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 8)

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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I think you missed my intention of post and with no disrespect to you or anyone else.. the post was written to take up against state boards and federal regulations that are putting overreaching regulations unfairly on doctors and patients killing Dr patient relationship etc. The ACLU in Indiana has opened a case about to violation of 4th amendment searching due to Doctor's being forced to give so many drug panels and contract we are forced to sign. There are further violations I intend to send to them to research. There is no reason we as patients should be treated as criminals.. also here in Tennessee see the state is regulating 3 urine specific drug panels after knowing insurance will only pay for 2 and not allowing doctors to charge even if patients are willing to pay therefore loose medications at levels you and your doctor worked together on for 10 years to get to correct functional levels or don't get anything at all if you stay at level or get cut down to 1/8 of what you were Taking so instead of being able to look for another job due to lose in senority purge they have me bed ridden 3/4 of the day. I feel that is a huge over reach. And no force of regulation terminology should stop a court from being able to overturn this overreach by the feds and state upon the citizens. Don't believe our founders even dreamed this scenario up seeing that back in that day they did not have war on drugs let alone would not punish all for a few overdoing anything.

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Unnecessary invasion of patients' and doctors' privacy surely is violative of the Spirit, if not they Letter of the Constitution. These actions make physician/pt privilege a joke and even make some of us "good guys" practically write in code. Over the years, I've had many patients with CA, orthopedic conditions, etc., and just let their docs know what I'm prescribing and we confer often using our computers simultaneously, regarding drug-drug interactions. But that's among the other doc(s), the pat and me. I didn't mean any offense either.

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Jenny, would you please post the link to the Tenn law regarding the urine specific drug panel requirement. Some insurance companies don't restrict paying for only 2 u/a's a year.

Federal law and almost all state laws do not require u/a's or pain contracts by law. They are recommended, but it is up to each dr how they want to handle it. No patient is forced to sign the pain contracts or submit to drug panels. Grant you if you want a pain med prescription and that is what the dr requires if you don't agree to it you don't get the meds. But, that is life in 2015. You also have to submit to certain things before you board an airplane in 2015 and if you don't you can't fly. The difference is that there are laws regarding the planes but not the drs.

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And to think.....way back (only 70-100 years) when opiates were prescribed for at least 15 different diagnosis, one even being:: "things pertaining to women".... The only problem was the racism of those higher up. They were not concerned with addiction, overdoses, levels, etc..... The main problem was: flaxen haired, blue eyed, fair skinned women were taking up with negroes and chinamen.

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Same here. I wasn't compliant taking six a day but had a life. When I was taking 15-20 30mgs a day (due to hyper metabolizing with Phenytoin) I not only had a life but was COMPLETELY PAIN FREE! Not after being kicked out from about six doctors I found one I like and In trying to be good girl and doing my best to take four a day--very difficult to do. I quit school and just lay on sofa in pain and most of the time I can't walk or it hurts too bad to try. I have over 40 years research, study and experience with opiates and think it's crazy to listen to a kid less than half my age with two years of book knowledge and 0 years of experiential knowledge of opiates. I'm in TN as well and the pain clinic has combined 200 years experience--with their clinics nationwide and the amount of doctors in each one, that means my big toe has more experience than one of their doctors. I told them that the rise in overdoses in not true--they are suicides of patients not receiving adequate pain relief. I told on doc that if I knew years ago that this is how four made me feel-I would have saved time and killed myself at the beginning of pain management.. I said the only reason I'm alive is because I haven't been compliant and I've had a normal life. Might be time to move yo Oregon-only I know that if they gave me the amount of opiates to kill me--when they kick in, I might just get up and start cleaning or do laundry LOL decades ago just about every prescription contained opium or marijuana and our country was BOOMING! Things were invented, railroads were built! Folks weren't bipolar! Even children took opium! They were well behaved and society wasn't falling apart with half the population on disability--opium is not only a medicine good for diverse ailments, I believe it is a necessary nutrient our brains need

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BL..
So for this is just medicad (specifically Tenncare.. not sure of othe states yet) they sent letter in semptember also had suboxone rescrictions listed first. Should be on TN.go was second or 3rd paragraph .
I has good insurance till I lost work recently took tenncare temporarily till I could find another job no way I could afford Cobra and instantly got cut down month after. Been over 15 years at least since I have been out of work other than time with newborn children over 9 years ago.. worst possible time =( hard to get motivated in pain to look for work let alone make through 90 days in utter pain. Scared to death if I take another job and loose it do to these health challenges Unemployment stops then I am really bad off. Besides the drain on my system shows no calls for work due to it. Don't know what to do don't want disability yet when with meds I can function. I was told by doctor that if implimenting this is medicaid.. medicare is next and so on.. really needs stopped. State requires 3 or more for anything over 120mg.

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My doctor told me they are threatening audits however with the outdated terminology Tennessee is using he said they will pull licenses quick. That is also listed on tn.gov as well, they even listed medicine holidays which has been proven wrong 15 years ago, same with I retractable or however spelled. Pain that was outdated too. They need to have current language if they are implementing this but they sold to governor as a saving 650 a test bill, he blindly signed it.

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Jenny, Thank You for the clarification. I thought you meant the state of Tennessee. Each state Medicaid program has it's own policies regarding pain managements and the meds for chronic non cancer pain that they will and won't cover. Some state Medicaid programs won't pay for the drug panels, some will and like Tenn some have restrictions.

Medicare isn't the same as Medicaid because those that receive Medicare paided into it and those with Medicare also have co/pays, deductibles and monthly premiums. And even though some on Medicare are low income not all of them are. So Medicare doesn't do everything that Medicaid does and I don't see them doing this regarding the drug panels for a number of reasons. With the exception of Mandatory Medicaid Benefits, the federal government allows the state Medicaid programs to establish their own policies and rules. The bottom line is if a Medicaid Recipient doesn't like the care Medicaid pays for they can pay for care themselves. I understand that when you're on Medicaid money is tight. But I can guarantee you that state Medicaid programs aren't doing to increase funding for pain management. Medicaid can get away with rules that Medicare and other insurance could not because Medicaid is taxpayer funded.

About the disability, in order to be found disabled your medical records must prove that you aren't able to perform SGA, which is $1.090 a month in 2015, doing jobs in the national economy if you're under 50. If you're over 50, it must prove that you have no transferable skills. It isn't easy to be approved for disability. I do have a suggestion if you think that you may need to apply for disability in the future, a copy od your medical records and read them. Drs don't always write down the things we tell them or the things they tell us. It takes much more than a diagnosis and your medical records saying that you can't do something. Also when you stop working your work credits begin to expire for the purpose of disability. So you may want to create an online account at the SSA website and find out exactly how many work credits you have now and be sure you have enough for SSDI and keep checking back a few times a year if you haven't gone back to work. If you don't have enough work credits and you qualify on income and resources you should be able to apply for SSI. Medicaid comes with SSI so you would be in the same situation then that you are now regarding medical care. And the Medicaid rules aren't any different if you receive Medicaid because you're disabled and receive SSI than they for the Medicaid you have now.

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I live in Tennessee and it's ran by the republicans and they don't want us to be free to make are on health decisions . The only way to stop this from happening in other areas of our lives is to vote them out of office they have been in there too long anyway. They are out of touch with the people that voted them in there!

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Spytz, Forgive me if I mispelled your name. How can you say the only reason you're alive is because you were non compliant for years and years? What about the god awful withdrawals & rebound pain when you ran out early every single month? Did u run out early every month or did you have a "cover" drug waiting in the wings?

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Well, funny thing is...lortabs had those god awful restlest legs syndrome and chills and sweats and oxycodone just get me lethargic with sweats....so, so far sweats are coming no matter what right? So I cant stress out on sweats for withdrawal....i would just lay around crying covered in a blanket, take the blanket off, put the blanket on etc. and sleepy but sleep never comes...ive never had more than restless leg for withdrawal....i think its because since my natural opiate receptors are so low that the medicine is barely a trickle in my body.....how can I react when its gone, if my body doesn't have enough to notice it to begin with? I consider myself EDS--edogenous defifient syndrome

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Gene hold on there! Just because Haslem calls himself a republican doesnt mean he is...most Republicans sure dont consider him one...hes either establishment repub or a progressive in a very bad disquise......most liberals I know want the govt to protect us from ourselves, they support "the nanny state" where govt controls everything you do for your own good, republicans want the govt out of medical and doctor business, republicans want to be left alone, do your own thing and govt mind their own business......im a republican and think marijuana, and all drugs should be legal, God is better at taking care of us than the govt is

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Posters,

Unfortunately Dr. Joey and I operate on a far deeper intellectual knowledge of Judicial (law) and Constitution (rights) with
not a broad base (freedom) but specific. Your problem is the president who is neither party, he is a minor, soft, would be, wannabe dictator and who is basically with government interventions adding pain clients to the list of chronic, over 30 illnesses that should be left without care to die.

There are paid incentives currently in place for physicians to stop treatment of certain chronic diseases in people over the age of 30; they are HUGE financial incentives. While people here piss and moan and more or less whine none of you know the true danger of taking a country that has always been freedom based by Constitution and riveting it without planning to a socialist run country. If that were to happen and it won't for the current faulty healthcare plan will be s*** down the toilet as soon as Odumma is pushed off his little pedestal in the near future.

In the interim he has enforced FDA for example and certain DEA actions. Most people did not know why he pulled bleach off the market for 3 years, name brand Maalox and other common items that we don't tend to notice. It all was marketing based to figure out how high the demand would raise the cost (what people would pay) and the outcomes allows a would be dictator to gauge the more important items for example Duragesic which is now in less than 3 years 100 x the cost it was when I was put on brand name in 2000. When someone who like Hitler or Mussolini takes over in silent form that is how they begin the tolls of hell. They also began to release s*** loads of criminals early who will later be dedicated soldiers in the cause and so forth. They foster racial inequalities now considered reverse racism (against those of us who really are white and now the minority it appears), and so on.

For pain patients in need we have reached crisis. For those like me who must have care or will die there is no waiting time. I suggest for all NOT to change physicians at this time; if you must taper knowing in a few years you will be able to go up a bit it is worth living for so do not change physicians. For those who lose a physician I had a store front opportunity Saturday and luckily God poured down flooding in rain and I rescheduled. In the meantime Jay and his wife apparently were praying for me and a young anesthesiologist with rave reviews is seeing me this week. I just filled out some excellent medical paperwork was impressed with his 'thinker' and was told basically the 4 drugs he does not like to write, and only one is what I need but in liquid she did not (his receptionist) see a problem with that. IF I am bringing my last scrips and I do from the last written have original left he will write what I get which I now no longer want. I want lower dosages for a purpose.

We are in uncertain times we cannot as a group take chances. Keep the ratty PM you have make due for now for getting in with a new one for someone like me with big connections, superb background, no criminal history, the top specialist listing me as highly rare and one of the most DEFINITE need patients who falls under California's intractable pain act for suicidal level pain and still alive, well when you have that in writing and still cannot get in for 10 months anywhere it is not YOU but it is your ********d leader.

He will be gone and not too soon. When he goes his slippery slope of predictable and foul documentation will be trash, and his edicts a bad joke. America will not in my lifetime vote in another minority or woman for he made a laughing stock of us all over the world. That is our problem. But we must hold tight so that America who has the best medical care in the world DUE TO for profit medicine (you do not train people like Dr. J and myself for pennies and the investment costs money but the outcome saves lives) and because healthcare is a business and must be run in this manner so you do have pain specialists, and people like me to get you the help you need.

Hell I was accepted into medical and law school in 2004 and after 19 hospital stays that year; weak and frail I said I could not do it. So I will continue onward hopefully medicated on the level I do seek which is reduced at this time in order for those of you who need help to receive it.

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BL,
Thank you.. I didn't intend medicaid to be long all this just was terrible timing all at once.. I have been looking into private insurance I would rather pay however sounds like there are regulations that have them verify income and force me back into medicaid if I want it or not... or price terribly high.. however only just had ability to start researching before making calls. If you have info off hand on that would appreciate any info possible. I don't want any government insurance people keep saying Obamacare with subsidies however bad feeling would be In same situation and would be based on current income again forcing me back to medicaid.. I just need 7 months of care to get back to work and keep it just scares me to death to turn around and lois workers comp over trying and failing if I loose abilities in middle of it. Also looks to me like I have enough for Medicare been working since I was 14 got parents to sign me.. I long for the 70's and 80's feeling so old now!

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Bravo, my friend. And thanks for giving me my props, too....Joey

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Jenny, yes, they have to verify income. And if your income is low enough for Medicaid, you have to take Medicaid.

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Jenny, there are a lot of people on Medicaid that are having to pay out of pocket for their pain management and the numbers are growing. Depending on how much that is monthly and how a Medicaid Recipient is paying for it, that may or may not cause problems. If someone has income that they aren't reporting, that could cause problems. On the other hand is someone else is paying pain management directly and their are receipts to prove this it may not cause problems. In some states the Medicaid program can access the states Prescription Monitoring Database, and there are other ways of finding out if a Medicaid Recipient is paying for care.

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I know many in temp situations that did have some money saved after 15 years work and cashed out 401 plans, borrowed or just used bill money to work on getting help, some are less fortunate. Not all plan on being broke, sadly life took a wrong turn and they need a small boost. Wish that aspect was looked at as well in the decision process. Or even a pay back system since temporary loss of wages forces you into medicaid weather you want it or not...

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Joey,

We will make good friends. I am now awaiting the jerks Appeal response. the *****s that I won against again for Comp which is the Attorney General of the State I was injured in actually appealed. When I get some stability I'd like to be there for you.

Jenny, no one has to take Medicaid.

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I live in mi. And just got the same info from my trigeminal neuralgia support group leader. I just sent e mails to our governor and the pain action society. I metabolize meds very quickly and take 320 mg MS Contin use 300 mg durigesic patches3 / 100 mg. changed every 3 days along w/ nucynta in between. I too am very compliant following the same rules you do. So frustrated and hoping it's not true . I'm seeing my doc next wk and will find out more. I understand that the people who do abuse meds have turned this into a problem for the rest of us!

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