Can doctors just stop prescribing pain medication to patients after yrs prescribed them?

[Sparkytc]

I have been diagnosed with lower lumbar degenerative disease back in 1997. Back then it was only classified as arthritis, I am now only 36 an back then 25 and I was given Motrin 800mg 3 times a day. This worked for a few years but working at jobs being on my feet 8-10 hours a day the medication was just not doing the job. I went to my primary Dr. who unfortunatly where I live is a small clinic with mostly residents who leave after a year or 2 having me to start all over with another who most always has a different opinion of what treatment is best. After 2+ years of trying multiple medications and being without insurance at the time I went through medications like Celebrex, Vioxx, Peroxicam, and every NSAID there was with little to no relief. Well I was eventually fired from my job due to the fact my productivity was showing decline do to back pain. I had 1 MRI done in 1998 an then another 4 yrs later at that point I was put on 7/325 mg Hydrocodone 3 times a day. This was amazing how much relief I had gotten after all these years. I still have been on the Motrin 800 for the past 12 yrs which they do nothing but following doctors orders. Last year I had been given a new Doctor/Resident and I asked if I could have a recent MRI done, she responded no because you have degenerative disease that its only going to show more degeneration why should the money be spent on it and continued to prescribe the medications. On July 5th I was in another vehicle motor accident adding upper back pain to my current condition so my doctor, at this time was a new resident, who had increased my hydrocodone to 6 at 10/650mg per day. After 2 months of this I felt this just was too much medication and spoke with her about some type of long acting 12 hour pain medication, She mentioned Methodone, I agreed with the methadone due to the fact it can also get me off or minimize the narcotics I was on and the Hydrocodone was dropped to 3 a day an given 2 methodone per day. 4 days later I started having memory loss, I was bloated and had huge red blotches all over my body. I was taken off the methodone immediatly. But instead of offering something to try an help me get off the narcotics she put me on MS Contin which in my opinion was yes may help with pain but not help me get off the narcotics. As of last week my 12 yr old daughter who is bipolar and now in a treatment facility for medication review had decided to run to the doctor an throw out a long tale of how I am not myself anymore an the medications have changed me. Even though my daughter stated to her that she is a pathalogical liar and lies constantly. The only reason I can think why she did this was because me an her mom had a large argument the night before because she wanted to go out with friends on a school nite an she threw a tantrum and eventually tried to jump out her 3rd floor window, I stopped her but was injured by getting kicked in the groin and abdomen but made calls to her therapist and was making appointments to get her into a Pediatric EMH program to get her help. The Doctor had child services take her and again she is getting the help she needs but after hearing a 12 yr olds story she called me in and proceeded to decare that I am officially to recieve no more narcotic medications ever again. She has even claimed that she is going to mark my charts in bold letters "NO NARCOTICS". This doctor wanted nothing to hear what I had to say about the incident believing my daughter 100%. have been on the Hydrocodone for over 5 yrs and the MS Contin for 3 months there are days I will admit I may take an extra 1 for a long day working outside an then other days I may take less but I guess my original question is...Is a doctor allowed to just stop you dead on all your medications just like that and not to offer you any help either finding a detox facility or any help...it has now been 7 days off my medication an I can barely get out of bed or I get woken up multiple times per night because of my back pain. I have tried every place that does inpatient or outpatient detox by use of Suboxome but all are full or not booking until January. This doctor has taken my home and my family an torn us apart an had made our lives just each day more an more stressful, I cant go running from ER to ER because that is wrong and I know I shouldnt but when my Doctor said if I dont get to a detox facility I could end up looking for heroin on the street. What kind of Doctor says that to a patient?
Are doctors allowed to stop narcotic medications immediatly even if I have a documented medical back problems? and who can I contact because of this.
Mike

[Savas]

I hear what your saying. Using western medicine has left me with pins and rods in my leg and a non stop pain that won't ever go away. Until I looked into other ways of dealing with it than western medicine...well, I'd still be walking with a cane now.
   Maybe the pain your in is just too great to overcome in any way. But where does that leave you? At least if you try to find other ways, it may lead to something positive. I think this is one of the hardest things for a western/american attitude person to get around idea wise (was for me). I'm not saying run right out and join a tibetan monastery  (!), but at least consider the possibility.

The alternative is to spend all your time gonig to clinics and doctors and being treated like shite, a criminal, a misbehaving child. Havbing your freedoms and rights stripped away because of an addiction to a drug.

[lexigirl]

Nothing surprises nowadays. My uncle has been on Vicodin for 17 years for the same back problems you have. He had surgery which DIDN'T help him in any way. The surgeon who did it told him he wanted my uncle off of the pain meds for good. He told his primary doctor what was said and his doctor said he was not taking him off the Vicodin because nobody should be in pain daily. Which I personally think more doctors should feel this way instead of being scared. But it's like a double edged sword also. Some people like myself get addicted so it could go either way.

As usual I went way into left field.

[notmenow!]

Welcome to the forum. I am sorry to hear of your current dilemma. Yes your doctor has the right to fire you as a patient at anytime during the coarse of treatment. It sounds as if there may be more to the story. Well lets forget about the fact that your DR. let you go, there is nothing that you can do about it know, She must have received info from somewhere, Where you picking up your Rx early.
I cant believe in a city as big as NYC that you can't find another DR to treat you with suboxone, You went on line at www.suboxone.com pick the site in bold letters, This site has a physician locator on it based on zip code. There must be several zip codes in NYC and then there is always CT. In fact it is only a short train ride away, or a quick ride down 95 or the Merrit Parkway. NYC there has to be at least 500 suboxone MD. If they have been prescribing for over 1 year the 35 patient limit does not apply to then. They may now take a treat up to 100 suboxone patients as allowed by law.
Your former physician do decide on your future care regarding narcotics as you could have an accident which would require pain relief if you should ever need it. Who does she think she is the Governor of N.Y. or what? What kind of M.D., is she anyway There must be 10,000 M.D. in the N.Y. City area.!
Then again you are more than halfway through detox what did  you think about holding out and giving sober life a try if you realy can get by without another 3 days without hydrocodone. Contact the www.suboxone.com website and use the physician locator this DR. is not does not have that kind of power unless your on medicare and she files a grievance with your medicare intermediary Good Luck New York------------------NOAH

[ChronicCaroline]

You definately have options and don't have to take the **** from your DR. There was one time I was bogusly accused of getting scripts from my doctor and then calling the on on call doctor to get more. Ummm...#1-The on call was a P.A. and can't write scripts for narcotics or controlled substances. #2-I have known for quite some time, about two years this facility won't call in narcotics for like three years now no matter what. They say go to an ER if its that bad. #3-Why would I call the P.A. at the same office as my doc, it would get back to him the next day, how would you explain that. #4-I told this P.A. I was having severe sinus headaches due to allergies causing pain and asked for allegra-D or claritin-D. This was relayed to my doc as I was looking for narcotics, I was so flippin' mad. He kind of did the same thing but was a bit more apt to listen, especially when I told him I will call her or talk to her right now and ask why she said that.
Unfortunately, doctors get the slightest sniff of possible abuse or addiction and they don't care about you to much. They want "liabilities" like us out of there practice. With or without help getting detoxed. They don't want to lose there license. I think it is INCREDIBLY unsafe to cut you off cold with nothing, that can be very tragic to your system. Not to mention the back pain alone is enough to drive you off the egde. Either do what you have to do LEGALLY to get by to get meds or try to just keep going without. However if you are in that much pain find a Doc ASAP!!!

Best of Luck To You!!!

[Summer123]

I, like you, have degenerative disc disease.  I cannot sit or stand for more than 20 minutes.  I am on total disability.  Have been on pain meds for 12 years.  I remember signing something at the pain med's office that says that they have the right to stop prescribing at any time.  If I went to another doctor at the same time and got the same meds, they could fire me.  If I didn't pass a drug test (which they can administer at anytime), they could fire me.  The drug test is actually to make sure you have the drug in you (they don't want you getting the meds and selling them).  I am in awful pain too.  I went all the way from the fentalyn patch 75 mg to oxycontin with percocet for breakthrough pain.  Tapered myself down to 10 mg of percocet a day for last 6 days.  My pain is bad, but I wouldn't say it is too much worse than before.  I still cannot sit or stand long, am substituting tylenol and ibuprofen (don't want to take too much of either product) for pain.  When I moved across the country 4 years ago, the new doctor wouldn't prescribe what the old one did, and it took several visits before I was back on the same meds.  I'm getting off of them for one reason.  When I tried to find a family doctor 4 years ago, I had difficulty getting a doctor that would take me being on so much pain meds.  I haven't asked my pain doctor for help in getting off the pain meds cause I fear he may give me less time to taper than I give myself.    Anyway, you might want to try getting off (I think it is quite the hassle to go to the pain doctor anyway).  Best of luck.

[MICHAEL_777]

Have you tried spinal decompression yet?  I just stared this week and have only had two treatments, but I have noticed a slight difference in the pain level.  I have 2 degenerating discs and 2 herniated discs.  The shooting/stabbing pain has been reduced by about 20%.  I have 18 more treatments to go.  It might be something you want to look into for a long term fix.  There are also patches that contain some type of novacaine.  You wear the patch over the site of pain for 12 hours and then remove it.  It is supposed to provide 24 hour relief per patch and you can wear up to 3 patches at a time.  Hope this helps.  Love and Strength to ya!