Misc The Pain Management Mega Thread version 3.0

[milagro]

I have an advanced pain diary too i even put pictures of my affected limbs in it so i can show drs how different meds and even touch and temperatureChange, positioning of limbs etc change the colour , temperature, size and now slowly shape of my limbs it is really good and helps drs better understand my pain and mental healthcoeditions as i update it every 2 hours.

I would recommend it to any pain patient

^It does help the doctors out and they are generally pretty appreciative of any patient willing to make their (docs) job easier. It also helps me out to see how I feel one day as opposed to another. I can also see what I took and how much I took. I can then see how the medication worked under my "experiences" column.

 

[milagro]

Sorry but I know I submitted a post/reply to Doomed but I cannot see it. I am posting this reply so I can see if it showed up.

Is it because it is the first post on the top of a new page? Help me out mods. I think I reached "bluelighter" status but I have not seen any difference in my settings, profile, or ability to post a quick reply.

 

[CaveJohnson]

As an update to before, I am now pretty positive someone at the pharmacy stole my missing pills, which amount to 9 total (3 days worth).

I created an online account with my pharmacy to check and see if I hate the date wrong or something and I found that they had me listed as getting the pills on Sept. 5th, not August 28th like I actually did!

Worse yet, it says I had a morphine script for pickup TODAY! The full thing! Someone fucked up big time and put in a prescription under my name that didn't ever exist. My doctor is on vacation and I haven't been to CVS since I got reimbursed on the 5th.

After explaining the problem, they "fix" it. Well it is fixed on the website, but then I check again and it says now that I've PICKED UP my Morphine TODAY!

I lost it, and the lady explained it poorly to me. They scanned the Morphine IN to get rid of the previous mistake and it made the NEW mistake. What?!

I've had spiking blood pressure and anger all day over this. First I'm missing pills that could fuck me over in a pill count, second CVS could get me booted from pain management if my Doctor saw I had a SECOND script that I didn't even know about! Some PM Doctors don't care for explanations, even if it's a genuine mistake and it wasn't by you.

Originally I was only going to get 3 days worth of the script because my insurance takes days and days to authorize opiates Since 3 days is 9 pills, they either filled that and fucked up by saying they gave me the full 90 instead, someone at CVS stole them, or someone stole them from my home.

Since they made this mistake and a pharmacy tech an hour away just got caught after stealing 4,000 painkillers over time...what do you think?

I made a complaint and am warning everyone away from CVS. Fucking thieving pieces of shit! I'm going to have to cut down for days to make up for the missing pills and they already don't work as is.

If 1-3 were missing I'd blame myself, taking more than I should because they weren't working. Not 9 though, and not when I set aside a few extras that I didn't take during good days that I had to put back IN to bring the number up.

Scumbag pharmacy. How bad is their security if they can steal from the script after it's filled? Then their inventory is on track and there's no evidence! I forgot, they did deny it and said their inventory was fine.

Well no shit! Of course it would be!

 

[Beachcat]

^^^ geez, that is a shitty situation. I have had problems in the past with people taking my meds, but it was at home and I started hiding them. I would suspect the pharmacy as well, if I had no other suspects at home...

So remember when I was going to ask my back doc for something because my back pain was almost unbearable due to weaning off my other meds? Well, I called and asked for something like Mobic ( meloxicam) and when I went to go pick up whatever he called in, it was 90 tramadol...the very drug that y'all warned me against!

I think I am going to give it a try...my addiction issues were with physical dependency and not wanting to get a high (even though that was nice) and also, I have cold turkeyed from high doses of SSRIs and SSNIs in the past with no problems whatsoever. So I think I will have no problem with it...i took 150 mgs at once and I noticed that my pain level went down to the tolerable range, but I also got a headache, which can be a side effect so we will see.

But still, why coudn't he have just given me the damn mobic? I see him next Friday I think, so I guess I will just ask him then....

 

[CaveJohnson]

^^^ geez, that is a shitty situation. I have had problems in the past with people taking my meds, but it was at home and I started hiding them. I would suspect the pharmacy as well, if I had no other suspects at home...

So remember when I was going to ask my back doc for something because my back pain was almost unbearable due to weaning off my other meds? Well, I called and asked for something like Mobic ( meloxicam) and when I went to go pick up whatever he called in, it was 90 tramadol...the very drug that y'all warned me against!

I think I am going to give it a try...my addiction issues were with physical dependency and not wanting to get a high (even though that was nice) and also, I have cold turkeyed from high doses of SSRIs and SSNIs in the past with no problems whatsoever. So I think I will have no problem with it...i took 150 mgs at once and I noticed that my pain level went down to the tolerable range, but I also got a headache, which can be a side effect so we will see.

But still, why coudn't he have just given me the damn mobic? I see him next Friday I think, so I guess I will just ask him then....

I don't know your story, sorry but you said your addiction issues are with physical dependency? So were you only physically dependent on opiates?

 

[Doomed2pain]

A chronic pain patient with a dependence on pain medication does not need to see an addiction specialist

 

[CaveJohnson]

A chronic pain patient with a dependence on pain medication does not need to see an addiction specialist

Yeah that's why I'm asking, because pretty much anyone who takes opiates will become physically dependent eventually.

It's not addiction whatsoever. If you constantly crave the drug and need it for non-pain issues, then you may be addicted.

 

[Beachcat]

Yeah, I just had a physical dependency but I just can't deal with that at this time, so I chose to get off my ER med...I will continue to take ir oxy, but in much smaller doses.

I am not seeing an addiction specialist...my primary doc who supplied me with my high dose of meds fired me after being taken over by our hospital system, and my back doctor took over...he is much more conservative but is reasonable and has a sub specialty in pain management. My primary doc didn't even know that opana was stronger than oxy or morphine, she told me that she thought they were all the same....

Edited to add that my back doctor wanted to put me on a butrans patch, but I declined, it is just not for me at this time...I know my back problems are progressive, I am 36 and I want to save myself for later when the pain will be really bad....

 

[Doomed2pain]

Definitely keep on the lowest dose that you can for as long as possible. My condition is degenerative spreads throughout the body, constant severe agony 24/7 with my pain never dropping below an 8. I am only 26.

Do you do any other therapies along side opioid therapy?

 

[Beachcat]

Doomed, yes I do...I do regular stretching, massage therapy, accupuncture and hydrotherapy.

I have had the most success with accupuncture...due to the location of my worst disc rupture, the signal to my bladder often gets interrupted causing me to either have to catheterize myself to pee or sometimes I pee in my pants....anyway, I went almost three months not being able to urinate on my own, having to cath myself and my urologist said it was likely permanent. Intense accupuncture over a period of a month or so got me able to go on my own again...

 

[CaveJohnson]

Definitely keep on the lowest dose that you can for as long as possible. My condition is degenerative spreads throughout the body, constant severe agony 24/7 with my pain never dropping below an 8. I am only 26.

Do you do any other therapies along side opioid therapy?

I'm 27 and had a surgery within a month of my birth and it's gone downhill from there and has never improved. I hear ya.

 

[tricomb]

People don't seem to understand the difference between addiction and dependence.... totally different ball games.

 

[CaveJohnson]

People don't seem to understand the difference between addiction and dependence.... totally different ball games.

It just takes withdrawal to understand. If you go through it and come out on the other side alright, you're not an addict.

Also, if your life improves with use of painkillers in pain management but you'll have withdrawals, it's dependence.

If your life becomes more complicated and you need incredible amounts to keep up with tolerance, addiction.

 

[tricomb]

I'm a little confused, because I get withdrawals when I don't take my pain medication.

I don't think it's that black and white, it's more about the behavior/psychology, of which there is a LOT on the subject of addiction, it's extremely complex and varies on a case by case basis.

I also know plenty of chronic pain patients who are by all means addicted, not just dependent on medication, so there are quite a few schools of thought on this

 

[milagro]

I'm a little confused, because I get withdrawals when I don't take my pain medication.

I don't think it's that black and white, it's more about the behavior/psychology, of which there is a LOT on the subject of addiction, it's extremely complex and varies on a case by case basis.

I also know plenty of chronic pain patients who are by all means addicted, not just dependent on medication, so there are quite a few schools of thought on this

^If I had the time I would start a thread on "Pseudo Addiction". I am certain it has been discussed somewhere in BL at some time. I urge anyone that has questions regarding the grey areas of addiction vs. dependency to learn what you can about Pseudo Addiction. I would post a bunch of sites but I am still not sure about what can and cannot be posted regarding links in BL.

"Pseudo Addiction" is a true phenomenon and there is more and more information available online and in print on the subject. It involves the difference between addiction and dependency.

Additionally, tricomb, my "post" issue has been resolved. I believe the server was too busy at the time which led to the glitch. I got the message "server too busy at moment, try later" when I was re-booting. Issue resolved. I would have sent you a PM but why bother now? Thanks.

 

[tricomb]

^I was just about to ask you whether post 601 had been resolved/visible yet. Glad to hear it!

My pain docs have always called it pseudo-addiction too, but I much prefer to just call it dependency, I don't like the way pseudo-addiction sounds.

 

[Beachcat]

Yes, I agree. I think I will make sure to call my own issues dependency rather than addiction....I have no problem with physical dependency per se, it is just not working for me personally at this time in my life...I am very sensitive and supportive to other pain patients who are both physically dependent and addicted psychologically.

 

[tricomb]

^Exactly, I can totally understand why some CPPs get full on addicted, and I also try to be supportive.

 

[Coraline]

As an update to before, I am now pretty positive someone at the pharmacy stole my missing pills, which amount to 9 total (3 days worth).

I created an online account with my pharmacy to check and see if I hate the date wrong or something and I found that they had me listed as getting the pills on Sept. 5th, not August 28th like I actually did!

Worse yet, it says I had a morphine script for pickup TODAY! The full thing! Someone fucked up big time and put in a prescription under my name that didn't ever exist. My doctor is on vacation and I haven't been to CVS since I got reimbursed on the 5th.

After explaining the problem, they "fix" it. Well it is fixed on the website, but then I check again and it says now that I've PICKED UP my Morphine TODAY!

I lost it, and the lady explained it poorly to me. They scanned the Morphine IN to get rid of the previous mistake and it made the NEW mistake. What?!

I've had spiking blood pressure and anger all day over this. First I'm missing pills that could fuck me over in a pill count, second CVS could get me booted from pain management if my Doctor saw I had a SECOND script that I didn't even know about! Some PM Doctors don't care for explanations, even if it's a genuine mistake and it wasn't by you.

Originally I was only going to get 3 days worth of the script because my insurance takes days and days to authorize opiates Since 3 days is 9 pills, they either filled that and fucked up by saying they gave me the full 90 instead, someone at CVS stole them, or someone stole them from my home.

Since they made this mistake and a pharmacy tech an hour away just got caught after stealing 4,000 painkillers over time...what do you think?

I made a complaint and am warning everyone away from CVS. Fucking thieving pieces of shit! I'm going to have to cut down for days to make up for the missing pills and they already don't work as is.

If 1-3 were missing I'd blame myself, taking more than I should because they weren't working. Not 9 though, and not when I set aside a few extras that I didn't take during good days that I had to put back IN to bring the number up.

Scumbag pharmacy. How bad is their security if they can steal from the script after it's filled? Then their inventory is on track and there's no evidence! I forgot, they did deny it and said their inventory was fine.

Well no shit! Of course it would be!

The best thing you can do is report this up your state's pharmacy board.

You can do this online or on paper. You call and request the paper.

Then there is an official state recognized record. They take narcotics very seriously.

On the business level they can hide or cover it up. But with the state board it's harder. Plus if there are more than complaints then you will be taken seriously even more so.

 

[CaveJohnson]

^I was just about to ask you whether post 601 had been resolved/visible yet. Glad to hear it!

My pain docs have always called it pseudo-addiction too, but I much prefer to just call it dependency, I don't like the way pseudo-addiction sounds.

From my experience psuedo-addiction was defined as not having your pain treated properly, and this would lead to a patient asking for more or going through their pills too fast.

Once a psuedo-addicts pain is controlled, that behavior stops. A regular addict won't for example.