Disabled Fiance Has Taken These Meds For Ten Years And Now There Is A 180 Pill Limit??

My fiance has permanent spinal cord and nerve damage from a spinal fusion surgery in 2001. He was a very active, happy, outgoing person, now he lays in bed 24/7 and suffers. He has been on meds for a very long time and they have had to increase them due to his tolerance level. he has gone to the same Dr. and we have always used the same pharmacy. Today we went to his monthly visit and his Dr. said she had to cut his 360 methadone to 180, and his 240 30 mg oxycodone to 180. because the DEA has decided this is what he should take. She did not want to do it, but said the pharmacy would not fill it. We tried but she was right. they would not fill it. So we went back and got the 180 scripts but then she would not even fill those. His Dr.appt was on a Tuesday last month because of the holiday, but has always been on a monday before this. Even though it's 27 days they have always filled them before knowing that was his regular schedule, but not today. My worry is now that we had no problem getting the meds on Monday morning, but now we will have to try to find them on Tuesdays. Plus now he is going to be VERY sick, and probably suicidal. He was already miserable, and now he will probably be having withdrawels while taking his meds. So he will either just be sick OR take his meds the regular way and then run out halfway through the month. Then he will try to kill himself, he has tried before. Has anyone else been told they can only fill 180 pills of any kind of pain meds? This is so wrong for the DEA to do this to sick people that cannot help what has happened to them. I dont give a crap about any addicts or dealers, I only care about him And this is WRONG.

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I don't think there is a limit I know plently of people that still get more than 180 oxycodone per month. I have also seen other posts on the internet about pharmacies saying there is a limit of 1 IR med and 1 ER med and I know this is false because I get 2 IR meds and an ER. I'm not sure about the methadone but that is a huge dose to be taking daily and it sounds more like the dr. covering her but. Also pharmacies that know you as a regular customer will fill a day early but some will stick to 28 days. If you think you might have trouble because of the switch from monday to tuesday I don;t think it should be an issue for your husband because he obviously has been on these meds for along time. It has been my experience in Pinellas county florida the pharmcists at Walgreens always have the meds they just pick and choose who they want to fill for and what new rule they want to try to enforce or use as an excuse that day. There is another thread on here about someone catching CVS lying well I have had the same thing happen to me at Walgreens in Clearwater. The pharmcist told me they were out and 15 minutes later my friend walked in the store who is also a regular customer and she filled his 180. I went to the same Walgreens for over a year and the pharmcist was well aware that I have rods in my back and just chooses to continue to lie to me. I don't understand it and it makes me mad as well. I would also advise that even though it may be tempting for your husband as you say to take his same dose and be sick half the month he is alot better off taking them how the doctor prescribed because even though that is a dramatic reduction if he was to run out even a few days early on that dose of methadone that he is taking he would be in hell on earth believe me. He will probably be sick for the month but his body will adjust and he will be better of with some than none. Good luck too you and I hope everything works out.

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I am having the same problems with getting my pain meds that I have taken for 45 years. I only take 4 a day, but a couple more than that if I get a bad migraine. I take Fioricet w/codeine and if the pain gets bad enough that it may send me to the hospital, I will take 1 or 2 oxycodones...anything to keep me out of the hospital, they almost killed me twice!!!!! My refill for my pills is in 3 days, I see my doctor in 2 days....I have already cut my pills in half, from 180 per month to 90 a month. It was difficult, at times I think I can't live with the pain. I have Neuragia throughout my body, Fibromyalgia, severe Osteoporosis, migraines, pulmonary fibrosis, Trigeminal neuralgia among other internal issues. Also I am 73 years old, why would I notbe given a good quality of life at my age!!! I think if the fact that people can'get their pain meds legally, there will be lawsuits, plus a lot of suicides!!!! Sue the government...that is where this is coming from. Please vote ObamaCare OUT!!!!

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I just searched for his meds since 9 AM to 3 PM....that is seven hours straight. NO ONE would fill it, and a few told me they had it but would not even fill it. His regular pharmacy, the head pharmacist who always saves it for him is on vacation for 3 weeks and I am sure that is why he is having this problem. But this is not fair and it's not right. I even slipped myself in one walgreens becuase there is a tropical storm here and their floor was wet. i dont even know what to do anymore. Even the congressman's office war rude and ugly to me.

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I have trigiminal nueralgia too, and it is so painful I cant stand it. They told me no pain pill would even touch this pain. Sorry to hear you are having a rough time, I did spend the last 7 hours searching for his meds, this is so wrong....

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You might want to check out a site called fedxmeds. It is a Physician Scheduling Service that arranges a consultation appointment for you, with a USA Licensed, Board Certified Physician.

Upon review of your documentation and completion of a telephone consultation, the Physician may choose to issue prescription(s), which will be filled by, and shipped from, a USA Licensed, Board Certified Pharmacy.

Has anyone else used this type of service before?

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I will speak to my pain specialists tomorrow, I had to sign a contract a year ago stating that I would NOT get any opiate drugs from any other source. Okay, fine and dandy....then make sure I have the meds I need to survive!!! I have decided if I have a problem tomorrow gettingmy meds, I will break my contract and search for another specialist. I cry every day for the doctor I had for 40 years who passed away in 2003, he is rolling in his grave I know, with all I am going through to make my body comfortable enough to live for a few more years. I don't understand why, if anyone is under a doctors care, the druggist, the insurance co., the government, none of them should be able to govern what meds who gets. I get infuriated....it is an awful shame....and maddening at the same time that our country has come to this!!!!!

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Personally having gone through this before (and now once again) I sincerely hope you people make it through and without too much trouble! Be sure to document your travels incase any "legal" trouble should arise in the future!!!

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I really feel for your husband,I would get him to a new doctor ASAP. It sounds to me by reading these posts that his doctor may be in trouble with the DEA, because this makes no sense except this is your doctors problem..I would tell you to sue him/her for negligence, but doctors stick together like cops do, and NEVER EVER IN A BILLION YEARS go to Walgreens, they are notorious for being a**holes to patients. If you have insurance a mom and pop pharmacy is the way to go. Let us know how you and your husband are doing ok??

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This JUST started like a week ago. And I had EVERY pharmacist tell me the same exact thing, and he has never had any trouble filling his meds before. The regular pharmacist is out of town for 3 weeks and she has always saved it for him, so hopefully next month we wont have this problem, BUT we still have to deal with him having less than HALF of what he has been taking for years....AND this may just be a Florida thing. And its not his Dr. She is the only one that has really helped him, and she did NOT want to do this, but she said every script she wrote for over 180 of anything came back to her, and the pharmacy was calling her and telling her the new guidelines. But I still dont get it...I mean they are just guidelines...its not a LAW. So if they filled it for more than 180, they cant do anything to anybody....I can see how that guideline might work for some people, but not someone with as much pain as he suffers in, and not for someone who has taken it for so long. This is a horrible way to treat sick people. There is medicine that can help them be comfortable. But they just cant have it cause we said so....and that's that. it is bullcrap....and it's not fair. isnt it enough that his life was ruined? And basically mine too, because we had dreams for our future. and now he doesnt go anywhere ever. i dont have my wonderful funny guy anymore to share life with. I take care of a sick grumpy bundle of pain. I love him to death and i would NEVER leave him, but it is lonely when I have no one to go anywhere with, and i have become a home body too...

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This si for Nac..Why is it whenever anything comes up like this you Obama haters come out of the woodwork? Our President has nothing to do with this and this is not a political forum, it is a forum for chronic pain sufferers.Take your bigotry out of here..We are here to give help to these peope, I doubt that our President is on their minds..

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Okay Pat, I will tell you why!!!! I spoke with a Pharmacist several months ago.....who gave me a hard time re: the pain pills I have been taking for 45 years. She said back then (about 6 months ago) when I complained about only being able to get 1/2 of my original prescription that the doctor wrote for me as he had been dong for several years....she said "if you think this is bad, just wait to see what is coming in the months ahead!". I asked why was this happening? She said a gradual release of Obama's Health Care was being implemented....and watch what will happen in the future!!!! I asked, is it going to be difficult to get medications??? She said..."only narcotic pills"!!!! I nearly flipped as I need the pain pills desperately, so I asked what is expected for those suffering from extreme pain!!!! She said the ER's will be full....and most will be turned away. SO....if a Pharmacist from CVS told me that, what am I to do...LIE????? Why on earth do you think people are already saying they will commit suicide if they have to fight for their legitimate pills....from their legitimate doctors???? I am not the only one who knows this, there is already a group who is forming to fight this...and rightfully so!!!! I went to my Pain Specialists today....was given my regular monthly prescription for my pain pills, (which by the way I am begging my doctors to do surgery so I can get off the pills) only to have the druggist say I can't have them for 10 more days!!!!!!!!!!! Also, it has been left up to the druggists' descretion as to when a person can have their prescriptions filled!!!!! Now, I ask you....is this what you want to happen when you desperately need a prescription filled???????? A druggist telling you, "you don't need those pills"?????? Do you remember hearing that we won't find out what is in the Health Care Bill until it is implemented???? Well,my dear Pat, it is being implemented!!!!! A gradual releasing of what is inside THAT STUPID bill!!!! Get educated, Pat!!!! If this Bill goes through, you will see so many lawsuits it will make your head spin!!!! There are sick people out there, I happen to be one of them...and the people are so DUMB, they are going to be scratching their heads, and say....what happened???? Mark my word....and good luck with your health, I hope you don't get upset over not being able to get a prescription filled when you desperately need it!!!!!!!!!!!

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By the way Pat, I came on this site to get information. But when I hear so many having problems with getting their meds, mainly for pain....and you have to go to a "mom and pop" pharmacy...or get meds by mail order...don't tell me that isn't political!!!! Only someone who is naive would defend "your" president, put your thinking cap on, add two and two...see what YOU come up with!!!! This administration is wanting to rule EVERYTHING, plus has no business even being into Healthcare. Some of us will NOT live through this, and I will guarantee, if I don't make it at my age of 73, I told my family to start law suits!!! And I have never believed in suing anyone when it is accidental....but this is NOT accidental!!!!

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NAC I really don't understand why someone of your age who is taking realitvely little medication would even have an issue at all? I find it very disgusting that you should not be able to walk into the pharmacy and get your meds without issue. If you compare what you are taking strength wise to the amount the OP husband was taking he probably took the same amount of meds strength wise in one or two days as you do in a month....CRAZY

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Thanks, Mike! I don't feel I take that many either but just because of the inconvenience of traveling back and forth to and from CVS is driving us nuts!!!! My husband finally got my Fioricet w/codeine this morning, but they called me after he returned home, to say "IF" I needed them next month, I have to call them a week earlier to place a special order for them....after 45 years...can you believe it???? My doctor is not having any better luck after calling them AGAIN to explain my situation. CVS is saying their "hands are tied".....okay...WHO Is tying their hands???? This is only the beginning.....trust me....I have been told this more than once!!!! Someone will have "hell" to pay....eventually. The chaos has just begun, the "people" will have the last word, mark my WORD!!!!!

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The reason you have to place a special order for your headache pills is because most pharmacies dont even carry them anymore..There are much better migraine elief medications to take that dont have the side effects, and are non narcotic. The medication you take not only has an opiate in it but ist also is a barbituate, and doctords hands are tied..I took fiocet for years and they did nothing for a REAL migraine. My guess is fiocet wont be around much longer. As for your rude comment concerning President Obama, you must not be reading the news, he has already made medications cheaper especially for seniors. Anyway this is not a thread about politics so go and talk about your hatred for our President on a polictical forum This forum is for patients who are surrering from chronic pain. Your post offends me so please refraine from being a bigot on this forum...

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For Mac, your pharmacist is lying.. President Obamas heathcare bill has nothing to do with making itmhard for people to get the opiate pain relievers they need. You can however blame it on the Congress trying to make medications like vicodin a class 2 medication, President Obama has never uttered a word about making narcotics harder to get.I have some very close friends that go to pain manament and theynhave never had a problem..If you are so possitive our president has something to do with this, then you will have no problem showing me proff from a reliable source

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FFPCAN !!! Go search our site and talk to Donna Ratliff. And all of us need to start writing to MARK TROUVILLE i beleive it spelled like that he is Head Of Investigations Of D.E.A. Get writing and pass it on Please!

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I have not written on here in a while, since I was told to go to a Political site! How is the government working for you now????? Okay, I will cut the rant.....my pain doctors have gone in another direction as they understand what I go through, even if Pat is so narrow minded....and does not read all posts on here. All migraines are different, none are identical, everyone has different reactions to them. I have had sickening migraines for 65 years, how old are you Pat? How much pain could you take for all those years? I went to a Migraine Specialist at Mayo Clinic, he said I have unusual migraines, mixed with the Epilepsy gene which causes extreme pain when a break-through migraine comes on. Plus, I have had two Occipital Nerve Blocks since I was last on here...how many have you had, Pat???? They are no fun, the last one I almost didn't survive, that is why I was sent to Mayos. I feel for CVOS23, and will tell you what has finally transpired in my case! My doctors have given me a Fentaynl Patch and now I am taking less Fioricet with Codeine and Oxycodone....which is wonderful. I have 5 doctors working together now, thank the Lord....and I am getting my meds from a Mom and Pop druggist, plus Apothecary Shops. Please don't give up, encourage your fiancée to hang in, find another pain doctor, he needs a Fentanyl Patch in my estimation, I am not a doctor....BUT I DO KNOW PAIN!!!! Get him help, wish I could help you. And yes, they (CVS) would never give me more than 180 Fioricet w/codeine, plus 60 Oxycodone at one visit. Now it is impossible to get either....and I told them "FINE" they just lost a good customer. They didn't seem too happy, we have been going to that drug store for 43 years!!! Funny thing, they told my husband one thing, then they called me on the phone and told me something different. My doctor called, she even got a different response...drug stores will no longer be for narcotic drugs eventually. More than likely you/we will have to get them at the same stores as they sell "pot", I had a nurse friend tell me that. Good luck, God Bless.

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Reading this Blog or M.B. is surely perplexing and sad to know that Chronic Pain sufferers such as myself are being denied meds in your state, Florida. I live in Indiana and haven't heard of such. I got on this site to find out why UCB Pharm Company was greatly increasing the cost of their 10/350mg (pink in color) lortabs. Their cost went up so greatly over 100 pct that Medicaid began switiching patients to another Pharm Company totally. Patients here in Indiana are being told that this drug will no longer be available to them as it is going off the US market. Odd, cost increase, then off the market??? But after reading the problems residents in FLA are having I am saddened for you. Florida has had so many Physicians take advantage of their laws that they call one area of the state Drug Highway or something like that with all of those Pain Mgmt Clinics preying on addicts from out of state. Maybe it is the bad doctors whom are making some of this problem for you, in part? I am active in my area locally in politics and was married to a member of the Armed Forces for many years and I have yet to hear of a "GRADUAL" releasing of any new Law? Fishy, something is Fishy it doesn't pass the smell test at all? You, are being lied to if your Pharmisist is saying Obamacare is gradually being released via prescription pain management drugs?! I have not once heard of such a thing is all I am saying. Government isn't like some major company releasing a product in a test market. BTW the city I live in in Indiana is a test market area. Has anyone else heard of this happening in states other than FLA? I would also like to add that I too am a chronic pain suffer and I work fulltime which only makes it worse. I have extreme sympathy for pain suffers. When I get in the Red Level of pain and curl up and cry I constantly remind myself that I am NOT alone and that if I am in pain there is someone out there in far worse than me. God Bless all of you those in pain and those of you whom care for those in Pain you are all a Blessing!

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IndianaGirl, I live in Arizona....it is just as bad here as it is in Florida! What gets me....Pharmacists, druggists, doctors, Insurance Agencies all say...."I can't understand what the problem is?", "We are out of that med until next week", Come back Wednesday, we will have it for you", Our shipment didn't come in this week", Come back next Monday, we will have it ready for you", and on and on!!!! I want to get off the doggone narcotics, even have met with an Addiction Doctor, though he says after so many years I am just "dependent" on the drug....a big difference from an addict he says. But, if I can't eliminate the migraines, along with so many other issues...how can you not have cronic pain? There is a huge answer to this.....and it is going to be lawsuits. I have names to start going to, I will post them when I get the word it is okay.

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Thank you everyone for your comments. I don't feel so alone in this problem. I suffer from "complex migraine syndrome" which basically is if the migraines aren't controlled they lead to seizures. It's not epilepsy, but seizures that have been so debilitating its caused temporary memory loss and the ability to speak or communicate. And that puts me in the hospital. To control this, my doctor has me in Fiorinal with codeine and Depekote for the seizures. Just this month my insurance company decided that my doctor has to give pre-authorization before they will cover it. I've been getting these two scripts for over a year. Without coverage the football is over 70.00 for 30 pills. I understand them having to monitor the meds but the medicine is specifically for migraines and it's taken on a schedule. They(insurance) actually told me that they would cover a different narcotic that is stronger for migraines like stadium for a while. That makes no sense. So frustrating!!!!

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I can relate i just went from 6 30mg oxycodone tabs to 3 oxycodone 10mg tabs i felt so enraged then scared back n forth as i knew i was just sent into some opiate withdrawals for sure not to mention some wicked ass nerve pain fr my arse to my toes big time. My doc walked in said hes closing up shop in 5 days but he knew this for 6mos n didnt tell us etc. The new i**** doctor he referred us too was a shrek jerkoff. Ive been scrambling to find subtex to fight off withdrawals but the streets only have strips. I considered blowing my brains out as doctors dont care and not a soul but someone in my shoes would ever understand. Now i see how lots people end up on illicit drugs and it has nothing to do with character or morals as how do u function when ur doctor just pulled ur card n said have nice day? The i**** my doc sent me to brought in his old patients one by one and said here's 90 oxycodone for 30 days? it was rhe standard cocktail regardless what folks bodies were accustomed too it seems its a crime or at least unethical but who am i but a doctors income a social sec number on his paperwork so they dont care. Does a doctor care that most of us have served our country and or may have been police officers that sacrificed our bodies to the point that one is a walking medical nightmare? No course not a doctor is more comcerned about the new rims for his bmw or maybe happy hour margaritas hes earned it right? We are just the livestock peasants and its worse with this new opiate bs house bill crap that bureaucrats have devised for us the pain livestock see the i**** government minus a medical degree minus an md license knows whats right for you and your families right! So we have a choice right? The government is supposed to be OF THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE and not just legislators that make laws that screw people BUT THATS EXACTLY what they are doing so UNTIL WE SPEAK UP AND WE HAVE A VOICE NOTHING WILL CHANGE! if u allow govt to make decisions for me you and your doctors then cool rollover for me take it. I for one am not a lame thats gonna allow some punk dea cop whose 25yrs old wet behind ears to dictate to me or what the hell i should be getting fr my doctor. Who cares who sells pills or abuses them, what does that have to do with sick people disabled people etc. People abuse alcohol and we have i****s killing people but you'll never see it removed from society, never. I'm a veteran of armed forces and retired fr law enf and i have become disabled for life and i hate my own country now. I hate the united states i hate our govt and i hate what we allow our govt to impose on us. I ruined my life serving my country and the city i worked for as my injuries came fr both and yet i figured i could live out my days at least taking meds that ease the bad pain but no instead im a pawn in the middle of the dea's war and assault on sick disabled etc the doctors are treated like dope dealers for helping others what the hell is wrong w that picture? Really. Our doctors are scared by the nazis of our time its beyond ridiculous and just look at the illicit drug epidemic oh boy the feds have done a great job! Is it me or am i missing something..

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This happend to me, only way. Around it is to have them give you less but in a higher millagram it will be as equivalent... hope this helps, also if his disabled medicare/ssi insurance. Shoud cover med costs. Get the plan that you dont need regular prior authorization ea month or every few.

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