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  • AADD Moderators: swilow | Vagabond696

Declining quality of medical care once you're on methadone?

Taobe said:
In the United States, 1500mg of oxycodone per month would set you back $400-600 dollars. Even with insurance you are looking at around $150.00. I can't fathom what your income level is to afford $150 per DAY in oxycodone. At that price, I would think heroin would be better (from a pain management and a financial point of view [financial harm reduction bluelight admins :] ). I get my meds for free from the Veterans Administration. Unless you have something similar, you are spending around $4,500 USD per month on ONE narcotic medication. This obviously would not consider the cost of your cancer and epilipsy drugs/therapy.

I know that Australia and the USA are miles away in terms of insurance and health care. Am I wrong though about your costs? If I am, I apologize. Maybe you don't pay a dime for anything. If that is the case, I salute you and your access to low/no cost pain/epilepsy/cancer management.
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Pity too many people here don't appreciate just how fortunate we are with our health care system. Money should never determine one's access to basic medications.



OP: I agree with you and everyone else, your situation is fucked. I can guarantee there is absolutely no restriction on Epilim in conjunction with methadone, either legally or logically. In fact the only relevant comment in the Australian Medicines Handbook is that the use of methadone in epilepsy may increase risk of seizure. My personal recommendation would be to:
a) continue getting Epilim via your partner
b) consider reporting your methadone prescriber to the medical board - it sounds like you have plenty of evidence to do so

I really don't understand how he can be saying you don't need the Epilim when you're having ongoing regular proven seizures and it's not abusable. Have you asked if he would consider any other antiepileptic? Just in case he has some specific reason (valid or otherwise) for opposing Epilim.

Good luck :)
 
ill make this brief so it's not too long or boring to read.

* MY neuro writes a letter to my GP (The only methadone prescriber within 140km of me) saying that I NEED sodium valporate and to try adding in another (not absuable) medicine aswell slowly it may help.

* MY doctor the called the neuro, asked who wrote the refferal, when it was was written, what was on it etc., but there were no problems there as my referal dated back from before I went on the methadone programme.

* The GP says to both me and the neuro that he isn't happy with me seeing other doctors behind his back, let alone getting prescriptions, even if I have been upfrent witht those doctors that I am a methadone patient.

* He says he will not prescribe me these medicines, the neuro said okay, well he can pick up scripts from my office every 3 months, my doc says if pick them up I'll be blacklisted from the programme.

Though I did have a drug test sprung on me yesterday, and it came back clean despite the fact I've been taking the meds for a week, so I doubt they test for them

BTW, I am looking at switching to a different methadone doctor...
 
You a getting medical treatment which you have a right too. You won't be blacklisted, another doctor will take you on if he won't. As long as your honest with them there shouldn't be a problem. Go to another methadone prescriber and get the medicine and medical care you want. It's your right and it's your body. Good luck!
 
patientX said:
ill make this brief so it's not too long or boring to read.

* MY neuro writes a letter to my GP (The only methadone prescriber within 140km of me) saying that I NEED sodium valporate and to try adding in another (not absuable) medicine aswell slowly it may help.

* MY doctor the called the neuro, asked who wrote the refferal, when it was was written, what was on it etc., but there were no problems there as my referal dated back from before I went on the methadone programme.

* The GP says to both me and the neuro that he isn't happy with me seeing other doctors behind his back, let alone getting prescriptions, even if I have been upfrent witht those doctors that I am a methadone patient.

* He says he will not prescribe me these medicines, the neuro said okay, well he can pick up scripts from my office every 3 months, my doc says if pick them up I'll be blacklisted from the programme.

Though I did have a drug test sprung on me yesterday, and it came back clean despite the fact I've been taking the meds for a week, so I doubt they test for them

BTW, I am looking at switching to a different methadone doctor...
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Wow. You really did land a grade A asshole of a doctor. To be honest man, I think you need to complain to whichever board or committee overseas these programs. His behavior is totally out of line for any doctor (What happened to "First do no harm"?). This isn't just about you, think about how many other patients this doctor is potentially bullying and depriving of essential medications, especially if he's the only one within 140km like you say. He's abusing his position as a healthcare professional to make money off desperate addicts he clearly has no real empathy or sense of responsibility for.
 
Crankinit said:
Wow. You really did land a grade A asshole of a doctor. To be honest man, I think you need to complain to whichever board or committee overseas these programs. His behavior is totally out of line for any doctor (What happened to "First do no harm"?). This isn't just about you, think about how many other patients this doctor is potentially bullying and depriving of essential medications, especially if he's the only one within 140km like you say. He's abusing his position as a healthcare professional to make money off desperate addicts he clearly has no real empathy or sense of responsibility for.
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Yeah, the only thing making me stick with him is that The next closest would require leaving my house at 6:45am, I'd get to the clinic at 1pm, then If I started my way back at 1:30pm, I'd arrive home at 6pm, looking at the current public transport time, and as some of that woud require taxi fares of about $15 each way, not cheap either.

If I asked someone to give me a lift I could leave later in morn and get home earlier, but still even though I'd reimburse their fuel it's a huge ask
 
How often would you have to visit the clinic? You should at least talk to them on the phone, explain your situation, anonymously if you feel you need to, they might turn out to be reasonable and sort something out so you'd only have to go in once or twice a month (which is a pain, but not as bad as having daily seizures).

TBH the whole system is broken, in my opinion, but there's not much we can do about it.
 
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