Hello all!
I think if you've talked to doctors now from just 7 years ago, there is a reluctance and paranoia about giving benzo scripts. In fact, my grandmother used to get 30 Xanax and it lasted like 4 months. She asked for a refill and she got 4. I know many doctors who will only prescribe them in small quantities (around 10) and tell folks that that's all they'll get for awhile.
Well my former psychiatrist loved meds. He put me on a regimen saying it was safe. Even after two seizures, he said "you don't wanna get hooked." Uh too late!
I've tried tapering... it's hell. 6 times, 4 under doctors supervision and still 6 seizures. My last two psychiatrists refused to taper.
I moved back to Austin some 2.5 years ago. My PCP took over prescribing. He doesn't mind writing it for me and he won't let me taper but he's been egging me on for a year to see a psychiatrist. Or even a therapist. Something just to give him some protection. He's so paranoid that he writes 7 day scripts. So I have to go every 7 days and pick up a new script.
Now OPIOIDS, my gosh. I remember having a herniated disk and several other problems, going to the doc, he saw the problems, gave me 180 Norco/month with 5 refills
Since then though... I've had to go monthly, get tested each time, and my new pain doc wouldn't give more than 4 a day despite me getting in a brutal wreck where I was in the ICU for 14 days, given 12 Percocet a day and IV Diauloded .6mgs/10 minutes. I broke every bone on my skull, my jaw, right hand, right foot, broke six ribs, my back, my back, my back.
I've got six diagnoses for my back and complex regional pain syndrome, a terrible case of it in my foot. My pain doc wanted me just on 4 Norco and the pain doc before on 4 Percocet. Yet before my wreck a different pain management had no problem giving me oxycodone 20mgs qid and MS Contin 30mgs bid.
What do you think the future holds for these classes of meds? Is it going to be damn near impossible to get opioids in the future, are first time patients going to get Rx NSAIDS instead, what will happen?
And what will happen with benzos? I think the idea of regimens has become something only for very extenuating circumstances which I agree with and if it were always like that, PRN benzos wouldn't be a problem. But what about us who have sadly been on a regimen for six years, unable to get off?
I kind of worry about our wellbeing. As a nurse, I've seen some docs straight up deny patients screaming in pain from narcotics, not even tramadol. My grandmother who takes Xanax PRN is being much more limited. My aunt, who only takes them when traveling to third world countries for vacation, and that's documented, her doc won't give her the 8 Xanax he used to.
I hope we don't become like Europe or nations like Saudi Arabia and UAE, where benzos are banned except for surgeries and Tramadol is the only opioid legal!
I think if you've talked to doctors now from just 7 years ago, there is a reluctance and paranoia about giving benzo scripts. In fact, my grandmother used to get 30 Xanax and it lasted like 4 months. She asked for a refill and she got 4. I know many doctors who will only prescribe them in small quantities (around 10) and tell folks that that's all they'll get for awhile.
Well my former psychiatrist loved meds. He put me on a regimen saying it was safe. Even after two seizures, he said "you don't wanna get hooked." Uh too late!
I've tried tapering... it's hell. 6 times, 4 under doctors supervision and still 6 seizures. My last two psychiatrists refused to taper.
I moved back to Austin some 2.5 years ago. My PCP took over prescribing. He doesn't mind writing it for me and he won't let me taper but he's been egging me on for a year to see a psychiatrist. Or even a therapist. Something just to give him some protection. He's so paranoid that he writes 7 day scripts. So I have to go every 7 days and pick up a new script.
Now OPIOIDS, my gosh. I remember having a herniated disk and several other problems, going to the doc, he saw the problems, gave me 180 Norco/month with 5 refills
Since then though... I've had to go monthly, get tested each time, and my new pain doc wouldn't give more than 4 a day despite me getting in a brutal wreck where I was in the ICU for 14 days, given 12 Percocet a day and IV Diauloded .6mgs/10 minutes. I broke every bone on my skull, my jaw, right hand, right foot, broke six ribs, my back, my back, my back.
I've got six diagnoses for my back and complex regional pain syndrome, a terrible case of it in my foot. My pain doc wanted me just on 4 Norco and the pain doc before on 4 Percocet. Yet before my wreck a different pain management had no problem giving me oxycodone 20mgs qid and MS Contin 30mgs bid.
What do you think the future holds for these classes of meds? Is it going to be damn near impossible to get opioids in the future, are first time patients going to get Rx NSAIDS instead, what will happen?
And what will happen with benzos? I think the idea of regimens has become something only for very extenuating circumstances which I agree with and if it were always like that, PRN benzos wouldn't be a problem. But what about us who have sadly been on a regimen for six years, unable to get off?
I kind of worry about our wellbeing. As a nurse, I've seen some docs straight up deny patients screaming in pain from narcotics, not even tramadol. My grandmother who takes Xanax PRN is being much more limited. My aunt, who only takes them when traveling to third world countries for vacation, and that's documented, her doc won't give her the 8 Xanax he used to.
I hope we don't become like Europe or nations like Saudi Arabia and UAE, where benzos are banned except for surgeries and Tramadol is the only opioid legal!
