Im On Perm. Disability In Nj. I Been Receiving 130mgs Of Methadone A Day For 10yrs From Pain Specialist. Moving To Sc. Will That Be A Prob?

I suffered a horrible injury at work, I was run over by a fork lift (after falling 12 feet off the blades onto concrete) I've suffered a broken tibia which required surgery to place a permanent rod in my right leg from my R. knee down to my ankle I'm right handed so it's my good side, I suffer daily leg pain & Knee pain & need a walking cane to get around, plus the fall caused me to suffer several herniated discs including all in the L section or lower back (Lumbar) & some bulging discs, spinal stenosis, D.D.D.(Degenerative Disc Disease) Sciatica, a torn rotator cuff, neck pain, numbness, tingling, right elbow pain, Arthritis ,also the hi-lo backed over my right foot it literally exploded & had to be debrided and sutured back together causing nerve damage which causes numbness & my right lower leg swells up around my ankle and calf some days I cannot get out of bed, I live in N.J. and go to a Pain Management Clinic once a month there the doctors write me 2 prescriptions each for #182 -10mg Methadone HCI Tablet's & I go to pharmacy twice a month as not to have 364 pills at once it too much, Every month I go I receive a drug panel. I have NEVER failed one, as I do not use rec. drugs or even drink! I am moving to the Florence area in South Carolina I need to know if the pain management clinics in that state permit prescribing Methadone as in Jersey for a person on permanent Disability (S.S.D.) with a chronic pain problem as Methadone is the only medication that works without needing them to up my dose. I've been on the same dose since the beginning of taking it, well actually I was on 60mg's 3x a day (180mg's) I've come down 50mg's to (130mg's) a day 40mg 2 x a day & 50mg at night, and it doesn't cause me to feel loopy or sleepy it just takes my pain number down from 8 or 9 to 5or 4,,, if someone out there could tell me it would take a lot off my mind,,, thank you,,, & Bless you,, Peter

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Hello, Peter! How are you? I am very sorry about what happened to you.

They can prescribe, but there are no guarantees that they will do so. The best thing to do, when you move, is to get in with a new PCP and have them refer you to someone. Make sure you take a full copy of your most recent records with you, as well as a statement from your pain management doctor on what you take, the dosages, dosing frequency, why you take and anything they can add on the problems you had with other medications.

This is a narcotic analgesic, so it has the potential to be habit forming and may cause side effects, such as nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth and constipation.

Does anyone else have any advice to add?

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Hi Vernon, I would just like to thank you for your input to my question on me moving to Florence, S.C. & am concerned if the laws down there are going to interfere with my treatment? your answer was helpful!!! :-) I've lived in N.J. my whole life (44 year's) and to say the least the law's here are Draconian!!! so I'm extremely versed in the doctor protocol I have all my records for every doctor I've seen since the accident not to mention my court records concerning all my disabilities with all my M.R.I's and diagnoses ,all the paperwork from every Pain management doctor I've been treated by and almost all the paperwork that came along with all the prescriptions dispensed and many of the empty bottles with all the info on it, as a matter of fact I don't believe there's anything they could ask for that I don't currently have!!! & I will be sure to have complete charts drawn up by my P.C.P & my Pain Management Specialist as to what my current care involves and all my med I'm currently taking with the complete dosages,,, and if that doesn't suffice I believe NOTHING will!!!!,,, THANK YOU AGAIN, & GOD BLESS , Sincerely , Peter M.

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Yes, you sound like you are well organized and prepared for anything. Kudos to you and best of luck!

Have an awesome day!

Are there any other questions or concerns?

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VERNON, SOOOO sick of your "good lucks"! Am 20yrs disabled, have MRIs, Drs.' files, the lot. Too many meds to mention. ALL cut off late last yr as WComp not paying Dr. 1/3 & 8-10 months late. He just QUIT! 7 months passed, STILL no Dr. from WComp! They've ignored court order, got another attorney & was SO sick, just gave up. Always get Dr.'s insert for ALL meds prior to taking, am Greek & much makes more sense to me...(you sound like you'd understand why), From Fentanyl to Detrol for cord nladder, withdrawals nearly killed me. Had 2 seizures, am bedridden. Had to move to Toms River, NJ., no Dr., no meds....done trigger point, facet joints, prolotherapy, nerve blocks, acupuncture, need I go on? For God's sake, HELP ME! You know what's what but all you do is advise the dangers of pain meds (that's not all I need!!!). Withdrawals, seizures, ALL of it...bad enough. Now nothing in my system & hurts like DAY 1!

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Peter, I hope you find help. I could repeat all you've said, as it details my situation. Can you share the NJ Dr. you went to? I'm in a horrific situation. Be glad to explain all details for you. Too much to bore everyone here.
Seems we're the only ones praying. I'll pray for you & am SO sorry for your pain.

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I suffer from cronic pain, am originally from the states, now permanently in Canada. I have to say "sufferingdesperate" verwons comments make me mental as well. But I also have to agree that some doctors in the states were to liberal with pain meds and I almost died, literally. I wont bore you with the huge list of over 15 different medications I was on back in 2004. But I was blown up literally in iraq by an IED AKA roadside bomb, shot on 3 different occasions.I suffer from RSD/CRPS which has been rated by the world health organization as the #1 most painful disease in the world, 4 time more so than cancers etc. That is only one of many many issues I deal with from those seperate incidents. Also, due to contact with bio weapons my dna makeup is screwed up and my anatomy is not normal. Im missing some internal parts. So im sure you can imagine my pain level on a daily basis. I wanted to quip in that I have since forcing my past doctors hand as in literally having his licensed pulled dued to refusing to detox me off all the 15 meds and one was fentanyl. I was on this medication in large amounts. Patch was two 150mg patches every 48 hours, along with 6-8 fentanyl lollipops at 75 mg a day. Again on top of other narcotics. Unfortunately, prior to being blown up when i was shot I had only been in hospital maybe 2 weeks each time on demerol and then tylenol 3s at home for a few weeks. That was my only experience with pain meds. When I was blown up I was in hospital for 1 yr and 8 months straight. I thought he was doing right by me, I mean other than seeing a doctor for being shot, I had only seen a doctor for a major flu or cold that wasnt moving on, I had only taken aspirin prior to that. The fentanyl almost killed me literally. My weight decreased fro m 160 lbs and 9% body fat (I was ripped muscle wise) to ending up in hospital at 75 lbs dying from wasting disease. I begging, pleaded begged some more to medically detox me off all meds but at the time they had no recommendation on how to detox anyone off fentanyl, literally as it was intended to be meant for terminal patients. I got a very hard life lesson in medicines and how they can kill you, steal your life etc. Now, I am terrified for people on any fentanyl unless terminal as I know what you have been through. I do not have an addictive personality, so I am pretty much the safest pain patient one doctor could have. I had to literally dump all my meds in the toilet, stop all fentanyl and wait until I went into respiratory failure and call the ambulance as I was having a heart attack to force their hand to detox me. I told the emerge doctor that is they put any of those 15 meds back into my bodyi would sue them andi would happily sign paperwork stating I would die first. They came in every day to my room I hospital begging me to put me back on most of the meds especially fentanyl as they did not have a way back then on how to detox someone. Fentanyl works on the same receptors as other opiates and it binds 100 times tighter. I refused and I laid in that bed having seizures and the worst withdrawl issues. Finally I am not sure what drug they used, something for serious alcoholics I think but had to get board approval for hospital to use it.I spent 3 weeksin hospital. Obviously I tried to live a normal life with no meds with all that I have going on but it crumbled me and my life. Many doctors tried to put me on oxycotin and dilaudid even methadone which methadone is also a very hard drug to stop. So I had to make a choice, participate in life or give up and be over medicated. I found a great, one of the best in the world specialist on rsd/crps where I live, he is leading the research and I am thankful. I have a full team. A phd phamacist, psychologist (if needed but I do not suffer from depression like many doctors think you have to have if you have cronic pain, just ptsd I knew I had from my many tours In war zones). And the pain management specialist I just wrote about, I have a great family doctor who works with my pain team and does the prescribing of my medications. I have an internist as part of my team due to my internal anatomy not being "normal", I have a neurologist in my teamfor my brain injury due to the explosion which has caused hyperkentic movement disorder and turrettts type disease, I have a movement physiotherapist who did their phd I blast Injuries and finally a lung specialist as I lost a lung in the blast and I get pheumonia very readily. This did not happen over night. (Maybe your wondering why I sharing all this info, its to help many of you understand that you need to push your family doctors to make sure you have all the support you need, regular family doctors are not experts in many things and I went through a nightmare because I was uninformed at the time and thought the doc who had me wacked on all those meds was helping me, but I didnt have a team so there were no checks and measures). Here in Canada where we are short doctors and specialists it took many years to get this team together but thanks to a great family doctor who knows what her limits of care are I have the best all around care. I also have them doing checks and measures on each other via discussing my case and everyone agreeing im on the right meds, including me. Now I choose to live my life at a pain level daily even with meds at around a 5 to 7 every day. I only take a very low dose of morphine (seeing I am very tolerant due to the past incident) I only take 60 mg long acting 3 times a day and yes I know the half life is shorter than the 8 hours apart and I put up with the occasional sweating but I have also been on the same dosage for 7 yrs its what I started at and refuse to increase. That kicks my everyday pain to the 5 to 7 level I decided I can live with. I also take zanaflex which by the way those of you with chronic nerve and muscle pain may want to ask your doctor about. Its not a narcotic, its not like cyclobenziprine (the orangish houses) which often leave you foggy and drugged feeling for a long time. Its a muscle relaxer that works differently and has little to no addiction issues, although Its recommended you titrate out over a week or two as like anti anxiety meds you could get some little muscles spasms if quit cold turkey but deffo no issues of withdrawal. I take 4 4mg tablets at bedtime and can if needed take up to 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon but rare I do. Zanaf Ex helps you relax and SLEEP! but wears off so after 7 hours you dont wake all groggy and "hungover", I feel its not used often enough in pain patients, it really decreased my nighttime pain and allows me to sleep, I also take 3 1mg clonazapam (klonopin) at night fpr anxiety (again I have been on all meds listed over 7 yrs with no med change In dosage and it still works. Then I have demerol on hand 50 mg for breakthrough pain prn (as needed) when my rsd really flares but I do not take it every day. That is all I take period. I am able to hold down a full time professional job (I do have the option to work at home which helps on really tough days) and I also am working on my masters degree in leadership. Im married, go hiking, camping, ride dirt bikes, fish, swim etc. I suppose there are two points I am making. Less is often more, if your pain meds are not working ask your doctor to see a specialist or help develop a proper medical team for you that can help guide your family doctor as they are not pain specialists, the problem is so e doctors think so highly of themselves they think they know all, a well supported team will be the best present you give your disability, your life and your person. It will take time so be patient. Secondly, please please if you are on fentanyl do not stop the drug, it can kill you, if you want off of it as its too hard to find or fill, go slow, find a new doctor who works with patients trying to get off narcotics. Try even if its trial anf error for a bit to find the best medication that works for you in the lowest mg form. Sometimes and I didnt realize this until I went through hell that all that medication was making me more disabled. I saved my own life and yes, its not always easy having to suck up pain, I know but also realize that no medication or combo will take all your pain away. I believe if you have chronic pain you have a right to be comfortable and everyone has their own pain tolerance they can deal with, I have a high one thankfully. Advocate for yourself. VERWON, everyone knows doctors dont have to even prescribe you antibiotics so stop with the Im sorry but your basically screwed and stop with the side effects crap and your holier than thou comments. People who live in chronic pain are very well aware of how things work. Their meds, their pain threshold. So not all your comments pertain to everyone, you are putting all people with pain in the same box, seriously. Instead you should be telling them to advocate for themselves, to seek professional help other thana family doctor as family doctors are not all versed in all things medical, heck mosy do not even know what rsd/crps is and is listed by WHO as the #1 most painful disease in the world. Most still think if you have pain you are depressed. Trust me im far from depressed, frustration occasionally with all my pain issues but I am surrounded by awesome people and I strive to have a normal life. I love life, my profession, my studies, my spouse and being alive even with everything I live with. I am always striving to be better, stronger, smarter, work hard and play hard on very low dosage of meds and ones I can titrate down if I want too without too much misery. My point to those chronic pain people out there. Dont let your pain ruin your life, force your doctors to think outside the box. Make your doctor get the support of specialists you need to help them, you have every right to live with manageable pain regardless of what your disease is. VERWON why not tell ppl with chronic pain to be proactive, to find support even with the millions of pain hotlines and groups and social workers etc out there. To seek the true help they need. Most people with chronic pain feel helpless enough without your negativity. Why not show some love, kindness, support, compassion I stead of barfing up material you copy and pasted from a other website to make yourself sound as if your above them. You jave not given anyone any real knowlable help. Im sorry but your comments could be the breaking point for someone who already feels hopeless and is depressed, would you want their blood on your consciousness, if they decide to give up as sometimes it just takes one last hopeless comment. Chronic pain brothers and sisters please do not give up, please do research on your medications before taking them, what I have read that some of your doctors have done with you med wise definitely goes against the first rule of "first do no harm". Be strong, reach out to others, form a group on social media. I belong to and rsd group and on rough days we all send uplifting messages to each other. Hang in there, you do have control of your care, sometimes I realize we all get tired but you cannot quit, its your life and its precious. Why I wrote such a long reply to share my story. Please try less is more and try maybe asking your doctor for a nonnarcotic medication that may work better in conjuction with your opiates but dont end up with a long list or fall into the trap of taking meds to stop the side affects of other meds, if you are you need to revise your medication. Also be careful please especially fentanyl users, ive seen and heard of too any accidental deaths. And fyi there is nothing wrong with medicinal mj if treated like a drug, it also comes in pill form and no very addictive. Methdone users, be so careful so many have died on this drug the fda and dea are preferring pain patients be on instead of other narcotics, believe it or not they are pushing methadone for pain and forcing doctors with no other option. Stand up for yourself and if you cant get someine you trust tp help advocate for you. Good luck everyone. Big hugs and lots of love.

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