please help

[hirten]

I wont see 2012 without some help. I need a doctor for pain meds. I am not a pill junkie and I dont use them for a buzz or getting high. I have never seen more than 1 doctor at a time. Now I almost wish I had. I have been with the same pain doctor for 9 or 10 years and now he discharged me. I dont have a PCP. He lied on my medical records and the doctors I checked dont accept people who have been discharged from other pain clinics. I am mad but also scared. If the withdrawls dont kill me. I mean make me kill myself then the pain will. I cant believe he did this and then lied about it. He has lied in the past too. I should have learned from that and found another doc before this happened.

[Weathergirl21]

I understand your choice for not making a police report...But then you have to realize how that is going to look and as I mentioned...the Dr. is under strict DEA guidelines on how he fills prescriptions...

So...just because you chose to not pursue this...then he has to make the decision to not refill early without a police report...

I'm just trying to explain from the other side.

I know it stinks...

As far as the medicine holiday...If you actually stayed with that Dr...and went ahead and followed the reduction in medicine...then you 'agreed' to it...

Otherwise...you would have left his practice...and that would have not been agreeing.

Obviously the part about telling your wife wasn't right...The only other explanation could be is that he has hundreds and hundreds of patients and when you came in with her...he looked down on his charts that had 'patient agrees to medication holiday'....because you went through with it.

We always have the choice to change Dr.s.

I'm not sure why you thought the post dated prescription was a big deal..My Dr. does them all the time as I only see him once every 3 months and my medicines and non refillable.

The way he does it is I went in for my November appt. I left with two sets of prescriptions.

One set had that days date on them and I filled them when I left the appt.

The other set is for December 23rd to be filled on/after that date.

I will just go to the office front desk in January to get the 3rd prescriptions..

And then next appt. is Feb.

Anyway....you would have just tapered down yourself with the medicine you had and then he would have given you your prescription for the date it was supposed to be filled originally (however many days that was after your appt.)...

So unfortunately...that will be in your records that you chose to leave them.

At this point...all you can do is make an appt. for another PM Dr....and as mentioned...get the supplies in case you run out...

As well as start tapering immediately so you don't just go cold turkey from 6 pills a day to none...

I had an awful experience with my first PM Dr. after my 2nd cervical fusion surgery...and it was in December 6 years ago...

I was away on a trip in NC to see my family...I called in the day I was driving home to ask if my husband (whom they knew) could pick up my prescription as I wouldn't be home in time (they would be closed and it was Friday)...

The nurse gets on the phone and says that I already picked up my prescription...I said, "That's impossible....I am in NC and have been for the last 5 days"...
She said, "NO...it was a young woman, blonde, with a ponytail and it was you"...
I said.."NO...it wasn't..."

The downside which all Dr.s offices require now (at least in VA) but didn't have then was to sign for your prescriptions...So they didn't have any signature...

I actually think it was the nurse who stole them or got rid of them because they were looking to get rid of me after the surgery...She was not a nice person....And I love most medical personnel!..

So....I had to go cold tukey at Christmas...

Thankfully I made an appt. with my new PM and saw them in January...Also saw a new Neurosurgeon in the same office as they had to redo my surgery the other guy did such a bad job..

I was crying in their office in so much pain..The Dr. actually hugged me and said they would take care of me..

So...even though I had on my record that I left the last place..I explained everything that happened...I had all the proof of my credit card receipts/gas receipts for my days in NC and traveling..I had everybodys name, exact time I spoke to them on the phone...etc.

All detailed...so they believed me and I've been with them ever since..

So there is hope for you...Just make those calls...and move forward...

[hirten]

hindsight is 2020 i know. I bought a safe on black friday to keep what i did have left in. I talked to the police but didnt file a report for a few reasons. one being that all they said they could do is question everyone that was there. I didnt want to put my family thru that. My mother is not well and so on. When i discovered the missing pills, the bottle was not gone just short I counted what was left in it plus what i had from previous months I knew i had enough to make my appointment. He has never post dated a script before so i didnt expect that. I am not surprised really by his lie though as he put me on a drug holiday (as he called it) a few years back even though I begged him not to. at least not at that time. When i read my records it said I agreed to that too which is b.s. when my wife had to drive me in because i was so sick and she asked why, he lied then and told her I requested it to lower my tolerance. also b.s.  that was a few years back. I should have seen that red flag. His online reviews are not good. they say his office is like a fortress and he never returns calls and only speaks his staff and makes you feel like a drug addict. I did not write any of them either. I will however put one on there now.

[Weathergirl21]

Did you call the police when you saw the missing medicine?

I know it's hindsight now...but NEVER keep any narcotics in your medicine cabinet...

You need to get a safe and keep them there...

Most people would call the police immediately to make a report..And then call your Dr. immediately the moment you found out they were stolen..

I know you can't go back now....but most Dr.s expect someone to do this if it they were robbed with their tv...money...car...So it 'seems' suspicious that someone wouldn't call the police when they are robbed.

And then if you waited until the end of the appt. when you looked at the prescription to mention this....again...it 'seemed' more suspicious...

I'm not sure if you were only 3 days short with medicine you had on hand...why did you not just cut down for some days and then grin and bear it? Obviously still telling him about it...

But not sure why you didn't just do that instead of taking the prescription and letting him dismiss you?

Also...had you signed a narcotics contract with this Dr.?

Just so you can see the other side...Your Dr. is watched by the DEA...Every single thing he does....If he were to write a prescription early....he has to have a reason and proof to show why...(As in your copy of the police report to put in your medical records)...

He can get shut down by the DEA if he did this for numerous patients...(think of others that may or may not be real in their losing meds...someone steals them...etc.)....

I know this isn't much comfort but you need to go from here...

Do you not have a direct phone number or email to your Dr. after 10 years? So that you can at least talk to him one more time?

Again...if you can't do that...the only thing is to find a new DR. and make an appt. immediately....

Start trying to wean yourself in case you can't get into one in time....

Also...taking 6, 30mg Oxycodone per day for a long time is probably not something another Dr. is going to want to prescribe....Most Dr.s will move you to a long acting/extended release medication after a few months...

It raises too many red flags as well as it doesn't give very good pain control as those only last 4-6 hours...

Most people after a few months go on something that lasts 8-12 hours and only need one to three a day....

So...a new Dr. is going to need to start from scratch so that is why you should start weaning immediately....

Again...I hope you can get into someone soon....but if not...stay hydrated.(THAT IS MOST IMPORTANT)...get Immodium....keep the BRAT diet foods around the house....and know that it may be some tough days but there isn't much more to do...

If you try to go to the ER just for narcotics...that will add a red flag to your records which will just make this situation worse....

Good luck....

[hirten]

I have been taking oxycodone 30mg every 4 hours for a total of 180mgs a day. The reason for the discharge was that I was short on my meds because someone stole from me at thanksgiving. I did not expect it from someone I invited into my own house. They were in my medicine cabinet in the bathroom upstairs in my bedroom. This is one of 3 bathrooms I have and it is my private bathroom so I didnt expect anyone or give permission for anyone to use it. When I discovered I was short I bought a safe to keep them in. when I went to my appointment which was a couple days early because of them not me, I thought it would be fine. The doctor post dated the script. When I noticed it I told him what happened and asked if he could write it for that day. I would have been 2 weeks short but my apts. are every 28 days so I had enough left from previous visits to get me through. Luckily they were in a different spot. I was only like 3 days short because of that. The doctor said no way. I asked what I should do? He said leave with the one you have and grin and bear it or I will write it now and discharge you. I was stunned. I have never come up short in 10 years. I have passed every drug screen and he once told me I was a model patient. He started yelling at me in the hall and saying these are like gold and you are on a high dose. I appologized and said I dont know what to do. He walked away and said you have your choices. Fine I said give it to me now. I called a few times and he would not return my calls. I finally got my records and read them, all 80+ pages. IT says I came back in and told him I was short on my meds. true. It then says I was givin the choice of vicodin to get me thru till my script could be filled or take a discharge and an early script and thats what I chose. NOT TRUE. he offered nothing except the discharge. I would have taken the other choice had I been given the option. now no doctors want to see me because of the discharge.

[Weathergirl21]

Sorry you are going through this..

What was the reason they discharged you?

If you are thinking of harming yourself please call 1-800-273-8255. That is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

We aren't Dr.s on here so no one can help in that way.

The only thing you can do is if you are saying the Dr. is 'lying'...which is pretty strange after knowing you for 10 years....Then gather all the information to prove the points that are in your records for when you see another Dr.

The only thing you can do is try to find another Dr. to start from scratch and tell them your story, show them the proof you have and go from there.

What medications are you on? With opiates...even though the withdrawals can get very uncomfortable depending on what strengths you were on...They are not deadly..There are many people who are actually addicted to things like heroine, crack, etc. that have to quit cold turkey if they land in jail...etc.(Giving an example)

If you were on any type of depression medication or benzodiazepines, then stopping these cold turkey CAN cause possible life threatening issues...So if needed...I would go to the ER to make sure they can give you a prescription to safely wean off of those.

Going to the ER for opiates is never a good thing.

It may take some time to find a new Dr...but if your old one will not talk to you and won't work out the issues...that is your only choice..

Good luck...