Aa
stressful and urgent situation
Hello Group...I am a 54 year old male who has had a 7 way Heat Bypass,Genetic C.A.D. Right Carotid blockage at 99% surgery done for that.also causing Multiple full grand mal siezures which will get to med list ...degenerative and herniated lower back disk. Very high blood pressure.Hypertention,Severe Anxiety,Hyperlipidemia,Hypopotssemia ,left carotid blockage @ 65% both knees are week from coal mining,have had Strokes,mostly mini ones, Iam currently taking,,1 Keppra 1000mg per day, 2 Norco 10-325 was at 4 per day but per my request ask to be dropped to three per day,because with new law 4 a day was too hard to do,like waking up when I finally get to sleep to take one.3,Lisinopril 10mg 1 per day 4,chlorthalidone50mg 1per day ,5Norvasc 10 mg 1 per day,6 Carvadolol 100mg 2 per day, 7,Plavix 75mg 1 per day 8 Alprazalam 2mg 3 times per day,Crestor40mg 1 per day plus suppliments to help with what othe meds are taking away...Now my Doctor called and said he wont give me anymore vicodin cause there wasnt enough in my system,and he knows I just backed off,and its been killing me...I have been in withdraw for two weeks now and its hitting really hard everywhere. the fatique,anxiety,and all other withdraw symptoms are affecting me terribly...Should the Doctor be more concerned about helping me some other way? I just dont understand why I have to suffer this bad. I have been his patient Faithfully for four years,never missing one appt,or lab work it feels like everyone all of sudden looks at me differently now and I am feeling down,hurt,and confused....Anyone that takes the time to read this and respond is very thoughtful and I can only thank you..Being Disabled and unable to work dosent help either...Dont want Suboxone,I think its ugly,,,gotta be some thing the Dr. can prescribe me until this is over, Again Thank You,,!~
I apologize it's taken me a bit to respond back to you. I've been busy the last few days as my best friend has flown in to visit me.
Thank you for clarifying your post a bit better. I understand and agree that medical providers should be able (and can) help their patients through the withdrawal and pain of stopping opiates. It use to be that way - no longer. We're on our own.
There are treatments that may help your pain that have nothing to do with opiates. SCS (Spinal Cord Simulators) are often effective in reducing spinal pain - and no opiates attached. TENS units are also effective for some ppl. There are a multitude of options for those of us that refuse opiates and can function without them - sadly some of our pain is too severe and all treatments have been far less than effective.
I'll look forward to your comments and participation in our community. We welcome everyone's support and information. I wish you well our new friend.
Peace,
~Tuck
Thank you for clarifying your post a bit better. I understand and agree that medical providers should be able (and can) help their patients through the withdrawal and pain of stopping opiates. It use to be that way - no longer. We're on our own.
There are treatments that may help your pain that have nothing to do with opiates. SCS (Spinal Cord Simulators) are often effective in reducing spinal pain - and no opiates attached. TENS units are also effective for some ppl. There are a multitude of options for those of us that refuse opiates and can function without them - sadly some of our pain is too severe and all treatments have been far less than effective.
I'll look forward to your comments and participation in our community. We welcome everyone's support and information. I wish you well our new friend.
Peace,
~Tuck
I'm us feel so sorry for the pain you're having to endure and it is so unfair! :( NO one should have to go thru what you've been going thru.
We all understand the feeling of being ashamed but you must remember you have NOTHING to be ashamed of!!! You have done everything right and nothing wrong. ALWAYS remember that. I can tell by what you've said you are a caring and good person and you are trying to make the best of a bad situation that has come your way. I understand what you mean in your post to Tuck about not wanting to switch Dr.'s. When you find a Dr. that will spend an hour with you each visit you are very fortunate. You must go back and make him understand what this withdrawal is doing to your system. I'm so concerned about your CAD and your seizures. How is your health doing the past few days with the withdrawal. I, too, have CAD and I k ow my Dr. is ALWAYS concerned for me and what my heart condition is. If I understand you correctly this is you PCP (Primary Care Physician) that gives you the Norco. Is that correct? If that's right, then I URGE you to look for a PM (Pain Management Physician) that will be wiling to take over your pain issues if your current Dr. refuses to continue working with you on these problems. You could still keep this Dr. for all of your other needs. You MUST get some help or I can't imagine how you will be able to function so you CAN enjoy your Lovely Family! I would hate it if you couldn't function well enough to even do the smallest tasks that allowed you to do things with them.
I hope you will continue being a part of our MH (MedHelp) Community here. You have so much to offer on our Forum as you have such compassion as well as (unfortunately) a lot of experience with CP (Chronic Pain).
I'm thinking of you and look forward to your updates!
.......... Sherry :)
We all understand the feeling of being ashamed but you must remember you have NOTHING to be ashamed of!!! You have done everything right and nothing wrong. ALWAYS remember that. I can tell by what you've said you are a caring and good person and you are trying to make the best of a bad situation that has come your way. I understand what you mean in your post to Tuck about not wanting to switch Dr.'s. When you find a Dr. that will spend an hour with you each visit you are very fortunate. You must go back and make him understand what this withdrawal is doing to your system. I'm so concerned about your CAD and your seizures. How is your health doing the past few days with the withdrawal. I, too, have CAD and I k ow my Dr. is ALWAYS concerned for me and what my heart condition is. If I understand you correctly this is you PCP (Primary Care Physician) that gives you the Norco. Is that correct? If that's right, then I URGE you to look for a PM (Pain Management Physician) that will be wiling to take over your pain issues if your current Dr. refuses to continue working with you on these problems. You could still keep this Dr. for all of your other needs. You MUST get some help or I can't imagine how you will be able to function so you CAN enjoy your Lovely Family! I would hate it if you couldn't function well enough to even do the smallest tasks that allowed you to do things with them.
I hope you will continue being a part of our MH (MedHelp) Community here. You have so much to offer on our Forum as you have such compassion as well as (unfortunately) a lot of experience with CP (Chronic Pain).
I'm thinking of you and look forward to your updates!
.......... Sherry :)
Thank You NamNam...after 4 straight years of taking vicodin..its Killing me. Not a very Pleasant Place to be in...I am going to over come the Vicodin for now...getting ugly,but I am more then half way there physically I feel Shame for some reason,and It Think its all about letting my Dr. down ,and Myself...Happiness has been lost,and is one of my first thing to get in order. Happiness is Pure Gold....and I'm wanting some more. without any pain relief,it does affect my mobility,and gives me the feeling of fatique that is over the top....Anyway..Thanks a Bunch for taking your valuable time to read and Respond to my Posts . even just simple things like helping each other by just the Support is Outstanding Group,,,!
Dear Tuckamore..First ,I Sincerely appreciate your Response and that you Dedicated your time to read and Comment on My Battle with just Dealing with the Withdraw from the Vicodin...However,I am not that Desparate to want the Vicodin back...One of my Main points of Focus are on how the Dr.'s have their hands tied by the D.E.A.and let them just put me in Straight Withdraw,with no other Plans in Place for my exact Predicament ...they should have some sort of Structure when knowingly these things are going to happen to Decent,and Kinda People...( I feel and Pray for Everyone here!) to HELP Them through this....and they knew it was going to Happen..My Dr. has shown kind and caring decisions,but when they have none it,,"Here,take these three times a Day...haha ..ya feeling me...I feel I am being over Medicated and want to consider another Dr..but I wanna hang in there with this Dr. for other Reasons like doing quality follow ups Blood work,and is a Fantastic listener. I get about an hour of his time every visit,and feel I deserve that kinda treatment...I am Disabled,and I do Pay for my Medicar every Month.which isnt helping,and the scripts have just Doubled i Price...Tha new Law by far is a Fantastic one,in for our children it will benifit them wonderfully for their future,,,I am getting older,and I feel like I have no Passion for things in life like I used to...and that hurts,but I will suck it up...I just wanted to know just what these Dr.'s of 2015 have to offer for my chronic pains without vicodin...there has got to be a Better Pill for my exact Problem,and at least let me have some happiness with my Beautful Family....there's gotta be some thing on the Market other than subaxone...(that word sounds ugly)....and your right..I think doctors should stress more on Fixing the propblem,and its a Big with one.! lol I hope things work out for everyone on here...and will be reading and commenting, to hopefully help,or point some one in the right direction....Again Thank You..!~ has anyone ever thought of if Alcohol came in a Pill form...would you still be Drunk? Funny but Very Sincere..! ttyl Tuckamore !~
It use to be that a practitioner would always give you 30 day supply of meds. Sadly very few if any doctors now give that 30 day supply they once did to their dismissed patients.
I don't know what happened to the law covering Patient Abandonment. It probably still exists. Docs apparently are more afraid of the DEA than they are of suit regarding abandonment. We have no rights.
Where is that new, astute, go-getter attorney that wants to make a name for themselves and is going to challenge the horrid treatment of Chronic Pain Patients?
~Tuck
I don't know what happened to the law covering Patient Abandonment. It probably still exists. Docs apparently are more afraid of the DEA than they are of suit regarding abandonment. We have no rights.
Where is that new, astute, go-getter attorney that wants to make a name for themselves and is going to challenge the horrid treatment of Chronic Pain Patients?
~Tuck
I, too, am sorry I didn't see ur post sooner. I join Tuck in welcoming you to our Forum. :)
I'm astounded that your Dr. would leave you high and dry as he did with nothing to help your pain. He knew you were cutting back so of course there wouldn't have been as much showing up in your test.
Everything TUCK suggested you should consider. They were all good suggestions.
I suffer from DDD (Degenerative Disc Disease ) also. I know how much you are suffering and can't imagine having my pain medication taken away from you. As I said before, I'm so very sorry. When a Dr. dismisses you he should, at the very least, have given you a 30 day script so you would have time to find a Dr. that would help you. I'm even more concerned for you because of your other health issues.
Have you given any thot to making an appointment and talking with your Dr. about exactly what your test results were? You have every right to know, after all you or your insurance paid for the test! When yoh meet with him you can be sure he understands what you were doing in cutting back with your meds.
Again, I'm so VERY sorry for what you are having to go thru. Hang in there, we're all here for you!! ............. Sherry :)
I'm astounded that your Dr. would leave you high and dry as he did with nothing to help your pain. He knew you were cutting back so of course there wouldn't have been as much showing up in your test.
Everything TUCK suggested you should consider. They were all good suggestions.
I suffer from DDD (Degenerative Disc Disease ) also. I know how much you are suffering and can't imagine having my pain medication taken away from you. As I said before, I'm so very sorry. When a Dr. dismisses you he should, at the very least, have given you a 30 day script so you would have time to find a Dr. that would help you. I'm even more concerned for you because of your other health issues.
Have you given any thot to making an appointment and talking with your Dr. about exactly what your test results were? You have every right to know, after all you or your insurance paid for the test! When yoh meet with him you can be sure he understands what you were doing in cutting back with your meds.
Again, I'm so VERY sorry for what you are having to go thru. Hang in there, we're all here for you!! ............. Sherry :)
Hello and Welcome.
Please excuse me for being a bit tardy to your post. Sadly I hear your situation repeated often in our forum. If you've read the past posts here - you know my position and I won't repeat it - and you know doctors are refusing to RX opiates for various, unjust reasons. It happens to countless ppl across the US. I'm sorry this has happened to you too. My heart goes out to you.
DDD is a nasty condition. PMP will often prescribe opiates and/or preform procedures to treat it. Have you considered consulting one? Obviously that won't help your immediate situation.
I admit I'm surprised, for health reasons alone that your MD has refused to continue the Vicodin. Withdrawal and pain places a great deal of stress on you physically to say nothing of what it does to you B/P alone.
Have you contacted your MD to ask for some help? A responsible physician should do something to ease your stress and pain - especially given your medical (Cardiac/Seizure) history.
On our Addiction/Substance Abuse Forum they suggest lots of fluid, healthy eating and exercise. When I was changing from larger doses of opiates to nearly nothing I did take a Valium, twice. It helped. Do you have a PRN (as needed) for anxiety or a muscle relaxer - other than the TID Alprazalam?
Philnoir - our resident "Sheep Doctor" - has suggested medications for withdrawal (w/d) in the past. He's knowable in that area. Most ppl will tell you it's best to tough it out. At two weeks you're through the worst of it - if that's any comfort. The first week is the worse and w/d SX (symptoms) ease as the weeks pass. It takes 3 days for most drugs to clear your system and three weeks to mentally and physically recover.
My bigger concern - and probably yours is pain management. How will you deal with the pain of your DDD and disc issues? I encourage you to contact your MD. I'm not stupid and know the fears medical providers have regarding opiates - especially when they feel their patient has "failed" a UDS. I'd still give it a try. Ask the questions you are asking us.
You don't deserve this agony. You've had a rough medical time of it. Your question, "Should the Doctor be more concerned about helping me..." Absolutely he should be- that doesn't mean he is - or will be. Again I encourage you to have a chat with him.
If you're not already very educated about your condition, know the terms and treatments and medications available please get up to speed. That will help you in your discussion with your physician - and going forward. I don't know how you feel about what has happen. I think if I had an MD for four years that I had trusted and I felt he trusted me - and found myself in your position I think I'd look for another MD. I don't think I'd have trust in him to have my best interest at heart in the future. But that's me.
Other members will stop by and offer their suggestions. I'm so glad you found us and hope you will be active in our community. We learn from one another - and the support here is awesome. I'll look forward to hearing more from you.
Take Care,
~Tuck
Please excuse me for being a bit tardy to your post. Sadly I hear your situation repeated often in our forum. If you've read the past posts here - you know my position and I won't repeat it - and you know doctors are refusing to RX opiates for various, unjust reasons. It happens to countless ppl across the US. I'm sorry this has happened to you too. My heart goes out to you.
DDD is a nasty condition. PMP will often prescribe opiates and/or preform procedures to treat it. Have you considered consulting one? Obviously that won't help your immediate situation.
I admit I'm surprised, for health reasons alone that your MD has refused to continue the Vicodin. Withdrawal and pain places a great deal of stress on you physically to say nothing of what it does to you B/P alone.
Have you contacted your MD to ask for some help? A responsible physician should do something to ease your stress and pain - especially given your medical (Cardiac/Seizure) history.
On our Addiction/Substance Abuse Forum they suggest lots of fluid, healthy eating and exercise. When I was changing from larger doses of opiates to nearly nothing I did take a Valium, twice. It helped. Do you have a PRN (as needed) for anxiety or a muscle relaxer - other than the TID Alprazalam?
Philnoir - our resident "Sheep Doctor" - has suggested medications for withdrawal (w/d) in the past. He's knowable in that area. Most ppl will tell you it's best to tough it out. At two weeks you're through the worst of it - if that's any comfort. The first week is the worse and w/d SX (symptoms) ease as the weeks pass. It takes 3 days for most drugs to clear your system and three weeks to mentally and physically recover.
My bigger concern - and probably yours is pain management. How will you deal with the pain of your DDD and disc issues? I encourage you to contact your MD. I'm not stupid and know the fears medical providers have regarding opiates - especially when they feel their patient has "failed" a UDS. I'd still give it a try. Ask the questions you are asking us.
You don't deserve this agony. You've had a rough medical time of it. Your question, "Should the Doctor be more concerned about helping me..." Absolutely he should be- that doesn't mean he is - or will be. Again I encourage you to have a chat with him.
If you're not already very educated about your condition, know the terms and treatments and medications available please get up to speed. That will help you in your discussion with your physician - and going forward. I don't know how you feel about what has happen. I think if I had an MD for four years that I had trusted and I felt he trusted me - and found myself in your position I think I'd look for another MD. I don't think I'd have trust in him to have my best interest at heart in the future. But that's me.
Other members will stop by and offer their suggestions. I'm so glad you found us and hope you will be active in our community. We learn from one another - and the support here is awesome. I'll look forward to hearing more from you.
Take Care,
~Tuck
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