea going forward PLEASE PLEASE respond here so we may all join together and fight for our lives.
My life has spiraled down health wise each day getting worse. I now AM totally bedridden with zero quality of life, have complications due to my uncontrolled pain, feel like a tortured animal.
This is not what America is meant to be-we are not an undeveloped country, yet the way pain patients âre being ignored is worse than those countries.
HELP please ANYONE who can accomplish this destruction of gov taking over our health.

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Happened to me today. Was cut back last year, now again. What's crazy is the overdose cases are mostly illicit drugs and fentanyl knockoffs! Actual pain patients are too afraid of running out to take extra! I'm going to have to sell my house (or just let the bank have it) because I can't live here in this amount of pain. I'm going to have to move to a dry climate. I hurt less there. I guess I'll be living in my camper. It's all I can do to take care of myself now, but the humidity hurts for some reason. My problems stem from birth defects. I tried to do too much when I was younger. I wish I'd known how badly it would mess me up. Hindsight is 20/20. I just wish I'd kept a copy of everything I've had done. When I was sent to pain management it was the time when they said we have a right to live without extreme pain. Now men in suits say too bad...I wish they had to live in my body a month or two. Then they'd see things differently. I hope my house sells fast. Talk about a motivated seller! AR isn't desirable anyway. Good luck fellow pain patients. Wish me luck...

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Here’s what I see going on...Big pharma made tons of money on OxyContin and SubSys (sublingual fentanyl spray) at up to $30,000 a month! They told Dr’s these meds were “abuse proof” and not addictive. Good for all pain from headache to cancer pain. Dr’s wrote prescriptions like crazy thinking it was “safe” (and getting kickbacks) well, they were addictive, and addicts found ways to abuse them. They are now generic so not making big bucks for pharma...But ya know what is? Subutex and drugs that stop withdrawals in addicts. No pain relief at all. Every other commercial is about “addiction is a disease and addicts deserve compassion and dignity"...then they give numbers to call to get off the drugs they abused. Get their lives back. Sunshine and puppies and rainbows...yea, no more addicts, as long as they keep taking the expensive drugs that hold off withdrawal and literally can’t be abused. That’s what gets to me.

Big Pharma and addicts who don’t (or no longer) have pain caused the disaster we're in, and they are taken care of. Pharma gets $$$, addicts get their life back without going through withdrawals. Pain patients on the other hand get no compassion. We are made out to be addicts because we take these meds to live the closest thing we have to a normal life. Cutting my pain meds just means I won’t be able to take care of myself. I’m alone so it looks like a nursing home for me. I get enough to lay in bed If I’m very careful. One wrong move and I’ll be in the ER and they are told not to give any injections, and only enough pain pills to get us through until the next day the pain Dr’s office is open. Not like they’ll be able to see me. Genocide. Get rid of pain patients if big pharma can’t keep making big bucks off us. Opiates are labeled “evil” now. Anyone taking them must be an “addict”. If we can’t function on the reduced levels then we need to go away one way or another. It’s just driving me nuts to watch commercial after commercial about “getting your life back” when mine is going down the toilet. We didn’t ask for this. We didn’t get rich or abuse our meds, but we are being shoved off to side in this circus and it’s not funny. No compassion for us.

Nobody understands this kind of pain unless they live it. What’s ironic is I cut my meds back myself because I know I’m not going to get better. I wanted to save the stronger drugs for when I HAD to have them. I chose to take on more pain so there would be meds that worked later. I was taking the minimum dose I need to just live in my house, not a nursing home. Now they are cut back to an amount where I just can’t do anything. My mom died. She’s all I had. She understood. I’ve been struggling since birth. She knew I don’t lie, and how hard it is for me to ask for help. I learned very young that sometimes I’m just stuck in pain and there’s nothing I can do about it. I wanted to move but now it’s too late. Now I just pray to die. I won’t kill myself. No way. But I see no help on the horizon. I’m tired of surgeries. I’m tired of pain. This body is worn out. But I’m still here. If I were a dog I’d be put down. I wish they’d at least have the decency to do the same for me. It’s beyond cruel. Thanks big pharma and addicts who don’t even have pain that makes doing normal things impossible. Enjoy your lives. You ruined ours. I’m glad I don’t get that karma.

I don’t know what I did in a past life that made me be born with defects, and go through all I did just to be given to pain management when they couldn’t cut on me anymore. Greed. Medicine for money. This is what we’ve sunken to. I hope some intelligence comes soon. If not for me, for crippled children that will be me at 60. To deny such a basic right as the right to use effective pain medicine if it’s proven to allow me to live independently. Nursing homes are going to be over capacity anyway. Putting pain patients there when we could be reading to children in schools, teaching a struggling child to read. I did that 25 years. I miss it. I miss having friends. Going out to eat. Camping, having a family. Beware the precedent this is setting. It’s happened before. I’d hoped it would never happen again. It is. I can’t be the only one who sees it for what it is...I’m much less afraid of dying than I am of what I see this country becoming.

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Re: Anne (# 18)

This country is one by one denying our rights protected... Now they want to take all guns... It's not enough that greed & power outweigh quality of life... Drug abusers will get what they want no matter what. These decisions are totally irresponsible, violation of my right to live without inhumane suffering...Many productive, responsible members of each society are being targeted for a system that started this mess in the 70s...Put everyone in jail that has a disease... Now the others who suffer with excruciating pain...Which takes ur hope, will, and quality of life away... What's next...No anesthesia for surgery... These ppl that chose to make severe decisions are grasping at the wrong straws...My god, how is it even possible to be denied quality of life in the usa...But the usa will allow people that chose to be american citizens, damn us, command us to change all we fought for...Brings us peace...Stands for everything that brought so many immigrants here for refuge... Now each group demands we submit to everyone's beliefs...Never take a chance to offer our hand in god's name... Peace is being replaced with angered hateful ppl whom ran for comfort of our strength... What strength? Every right is being taken or changed.

All that made our country great, is being traded for lies, greed, power, no more love, compassion for ppl truly suffering every minute... Then allowed our borders to flood with the real poison...American people....The foundations this country supposedly is built on has no rights... The ppl that hate us have everything they need...Openingly damn us while on our soil, while money flows from our borders back to strengthen the horrible place they needed to leave... I am not against immigration. I am against humiliation, disrespect, weakness and being a joke among so many nations... We look weak...We allow our elderly to starve, suffer, live in fear...Horrible pain is being banned ...Wtf??? What is wrong with this picture? Who is defending americans rights as 1st priority and keeping us united to stand by each other to show our hearts ...Our strength...Family values, loyalty to preserve one nation under god...Why do we keep bowing to orders to weaken us....As a nation...So all our haters strengthen as our enemy while comfortable on our soil...

I feel like this is the twilight zone & the muppets r running our country...We look like *****s... Gutless, heartless selfish ppl living in fear and they don't even care why...Find the truth ppl... Just bc it's on tv doesn't make it true... Dig for info... My grandchildren do not deserve to be made fun of then left to take blame for corrupt greedy liars, posing to be doing what will save our pathetic country... Open ur eyes...Make ur own decisions on what is right & wrong...Who should suffer & die...Who lives and thrives...All this in our country and u really believe opiates r the problem to focus on and punish more bc they have pain...Not of their choosing. Omg, addicts will always get what they want. Innocent people are the only people suffering...Bc of many bad choices...Definitely not bc of pain relief which should be given to those that have strong evidence of horrible pain and now punished for becoming ill....This country needs to wake the hell up and get priorities in order...Educate urself...Stop just ignoring the most horrible pain of all...Stripping the usa of everything we stand for and died for....Wow!!!! Wake up!!!

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