Pain Medication Cut Downs (Page 8)

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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Re: Lizzy dizzy (# 138)

Hey Lizzy, maybe Rawdog will have a better idea, I just don't want to give you bad advice cause I don't understand parts of your situation

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Lizzy dizzy (# 138) --

Hey Lizzie, Your prior PM Dr. has no reason to send your records to the new place does he?

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Re: Jack175 (# 139)

Hi,
I totally understand, you've been fantastic. Seems like my life is so complicated at times. I'm just going to tell the doctor the truth, it is what it is. I think what makes me so nervous, is most doctors are just petrified to do anything anymore. I'm sure I'll be on here again, but I'll let you know what goes down Wednesday. Again thank you so much. :)

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Re: Lizzy dizzy (# 140)

Do you know if your records from your old doc are being sent to your new doc?

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Re: Lou (# 120)

This is the only thing I can have for pain, they can't prescribe narcotics for me, so I'm stuck with it.

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Re: Jack175 (# 142)

I am so sick and tired of living in pain. A bunch of drug addicts due to their inability not to overuse pain meds now affects the real people who live in constant pain. I'm 66 and if I didn't get addicted yet I highly doubt addiction is my future. It's just sheer stupidity. I get monthly U/A's and I am responsible with my meds. Why do I have to even be bothered with this chaos???

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Re: Jack175 (# 141)

No, so far my records have not been sent to the new doctor. But I will pick up more of my records myself Monday from my old pain dr. Notes and x-rays.

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Re: Lizzy dizzy (# 143)

This is good. Hand carry your records to the new pain specialist. Be sure to remove anything incriminating before you hand them to the new doctor! If the new doctor asked me why I was on this Subutex I would tell them that it was a suggestion by another doctor and you thought it was worth a try but it has not worked out for you!

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Re: Jack175 (# 137)

Well OBVIOUSLY she's hiding something that happened and doesn't want to divulge it. Im guessing either a dirty u/a screen or if its a place counting pills she was short either way there are exceptions to every story. It all depends on the doctor and how long ago all this mess started. Look nobody is perfect and we all mess up from time to time as long as we learn from our mistakes and make positive changes then everything should be fine. Without a explanation of the full story on what happened we csn only help her so much. Hope this helps

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Hi All,

I was reviewing some of your stories and can offer only one suggestion for good or bad always be honest with your doc. If someone stole meds from you, you need to call the police. This way you have a police report number etc etc to show your doc.

I was robbed at gun point for my pain meds and wasn’t willing to die for them. I called the cops and they got the guy with the same gun I described under the seat in his car. He was a friend and started to see I had a pattern as to when I was picking up my meds. He asked to come over the night I had to pick up my meds and I told the sob I couldn’t as I had to go to the pharmacy. So the next day he knew I was fully stocked.

He showed up the next day with his computer bag as we’d play around with them etc. Instead of a computer out came a gun and a demand for everything I had which was a lot at that time. He got a year in prison and I got my credibility back. Meds were reordered the next day as long as I was able to give the doc the police report number, which I did and he called to check my story and everything was fine.

I am 52 and have lived with chronic pain for 30 years. I’m not sure if you are all aware of a condition called hyper analgesia? It’s literally like a feedback loop in the brain that everyone will get at some point if on high doses of opioids for a long period of time. It’s a real thing and to be talking English, basically pain meds can cause greater pain when the receptors either get blocked or the opposite they take up too much meds when exposed to the narcotic. This can make you feel worse pain then what you are really experiencing.

This is why docs rotate narcotics from time to time, not to give you a hard time, but to keep you from this syndrome. My pain is MS related and then from being in a wheelchair for 20+ years my spine compressed and I actually broke my back at t4, but being on so much fentanyl I didn’t feel it or know that it happened. I never got treated for it and now my back can’t be operated on as they say it would cause more pain to decompress the spine and fuse it. So I was told I’d be on meds the rest of my life.

My pain was, is excruciating and I had to be in bed for close to three years. Blood clots formed and ulcers from bed soars etc etc. My pain doc new of a brain surgeon who installs deep brain stimulators. Basically it’s an operation where they expose the brain and carefully guide electrodes through the brain. This was experimental as it is done to help severe Parkinson patients with tremors. They decided to offer it to me as an experiment to go through the top of the brain through it to the thalamus which is the top of your spinal column leading into the brain. For example when you get a bruise the thalamus realizes that it’s there but not to pass the pain on unless you press on the bruise, so it acts like a buffer allowing pain from hitting yourself with a hammer to not do that again, but not feel pain from something less significant. They woke me up during the operation and started sending low amounts of electricity to the thalamus which would send the electricity through your nervous system feeling like the buzz from cannabis.

It was a great feeling for a couple of hours then it felt like my nerves were raw and became very painful. So the surgery didn’t work. Then I’m back on meds. However, either from the rest from the narcotics or damage from the surgery or the MS I really could no longer take meds at least not opioids. Even though I carry my files and reports with me always in case of er trips. I’ve been flagged as an addict which is the furthest from the truth.

I must mention that I live in Toronto, Canada. In the last few years a new hospital has popped up bringing in every expert who deal with pain management and addiction and mental health.

I must also tell you that I take 25 Zopiclone sleeping pills every night for sleep as the MS wiped out the sleep Center of my brain. I’m not going off topic with that as it’s complicated and another story for another time. I’ve been at that dose for 28 years. So now when I see a new doc or a trip to the er I have to explain with a docs note he wrote to explain the reason and need for this med at that level. The first thing they see is the massive dose of the sleeping pills and then the pain meds. I’m an instant addict. I’ve been told by all the hospitals in the Toronto area not to come back unless I broke my arm etc. So now I’m labelled in all the computers.

I then decided and don’t recommend this for anyone, but I withdrew myself of all the narcotics to really make sure the pain I was feeling was real. As I started on pain killers of all varieties over the years I had to know what was what.

After tapering for months still having meds in my system I still was pain free and thought I was nuts. Two days later after my last dose. I wasn’t in withdrawal, but I woke up in pain I had never felt before! It was real, I called for an ambulance who took me back to the neuro hospital here where the brain surgery was done. As they couldn’t do an mri on me a ct was done on my back finding a mess. Immediately I’m back on meds again, but now I can’t tolerate them. I was having terrible diarrhea up to 9 times in a 24 hour period. This is now affecting my sleep issue going to the bathroom in the middle of sleeping and I can’t fall back to sleep unless I redose on the sleep meds. Even though technically I can, but promised my doc I wouldn’t.

Now I’m not sleeping more then a couple hours in a 24 hour period. causing a bunch of other problems. I got into see the head of this new hospital called Camh. Canadian addiction and mental health hospital.

He met me read my story and a doctor that has seen and heard it all realized if I was an addict I couldn’t have done what I did on my own without going on the street and buying whatever I could find. I was finally liberated and believed I wasn’t an addict. By the top guy who does work with them all day long. Finally the stigma was removed. I still couldn’t take narcotics without getting violently sick.

I tried Suboxone just recently and have found some relief, but at this point we are just getting my system used to it we have to go slow as I can have seizures my system is so messed up. He is going to raise the dosage, but slowly and I am so happy to have a clear head for the first time in I can’t remember. Just having this change to my system of course I had a repetitive round of seizure after seizures that landed me in icu just last week. Finally, the truth I’ve been screaming for years is out there for all the a holes that called me an addict and wouldn’t treat me... in their face!!!

I’m not saying this is the way to go for everyone. As I was discharged Friday and had to call an ambulance on Saturday as I was peeing blood. No uti no reason why as of yet. Here we have a central database that all hospitals have access to. Even though I had to go back into hospital having this doc put whatever he wrote in the computer I was finally treated with dignity and respect. Which even though feeling like death I was being treated like a person not like an addict.

My point being honesty has been hard to keep trying to get a stranger to believe like it wasn’t enough I tried brain surgery and have wires in my brain and a box in my chest wasn’t enough to prove that I have tried everything I still got the label. My point being is try whatever is given and report back honestly. Keep a journal which sounds like grade one stuff, but I wrote down every day and time I had break through pain etc. also backed up my story. The key here is to obtain trust and credibility.
You will find your docs will change their minds about you even though it was hell and many times I thought about ending it all I’m finally being treated properly not having security wheel me out the doors without any help.

You need to be honest with your doc for good or bad and you will see that they know your in pain, but ask your doc to reduce your meds and see the difference in the way they treat you.

That’s my story in a nutshell. I know how crazy it sounds and how desperate I became to pull a stunt like that. I finally feel vindicated, liberated however you wish to describe it.... being honest good or bad I have found works. Maybe the damage is done with the person you are seeing currently, but the next person you see ask them to lower your dose and trust me as long as you have opioids in your system will keep you out of withdrawal and will still keep your pain under control maybe not what you’re used to, but still you won’t be screaming in pain. Maybe it will be uncomfortable for you, I can’t answer as everyone is different that’s why we all don’t have blue eyes. That’s an argument I always throw into a jerks face when I got called an addict or seeker. It’s like a new world has opened up and am getting the help I need.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

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Re: Rawdog (# 149)

I dont know! I believe they said they did not have their medication in their system due to their child stealing them! I have no crystal ball but know I was put on subutex after I moved and had to change doctors. I had a problem with it initially because I lost a child to a drunk driver and it matters to me probably more than most what other people think of me! After talking to a pharmacist I felt better about it because it is not a drug that they give to addicts unless you are a pregnant woman. It would be prescribed just until the delivery and then they would be switched to a drug like suboxone. An allergic reaction to the drug that is in suboxone naloxone (spelling) would be another reason. I was on subutex for about two months but it did little for the pain in my spine from a failed surgery so the doctor finally put me back on my old meds... until the next bolder came down on me so to speak. This is the reason why I think she may be telling the truth!

I wrote her a while ago but for whatever reason it was never published!

One thing is for certain, far too many people were getting pain medications that they did not need and were selling them for profit. Drs. were supplying people with these drugs as well for profit! All they would accept was cash! What kind of doctor takes no insurance and only cash?

People will always need these pain medications, to withhold them from those that actually need them... even in relatively large doses should be able to get them! Somehow we need to do better types of background checks on people before they are given opioids. If they have had run-ins with drugs in the past; it does not mean they should suffer but doctors need to be far more diligent if treating someone who has had a past with drugs! Many people have had overdoses and if they actually looked they could find this and not leave everything up to the doctor to decide!

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Re: Rawdog (# 149)

Yep, hard to say, maybe we'll hear something tomorrow..

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Re: Jack175 (# 142)

Part of the problem is that we patients go from one pain specialist to another when we move or relocate or get new insurance and have to change doctors; whatever!

Then when we do go to a new doctor; they should have any medical records of ours that show we have abused narcotics... failed a drug panel... you get my point.

Doctors can ask you to sign the forms to get your medical records but you can refuse if you have something to hide or not list that doctor as being one of your doctors. I personally have never come up positive on a drug panel but will admit that I am terribly concerned about it. Before I injured myself I was a flight attendant and when they did U/A's, you would use the bathroom and they immediately checked it for temperature. Then they split your sample in half... because our jobs were on the line in case something unexpected showed up. Then they could do at least one more evaluation on the second sample. I do not know why this is not being done now as I have heard of people using other people's urine and complaining of having had a positive U/A that was not able to be rechecked or rectified!

I am a mess since most of my medications were taken from me and there is nothing absolutely nothing negative in my records. Unfortunately I have broken Hardware in my cervical spine that is unfixable without a good chance of being a quadriplegic. I will tell you why my medications were taken from me; I was on Fentanyl! I want you to know however that nothing else helped me right from the get-go not even oxycodone! I had been on a higher dose even at one point but never more!

My insurance had just gotten a new preauthorization... and a couple of months later on my visit to my doctor; he told me that the DEA was at his office and he had to start weaning people; not just me!

I'm beside myself at this point! I am in awe that some people can still get medications but others can't... through no fault of their own!

When are they going to start looking at the number of pain patients that are killing themselves? Why are doctors not being charged with the deaths of these people! They charge them for writing prescriptions for someone who uses them inappropriately and dies... but if you are in such severe pain that you want to kill yourself and cannot get medications nothing is done! We... I can not wait for years for a change; I am in pain today, tomorrow, the next day and into infinity!

When you are thinking about taking your own life because you are in pain damn it, somebody better realize that there is nothing you can do for yourself and you need help!

And I don't mean that they should give you an antidepressant and send you home for another week because now you have a bottle of anti-depressants to kill yourself with! Damn.

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Hi Rawdog & Jack

I hope you're having a great day. Went to my new pain doctor yesterday. My hubby went back with me, after all his sister my sister-in-law, she was the one that lived with us and stole my pain medication. So I decided to tell the doctor the truth. The absolute truth. All I can say is it was a fantastic visit. This doctor is just one of a kind. He did prescribe my medication to me. Off the Subutex and I'm now back on my Percocet. He did say for just a little while I have to see him every 15 days. After that it will be 30 days. I'm glad I told the truth, it was a relief.
Not all people are dishonest. I couldn't make a police report on my sister-in-law. I just couldn't do it. I wanted to trust me. But I couldn't. If this would ever happen again, I don't care who it is, I will make a police report.
I'm sure we'll talk again.
Thank you both for all your help.

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Oh... Yea Raw Dog... I too am in South Florida and I don't know if it is this bad in other places but South Florida is a bad place to live if you need something for pain! Damn hurricane has come and I have not been out of my home in more than a week and have no idea how I am going to do it! I don't want to sound so negative so I will stop here! I am so sorry that you have had your medication changed, lowered or God forbid had the medication that helped you taken away! Taken away altogether! Take care and keep your head down for that storm!

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Hey there Rawdog!
I am not sure who was a little leery of Lizzys story; you or Jack but I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt! Today however is another story! When we make up a story, we sometimes forget what we told! If the story is true our story should remain the same!

After reading Lizzies story today all sounded good except I thought I remembered her saying that the family member who stole her pills was a man!
I'm sorry but I call it like it is and the following is what she told us not too long ago!

Hi Jack.
About a year ago I had a family member that was living with me. He still means a lot to me, trust me. He was stealing my pain medication, I caught him we had a conversation and I thought all was good. I started putting them in a safe, somehow he got into the safe Jack. I went to my pain doctor one day and of course I had no pain meds in my system because I had no pain medication, do to him stealing them. The last straw for me was when he didn't get in the safe he stole the whole safe. I finally threw him out of my home

Today when she tells us how she was honest with her doctor ... the family-member who stole her pills was her sister-in-law!

She referred to what should have been her sister-in-law with the word him at least four times in her previous post!

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Re: Focked (# 156)

Are you kidding me...

Remember when I said I truly love this person, when I first started talking about my situation. I didn't come out and say who it truly was, but I am now and I'm being called a liar. It was my sister-in-law. Does it matter if I tell you it was a man or a woman. I was being honest. I won't come on this site again and ask questions or be a part of this group. I thought I found a place where I could talk to people and not be judged. Guess I was wrong. Unbelievable.

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Re: Lizzy dizzy (# 157)

Lizzy dizzy (# 157) --
I wonder how you would look at it if you were being honest about it ... if you read that from someone else! It makes no sense to me why you would have referred to your sister-in-law as him. I understand that you may not have wanted to reveal who the family member was but why would you refer to them as a different gender! I don't know if you are telling the truth or not but I have to admit it makes me very skeptical!

There is a thread here somewhere, where a young man went to his doctors and got a new prescription but the prescription had a date written on it that he could not fill it till! Again I won't say I know exactly what he did but I am pretty sure I do! The prescription ended up at his Pharmacy to be filled but the pharmacist noticed the date looked odd and call the doctor! The physician told the pharmacist that the prescription had been tampered with and it was not to be filled. The gentleman told the doctor that he did not know how his prescription ended up with a different date on it. He put it on the dashboard of his car and went to the pharmacy and went to fill it, he knew nothing else! Of course he was let go by the doctor. Many peo0le on the site defended him bevause he was well known and liked! Someone even provided him with the name of their doctor which he then went to and got his medications back! It was not long after that and he died of an overdose! I could look for that thread for you if you don't believe me; it really happened!
I'm terribly sorry that I hurt your feelings; but I also do not feel like I should have to pretend that nothing was there to be seen when I felt there was!

I don't know if you know it or not but I did reach out to you and try to explain that Subutex was not used for addiction except in the case of pregnant women or someone who is allergic to naloxone I believe it is called! I tried to help you because I would have wanted someone to help me if they could but after putting your two posts together it just does not make sense to me I am so very sorry!

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Re: Focked (# 158)

Well, I guess you just know everything.
I wish you nothing but the best.

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Re: Lizzy dizzy (# 159)

I wish you the best as well Lizzy!

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