doctor bailed on me

[lizaray]

I have taken 10 mg. of methadone 4 times a day for 2 years. I missed my last appointment and my doctor's staff told me I have to wait a month to get in and get a new prescription. It was an accident that I missed the app. I had 2 in June instead of my regular every month app. I am trying to wean off of this but I am so weak.I have 17 days to go and only 10 left. What can I do to get through this? Also I was wondering if anyone else's doctor would have done this to them?

[Dee1956]

I am so very sorry for what you are experiencing.  I'm wondering if there is a way for you to go to the office to ask them to please talk to you.
You could say you have been a good patient, compliant, etc and you made one mistake.  I think it is terrible that they have done this to you.
This once happened to someone I know, they went to the doctor, no doctor and no one knew when he would be back.
Luckily he found a new pain management specialist however it was awful.
When he said he could have died going through the withdrawals, the doctor said, no you would have been very uncomfortable but you would not die. New doctor, new much lower doses.
Can you write to the doctor? Some doctors have emails, just a thought.
Again, I am so sorry for what you are experiencing.
Try to take magnesium for the muscle cramps, there is something called the Thomas Recipe to help people.  You can google it.
Good luck, Dee

[Dee1956]

Really good answer.  There are many people out there that don't know about the new CDC guidelines.  Doctors are looking for any reason to stop the pain medications.
It is like a witch hunt right now with CDC blaming pain patients for the OD's that are happening, 40 people a day.
I read that in Fla over 50K pain pills went missing from a CVS so all of them are being very strict.
Hard enough to find a pain managment doctor.  Then you have to jump through hoops for the pharmacist to fill them.  If the pharmacist thinks a dose is too much they will tell you they are out, or there is a problem with your prescription.  We had that happen here, after 5 years, going to same CVS all of a sudden they did not want to fill but made up excuses.
It is a nightmare, everyone needs to be prepared.  I imagine many will turn to drinking or street drugs or hospital visits or the worst imaginable.  I can't even say it.
Good luck!

[Crohnsareus]

No my doctor would not do this to me. If for any reason a doctor treated me this way he would no longer be my doctor. As a patient make it a point to remind yourself, you are PAYING this PERSON for a service not the other way around. Dr.are human being just like you. You would not take that kind of treatment from anyone else, why take it from a doctor that should be helping you. If you have a habit of missing appointments or abusing pain med's it should addressed but putting you in a situation where you are missing days of a drug that you should not just go off of doesn't see like the doctor has you best interest at heart. Only you can answer those questions.

[fntn]

Doctors are using just about anything to avoid DEA scurity wrt pain management. We as patients have to walk a very fine line to not give our doctors any reason to drop us. They are worried about their careers of course, understandably. Our chronic pain world is getting darker everyday.