Need A Pain Specialist Not An Addiction Who Can Prescribe Subutex Bupenorphine For My Chronic Boulder County Co

I've changed healthcare plans (I receive disability because of chronic degenerative disc disease and spinal arthritis, both of which cause chronic pain).

I need to find a PAIN SPECIALIST, not an addiction clinic, who will continue my 12mg/day buprenorphine prescription as well as give me botox IV's in my neck for muscle spasms (caused by 5 fusions that have forced my cervical spine straight).

When I search the web for physicians in Boulder County, CO, who can prescribe buprenorphine, all of the listings are for addiction specialists and clinics!

What is this mindset among physicians that all patients who need buprenorphine prescriptions are drug addicts?

Is there a directory on the manufacturer's site that provides the names of ALL physicians who can prescribe buprenorphine?

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Have you checked the suboxobe website? They have a list of doctors. I would also try an internet search for pain management clinics in Boulder and call them. Most pain management Drs can prescribe suboxone. I recently had emergency surgery and the pain management Dr came too see me, he had to follow me in the hospital because of my pain management needs and he can prescribe subs as well.

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Hello, Christine! How are you?

Any doctor can prescribe it for pain and there is no listing of doctors according to what they will or will not prescribe for their patients.

However, only doctor's that are specially trained in its use for addiction who have the waiver to treat with it can prescribe it for that, so that's what you're going to find if you hunt for doctors that prescribe it, because a directory is kept for that to help people find these doctors, since there is only a limited number of them.

What you need to find is just a pain management specialist and then make sure they receive a full copy of your current medical records. Have you tried seeing if your new plan has a listing of doctors that accept it in your area?

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Yes. I first looked up pain specialists in Boulder County and cross-checked the names to make sure they are in my HMO.

Unfortunately, no MDs who can both prescribe bupenorphine and do therapeutic botox IV's.

Then I increased my search to 30 miles from my ZIP code, and found 1 doc who does both.

When I called his office to see if he was accepting new patients, the receptionist told me that he was "limiting" the number of patients with my insurance!! I have United Healthcare Secure Horizons Medicare Advantage Plan 2 HMO. (I receive Medicare for disability).

Can you believe that???

I'm going to call my insurance co and ask if he can refuse to accept patients with my plan, as he IS an HMO member.

I am DISGUSTED by the attitude of that doc that "limits" the number of patients with my insurance plan and will file a complaint about him with United Healthcare.

I know that reimbursements are a serious issue with docs and insurance companies, but they know the rules when they agree to participate in those plans.

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Dear Verwon,
My primary care doc suggested that I see a pain management practice in the same building as his office, so I had a chat with one of those docs.

He told me that he and his partner had decided to not go through the training sessions for Suboxone because it was too much of a hassle.

But you're right--he should be able to prescribe buprenorphine (Subutex), which my current pain doc prescribes because the Suboxone films were making me nauseated.

I'll give that other doc another call and see what he says.

Thank you for your suggestion!

I'm OK. I recently had an MRI that shows the C! disc is deteriorating. My neurosurgeon told me to have steroid IV's first, but if those don't work after 9 months, my next visit with him will be a pre-op visit.

I don't like having surgery, but I completely trust my neurosurgeon because he's told me that he will not do surgery unless my spinal cord is unstable. Chronic degenerative disc disease apparently causes spinal cord instability when a disc ruptures or "slips." My neurosurgeon is a great person as well as being one of the top 5 surgeons in the US. I am so glad I found him when I had the 5th surgery on my neck.

The surgeon who did the 4th surgery was an absolute disaster; she left a jagged scar and my voice was so rough that I couldn't keep a tune when I tried to sing hymns at church for over 6 months.

She accused me of " 'obviously' taking more pain medication" that I'd brought from home" when her diagnostics of how well I was oriented to my surroundings showed that I wasn't very well oriented (but she diagnosed me only 2 hours after I was moved to my room). I remember demanding that she explain how I could possibly crawl out of bed only 5 hours after surgery and with 2 IVs. I also challenged her to dump my bag on the floor and find the "extra narcotics" I'd brought from home! The radiology techs told me they called her "Nurse Ratchet" behind her back!

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Any physician can prescribe buprenorphine for pain.... in order to prescribe it for addiction a physician needs a DEA waiver allowing it. But that being said, buprenorphine was prescribed for pain long before t became an outpatient addiction treatment. Ask your dc about Butrans..it's a time released patch worn weekly for sustained pain relief. Hope that helps.

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Don't know if you are still in need of subutex doc but try Dr. Dextradeur in Thornton, CO. He is often sympathetic to those who need subutex, as oppossed to suboxone, for whatever reason. Hope this helps.

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Dear John,
I am so grateful for your suggestion to see Dr. Dextradeur. As you said, he is very sympathetic to patients who need subutex SL tablets. I am WILLING to pay his $400 office fee. I asked him if he would give me a prescription and he said "yes, of course." I'll see him tomorrow and will receive my much-needed subutex (buprenorphine w/o naxalone).

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!

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That's great! Glad I could help. I had forgotten all about this post lol. Wish more doctors were as understanding of the various mitigating factors that arise during treatment, preventing a person from needing/being able to take suboxone. I think most do honestly, they just don't care. I think you are about to embark upon a life changing path once you start this med and start working with this doc. Good luck with everything. My name is actually Joey btw, not John lol. Tell Dr Dex I said hi. Joey the sports psychologist. He will know who you are talking about. Best wishes!

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Thanks to everyone who responded to my original request to find a dr. in Boulder county CO who could prescribe Subutex for me. I went to Dr. Dex until the end of December and I changed my medicare insurance to Aetna from AARP United Healthcare. The Aetna policy covers a chronic pain clinic in Golden called Colorado Pain. It's advertised as a chronic pain clinic set up by doctors, not insurance companies. They are also in AZ and NV.

This clinic--the doctors--the PA I see once/month--the office staff are absolutely WONDERFUL! All I had to do was talk with the PA about my chronic pain (from spinal arthritis and chronic degenerative disc disease) and I had a U/A done. The next month, after the PA and my doctor got the results, I left the clinic with prescriptions for Butrans patches (buprenorphine, i.e., Suboxone), Percocet, Robaxcin (a muscle relaxer) and oxycontin. It took me a couple of weeks before I was able to get through the day without sleeping (and I did need the rest!), but now I am more active than I've been for over 2 years.

But now I feel so much better. That last pain i**** under-prescribed and I was never comfortable; at my 4th monthly appointment I had to be in tears before he even considered reviewing the prescriptions he'd written for me. That's one of my "uh-oh, this "specialist" is no good" signs; why didn't believe how much pain I was in when I was calm?

At Colorado Pain, I've also been treated with Botox (for muscle spasms) and radio frequency ablation. Dr. Jason Krutsch, my doctor, is one of the co-founders of these chronic pain clinics. He is just wonderful, asking me before the procedures how I'm doing and if my prescriptions are relieving my pain.

Thank God I changed my insurance and found Colorado Pain. Even the office staff and billing office are exceptional. I have received several notices from Aetna about what my portion of the procedures would be, but I'd never received any invoices from the clinic. When I mentioned this to a receptionist, the billing supervisor was right there and heard my question about why I hadn't received any invoices yet, and she explained that to take care of those charges takes a little bit of time during which those notices are mailed to me. She told me I had no outstanding balance!

When I think of the terribly upsetting phone calls I'd had to make to try and settle problems with coverage, fees, etc., because that doc's billing supervisor would call and tell me my insurance hadn't paid for procedures--dumping the problem in my lap.

It's a joyful experience to be treated like a human being in need of proper treatment for my chronic pain. I hope Dr. Krutsch and his partners open more clinics, at least 1 in every state.

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Go to Cincinnati ohio... Yes long drive but u go to cash sbtex clinic same day fill sbtex the avg patients on dope get 2 to 3 day im told no hassles here

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It does suck but they can limit any patients or deny anyone services. It's your insurance that's required to offer you a dr. The dr isn't required to see you. The blame lies with medicaid not the dr. They don't pay crap so in order to keep having a practice they have to limit how many medicaid patients they see since the others will pay the difference medicaid doesn't pay. It causes their health insurance to go up. Things are no different now than before obamacare in terms of fixing things. People with insurance pay for people without it and also the difference of medicaid. 817 share of cost medicaid I still am uninsured. Going on almost 4 yrs and I still haven't had a biopsy I was supposed to have because if other people aren't paying for insurance and the majority are on some type of medicaid then they delay healthcare. That's why so many dislike medicaid. It limits dr.s, treatments and tests and causes higher insurance rates for those who pay. Welcome to America.

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I recently moved from Florida to Indiana and and not far from Lafayette. I am desperately searching for a doctor to prescribe me suboxone. The dogs are still in Florida so me and his walk-in clinic and things were very easy to deal with. Any suggestions on who locally might be able to help point me in the right direction on where to go or who to see?

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I have had chronic pain for about 10 years now, after a major car accident. I live in Northeast Pennsylvania. I have had various pain meds and really bad reactions to the pain injections that many, many docs want to do. When I tell them I cannot do the injections, they usually d/c me from their practice. I am so tired of the way I am treated. I am not addicted--I have chronic pain. I would like to try some form of Butrans to help with the pain. But finding a doctor who will even discuss this with me is almost impossible. Does anyone know of doctors in this area who will RX Butrans for pain? I would really appreciate the help.

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Need subutex not Suboxone for pain or Dr who can prescribe 10 mg methadone pills. I'm at a clinic on methadone now paying cash. Can't afford it. Had 2 knee surgeries and have other areas causing chronic pain. Its hard in south FL to get help in my situation. My neurologist may help me. Need suggestions.

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My experience when I was in a methadone maintenance program was that I met a few people there that was only on there dose for legit pain reasons and they couldn't get pain management treatment through the clinic but they got medicine at the least. cause one person's Dr didn't wanna write strong enough opiods to treat her severe back pain so she got in the clinic where she knew she could get up to 140mgs a day dose(eventually in the first few months)for 13.50 a day which was cheaper than any other meds that worked for that kinda pain, I also knew a guy in there with no legs and he was dosing daily for 20 years at this time because paying for his dose there on a daily basis was way cheaper than the meds that most insurance companies wont cover or they only cover so much and u end up paying more out of pocket that way than the daily dosing in the methadone clinics

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I know what you mean. I believe it's a DEA/FDA thing. I was told that dr's who treat pain mgmt can only have 30 patients at a time using Suboxone/Subutex. I'm going through this now as my dr was recently "busted" and I have to find a new dr. Went to one last week and he told me that he doesn't prescribe Suboxone and he couldn't give me ANYTHING for pain. I'm at a loss as to what to do. Good luck!!

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I don't even know if this is a problem anymore I see the date it was posted. Of course all kinds of new cra zines has happened since them with pain medication. I cannot speak for every state but here in Tennea see not jusy any doctor can write for bupernorphine. It doesn't have to be a pain specialist but they have the register and do a bunch of stuff to be certified to prescribe it here. The government is controlling it all now even our doctor patient relationships. I'm so very sick and tired of dealing with this and seeing good people suffer.Lord help us find a kind and compassionate doctor who still believas in the oath they took. Amen (but I'm losing faith in that month by month when my doc keeps telling me she has to lower my meds because I don't have cancer.

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Not trying to be a smart-ass or but if you come to South Florida you will find them anywhere you go on every street practically

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Sorry but if you live in Colorado, why don't you use medical marijuana? It works and many opiate addicts have used it successfully to get clean.

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Re: Christine (# 9)

Hi! I know it’s been a while since u have been here but I would really like to talk to u. I’m in Lakewood and in the same exact situations u were in.

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Subutex from any pain clinic. Called Buprenorphine but most will only give form with naloxone in it. Suboxone any doc can give

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