No idea what to do - Dr.'s closed w/o notice!

[WorriedAsHell]

Sorry if this is the wrong subforum, please feel free to move this.



I'm on a pretty high-dosage of opiate agonists for my back pain, and I called my dr yesterday to verify my appointment, only to get no answer.

I found out today why that was: he was part of a sweep of dr.'s suspected of medicare fraud yesterday, I saw a picture of my dr.'s office on the news for chrissakes!!

My question is: WTF does one do in this situation? I've been calling around, but nobody is able to give me an answer (I imagine this is due to the nature of the dosages I've been prescribed to).

I've been seeing my dr for over two years, and have been on a daily regimen of considerably high amounts of opiates. Today is my appointment to see him/get my rx's, and, clearly, he's not gonna be there/able to give me any "release" papers. I'm freaking out right now, both due to the fear of not being able to get my medication (have never really experienced "withdrawals", but given what I'm taking, if abruptly discontinued, I imagine it's going to be quite severe), and because I have no idea how I'd even be able to find a new doctor!!

I'm in NO way asking for specific doctor references/sources, so don't PM! (I haven't even given my area) I'm just asking what one would do in this situation. For over two years, I've taken about 10 pills daily of 2 very high strength pain relievers, and I'm practically pissing myself with worry that when what I have left (enough to get me through today, part of tomorrow), especially this being a friday, finally runs out, that I'm going to go through withdrawals that I've only read about!

Any responses appreciated, I'm far more worried about withdrawals than my back pain at this point, it seems the pain will be nothing compared to what I'm reading about regarding abrupt cessation.

 

[nuvanob]

Look up pain management in the yellow pages, and start calling. Go to the ER with your scripts if you start having WD's.

 

[TampaLawyer]

I have a good idea where you are at...i watch the news. There are very legitimate doctors in your area and google is now your best friend. Get an appt and take your scripts with you so they know you arent trying to just score and explain the situation to the new dr. Any ethical dr wont let you go through the WDs that will come from the dosages you are on.

 

[dokomo]

I'm so sorry to hear that this has happened!! As others have mentioned, the best thing is to start contacting other doctors or clinics and describe your situation. If worst comes to worst, you can take your scripts to the ER, explain your situation and hopefully they will help.

Discussion for Doctors, Clinics, etc belong in Healthy Living, so I'll move this over there for you.

-->HL

 

[WorriedAsHell]

I have a good idea where you are at...i watch the news. There are very legitimate doctors in your area and google is now your best friend. Get an appt and take your scripts with you so they know you arent trying to just score and explain the situation to the new dr. Any ethical dr wont let you go through the WDs that will come from the dosages you are on.

I just tried pm'ing you, but the new acct wouldn't let me - unsure if you initiated a pm whether it'd let me reply, but please try because I have some (non-source!) questions for you. And given you're tampa, I'm sure you know whch one - it's the one from the picture of the print-article from this morning...

I'm so sorry to hear that this has happened!! As others have mentioned, the best thing is to start contacting other doctors or clinics and describe your situation. If worst comes to worst, you can take your scripts to the ER, explain your situation and hopefully they will help.

Thank you for your sympathy. It sucks, because the levels of medications make me look like a complete "drug seeker" given my age. I've had ZERO luck with these places, it seems their best offer to me is: sometime next week we'll schedule an appointment, you bring your records (how can I? The FBI suspects medicare fraud, they took all their records!!), then pay an exorbitant fee (that, even if I could afford it, would negate me from affording my scripts!), and that's only IF the doctor continues where my doctor left off!! I could do all that only to hear "no way I'm prescribing you these doses, here I'll put you on 2 daily dosages of 10mg percocets", and - based on the levels I mentioned, that'd obviously be, well, kinda pointless yknow? ( If I neglected the dosages, it's 165mg daily oxy for breakthrough, 60mg daily methadone for my long-actor, plus a couple sched.IV meds in low doses (10mg daily valium, 25 pills monthly of low-dose temazepam for sleep) )

I'm getting so freaked out right now, been making calls like crazy and getting nowhere, everyone seems to be getting the impression that I'm just looking to pull some convoluted plan to scam them....I need to find a printer, perhaps pictures from the newspaper article (which shows my clinic's name) would help convince them of the true situation...

 

[WorriedAsHell]

And this is a kinda tangential question at the moment, but is what happened "ok"??? I mean, for a dr to prescribe such high dosages of pain relievers, and then put a patient in a position where they have to "fend for themselves"?? Seems almost like malpractice, I mean I'd expect at least some message on their phone saying "all of today's patients, please report to this address/facility and you will be helped there", but instead, it just rings then says the number's box if full (not their normal answering machine, unsure if the FBI pulled their lines...). Oh and again, his practice, while seen as a "pill mill" by some, had this happen over medicare fraud, not "trafficking"/pill-mill-related offenses

 

[TampaLawyer]

Yes i know exactly what dr you were seeing and i tried but i also cannot send PMs yet because of my status. Like i said though google is your friend and there are legitimate pain clinics in this area. Do the research and you will be able to find a reputable clinic. No matter who you go see you do need to have as much of your records that you can get your hands on as well as your empty scripts to prove exactly what you had been prescribed, and when they were last filled. Take this as a lesson to make sure you keep copies of your medical records. Worst case scenario you will need to go to the ER if your withdrawals get too bad before your next appointment. Frankly i think this is as much advice i can give without breaking the forum rules. I hope this helps.

 

[WorriedAsHell]

MODS, please don't merge - this thread is re my doctor situation, and I'm no longer looking/interested in finding a dr./continuing the meds. To be honest, I'd already been tapering a bit for months. At this point I just want off, but at my levels I'm pretty sure there's really only one option (detox).
On that note, I'm going to start a thread in TDS, and will link to this one here, but I'm thinking TDS will be far more useful in helping me find the steps to getting to treatment asap.

 

[BaybeX]

How bout finding a methadone clinic?

 

[WorriedAsHell]

I really wanted to do that when off the bat IF I didn't find an inpatient detox, but at this point I'm so far into a cold-turkey detox that I'm wondering whether I'm going to need to get back on anything. For obvious reasons I'd rather stay off if I can manage it, but the reality seems to be that almost nobody can manage abstinence without a maintenance opioid (what a sad reality that is, not pathetic but truly sad/grim).

I've called every place (inpatient/outpatient detox, maintenance therapies) and went in person to a methadone/suboxone clinic, and an inpatient detox. The inpatient detox wouldn't take me because my dosage of methadone was too high, and the methadone clinic, well, it just didn't feel right. I was really f'ing scared when this started, afraid that I'd fold and do opes any and every chance I had once withdrawals started, but it hasn't really been like that. The cravings aren't even close to what was expected based on many personal experiences (any and every other withdrawal symptom is kicking full-on right now, however). But I've actually been around two different groups of people who could've *given* me pills (not that I'd break the law, obviously), and I didn't even really think about it. I mean, it was in my head, but it was more of a - I hate saying this - it was more of a disliking of being around the *people* who were there. I haven't gone back to the kid's house since.

If a methadone clinic is my best bet, it still is an opioid-based approach, but if I'm going that route, I may as well just find another dr., which wouldn't be too hard. It seems like that'd be a million times easier/smarter than going to a methadone clinic, but I don't want to be on opiates anymore, I just want to detox without relapsing during the detox. Once detox is done - and it practically is at this point - I can do an out-patient methadone-maintenance/taper if I think I need it, or if I feel the urge to drive over to houses I know people are using in, and while that was my biggest fear off the bat, it's actually the opposite feeling, I just don't even want to be around the shit, or the people for that matter, anymore.
(sorry if that was rambling/nonsensical, I've had 2 all-nighters in 4 days, combined with the other withdrawal symptoms it has me feeling like I got brain damage or something)
(edited. I'm off all of my medications, which includes valium, yet I haven't even noticed the valium withdrawal symptoms, I've been presuming they're just paling in the face of the sheer magnitude of the oxy/methadone w/d's..
(edited. I won't start any threads so I'll ask here - how many days after your last methadone would you be at the strongest w/d's? If it matters much I was on a dosage between 50 and 100 mg/day.)

 

[WorriedAsHell]

Yes i know exactly what dr you were seeing and i tried but i also cannot send PMs yet because of my status. Like i said though google is your friend and there are legitimate pain clinics in this area. Do the research and you will be able to find a reputable clinic. No matter who you go see you do need to have as much of your records that you can get your hands on as well as your empty scripts to prove exactly what you had been prescribed, and when they were last filled. Take this as a lesson to make sure you keep copies of your medical records. Worst case scenario you will need to go to the ER if your withdrawals get too bad before your next appointment. Frankly i think this is as much advice i can give without breaking the forum rules. I hope this helps.

Heavily appreciated %) And honestly, there's no info that could be given that would break rules (I'd never 'source' here, and if you were referring to telling me a specific place, as you know my rough-locale, it wouldn't even be needed much as I've called almost every single place within driving range.

On the topic of records, HELL YES! I have almost everything that I could have, from MRI's to analyses to my empty bottles, so I'm sure it'd be a walk-in thing for many dr.'s in this area, but at this point I'm more scared of touching opioids than I am of cracking/failing my detox. That's definitely my silver lining here

 

[a2lambretta]

Hey Worried, how many days are you into the detox now? Over a week? I ask because since you mentioned never having gone through withdrawal before, it is quite dangerous to go cold turkey off of methadone. Just want to make sure you're safe...

 

[WorriedAsHell]

Hey Worried, how many days are you into the detox now? Over a week? I ask because since you mentioned never having gone through withdrawal before, it is quite dangerous to go cold turkey off of methadone. Just want to make sure you're safe...

How so? I know it's hell on earth - I've gone through it before, I think. It's hard to say, I mean I know I've been sick as hell, I'll just never know *if* I hit the bottom of it, as I never actually stopped for good, so there's just no way to know. I imagine I didn't hit the bottom of withdrawals though (w/d's are far more complex than I ever could've imagined, I mean I just read that, without maintenance-opioids, the 12-month absintence rate is about 2-3%. That's scary shit.)

But please let me know about why it's dangerous, are you alluding to the likelihood of someone in m'done withdrawals doing something dangerous, or the physical withdrawals themselves? As far as I've read, alcohol and alprazolam seem to be some of the only commonly abused drugs that can lead to death upon rapid cessation.
(I do live in a state that is, in essence, the pill capital of the country, and luckily I have people who will drive me if need be, if I ever am worried. In fact they're already ready to do so, if needed, since I made them aware that I was worried about the valium-cessation. From what I read, I commonly see xanax specified as potentially fatal upon cold-turkey, but given the pharmacology, I fail to see how the same wouldn't happen with valium/temazepam, both of which I was prescribed and subsequently am cold-turkey'ing. BUT, my view of this was that the opioid w/d part will be safe, despite being hell-on-earth, and that only the benzo's could be worrisome from a mortality perspective, despite me barely even able to discern I am w/d'ing from the benzo's. Oh I should mention my benzo scripts were not NEARLY as strong as my opioid ones were, fwiw)

 

[VespaVixen]

If you're on that much I know ERs are bullshit but dude you should be at an ER, you don't want to go through that kinda withdrawal alone. At least be on IV fluids and they can probably get you on a step down until you find another doctor that will prescribe it.
ER's SUCK I know from experience, they treat EVERYONE like a god damn drug addict which is bullshit. I'm fucking terminally ill and I've had doctors question me as to why I am on the meds I'm on-assholes. They give the medical community a bad rep. But I'd really suggest if you are that desperate and scared to go through a withdrawal get over to an ER and at least be somewhere that can manage the vomiting with some medications and HOPEFULLY will prescribe you some temporary medication until you find another doctor.
I agree with Lambretta- be safe! don't be affraid to get help asap!

 

[doppelganga196]

Is this florida? What a hellish place to receive medical care...

OP have you thought/heard about poppy seed or pod Tea? If things get really bad this could help you with the pain & withdrawal.

 

[junebug222]

Good luck with the poppy tea. I've searched everywhere and can't find anything that has opium. I bought from 2 places and no luck.

 

[WorriedAsHell]

If you're on that much I know ERs are bullshit but dude you should be at an ER, you don't want to go through that kinda withdrawal alone. At least be on IV fluids and they can probably get you on a step down until you find another doctor that will prescribe it.
ER's SUCK I know from experience, they treat EVERYONE like a god damn drug addict which is bullshit. I'm fucking terminally ill and I've had doctors question me as to why I am on the meds I'm on-assholes. They give the medical community a bad rep. But I'd really suggest if you are that desperate and scared to go through a withdrawal get over to an ER and at least be somewhere that can manage the vomiting with some medications and HOPEFULLY will prescribe you some temporary medication until you find another doctor.
I agree with Lambretta- be safe! don't be affraid to get help asap!

Thank you very much vespa - unfortunately the ER's won't do shit (have friends who've gone, to no avail), *BUT* luckily I'm at about two weeks now, so I think I'm pretty much past that point, now it's just making sure the valium isn't too bad of an issue to come off of (hasn't seemed to be, the w/d's were pure opioid, subjectively. I never noticed the normal benzo-w/d's even though I should have.

Is this florida? What a hellish place to receive medical care...

OP have you thought/heard about poppy seed or pod Tea? If things get really bad this could help you with the pain & withdrawal.

Hah, of course - I think most any opioid-user has, however it's actually easier to get synthetic opioids (the typical pain pills, oxy for the most part) than pods. I've actually only seen opium two or three times in my life, and've only seen one pod actually worked on. As far as painkillers, jesus, the shit's like booze or pot in the state I live in (admittedly it is one of the worst in the country for this).

Good luck with the poppy tea. I've searched everywhere and can't find anything that has opium. I bought from 2 places and no luck.

I wouldn't use it anyways as it has way bad w/d's relative to other opioids, too many non-useful agonists in it. But you've got 2 posts and I have a feeling a feeling you're trying to source, so I don't even know why I responded to you :/

 

[junebug222]

sorry don't know the lingo. I'm assuming source means trying to find a source. I'd probably give it a try again to find something that works. I usually don't post, but am going to run out of my meds tomorrow. I know how scared you are. It's a heavy duty dosage of meds so I know it's not going to be fun. I sympathize with you.

 

[WorriedAsHell]

sourcing means buying/selling, which isn't allowed ;-P Good luck when you run out, what're your plans?


WELL, IT JUST HAPPENED. I dodged teh phone call tho...I'm so unsure what to do. The place that had a 1wk wait left a message for me. I'm so f'ing unsure whether I still need to go, have to decide by tomorrow afternoon....shit.
Does anyone know how "public" or on-record inpatient-detox's are? It'd be nice if they'd just send an email or something to give you a quick run-down of, well, anything specific. I've got zero idea where they're located, what to expect (never been caged in my life - have no idea if that's what some places do or not), whether they do detox/maintenance drugs (I'm really unsure if I want to be put back on anything at this point), etc etc., crazy fear of the unknowns here :/

 

[dokomo]

^The only way you're going to find out anything is to call and speak with them man. I totally understand the fear of the unknown, but there isn't any reason to avoid their calls because it will just prolong that fear.

When you say "public" or "on record" are you referring to the confidentiality? Or how their program operates?