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Is my doctor using malpractice
My doctor have had me on three narcotics at once for several years. Norco,Xanax 2mg,and Valium 10mg. I have asked to see pain management to help me get off of them. It is starting to ruin my health and my life. My wife has went in as well and ask him to atop giving them to me. But he just ups my dose in stead. IS this malpractice i feel like a my need togo to rehab. IM having chest pains and stomach trouble. What should I do because they are so easy to get?
Like I said in my above post find another doctor who understands that you do not want to be a slave to this anymore. Please do not go from one to another. Like methedone/subx. I hate to say this but many doctors are on the band wagon on getting people on other things to come clean it can be a money making thing for them too!!! My new dr is into the natual way of getting you help. Good Luck. You can get help it is out there just make sure they understand what you want....
God Bless
vickie
God Bless
vickie
a pain management dr. got me addicted to my meds,( methadone) so watch what you ask for,, good luck!!!
As I read your post, you are asking if your doctor is committing malpractice, which is a legal term. I will attempt a response to your question under the assumption you are wondering about the legal aspects of your situation.
Note: If you are using the word "malpractice" to question your doctor's course of treatment, IMO no one on the Net is qualified to say what YOUR doctor should be doing. And with limited information no one is qualified or able to opine if YOUR doctor has committed professional malpractice.
Look at the prevailing theme of the posts: if you don't like the current doctor/patient relationship, find another doctor.
Back to the law side of things: I have a lot of experience working on "med mal" cases, so I'll tell you what I have said to many people. Disclaimer: This is NOT legal advice.
Bottom line first: Even if you had a malpractice claim, it is a waste of your time, money, and emotions to pursue it. IMO your best solution is as others suggest. If you don't feel confident in your doctor's treatment, find a new doctor.
Details: Based on the LIMITED information you present, your case looks "iffy" and even if your situation met all the elements of a med mal case, damages don't look significant (not at this time, anyway).
The law labels these two aspects of a case "liability" and "damages." (Note: Most cases, regardless of the nature of the dispute require consideration of these two issues. Whether on Judge Judy or in federal court, liability and damages have to be proven.)
If you have little evidence to support/prove a claim, lawyers say that you have a problem proving liability.
Separately, lawyers analyze a case by looking at the total monetary damages that can be recovered or won. Often times liability can be easily proven, but the potential client does not have money damages sufficient to warrant litigating a case. (There's too much information that goes into damages analysis.)
Lawyers won't take cases when either of these factors are weak.
Moreover, if collecting damages will be difficult (e.g., the defendant will simply file bankruptcy) lawyers will not take a case, even if "liability is clear" and "damages are high."
Of course, if BOTH liability and damages are weak, you probably would not find a lawyer to set up a first meeting.
Also keep in mind that med mal cases are very difficult to prove, settlements are low-balled by a malpractice insurance carrier, and most cases where the Plaintiff won't accept a low ball settlement end up in litigation and usually trial. This last reality is why lawyers won't take cases unless there's BIG money in it and liability will be easily proven, they know the case will have to be litigated and probably tried.
From over the years what I have seen is that patients know if a doctor's care is deficient. In other words, if you sense your doctor is not listening to your concerns and providing good care, he or she probably is not.
More critically, you have to LIKE your doctor and feel comfortable in the relationship. If THIS doctor does not have your confidence, find another doctor.
P.S. I have always counseled people that litigation is a lousy way to resolve disputes. While "having a case" makes one feel good, plaintiffs who won their cases have almost universally opined that the two-year battle, for example, was not worth it. They comment that the litigation took a huge physical and emotional toll on their lives. (And that's on the big money cases. 99% of litigation does not concern big money.)
Hope that helps.
Note: If you are using the word "malpractice" to question your doctor's course of treatment, IMO no one on the Net is qualified to say what YOUR doctor should be doing. And with limited information no one is qualified or able to opine if YOUR doctor has committed professional malpractice.
Look at the prevailing theme of the posts: if you don't like the current doctor/patient relationship, find another doctor.
Back to the law side of things: I have a lot of experience working on "med mal" cases, so I'll tell you what I have said to many people. Disclaimer: This is NOT legal advice.
Bottom line first: Even if you had a malpractice claim, it is a waste of your time, money, and emotions to pursue it. IMO your best solution is as others suggest. If you don't feel confident in your doctor's treatment, find a new doctor.
Details: Based on the LIMITED information you present, your case looks "iffy" and even if your situation met all the elements of a med mal case, damages don't look significant (not at this time, anyway).
The law labels these two aspects of a case "liability" and "damages." (Note: Most cases, regardless of the nature of the dispute require consideration of these two issues. Whether on Judge Judy or in federal court, liability and damages have to be proven.)
If you have little evidence to support/prove a claim, lawyers say that you have a problem proving liability.
Separately, lawyers analyze a case by looking at the total monetary damages that can be recovered or won. Often times liability can be easily proven, but the potential client does not have money damages sufficient to warrant litigating a case. (There's too much information that goes into damages analysis.)
Lawyers won't take cases when either of these factors are weak.
Moreover, if collecting damages will be difficult (e.g., the defendant will simply file bankruptcy) lawyers will not take a case, even if "liability is clear" and "damages are high."
Of course, if BOTH liability and damages are weak, you probably would not find a lawyer to set up a first meeting.
Also keep in mind that med mal cases are very difficult to prove, settlements are low-balled by a malpractice insurance carrier, and most cases where the Plaintiff won't accept a low ball settlement end up in litigation and usually trial. This last reality is why lawyers won't take cases unless there's BIG money in it and liability will be easily proven, they know the case will have to be litigated and probably tried.
From over the years what I have seen is that patients know if a doctor's care is deficient. In other words, if you sense your doctor is not listening to your concerns and providing good care, he or she probably is not.
More critically, you have to LIKE your doctor and feel comfortable in the relationship. If THIS doctor does not have your confidence, find another doctor.
P.S. I have always counseled people that litigation is a lousy way to resolve disputes. While "having a case" makes one feel good, plaintiffs who won their cases have almost universally opined that the two-year battle, for example, was not worth it. They comment that the litigation took a huge physical and emotional toll on their lives. (And that's on the big money cases. 99% of litigation does not concern big money.)
Hope that helps.
I forgot to mention that I don't think a pain management center is the place to go to get you 'off' the medications. Many of them push pain meds. They have you sign a contract you won't get meds elsewhere and expect you to come in for urine tests and pill counts when they call you in. A GOOD pain management center will work to treat the cause of your pain and not push drugs onto you. May I ask what you were put on all these meds for?
I agree with what adexec has to say. Not saying it's your fault you are in this position. It started out innocent enough and following Dr's instructions. Basically what has happened is that you have built a tolerance to the meds you are on, so you need more to keep yourself out of withdraw and to get results from them. Eventually they turn on us and then we NEED them to just feel normal and function. Sounds like your Dr doesn't understand addiction fully and perhaps thought he was helping by giving you more to keep you functioning. The best way to tackle these 2 different monkeys on your back is to taper off one then the other. I would do the Norco first because after the initial withdraw from those most all of us have some anxiety issues for a while. The xanax will help ease the wd. Then I would start a slow taper of the xanax to avoid any risks of seizures. Many people use a journal to keep track of dosing and report it helps them see their results. If you are having troubles with managing your own meds, perhaps your wife can hold them or put them in a safe and keep the key and only give you what you need for the day. Your Dr can also help you taper off both of these with meds such as clonodine for the Norco. It is a blood pressure med and non addicting. It helps ease the sweats, restless legs and anxiety. The people here are wonderful and I know I wouldn't be at 89 days without the support of all of them.
You can do a slow taper on all the meds but I would do one at a time .the xanax and the valium have to be tapered you CAN NOT "jump" off of those. They are both benzos and withdrawals from both of those can cause seizures. Have you tried to contact an addiction specialist? There are so many docs hat can help with tapering..hang in there it can be done
The slower the better ... oh and congrats on wanting to take your life back ... keep posting ! The people on here give great support and advice..im on my secound taper and I would not have been able to do it wihout he support of these people
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The slower the better ... oh and congrats on wanting to take your life back ... keep posting ! The people on here give great support and advice..im on my secound taper and I would not have been able to do it wihout he support of these people
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Hi there....If you are still on the meds you are not in w/d.......Norco and the benzos are two differnt drugs. From my experience I have seen myself and others come c/t from the norcos and bounce back quick....But the benzos are a whole differnt thing. I would suggest that you see another DR. You CAN taper down from the norcos just fine. And you can go down to the next stage on the benzos like Lorazepam/ativin then taper from them. I know this is what they do for people who drink and do the benzo. From my experience you do not need a re-hab if you can not affort it. The re-haps that I have checked out a long time ago will just c/t you and repalce it with sleep aid and cloindine blood pressure med for anxiety and sleep. If you have trouble with holding your own pills then give them to someone who can give them out to you on a schedule. I have seen Blessing on here from all the people helping others during the w/d state. It should not be that bad considering the yrs and if you taper. NOW this is from MY EXPERIENCE I am not a DR. If you check out my profile you will see what I did and I went c/t no choice and If I knew what I know now from this site I would of did it way different. Keep us posted there are alot of experiences here with many months, years behind them....God Bless for takin the first step...
vickie
PS aftercare is a big one too! aa/na, support....
vickie
PS aftercare is a big one too! aa/na, support....
I don't know much about rehab, but I know it varies from state to state and several states have free or really lowest programs. You might try googling it, or post another new thread asking other members if they have any suggestions for the state you live in. If you can't go to rehab, then we can also try to help you here..this site has provided tons of help for people "jumping off" all kind of meds, but you've got to decide first, that you are ready to do it. Can't only blame docs for giving you access..,most of us started with docs prescribing meds for real pain and then many of us upped our doses on our own, got hooked without knowing it or sought other ways to get meds...they are easy to get. Key is deciding what you want to do going forward with drugs and managing your pain and how you want to live your life. Have you decided what you want?
Yes my wife and I have told him IM addicted and the withdrawals feel like IM going to die. So instead of sending me to a pain management doctor. He increased my dose on all. I want to stop but it's hard when I know they are waiting for me and i hate the withdrawal. I recently lost my job so IM having a hard time finding a rehab that is affordable. Do know if there are any rehab for detox that are affordable without insurance?
Not saying the doc isn't schetchy for prescribing like that, but only you have the power to decide what to take. Pills will always be available to those who want to take them....it just a matter of how much you want them. You need to decide what you want in your life. Have you asked him why he is doing this and shared your feelings about how you feel this is affecting your quality of
life? Maybe you should schedule time with your Doc to discuss, or find another doc who will take time to go over your situation. But first, you'll need to decide what YOU want.
life? Maybe you should schedule time with your Doc to discuss, or find another doc who will take time to go over your situation. But first, you'll need to decide what YOU want.
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