Discussion Chronic pain sufferers and the ever-changing laws

RUC4

RUC4

Bluelighter
Joined
Oct 26, 2018
Messages
664
Location
Florida
Years ago, when something was painful, you would go to the doctor, maybe get a prescription after a few tests. Then you would either feel better, or visit the doctor again and get something else. This system worked like a well-oiled machine for many years. The current assumption people have made is that because of the overprescribed, overuse of prescriptions, namely opioids, people escalated from prescription pain medicines to street drugs. The theory is that people with broken legs, toothaches, sprained ankles, or whatever ailment were getting unwarranted, strong pain medicines that were unnecessary and led them down a dark path into addiction (and possibly crime).
The laws have changed so drastically in the last 15 years that it has become very difficult to get pain medicine prescribed even if you need it. The scale has tipped into the opposite direction, too little is being prescribed and taken. These changes have made a devastating impact for two reasons: patients who have been on long-term prescribed pain medicine for chronic illnesses were denied their prescriptions, causing them to look elsewhere for relief, and the new people suffering from chronic illnesses and pain can't obtain a needed prescription and are treated like addicts for wanting them.

As a patient, you have to tiptoe on a thin line between advocating for yourself and appearing to be drug-seeking and denied medication. If you're "flagged" in the system as drug-seeking, you won't get any prescriptions in your town, or county, or state. This delicate tiptoeing is clouded even further for ex-addicts who are chronically ill.

Who should decide what kind of pain deserves prescription medicine? Who should decide how much or for how long? Why are we not allowed to decide for ourselves if pain medicine can be used to manage an illness? A person can buy as much beer or liquor from any store. We are allowed to decide when to stop drinking (an addictive substance), vaping nicotine, but not pain medicine?
 
Hell yes ; if wanting to be free of pain gets you labelled as 'drug-seeking', then I am that along with the rest of the human race.
I've had the experience of being denied adequate pain relief while acutely ill with pancreatitis in hospital because I was known as a drug user.
Ffs I don't go to the hospital to get high, also nevermind standard therapeutic doses wouldn't get me there anyway. I had to explain this at length and argue with 3 different doctors before I finally got grudgingly given some morphine (alongside a lecture) .

Also rather ironically, there never WAS this pipeline from prescription painkillers to say street heroin, but NOW there bloody is!, because legitimate pain patients either get taken off their medication or are finding it too expensive to afford, so are forced onto the black market in search of something stronger / cheaper.
 
RUC4 said:
Years ago, when something was painful, you would go to the doctor, maybe get a prescription after a few tests. Then you would either feel better, or visit the doctor again and get something else. This system worked like a well-oiled machine for many years. The current assumption people have made is that because of the overprescribed, overuse of prescriptions, namely opioids, people escalated from prescription pain medicines to street drugs. The theory is that people with broken legs, toothaches, sprained ankles, or whatever ailment were getting unwarranted, strong pain medicines that were unnecessary and led them down a dark path into addiction (and possibly crime).
The laws have changed so drastically in the last 15 years that it has become very difficult to get pain medicine prescribed even if you need it. The scale has tipped into the opposite direction, too little is being prescribed and taken. These changes have made a devastating impact for two reasons: patients who have been on long-term prescribed pain medicine for chronic illnesses were denied their prescriptions, causing them to look elsewhere for relief, and the new people suffering from chronic illnesses and pain can't obtain a needed prescription and are treated like addicts for wanting them.

As a patient, you have to tiptoe on a thin line between advocating for yourself and appearing to be drug-seeking and denied medication. If you're "flagged" in the system as drug-seeking, you won't get any prescriptions in your town, or county, or state. This delicate tiptoeing is clouded even further for ex-addicts who are chronically ill.

Who should decide what kind of pain deserves prescription medicine? Who should decide how much or for how long? Why are we not allowed to decide for ourselves if pain medicine can be used to manage an illness? A person can buy as much beer or liquor from any store. We are allowed to decide when to stop drinking (an addictive substance), vaping nicotine, but not pain medicine?
Click to expand...

Can you elaborate on how the process of being flagged as a drug seeker works. There is nothing i despise more than secret blacklists, save perhaps unjustified covert surveillance systems. Also does being placed on some kind of statewide blacklist based on something a paitent says to their doctor ? not violate doctor patient confidentiality ?. I love Florida btw, the neofascist scourge seems not to have breached the gates of your sunshine domain yet.
 
Last edited:
I made the mistake of getting on suboxone, which will flag me as a ' drug addict' forever.
I have met doctors who were sympathetic to my situation & prescribed what they can (like gabapentin & shit).
I think it's up to the doctor's discretion really if they wanna give you controlled substances whether you're an addict or not.
There's plenty of people on subs or methadone who might also get prescribed benzos or stimulants.

But as far as pain relief goes, we're all screwed.
I know people in my family who deal with chronic pain (including myself) and all they're ever given is shit like SNRI's and gabapentin & that's it.

The drug war needs to end, like yesterday.

Opioids long term are safer on the brain & organs than legal drugs like alcohol. When more people finally realize this, they will hopefully realize they are being lied to & having their choice to use pain meds & have quality of life taken away. The drug war should have been the original "my body, my choice".
 
This country im at right now is weird... U can go to any pharmacy and ask for whatever you want without prescription, and they will just hand it to you. And i mean bupe, morphine, seriously just whatever you want... Except for my drug of choice, heroin. Fuck me, right?
My roommate just woke up with the nastiest abscess and was like "brb imma go get tramadol and some rigs to drain that thing" ewwwwwww
 
strangeaeon said:
This country im at right now is weird... U can go to any pharmacy and ask for whatever you want without prescription, and they will just hand it to you. And i mean bupe, morphine, seriously just whatever you want... Except for my drug of choice, heroin. Fuck me, right?
My roommate just woke up with the nastiest abscess and was like "brb imma go get tramadol and some rigs to drain that thing" ewwwwwww
Click to expand...

tartaria must be a hell of a place.
 
strangeaeon said:
This country im at right now is weird... U can go to any pharmacy and ask for whatever you want without prescription, and they will just hand it to you. And i mean bupe, morphine, seriously just whatever you want... Except for my drug of choice, heroin. Fuck me, right?
My roommate just woke up with the nastiest abscess and was like "brb imma go get tramadol and some rigs to drain that thing" ewwwwwww
Click to expand...
How quick can I move in??? lol :P Just playing.
Fuck that must be nice. I'd at least be happy to be able to access prescription opioids that are almost as good heroin.
 
I can't find my old post about alternatives for chronic pain relief., but I wanted to ask if anyone had any other suggestions.

I've had burning/tingly in my feet for a couple years now. Along with dry skin on my right elbow.
Watched a video & discovered that these symptoms could be from vitamin b1 deficiency.
I have no idea if I have a vitamin b1 deficiency but I guess it can't hurt to try when I have the money for a supplement.

I've spoken to 5 different doctors over the past 2 years & mentioned this burning/tingling & not a single one of them mentioned anything about possible vitamin deficiency or anything at all real. Mostly just looks of "well that sucks".
The US healthcare system is completely fucked.

I have to resort to poppyseeds, DXM or illicit drugs whenever the pain gets to be too much. Which is fucking absurd.
Last DXM experience made me completely sick.



Killing myself to live, just how the government wants it.
 
90sdance said:
Can you elaborate on how the process of being flagged as a drug seeker works. There is nothing i despise more than secret blacklists, save perhaps unjustified covert surveillance systems. Also does being placed on some kind of statewide blacklist based on something a paitent says to their doctor ? not violate doctor patient confidentiality ?. I love Florida btw, the neofascist scourge seems not to have breached the gates of your sunshine domain yet.
Click to expand...
If you get more than one opiate script from more than one doctor, you’re flagged. They don’t want you “doctor shopping” for the dr that will give you the meds you want.
If you’ve been prescribed subs, it will be in the system. It isn’t a RED flag so to speak, but it doesn’t help your case if you’re trying to get opiates for pain.
The flagging basically happens when a physician feels like you have drug-seeking behavior.
There is now a log for everyone that keeps track of all controlled substances you’ve been given. State wide and maybe nation wide. It’s all in a database.
 
DeathIndustrial88 said:
I've spoken to 5 different doctors over the past 2 years & mentioned this burning/tingling & not a single one of them mentioned anything about possible vitamin deficiency or anything at all real. Mostly just looks of "well that sucks".
Click to expand...
This has been my experience, also, trying to figure out what is causing a bunch of odd symptoms I’ve had for years. Doctors suck.
 
Yeah it sucks. Anyone who has ever had family members in pain management knows as much. People should receive an appropriate amount of pain medication to cover their needs but the current political climate makes it so that's a real pain in the ass to accomplish, and that's if you have undeniable proof of your physical ailment.

There are some positive signs however...I've seen more stories over the past few years that draw attention to the plight of people who aren't receiving appropriate medical care cuz of the "opioid epidemic", including in some "mainstream media" outlets like Fox etc...plus there's just a lot of positive developments with other drug-related stuff like cannabis, kratom, psychedelics etc...I'm hoping that the issue will get another look taken at it in the future, with maybe approval of an over-the-counter low-grade opiate for consumers to purchase without an Rx or something. Or maybe just start up some modern-day opium dens? Lol people are into the natural drugs nowadays, might be on to something there. Seems ambitious as far as things stand nowadays but I'm cautiously optimistic as we put more time between us and the epicenter of the opioid epidemic
 
xtcgrrrl said:
This has been my experience, also, trying to figure out what is causing a bunch of odd symptoms I’ve had for years. Doctors suck.
Click to expand...
I empathize with you my friend.
Same here. All kinds of weird symptoms & issues.
I even some times feel like I'm dying of cancer or some other illness for months on end, only to go get checked out & be told there's nothing wrong with me. lol
I have been given the diagnosis of "conversion disorder", but I'm not quite sure I understand it. Can "conversion disorder" really make some one feel like they're dying or having a heart attack or feeling strange sensory issues & physical sensations, I dunno. But yeah doctors are next to useless it seems.
 
my doc rocks; at least he acknowleges my pain and orders MRIs or whatever when I am hurting bad. shopping around for a surgeon who may or may not improve my neck. Meanwhile, however, during the pandemic, after years and years(20+?) of stable scripts and relatively functional living; he had his hours cut in half, I could not get in to see him, ended up in the ER in withdrawal from klonopin, methadone, and lyrica at the same time,

Now the pharmacist gives me crap every time I fill anything. "well, you took too much klonopin last month", or "you drive on all these medications!"
Im like yea, are you a physician, Ill trade you my broken ankle, three neck surguries, pulled tendons, broken wrist, and torn rotator cuff, you can have all those conditions, and then see how it feels to withhold my medications.
Send me behind the 7-11 already; my insurance also does not want me on so much meds so they are making me pay the going rate for methadone and hydrocodone, when it used to be covered.
The pandemic caused a flag on my account
and my pain contract is on borrowed time. I worry every month that my RXs will be pulled or my doctor will retire.
I will just end up at the methadone clinic and take prescribed gabapentin, worse comes to worse?
 
DeathIndustrial88 said:
I empathize with you my friend.
Same here. All kinds of weird symptoms & issues.
I even some times feel like I'm dying of cancer or some other illness for months on end, only to go get checked out & be told there's nothing wrong with me. lol
I have been given the diagnosis of "conversion disorder", but I'm not quite sure I understand it. Can "conversion disorder" really make some one feel like they're dying or having a heart attack or feeling strange sensory issues & physical sensations, I dunno. But yeah doctors are next to useless it seems.
Click to expand...
Yes! This is exactly what happened to me recently. One of my doctors (pain management doctor, one of the only doctors I really trust) told me that my lymph nodes have been swollen for a super long time and it might possibly be cancer. So I go to my PCP and ask for the necessary referrals so I can get this checked out. She also checks me over and says I’m perfectly fine…

Pretty sure this doctor’s office just sees me as a hypochondriac, though, and not only that but all of the doctors here are younger than me. And they’ve *always* thought I was perfectly fine, even when there actually ended up being something wrong with me. They told me that “maybe your bra is too tight” as a possible explanation for a certain type of pain I had; turned out that I had GERD and was getting esophageal pain. Idiots! 😤
 
lolis my thesis said:
my doc rocks; at least he acknowleges my pain and orders MRIs or whatever when I am hurting bad. shopping around for a surgeon who may or may not improve my neck. Meanwhile, however, during the pandemic, after years and years(20+?) of stable scripts and relatively functional living; he had his hours cut in half, I could not get in to see him, ended up in the ER in withdrawal from klonopin, methadone, and lyrica at the same time,

Now the pharmacist gives me crap every time I fill anything. "well, you took too much klonopin last month", or "you drive on all these medications!"
Im like yea, are you a physician, Ill trade you my broken ankle, three neck surguries, pulled tendons, broken wrist, and torn rotator cuff, you can have all those conditions, and then see how it feels to withhold my medications.
Send me behind the 7-11 already; my insurance also does not want me on so much meds so they are making me pay the going rate for methadone and hydrocodone, when it used to be covered.
The pandemic caused a flag on my account
and my pain contract is on borrowed time. I worry every month that my RXs will be pulled or my doctor will retire.
I will just end up at the methadone clinic and take prescribed gabapentin, worse comes to worse?
Click to expand...
Fucking judgmental people…can you go to another pharmacy?? I mean, I’d say, tell that pharmacist to choke on a dick, but I know that then you might get slow, shitty service from that point on. It’s not right that you have to put up with comments like that, and are powerless to say anything back cuz you need to not piss off the person who gives you your meds. I hate everything about this.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top