Pain Medication Cut Downs (Page 5)

Is it just me or is all the pain management docs trying to cut everyone down or back!!?? When I went to my last visit the doc had the nerve to ask me if I still needed my Oxymorphone 20mg ER (56). I was like YEAH, what do you think?! This is after they closed down for 3 months and I had to switch to Subutex to not get sick. And I got dropped from the 30mg oxymorphone. And by the way the 20'mgs are garbage. Then my doc asked me to get an MRI on my lower back, which I did the month prior. It just goes to show what a dumb ass he is and how they're so not in tune to what is going on! All they want to do is lower and lower your meds. Has anyone else had their doc try and taper them down or try and lower your stuff? By the way, I'm in south FL.

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I’m being told by my pain management dr that he has to reduce my total mgs down to 60%. Last december they were reduced to 90 %. He said that he was doing it for my best interest. It just seems to me that pain management only seems to care about opioids and not the true problem, the pain. Every time I go to an appointment I feel my anxiety levels rise due to yet another surprise “we need to reduce your meds for your own good“. What’s going on here?? I’m tired of hearing that the cdc and fdc are forcing drs, really?? From everything I’ve been reading on the subject, they are only making it a recommendation!! That drs are 100% aloud to be drs and treat their patients with the best and most educational treatment plan as they see fit. I’m really really really sick of the lies. How stupid do they think we are? I'm sorry for the rant, it’s just so disheartening and frustrating knowing that there is a perfectly good drug out there that has been used responsibly by many, and now because of the abuse, no more pain relief for the responsible and legitimate chronic pain patients??? So my question is, as of most recent, was there a new recommendation stating that drs must reduce opioids down yet again?

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Re: Bigredballoon (# 81)

When the DEA visits our doctors; I do not know what they tell them but I can tell you they are scaring them all s***less!

When your doctor told you that a reduction is for your own good; my thought is that it was in your best interest because if you fail to reduce for whatever reason ... (it is difficult and not all can do it) you will be dropped!

Been there! Pain from a failed surgery left me worse off than I started and I was able to reduce but not as much as my doctor demanded. I looked for a new pain specialist before my doctor dropped me. New pain specialist specialized in pain pumps which is what finally helped the god awful pain in my neck that I was stuck with after the botched surgery more than 15 years ago.

Now I get no relief however for pain from interstitial cystitis .. arthritis ... DDD ... You name it but I am not trying to kill myself because of this horrid pain in my neck!

They are taking away our ability to function when I functioned well for more than 15 years. Oh yes and the pain pump cost my insurance company or Medicare about $50,000 and meant I needed to be cut open every six or seven years to replace it. I care not to share how much it cost me out of my pocket!?!?

There will be people that cannot do the reduction because they are that dependent! It does not mean that they are an addict but it means that they are in a terrible amount of distress from pain that can only be taken care of with some type of pain medication ... orally or through a pump!

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Hi sounds like same old story here in Australia,what gives them the right to play God? Modern medicine has been invented to stop people from being in pain,I'm 66yrs old pinched nerves in neck plus narrowing bla bla, it took about 3 yes to find out why I was getting disgusting pain in my arm all because of nerve damage it took a massage in Thailand to find out pain was coming from neck problem s,I'd been to at least 4-5 drs so called specialist here in Oz yet one poor old massage guy went straight to reason for my pain ,Just about impossible to get any pain relief , unless your wearing a suit and tie ( maybe )I wonder what they do for there pain relief,?good luck with it all.

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Re: Bigredballoon (# 81)

Not that I have seen. The CDC opiod prescrbing guidelines are the same as last year. They are just guidelines not laws. Depending on the state you live in some states have made their own guidelines doctors take it serious. In Oregon they just adopted the CDC guidelines. Its a load of crap but the Medical Board here they hate doctors apparently patients too.

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Re: Rawdog (# 64)

Good luck gettimg any of them these dsys! Sorry! DEA is making our doctors do this or they risk jail and who knows what else.

Soomer or later this will effect all of us! They are doing surgeries and repairing broken limbs and then sending patients home with a few week pills to suffer!

People may think this does not effect them and therefore say nothing!

Think again people, do not wait to be opinionated when you are sent home

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Re: Cakes (# 85)

Well I've been fortunate enough to not get knocked down anymore. Im stuck at 112 oxycodone and 56 oxymorphone bern on this for a year and 2 months now I need to get back up to the 30mg oxymorphone cause that was the PERFECT dose these 20mg are just horrible it takes just about 3 20mg to equal one 30 it seems like ALL 20mg pills are like that including oxycodone too!!!
I guess I shouldn't be complaining cause seems like everyone else is getting WAY cut down wish you all the best

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Re: Joseph (# 1)

I live on the east coast as well and was doing ok until my last visit when my doctor was like “well you said you wanted to take less medication anyway!” when I asked to delay my next visit by two days (I go twice a month) because I have to go see specialists out of state & I don’t have gas money for all that.
I was pretty alarmed. Yeah, I said I wanted to take less medication when I was complaining about having to take medication to counteract side effects of medication that doesn’t really help, no the medication that enables me to work and live.
I did recently switch from oxycontin to oxycodone but it was my idea & if I was still at the prior practice they wouldn’t have allowed it.
Most of the pain management folks in this state are obsessed with extended release meds. Not just oxycontin because of the plastic abuse deterrent, but Morphine and patches. They seem to prefer that to 5 mg of oxycodone which is frustrating.
I don’t need 24 hr a day Fentanyl, but the old practice wanted me to do that instead of 25 mg of oxycodone a day. That works for me, why would I want a patch??

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Re: QueenV (# 80)

Hello, I feel for your mom and I understand your frustrations. It really is terrible when we as a human race need medication and are refused said medication due to the doctors being scared to death about writing any narcotics. I have had a doctor tell me and I quote- I’m tired of losing sleep because I wrote a prescription and that person might die-unquote Also the doctor said I’m so sick of the DEA breathing down my neck as far as I’m concerned everyone will be treated the same. I am disabled from the Marines and have severe panic attacks and have GAD with Agoraphobia he looked at me and said I’m not writing your medication I just can’t take that chance Clonazepam is a drug the DEA will be looking hard at me for writing. After my TBI I was seeing a great psychiatrist he said with my shaking and severe panic attacks and phobias I should take 1mg Clonazepam 4 times a day well it changed my life well anyway when I got switched to this new doctor after 18 years he gave me ONE HALF OF A 1 mg pill a day of Clonazepam. A child’s dose but after a few months he just quit just admitted he was so scared he couldn’t do it. I guess what I’m trying to say is I know some people can’t function without their pain medication. However, these doctors are just so frightened that they don’t want to take a chance. Without my medication I shake and pace and just can’t shut my head off. I can’t sleep I live with this 24 hours a day it is so terrible and debilitating but with doctors now quality of life doesn’t matter. I hope everything works out for you. God Bless!!!

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All the time they lower my dose, then I'm in so much pain they have go back up. I'm sick of this s***. Then the pills you get ain't worth a s*** because they're making the pills weaker and weaker.

Debbie from Shreveport LA

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Re: Just concerned (# 88)

I'm a life long anxiety sufferer. I have ALL your issues too. I never have been on meds like kolonopin. It prob would have saved my life. Instead I suffer, 24/7. I was scared Id get addicted. If I had made the correct decision, to take meds, Id be in your shoes now for sure. I didn't know the dr.s are controlling this too. DO they have to cope with this? NO!! You made a decision with your dr to choose this course years ago. I am more furious than ever hearing you are going through this. I really am so sorry. I have no words!!

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Re: Tbones89 (# 15)

What do Democrats have to do with cutting back your pain medication? Lol almost all the politicians are corrupt especially the Republicans who would like to cut the ssdi you rely on... I want the government out of our doctor's offices. They cut out the pills and guess what people switch to... heroin or live in pain. The answer wasn't to stop doctors from prescribing pain meds and stop the Pharmaceutical companies from producing quality pain meds. They should have just focused more on education and offering treatments like Suboxone to people who wanted it. This is nuts what's going on now! My wife never abused meds she only gets pain meds after surgery or a kidney stone attack. She used to get sent home with 30 Percocet or Vicodin with maybe 1 refill. The last time she had surgery they sent her home with 8 Vicodin! Not to mention the generic meds have gotten so awful the past 5 or 6 years it's like most don't even work at ALL!

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Re: Just concerned (# 88)

Being out of a benzo,like your Clonapin and my Diazapam is far worse than any opiate, so hang in there..

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Re: Debbie (# 89)

You’re not kidding. And you never know what you’re getting. I was getting 5mg oxycodone from rite aid. I switched to the 10 mg pills and cut them in half and it worked so much better I seriously think the 5s they have are fake. I had to go to Wallgreens for my Addrerall because Rite Aids make me sick, but their oxycontin is bad. I just switched to a home town pharmacy and they will order what I want, and I hope that helps.

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I hope I will be forgiven for I am not sure to whom, or to what specific subject I'm responding to.
Given my medical condition, one might assume I worry about the immediate and tangible aspects of degenerative disc disease, subsequent fractures, and my ability to perform my job.
On the contrary, I stress over the biased scrutiny at the hands of the folks that dispense said pain pharmacology. My fear is that I will incur MORE seizures and end up in the ER, (AGAIN!!).

The stress I encounter today is driven by the likelihood that my prescription will be delayed, and I will have another "blackout event" while driving down the freeway!

Does anyone know if our misguided politically driven bureaucracy has attained some level of sanity?

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Re: John Kramer (# 94)

Hi John, to answer your question, no, I don't believe it's gotten any better. On the contrary, I think it continues to get worse. I understand where you're coming from in regards to you Rx being ready and waiting for you.If you're like me, I get anxious going to get my meds, as I constantly think that there's a hundred things that could go wrong, but most of the time I've constructed these fears in my head only to find out that I wasted a bunch of energy worrying, as I walk out with my meds. I hope that yours are ready when you go to get them. So what's up with your blackout and seizures? That part of your post I couldn't figure out. Sending positive karma your way..

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Good Day, and best of wishes to all!! On this day of August 19, I'd like to offer up a hypothetical that should be of particular interest to those who practice law: Let us suppose that my medication has been denied by the pharmacist, and I have a blackout event on the freeway. Let us further suppose that this mishap results in the death of a mother and two children. Now I will admit that I am not the sharpest blade in the drawer, but I've got to ask the question; WHO ASSUMES THE RESPONSIBLITY FOR THE INCIDENT? Please remember, the dispenser of the medication has my personal documented ER history which will attest to the contraindications of said pharmaceutical withdrawal.

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Re: John Kramer (# 96)

Great hypothetical, I hope this opens the eyes of the ones who would be responsible. But I think there would be a lot of finger-pointing and the case would be tied up in the courts for years. I myself have been cut down on my meds as well and I firmly believe that these doctors are scared to death of losing their license if they prescribe more then they are allowed. My doctor won’t admit that he thinks he knows my body better than I do, therefore, he cut me back. I don’t know how this all got started, I know why but I don’t know who is the one that made these decisions to cut everybody back, obviously a white-collar worker. I wish you well and hope that you can get this resolved. Good luck.

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Re: TnJack175 (# 95)

Good Day TnJack, About two years ago, a pharmacist at Kroger denied my Tramadol refill. (I've been on Tramadol for 20+years). In accordance I was forced to go "cold turkey". During the course of the day I went through a series of mini blackouts, (periods of lost time). As my wife was alerted to the situation, she took me to ER after effects got really severe. The irony of the whole event was that the incident arose from a pharmacy clerical error!!! I invite you to read the disclaimer on Tramadol, where you will note seizures are an expected contraindication after a withdrawal from said pharmaceutical.

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Re: John Kramer (# 98)

Sorry I forgot the end to the tale! Just guess what the attending physician administers for Tramadol withdrawal. That's correct, more Tramadol!
In the final analysis, I figure ER supplied pharmaceutical cost me just shy of $3000.00!!!

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Re: John Kramer (# 98)

Hi John
Ahh, now I see the whole picture. I do know about Tramadol and I understand your concerns. That's quite a story. I remember my son getting prescribed that, and nobody caught the fact that he was prone to seizures, so he went on to take it until one of the nurses at the Dr.'s happened to read about my son so we promptly tapered of the Tramadol without it causing any problems. I hope you get it when your supposed to!

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