Dilemma With 2 Narcotic Scripts From 2 Doctors (Page 2)

Hi all. I have intractable pelvic RSD, peripheral neuropathy, lumbar facet spondylosis. I live in California and am about to have to change insurances at the end of this month. The new insurance has ridiculously high Rx prices. I go to a PM for all my pain meds, but my primary dr has in the past managed them for me. My question is if anyone knows if I get an Rx for the 60mg Oxycontin twice a day like usual from my PM and then my primary to write a script for 40mg 3 times a day and then I can go to 2 totally different pharmacies and fill one with my insurance and the other at another pharmacy and pay with cash, will that flag the DEA and cause my PM to get a notification of "Doctor shopping"? I am just trying to have enough meds to get me through an extra month until my husbands new job let's us get medical coverage?

I had to do this one other time a year ago when the same thing happened with me loosing my job because I could no longer work and I wasn't married yet to get my husbands insurance. The first 2 months I had no problem, but the third and LAST month I was needing to do it to get me enough meds to last me the 3 month waiting period, my husband forgot and filled both scripts under the same insurance but just at 2 different pharmacies instead of paying cash at the second one. My pain doctor found this out and thank God I was able to explain my way out of it and he didn't discharge me as a patient, but now in this situation again, I'm afraid to try it one last time til we are settled with yet another health insurance. I would really appreciate anyone's advise or experience they could share regarding my situation. I truly am not a doctor shopper, I am just afraid to run out of meds and be in massive pain and / or risk getting into trouble.

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Dont do it. You will get flagged for Dr shopping. the data base will come up with your info.Then no pharmacy will fill any of your prescription for pain.

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You got a refill on Percocet? I find that hard to believe since Doctors can not give refills on schedule 2 narcotics. It contains Oxycotin and Tylenol. Norco comes in 5/325, 7.5/325 and 10/325 which is a schedule 3 narcotic and can be refilled up to 4 times, which is usually enough for a month supply. So 60 =240 tabs which is 8 a day, the norm. Look, you are seeing a pain doc for controlled meds. You got 2 other scrips for pain medication from other docs. That is doctor shopping and is illegal. 95% of the time the doc will just cut you off and will communicate with the pharmacy to make sure you do not fill any more controlled medication. They are not out to get you arrested but to keep you safe. If they know you are getting all these meds and end up dying then they get in to major trouble and lose everything. The DEA gets involved if anyone reports them about your activity. The DEA is so busy with real cases that you incident will be noted, they will take a look at your refill records and put you in a file. 6 months later they will re check your file to see if you have broken the law anymore. They look for constancy and a pattern in your refill history. If this happened once or even twice they are not going to make a huge case about it right away. Just know at any given time they can be watching you and you will never know. DEA looks at people in the medical field first for this type of behavior. The reason is because these are the people who call in phony scripts, steal prescription pads and steal peoples identity to obtain drugs. If you are not going to 5 doctors once a month, picking up scripts and then filling them in different pharmacies then I would not worry too much about your deal. People who have stuff called in for them or refill different scrips of the same drug will have a lot harder time being prosecuted for a crime. It is also the pharmacists job to check your record before filling these medications. If you go there a lot and fill with the same doc, at the same time and the same quantity then they are less to see you as suspicious and turn you in. The Doctors are always notified first and depending on what their feeling are on doctor shopping you will usually get away from this with a slap on the hand and having to see a new doc. Most people arrested for this stuff and involved in huge rings or off duty cops or doctors who get made an example of. At that, it only takes once to get in to some serious trouble and just stop while you are a head. No withdrawals are worth going to prison over and losing your life with a felony or accidental overdose.

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There is no law that says you can't doctor shop. It would be ridiculous not to. Would you buy a car without looking at a lot of them. If I hadn't doctor shopped, I would be DEAD. I doctor shop when I find the answer not acceptable. I will continue to do so, and it is NOT illegal. If you don't doctor shop, don't blame them for anything. I will continue to doctor shop, and encourage it. BUT, be sure you are not drug seeking. Pain is a whole different ballgame that most people who haven't lived with, don't understand. I am a psychologist who knows exactly how doctors work.

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NOT TRUE

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PLEASE help me!. I've been repeatly discharged from doctors because I am on morphine and oxy. This most recent discharge states ( I am unable to fill your prescription needs or handle your complex medical needs.). Wht??? Fyi the place is called comprehensive care of Tucson. Fyi I did absolutley nothing wrong. Please help me I need a lawyer. Fyi the previous doctors all said pretty much the same thing y am I a parya?? I have had multple car accidents and my back has degenerated also I have nerve damage. Please help

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christina , you need to get copies of your medical records and see exactly what they say.

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I am again baffled by some of the misinformation that floats around on these Message Boards. For example, someone states "Doctor-shopping is not illegal". Well, it could be that you're writing in from outside the United States, because it IS illegal here. Schedule II drugs are NOT refillable, a written prescription must be used (no phone-in scripts) and the maximum supply of the Schedule II Rx is 90 days worth. (Although most doctors and virtually NO pharmacies are going to hand someone a 90-day supply of a Schedule II drug. Usually, the max a doc will write for is a 30-day supply.) Additonally, Schedule II drugs must be stored by pharmacies in designated secure areas, like a safe. Schedule III drugs allow for a doctor to phone in a prescription (a lot of pharmacies won't accept the request and ask for a "hard copy" of the prescription), allow for 5 refills, and the prescripton expires in 6 months from the date of issue. Anyone with questions about prescribing limitations should probably do a Web search based on the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 - and not rely on what is usually inaccurate information provided on Message Boards. Another misconception is that you can't simultaneously be prescribed more than one narcotic. Of course you can! There are plenty of cases where a doctor prescribes one narcotic analgesic and the patient either finds the drug ineffective or the side effects of teh drug intolerable. The physician can certainly write a prescription for another narcotic medication - if a pharmacist says otherwise, he or she is lying to you. Pharmacies and doctors can and do get monitored by the DEA to ensure compliance with the Controlled Substances Act. A lot of pharmacies and physicians simply can't be bothered with the potential scrutiny, and place their own limits on prescribing controlled substances to their patients.
Although this is a Message Board and I have provided accurate information, it's a poor source for general research and verifiable facts. Stop using chat boards and start looking at search sites that can provide you with factual answers to your questions.

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You know what I'm going to do? Print out all chats for all the forums, and post it to IU and a doctors forum called Linkden. Something has to change. No names. Also, if anyone thinks the FDA is going to pay any attention to these small-time purchases, don't fret. As a matter of fact, I think I'll purchase a large amount of a drug, just so I can get caught. A courtroom could be a good place to speak. The media would be an opportunity too. As I am old, I'm just not that scared anymore. People in pain need help. I do hope those with anxiety, panic attacks, or depression will work to overcome it. You can do it. I did. You have to be really honest, and sure, you'll be scared. Prayers,

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You are right, YesPainMedsNoCheating. People need to find out exactly what the Federal Laws are and their State Laws.

Some states have laws against Doctor Shopping, but not all do. It is best to look up and see if your state has laws against Doctor Shopping.

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While I sympathize with your situation, what troubles me most about your post is the way you refer to your doctor's decision to stop treating you as "this most recent discharge". This implies that this is NOT the first time you've been turned away from a physician; that's disturbing. Are you failing to be adherent to this doctor and earlier physicians' orders? If so, and a lack of adherence continues, your "discharge" (which is really a sweet way of wording the doctor saying "Get out of my office and don't come back!") you will run out of doctors to play with. You also refer to multiple car accidents, which bring an obvious issue to mind: Is there a connection between your car accidents and your consumption of pain medication?

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Not the came drug, u can get an rx filled again if the mg's are different or even just the directions, but depending on if your on a pain med contract depends if you will "get in trouble.." that can mean discharged from pain management, flagged by DEA, up to charges for abuse of medication. It doesn't matter if you pay cash, use insurance, use a discount program, different pharmacies or whatever. If its a class that doesn't have to be written and taken to the pharmacy the only "safe" way is to take the script to somewhere in state like Walgreens that can transfer the script to another state and have it transfered and filled in another state. The problem you run into with that is if its a drug that can't be called in, it can't be transfered and you can't take your docs written rx to an out of state pharmacy because your docs DEA number is only good in their state. I don't know, but imigaine even if you get around that (as I have by having my doc call in something to a Walgreens where I live and then gettin it in Texas where I was visiting), the doc still gets a report of the meds written to who under their dew number. Honesty is best, or a good lie, like my father has a head injury and got it filled by mistake, so I have a few of this med from this surgery even though I told my dad not.to get them, with his injury he forgot, they might then cut your next months meds by a couple pills, or do nothing, but if they catch you and you didn't.say anything your most likely to be considered to high of q risk of addiction, so they have the right to discharge you or step you off the meds. My dad really has a head injury and I was on lots of meds and a contact from my pcp but I didn't know he filled the rx from the er for like 5 or 10 pulls one of the times it happened so the doc got report first and now I have a new less helpful doc but at least I am still on the meds I need for the most part.

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A doctors DEA Number is Federal not state. If you break a contract you have with your pain dr, the DEA does not flag you. The pain contract is Not A Legally Binding Contract. Your dr may discharge you because you didn't abide by the dr rules, and that will probably make other drs not want you for a patient. If you sell drugs or obtain them illegally, then you're in legal trouble as well.

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My Neurologist has been prescribing Firocet with codeine for years. I then started going to a pain management Dr., and it was on my record going in I was being prescribed them. Pain Management is prescribing 10mg. of Oxycontin twice a day and 15 mgs. of ms-con-tn er twice a day. Is it safe to have both filled.I have been, but pain mg mt., is really cracking down. Is it safe to continue to have both filled?

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I got into a car accident a month ago, went to emergency and had x-rays done... I had a female doctor who felt my pain, knew my tailbone and neck were stiff and sore and prescribed me Tylenol 3, muscle relaxant ants, and toridol... She said if I get more swelling on tailbone, tingling in hands/legs to come back right away!

I went a week being in pain, up at night crying, taking baths, ointments and ice on back... I was having problems lifting heavy objects, playing with my little one, and walking up stairs... So I went back to emergency and got fast tracked to a horrible Docter... I have ulcers so can't take naproxen 500 mg... But that's what he prescribed... I told him they make me sick, and he laughed and said ohhhh ya??? Sarcastically... So I left upset, holding my back and crying in pain.

I called my family doctor and he said to come in after hours to take a look... When I went in my doctor said I had severe spasming in tailbone and to come back tomorrow if still in pain...

I went the whole night up crying, couldn't sleep in bed... I took a T3 and muscle relaxant, but still in pain...

So the next morning I called doctor and he said he was too busy to see me and go to emergency... So I did... Crying, sitting uncomfortable... And I got the SAME terrible doctor and I sit down... He comes in waiting room, publicly announces how I am supposed to take my naproxen and I'd be fine!!! So I said it made me sick, and he laughed and laughed... Shook his head, said I'm sure your really in pain! Smirking, saying I was in yesterday and pretty much a liar and have addiction issues in front of everyone in waiting room!!!

I grabbed my chart, asked to get second oppinion and saw another Docter, who said I needed T3s, naproxen, and physio on my back...

As I was leaving the doctor who humiliated me, went and public ally told all the nurses and the other doctor I'm an addict, he picked up the phone and slammed down, laughing at me...

As I walked out I heard him whisper against what I said... I felt so humiliated, and upset I went to pharmacy and I altered my doctor note, and cops came in and arrested me... I know it was stupid! I know what I did... I've never been in trouble with the law ever, I'm a mom, I am middle class, educated and have 3 yrs university... I have no addictions...

My issue was that I had one good doctor, my car accident documentated... My family doctor to busy to see me, and the lack of staff in emergency...

I have a court date in a month, it's a felony, I have a defence lawyer...

My question is, I'm still in pain... I haven't taken anything for pain... It was merely the fact I never wanted to step foot in an emergency room again! If I went to another female doctor explained my accident and and pain and I went to another pharmacy, am I red flagged? Will I ever have help? Or I sealed my fate when I screwed up... It was for T3s... Nothing else... Please no humiliating statements... Thank you... I'm in Canada by the way...

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I feel sorry for you Telly, but you have experienced the norm for emergency rooms today. Because of the REAL prescription drug abusers emergency rooms look at most people the way you were treated. I won't even go to an emergency room unless I know something is broken because of the way you get treated.

I don't know how Canada monitors people who alter scripts, but here in America doctors don't do background checks on patients.
If you don't have any history of doing this or other drug related things you should get parole. You definitely have mitigating circumstances to what you did, but you still commented a felony. Try to get deferred adjudication for the charge, meaning the charge will go away if you do everything the court asks and stay out of trouble for a certain period of time. A felony will follow you forever... Now you know what people go through who have legitimate pain and the way they get treated. Next time you see someone abusing prescription drugs you can thank them for the way legitimate pain sufferers get treated by alot of doctors. I hope everything works out for you.

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I thought you could get T3's over the counter in Canada? No script needed? Like 222's also?

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I have a friend who got 2 prescriptions last month and I'm wondering how it happened???

She went to a PM (new to her) received fentanyl patches. Then 2 days later went to family dr that usually doesn't handle pain meds. The family dr prescribed Percocet 10. Now I tolD her the pharmacy would catch it. TheY DiDnt!! She doesn't plan on going back to the PM because she did NOT like the place.

She says she told the family dr about fentanyl! But why did they allow her to fill 2- from different doctors? Was it because one is long acting and one short?

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The 2 rxs weren't for the same meds.

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Yes you will be put on high alert as a doctor shopper,red flags will go up each and every time you name,dob ect is put into the system.Most pharmacies are connected to a main website and you will get shut off of everything but hey it's your life and that's just my honest opinion,my kid is a pharmacist,so take this info seriously please.

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be truthful to your pm dr. let him kno you r inbetween insurances! once u get flagged U R FLAGGED and not only tha you could have felony charges brought upon you! I wouldnt try it again cuz trust me it is on your record at the fda

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