Pain Medication Problems...

[Jake_T]

I've had pain from my left lower abdomen to my left testicle for close too 2 years now and i take 4 norco 10/325 mg a day. which does not fully help my pain but i really do not want to be on any stronger meds (don't even want to be on the norcos). My doctors can't find out what the cause is but i am in pain 24/7, I've seen a urologist 5 times in under 2 years, and any test under the sun they can think of. My current doctor last month started to lower my dosage from 4 tablets a day to 3, which isn't that big of a deal. But this month she lowered it again to 2 tablets a day, which puts me in a great deal of pain and I have to submit a drug test before every refill. Now last year I was forced to drug test 13 times!!! all of which came up positive ONLY for the norco I'm prescribed. So i ask my doctor why she is doing this and she said that its time to get off of the medication. Which is fine by me but I want to know why I'm in constant pain and also something non-narcotic to manage that pain if cannot be fixed. I don't feel as though i deserve to be treated this way and i don't really know who or where to turn for this type of thing. I would appreciate some advice
-Thanks.

[JeanieRich]

I just received my 30 day supply of Valium from Kaiser South 20 days late! It seems that they are under medicating on purpose. I have received about two thirds of the Norco I am supposed to take; I contacted member services and they provided a solution; I showed the paperwork to my Doctor and she refused to go along with Member Services solution. I think the only thing I can do now is change doctors. I am considering seeing an attorney; what they are doing must be against some law, they are intentionally under-medicating. I would love to see a class action suit since I think this is common, Kaiser does not go along with Federal law, they have their own more strict law!  

[braindead16]

Kaiser in Sac has switched their Norco patients to a very ineffective generic brand. I have been on same dose for 20 years which worked fine, and then last time I went to pick up they give me this placebo stuff (same dose, just a weak generic).  Doctor will not up dosage to compensate.  Would love to see a class action.  Have yet to hear a doctor say "Are we controlling the pain adequately?" They want us to go away. It's much easier to fight the opioid epidemic by denying us treatment than going after Chinese Fentanyl.

[JeanieRich]

That is very interesting; I went down to Mexico for three months and had only 2 months of medication (Hydrocodone). Not wanting to return to the U.S. just for meds I went to a Mexican Doctor and asked for Hydrocodone; he said they did not have that med in Puerto Vallarta (I found out later they did have it in Ensenada). I asked for a RX for the closest thing they had in Puerto Vallarta; it was sold over the counter and worked just as well as Hydrocodone, I think it was some variation of codeine; I had no withdrawal symptoms to speak of; One day I hope to get off Hydro. completely, I have Kaiser So. Cal (Aliso Viejo) and they jerk me around every month. I have gotten only 2/3 of the prescribed medication and go without med. quite frequently. I'm 63, disabled, never been into drugs and don't fit the abuser profile at all.

[thekrafty1]

Hello All,
I am also a Kaiser Pain Management Patient.
I have been for almost 10 years now.
Just 4 months ago I had issue with my Primary Care Doctor at Kaiser putting in my triplicate prescriptions on the day they were due to be filled.
He suggested I ask my pain management doctor to change me to something less exotic then Opana.
By the way, I was on 40 mg Opana 3 tablets 3 times daily for the last 5 years and now my Pain Management Doctor is telling me I have to cut back to 1/10th of that dosage.
I have never refilled early, lost my prescription, or doctor swapped.
My pain Management Doctor has told me 3 different excuses in the 2 visits and one reply email to me as to why this is happening and the last excuse is that the new FDA Guidelines state that no patient should take more than 120 mg of long lasting opiates a day, which I read that new FDA Guideline and it states 180 mg a day.
I looked it up and the guideline says that with unremitting pain that has or doesn’t have a diagnosis, which I have, and if a Doctor keeps the proper records, has tried all alternative treatments to no avail, and the dosage of long lasting medications is not adequate to keep the pain to manageable and lead to a decent quality of life then the Doctor can up the dosage without fear of the Medical board, FDA, or DEA coming after them.
This all started when I was 23 and had a compression fracture of my T7 vertebra, I am 36 almost 37 now.
After the 14 MRI's and 2 years of tests my Pain Mgt Doctor Diagnosed me with Ankylosing Spondylitis, 3 bulging Discs, Spinal Stenosis, Also the RA has destroyed my hips and I may need a hip replacement in both hips.
I tired Humera and Enbril which gave me terrible side effects.
Infections of my saliva glands, cuts not healing for months and these are paper cuts and sinus infections the entire time I was on both medications so my RA/Anklosing Spondalitus is unchecked by medications and is destroying my joints and fusing my spine together.
I have gone from 9 Opana a day to 6 and they won't stop until I am down to 3 a day total.
My pain doctor always said he knew I had a medical condition to warrant these meds for the last 12 years and the same dosage of Opana for 5 years with no increases or early refills.
He has known me for 10 years+ and now is acting like a completely different Doctor.
He said I needed to take a drug test which I am a little worried about because I may test positive for THC.
I have quit but need a couple of weeks to clear out my system of it.
I have to go in for X-Rays for my hips and my shoulders so I plan on taking the Drug test then.
I have never been drug tested before my last visit and I don't know what the result of it was.
I occasionally take a few hits of Pot for my appetite.
The pain meds make it so I can't eat and I will gladly give it up and have since I heard of Kaiser patients getting completely cut off for testing positive for THC.
I am 5-10 135 lbs and am 36.
I will choose relief from pain over pot and will not smoke any more if this is a regular deal with Kaiser now.
I have given many urine samples over the years and never had any problems with a dirty drug test so I don't know if I was ever drug tested before the visit where they asked me for one after my appointment and I had just went to the bathroom because I had been holding it for 2 hours and then the nurse springs that on me.
Also when my Pain Doc told me he needed me to take a drug test he said it was so he could make sure I wasn't on Crack.
he also told me that if I want to continue on Opiate therapy I should change insurance.
I have Kaiser through work and I have no other options for a different Insurance carrier.
the thing I am worried about is that they have noted Drug Seeking behavior or maybe I tested Dirty for THC but he never mentioned it.
Also when this last appointment I went to when he asked me to take a Drug Screening, when I was walking to the nurse to take the test I asked her if there was anything else and she said no.
I told her that I thought he wanted me to take a test and she said that would me in the System and I could do it later anyway.
I am pretty sure that in 2 weeks I will be clean of the THC and I have to go in for the X-Rays and a Testosterone test so I will take the Urine test then and hopefully I am clean of THC and that can at least be less of a concern with all of this stuff.
Has anyone else had similar experiences with Kaiser in Southern Cali?
I don't drink, I quit smoking.
I have jumped through all of their hoops the last 12 years and now everything is changing and I can't get a straight answer from any doctors as to what the real reason for this is.
Please let me know what you all think.
Thanks everyone for this board and I hope I hear from you all soon.
Take care of yourself and I pray for everyone to be pain free.

[wrench6611]

I have been in pain management for 7 years with chronic pain due to herniated disc in my neck, broken L3, the discs between L4-L5 and L5-S1 have been surgically removed. I also have spinal degenerative disease and there is no fix for my problems so medications are my only option and the only way that I can still perform my job period. My doctor has me on MSContin ER 100mg 2 X a day with 30mg Roxicodone as needed for breakthrough pain recently dropped back to 4 a day from 5. Also as a sleep assistant I was receiving 2 1mg Xanax a day which I found to be too much and asked to be dropped back to 1mg a day at bed time. That too recently was discontinued and I had to choose another drug to replace them because I was told that it had something to do with the government control of Xanax. Well, not knowing what else to switch to I elected to go to 1mg of Klonopin which does not work very well at all for me. I was also told that due to government intervention that the quantity of Roxicodone may decrease again or even need to be substituted with a different drug. Have you heard any of this to be the case or true or is something else possibly going on? My Dr drug tests all patients every time they see him and I have never had a problem with those test. I am confused and don't know what to switch to if the Roxis are dicontinued. Everything was working at least enough for me to have a functional life and knock the edge off of the extreme pain that I endure daily but now I am scared that my world is about to be turned upside down. What are your thoughts of any of this?

[alsoinpain]

Hi Jake,

Just wondering how your doing?

[femmy29]

Hi Jake,

I hope all goes well with your upcoming exploratory surgery.  As you have read, others like Totie have had great results from the surgery.  I really do hope that you find answers for pain relief.  If you feel up to it, please keep us updated on how things are progressing towards surgery and how your recovery is going.

As I have stated before, if you can find the solution to your problems such that you don't require long term opioid medications, then pursue that solution.  My only caution to you is be aware of all the risks of each procedure and surgical intervention.  Some procedures (for example: a spinal fusion surgery) can make you WISH they never cut you open because the pain got 10x worse than it was.  And for many when this happened, the doctors threw their hands up in the air and said there was nothing they could do.  You have to be choosy and well informed of each and every procedure/surgery.  If a surgery has a 50% success rate...you should always ask yourself, "Can I get any worse than I am now?"  If yes, then think hard before commiting to a surgery like that.  If no, then "full speed ahead" as the benefits clearly outweigh the risks if your condition cannot make you any worse than you are now.  For me, my condition can definitly be much worse and I don't need surgery hastening it along in that direction.  If my condition detoriates to the point I can no longer walk and the pain is through the ceiling even with medications...then that is when I believe I should consider a fusion.  

I plan to have endoscopic spine surgery next spring on my low back.  I am hoping that I will be able to reduce my medications significantly thereafter.

I wish you the best of luck and I am hoping they find what is causing your symptoms with the least amount of associated risk so that you can begin to enjoy life again.  Lastly, remember also that many have come out from high risk surgeries and the surgeon said that they found the problem and fixed it; however, the patient was in enormous pain afterwards that never ceased.  So it is all about striking the right balance.  Consider also exploring eating different types of foods as certain foods can aggravate certain conditions and illnesses.  

You seem to be a cautious thinker and I think that will reap a great reward!  :)

femmy

[Totie]

Glad to hear about you trying to see if the exploratory surgery would benefit you.

I was having pain in my pelvic area & all the mri, ct scans, gi tests revealed nothing. Even had urology tests done & they just could not figure it out.

My gyno finally suggested the surgery to make sure the tests are not missing anything. I agreed, the surgery revealed all good, however I was still in pain. My gyno finally told me to explore the issue more with another urologist because she just new it had to do with the bladder sling that was put in 3yrs earlier. I told her but they checked all that & no issues were find. She said it does not mean it could not have been missed.

Much to my reluctance I found another urologist. When he did his exams he immediately notice the problem. I had another surgery & come to find out the device was put in wrong...Needless to say it was taken out & no more pain.

I guess what I am trying to say is don't give up and try all avenues..But you must have a doctor who believes in your pain. If it was not for my gyno I would have given in & just dealt with it because I was thinking it was all in my head...She encouraged me to continue trying to find out my pain problem. I am so glad she gave me confidence to keep searching...

No pain....The exploratory surgery was good because it eliminated other issues.

Let me know how your appt. goes...

[Jake_T]

Sorry for responding after this long, been very busy.

I am willing to have exploratory surgery, I want to know whats wrong and I also do not want to be on these meds for a second longer then needed.

I'm going to speak to my new pcp about the surgery as well as other treatment options other than medication.

Thanks Again for the advice
-Jake

[femmy29]

Hi Jake,

I wish you the very best with your new PCP.  Think positive!  I truly hope a diagnosis comes your way along with treatment options that will get you back on your feet again.  It makes me feel very good inside knowing that you considered my advice and others' advice here helpful.  Please don't be a stranger.  Keep in touch and let us know how you are doing.  Take care.

femmy  :)

[Totie]

Just a thought, but could exploratory surgery be an option?

[Jake_T]

Thank you. So many people have helped me so it's only natural for me to try to pass that on.

Thanks also for the ideas that you have brought up and I will discuss them with my new doctor as soon as I change from the "doctor" I have now.

Hopefully my PCP will be more compassionate and actually try to figure out the diagnosis and the appropriate solution. But I'll just have to see how it goes.

-Jake

[femmy29]

Hi Jake,

I am so happy to hear that the note stating that you engaged in drug seeking behavior has been removed from your medical record!!!  This is excellent news!!

I have noticed that you have been helping out other members and your writings to them are wonderful and truly motivates us to keep on trying each and every day in hopes of a better tomorrow.  Just wanted to thank you for your support in our community.

Thanks for keeping us up to date with how things are going with Kaiser.  It is just awful that you have to keep enduring this type of treatment from Kaiser but I believe peseverance prevails.  I had a long spat with Kaiser before my needs were adequately met.  Try to be calm and not let them get to you.  I know that is easier said than done but you have a lot going on right now and adding more health problems like high blood pressure would not be good.  Be sure to express that to them, tell them that you are in a lot of pain and struggling each day to handle your personal responsibilities and that this additional stress regarding your medication adds unnecessary stress and pain to the stress and pain you are already experiencing.  

A good idea would also be to bring in an article discussing how patients are typically treated in pain management (i.e., an article discussing the benefits of a long acting opioid with a short acting opioid for breakthrough pain).  There are many reputable resources on the internet.  Let them know that you are also interested in an anti-depressant and muscle relaxer as you have also researched that adding adjuvant medications to the opioid regimen can provide additional pain relief which may require less of the opioid component over the long term.  I think one of the goals is to get the doctor to understand that your primary goal is a diagnosis and not opioid therapy for the rest of your life.  If you are still planning to switch insurances at the end of the year, tell them that.  They may cave in and give you some additional medication as they now know you will only be a patient for 6 more months.  This scenario played out well for me during my last year at Kaiser.

You're making great progress.  Don't give up and I'll look forward to your updates.  Take care.  :)  

I'm going to lay down soon...this cold virus is trying to kill me (figurately)...ugh!  :(

femmy

[Jake_T]

I have not tried any muscle relaxers.

How does it effect your pain by taking them?

I will speak to my doctor about it and see what she thinks.

[alsoinpain]

Have you tried a muscle relaxer? If not i would definitely ask to try one, i use baclofen and it helps tremendously with my pain meds.

[Jake_T]

I am definitely taking this issue up with a grievance. It is just so unfair that I'm being treated like a criminal for doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing. Hopefully Pain Management will not drop the ball like everyone else has, but it is kaiser so it would not surprise me one bit.

At this point I am absolutely miserable with the level of pain I'm in and after I told my doctor that she has no compassion or even cares in anyway. I dread every time I have to speak to anyone at kaiser now because I know my blood pressure is going to skyrocket and I'm going to be pissed off after I get done and I'm tired of dealing with unneeded stress.

At this point I just want a diagnosis and be treated accordingly, I would love to be off any narcotics, I do sincerely mean that. I don't want to live the rest of my life this way, but at this moment that is my only option which doesn't involve pure agony 24/7.

It just gets to be so wearing mentally dealing with waking up everyday in so much pain and being miserable and then having to deal with a very high stress level from my doctor, its just getting to be too much. I am a very strong minded person and even feeling this way shocks me, because I never thought it would get this bad.

Also about the drug seeking behavior thing in my file, I asked my doctor who put it in,when and why. She wrote me back saying that it is out of my file. I e-mailed her back and demanded the doctor who put it in (which I know was her, but she doesn't know that I already know that) and when, so hopefully she will just come clean and tell me the truth because if not I am going to pursue that until something is done to my satisfaction, because it is not right.

I will keep you updated as it progresses and hopefully it will get better and hopefully I will finally have a diagnosis.

Thanks.

[femmy29]

Hi Jake,

You have got to be kidding me?!?  I can't believe that they would put on such a dog and pony show over one vicodin prescription.  If only you could see my doctor.  When I tell him I still have pain for x duration at x times during the day and it is interferring with x activity he always offers to modify my dosages of the long acting and short acting medications.  I haven't given in to the higher dosage of fentanyl that he wants me on because I am trying to determine if I can live with my current pain level as that is the goal.  I know I won't be pain free so I try to stay on the lowest dosage where functionality is retained and additionally mobility for more energetic activities is possible through breakthrough medication.  

Kaiser is making things so much harder than they should be!  I have no issues picking up my patches and oxycodone at the pharmacy.  The pharmacists are very kind and helpful.  I live in Colorado and perhaps things are a little more liberal here due to medical marijuana but California also legalized medical marijuana so it is surprising to me that Kaiser is this strict out there.  Things are on lockdown in Florida, Tennesse, and other southern states as well as Washington state right now due to a higher level of prescription drug abuse in those states.  Getting good pain management out there is like finding a needle in a hay stack.  Many pharmacies even stopped carrying opioids entirely!  Pain patients are suffering immensely in these states.  

What happened to the offer from the doctor to prescribe morphine extended release with oxycodone for breakthrough pain???  Two vicodin a day for the pain you are enduring is ridiculous especially after you told them they didn't help cover your pain throughout the day so that you can function and carry out everyday tasks.

I would definitely call member services and include this recent occurrence involving a refill of your vicodin prescription in the grievance file.  You shouldn't have to jump through all these hoops just to fill a medication!  People with hypertension may have a heart attack having to go through so much stress just to pick up their blood pressure medication.  But see the difference is people picking up blood pressure medication don't have these issues because there aren't people out there abusing blood pressure medications to get high.  We as chronic pain patients need to stop being treated this way.  You weren't there trying to fill your script earlier than allowed.  You were following all the rules and were still treated like a criminal...this should not happen!

I am so very sorry you are having to enduring this unfair treatment over and over again.  This adds stress which can elevate the pain intensity and cause additional suffering.  Patients no matter what is being treated...if the patients are truthful, respectful, responsible, and are following the rules, they should be treated with kindness and respect along with given medical support to help their condition(s).  Doctors need to treat all conditions/diseases equally.  Chronic pain is a disease that normally requires medical treatment.

Please keep us updated on this Kaiser madness that is going on.  Continue to pursue better management and know that what Kaiser is dishing out, is not how things should be handled.

femmy

[Jake_T]

The appointment last Wednesday went ok I guess. Basically the doctor kept the vicodin dosage at 2 a day instead of lowering it to once daily.

After having to fight and fight with her. This Sunday that has just past (the 27th) was when my prescription was due to be refilled and I was told by doctor that a Urine Toxicology wasn't required, but when I went on Sunday the pharmacy said I had to and lab was closed. So on memorial day I went back and then the lab said the doctor hadn't put anything in so I could not do the test. I went around the hospital to the adult medicine and then the ER and also called the nurse desk to try to get a doctor to simply put it in the computer so I can go do the drug test and get my prescription and then leave but no one would do that for some reason. So now this morning I had to go to the pharmacy again and try to get them to tell my doctor to either put the paperwork in or take the hold off of the medication( at that point I just don't care & said I would take it to just save some time) And then they said it was off hold but the doctor had discontinued the medication so I couldn't pick it up. So After another two hour pharmacy visit it finally got put through and I am so furious at the moment. It's always something with Kaiser.

[femmy29]

Hi Jake,

I am glad the info I provided has helped you.  About 6 years ago, I was on only short acting opioids and life was so much harder for me.  And before that life was even tougher as I was only taking Flexeril for pain.  Every day that I made it through a full day at work was nothing short of a miracle.  Every week I made it through was celebrated!  I was heating my back with a heating pad that I had attached to my work chair for 8-9 hours each day such that I ended up with a permanent tan on my lower back.  And the worst part was that every year that went by, my pain only got worse.

I was constanly lied to by doctors.  One told me Tramadol was the strongest medication prescribable so I suffered many years on that medication thinking there was nothing else that could help me.

Finding support groups like this one online truly helped me gain the facts and knowledge I needed to fight for better pain management.  

I hope your appointment went well on Wednesday and that you are enjoying a great start to the holiday weekend!  When you have time, please post how you are doing.

femmy  :)

[Jake_T]

Thanks for all the information, the way you put it about the morphine/oxycodone makes me feel much better about that and I think also that would improve my day to day function. As of right know I can't do the things I know I should be able to be doing. Also as you said about the day to day pain getting worse and calming back down, that to me is the hardest part because I have to just sit down and try to get it back to an acceptable level.
It's hard to manage and has been impossible with some situations. For instance when I have to lift over 150lbs. With my job I have to do that from now and again and I have the strength but it makes my flare up very bad. At this point i just want to be comfortable and try to find the solution. But it can be hard when the treatments hurt me and then the rest of the day I have to try to deal with that.

On Wednesday I have that appointment and I'm going to bring all of this up, I'm at the point where I'm done being nice and now am not take any crap from my doctor's. Mostly I want to find out what is causing it and what can be done to fix or alleviate the problem.

Thanks for all the help I'll write back after the appointment in a few days.

[femmy29]

Hi Jake,

I am very happy to hear that you filed a formal complaint and I am glad that you realized how inappropriate her actions have been towards you.  I am thinking she sent you to see a psychologist more specifically to back up her belief that you are addicted to your medications and that is just sickening.  Doctors like her shouldn't even be offering pain management as it is clear that she is not properly trained in the field of pain management.  

I have received resolutions through all of the formal complaints that I filed through Kaiser when I was a member so I am confident that all of this will get straightened out.

If you don't mind me asking, why are you hesistant to agree to taking a stronger medication?  I don't know your age but I am 31 years old and I have been taking opioids for chronic pain for about 6 years.  I have been battling chronic pain for twice as long as I have been taking opioids to control the pain.  There are many different techniques that can be deployed to ensure that you have adequate pain control for many years to come.  Once the "optimal" dose is achieved, many patients can continue on the same long-acting dosage for 4, 5 and sometimes 10 years as short acting opioids can be added or increased first before increasing the long acting opioid.

Additionally, many doctors deploy opioid rotations where they will switch you from Morphine ER to Oxycontin.  Due to incomplete cross tolerance, you can achieve adequate analgesia on an equivalent dose of Morphine through the administration of Oxycontin.  There are no ceilings on pure opioid agonists.  I have read posts across the web from chronic pain patients that are on 700 mg of morphine per day.  That is over 3 times the amount I am on via the Fentanyl patch.  Many times after (for example) switching to Oxycontin for 6 months to a year, you can go back to the Morphine at the same dose and have pain relief from the medication again.  

Many medical studies have shown that long-acting opioids slow the develop of tolerance when compared to short acting opioids.  I should mention also that the tylenol in Norco is not good for your liver.  The pharmaceutical companies still don't know what is a true safe dose of tylenol as they have once again reduced the recommended limit of tylenol that can ingested in one day from 4,000 mg to 2,600 mg.  My doctor prefers to keep the tylenol intake below 2,000 mg per day when it is being taken on a daily basis over the long term.  So, the tylenol in Norco limits how much pain relief can be safely achieved.  I believe Norco has 325 mg of tylenol in each tablets which equates to 12 pills per day as 12 pills equals 4,000 mg of tylenol which is the limit.  Just recently, my doctor took me off of percocet and put me on oxycodone IR which doesn't have any tylenol in it.  I am extremely happy about this change.

If you don't like the change to Morphine and oxycodone, you can always go back to the Norco and deal with a higher pain level if that is a better choice for you.  However, it just seems like you have been in a lot of pain and it has been hindering your ability to carry out your everyday tasks.  The Morphine/oxycodone combo could help you get back to life.  I am assuming the Morphine would be Morphine in extended release form and then oxycodone for breakthrough pain.  This is a great combo as I was on a very similar mix a year ago with the difference being that I was on percocet versus oxycodone.  

The oxycodone would not be taken on a schedule.  Instead it would be for bad spikes in pain or to take before starting an activity that causes you a lot of pain as taking a breakthrough pain med after the pain is really bad renders the medicine not as effective.  You always want to be ahead of the pain.  Having a long-acting med like the Morphine ER covering your baseline pain level will help keep your pain levels throughout the day at lower levels.  The Morphine ER would be dosed at a level equivalent to your current Norco intake with potentially the equivalent of 2-4 extra Norco pills than you are currently taking right now.  Morphine is not much stronger than the Norco.  The big difference is it will eliminate the ups and downs experienced when taking short-acting opioids throughout the day such that your pain will be controlled on a more consistent basis instead of increasing every 3 hours after taking a Norco.

There is hope that they will find the cause of your pain and be able to fix it.  In this case, you would follow the strict tapering instructions given by your physician to minimize withdrawal symptoms as you discontinue the medication.  I think the goal right now is to get your pain to an acceptable level so that you can function and pursue additional treatments and/or therapies.  I wouldn't worry too much about pain control over the long term as there are medicines out there that are much more potent that will ensure pain control down the road.  

Also, rest assured that opioids do not damage internal organs.  The side effects that they cause are manageable.  Constipation can be treated with over the counter medicines.  Low testosterone levels can be treated with hormone replacement therapy (this side effect does not always occur and it is very dependant on the dose and how long it has been taken).  

Uncontrolled pain is more damaging to the body than taking opioids over the long term.  That is why it is so important for you to get the pain under control and I believe the Morphine ER with oxycodone for breakthrough pain would accomplish this.

Please keep us posted.  And feel free to ask any questions you may have as we are here to help!

femmy  :)

[Jake_T]

I did file a grievance the day I found out what she put into my file. I also requested the information that you are talking about as part of the complaint and resolution questions they ask you. My pain is not very well controlled nor has it ever been. But I really am very very hesitant to pursue a stronger medicine because of the fact that it may be long term. I was offered from a few doctor's stronger dose of medication (Morphine/ Oxycodone) and I refused those medications. I just cannot fathom why in the world she would even put that in my file for no clear reason. And especially due to the fact of how upfront and cooperative with every doctor I have seen. In all honesty I am so very frustrated I don't know what to even say to my doctor. The bottom line is I have an appointment on the 23rd and I am going to get this straightened out one way or another, and then I am changing doctor's. In my complaint I mentioned that she has lied to my face on multiple times, for instance I clearly asked her "Do I have to do a drug test for you to release my medication" and her response was absolutely not and I left her office went downstairs to the pharmacy and waited in a hour long line to get up there and the pharmacist's said I had to do a drug test to release the medication. There has been other things that I feel she has lied to me about but not anything I knew for certain, so that was the only part I included in the complaint. Once I explained how she lied to me the woman on the phone seemed to take it much more seriously.

[femmy29]

Hi Jake,

You need to get your medical records corrected.  I would contact member services ASAP and file a formal complaint.  What your doctor has done is unacceptable.  You are certaintly not addicted to your medications and you most certaintly have not demonstrated "drug seeking" behavior.  Examples of "drug seeking" behavior include:
- repeated loss of prescriptions and associated requests for early refills
- refusal to undergo appropriate testing and examination to determine the root cause of your symptoms
- showing up at the end of the day repeatedly to request additional medication

Your doctor is very confused about the differences between addiction, pseudoaddiction, and dependance.  You are probably exhibiting signs of pseudoaddiction but not addiction.  Pseudoaddiction is where a patient exhibits signs of "drug seeking" behavior in the form of repeated request for stronger medications and continual complaints that the pain is still not controlled.  Once the patient receives adequate pain medication such that their pain is reduced enough to where normal functioning can resume, the "drug seeking" behavioral characteristics cease.  

Similar to what JamesC said, if you can determine that what is causing your pain is fixable within minimal to moderate risks, by all means pursue the cure!  I know that you are most definitely looking for a cure from reading your posts.  None of us actually WANT to be on pain medication over the long term.  However, not all pain is curable.  The uncurable type of pain is called chronic pain and it is actually a disase where the nerves continue to send pain signals to the brain long after the trama has healed.  For many (including myself), opioid medications are required for the rest of our lives to sustain normal or near normal daily functioning.  Long term opioid therapy is no different from having to take blood pressure medications for the rest of your life to control hypertension or insulin for diabetes or anti-depressants for depression.  The issue with opioid medications over the long term is that they come with a stigma attached as it is a medication that some like to abuse.  

If you don't have addiction history in your family, rest assured that the risk of you becoming addicted is very low (<1%), especially.  

Please let us know what member services says about the defamation of your medical records.  Have the pharmacy print out all of the dates that you requested a refill of your medication and also obtain all the drug test results from your doctor as evidence that you have not and are not exhibiting "drug seeking" behavior.  What your doctor has done makes me so very angry!

femmy

[femmy29]

James,

You are sadly misinformed.  Reputable medical research has shown that less than 1% of chronic pain patients actually become addicted to their medications (http://updates.pain-topics.org/2011/01/study-finds-low-risk-of-rx-opioid-use.html).  

Addiction is a psychological disease and genetics play a role in the risk of addiction to various drugs, things, behaviors...not just opioid medications.  Unfortunately, the DEA crackdown on doctors that operated pill mill pain management facilities is causing wide spread panic amongst the medical community and many deceitful things are being done to patients' medical records and lies about the addiction liability are being spread out to patients like the plague.  

Addiction and Dependance are two separate things.  Addiction is a psychological need for the drug, object, behavior.  Dependance is a physical need for the drug.  Caffeine, anti-depressants, hypertensives, and opioids all cause physical dependance but not necessarily addiction.

Consider researching the truth for yourself.  

femmy

[JamesC186282]

My impression is that "drug seeking behaviour" is not exactly defined so the doctor's opinion and experience play a large part of who they "tag"

I think seeing someone for a second opinion is worth looking into but I would (me) focus on the cause of the pain and not the treatment.   That maybe all that your doctor is looking at and concluding that your have drug seeking behaviour.    Opiates are so addictive and long term use actually puts the warning light on the doctor who prescribes too many of them or for too long.

Keep pushing for a diagnosis and a solution!   good luck...