Pain Clinics treating me like criminal and worse.

[Scoliosis Hurts]

I have heard of the horror stories in the USA , I reside in Canada and went through hell these past several months. not sure why I stuck around but ... well, its over for now.

I was referred to a rheumatologist from my family doc after my pain was worse than he felt comfy treating and ended up in a pain clinic that is dead set on treating chronic pain patients with methadone / suboxone and not much else. Here and there they rx patches.

To make a long and sickening story short as possible I was place din the hands of a fellow pain doc who has limited experience with people like me.

They were so paranoid about (this doc) about rx'ing opiates that I was dispensed oxy weekly - whereas it was monthly always- and then they tried to strong arm me into either methadone / suboxone and even though I specifically explained why not to do this they still tried.

To save us all time HERE I have researched all of the + / - 's of both and can only say that the criminal element is causing severe problems for people who legitimately need pain relief and have tried everything and have come to the concl that this stuff works.

I can go on for another huge essay here and will refrain from doing as my hands are hurting. Any Q's? aks me ?

[JenniferG]

Watched a programme recently that showed how severe the problem with oxycodone addiction is. It causes far greater havoc than heroin. Having been on it for 7-8 weeks, I wonder why anybody would take it recreationally, but then I guess I don't understand narcotic addiction.

Yes, they're spoiling it for all of us.

Besides that, patients were interviewed who'd become addicted almost to the point of death to gp prescribed oxycodone.

I remember my gp gave me several weeks worth of oxycodone at a time then, a week later when I was reducing, would write another script for a lower dose, again, another couple of weeks worth and so on. At one stage we had enough oxycodone sitting on the bedside table to finance a small house. We sent it all back to the pharmacy, opened and unopened. She said it goes back to the manufacturer and then to third world countries.

[Scoliosis Hurts]

The epidemic is beyond comprehension in North America, Canada - has its pockets, and here it is worse than cocaine*

I am now on 280 mg per day & wish I could find something that helped. nothing has come close, NOTHING.


Watched a programme recently that showed how severe the problem with oxycodone addiction is. It causes far greater havoc than heroin. Having been on it for 7-8 weeks, I wonder why anybody would take it recreationally, but then I guess I don't understand narcotic addiction.

Yes, they're spoiling it for all of us.

Besides that, patients were interviewed who'd become addicted almost to the point of death to gp prescribed oxycodone.

I remember my gp gave me several weeks worth of oxycodone at a time then, a week later when I was reducing, would write another script for a lower dose, again, another couple of weeks worth and so on. At one stage we had enough oxycodone sitting on the bedside table to finance a small house. We sent it all back to the pharmacy, opened and unopened. She said it goes back to the manufacturer and then to third world countries.

[jrnyc]

hi "scoli hurts"...
i am so sorry you have been treated this way... as a retired licensed social worker (full time in schools, part time in drug/alcohol field), i know a little about dependence, tolerance, addiction, etc...and the difference between those using to get high and those given medication for pain, who sometimes become dependent...i am appalled that you have been put thru this...

i have a sister who has lived in Montreal for over 3 decades..she claims to have no problems with the Canadian health care system...i have my major doubts, from what i've heard and read...
regardless, you deserve specialists who know what they are doing...i have found several here in the northeast in the States...thank goodness! i have been able to get the meds i need..but have encountered a couple of unenlightened pain docs along the way...
i take oxy as little as possible, as i lose weight quickly on it...very quickly...last time i went down to 87 pounds (5'3" shrunk from 5'5" due to scoli)...and i try to stay with hydrocodone...but it often isnt enough...sometimes nothing is, as you know...
ignorant doctors dont seem to know that with severe pain, if the meds just take the edge off the pain, it is often the best relief that we get...

i hope you can find an enlightened pain specialist in Canada...but it sounds very problematic...and with what i hear about waiting for appointments for "non emergency" medical problems...very very hard!

you have all my sympathy...
jess

[jrnyc]

hi JenG
i am surprised that in Australia, pharmacies can take meds back...opened or unopened, my pharmacist here in U.S. tells me that by law, it is not allowed...
sometimes my pain doc will take meds from me that i cant use, like the morphine stuff (tried once, i threw up violently!) or the oxycontin i didnt use...but he only offers it directly to his own patients that he knows have financial hardship getting their meds...
it is a shame, as i know there are patients here in the States who would be glad to offer what they haven't used/can't use to their pharmacists...
i don't understand wanting oxy recreationally either, from a personal perspective...but i saw it plenty of times professionally!

jess

[JenniferG]

Hi Jess,

I'm sure it has it's possible problems, the pharmacies taking back the unused oxycodone. Being such an in-demand drug by addicts, and valued at such an exhorbitant price by them, would be tempting for some pharmacists, I would imagine. I hope my unused meds did end up in a third world country, helping a poor patient in pain.

I wanted it out of the house and didn't want to flush it down the toilet.

[kennedy]

You guys are not going to belive what my shairff office is doing now if you have pills that are no long used you can take them there

[junosand]

you definitely have my sympathy as well; if it was up to me, you'd be able to walk into any pharmacy and buy whatever you want; until the early 20th century, you could; opiates were common ingredients in many patent medicines

control of narcotics is just another form of prohibition, a complete and destructive failure just like all prior efforts; alcohol has always and continues to cause more harm, by far, than all other drugs put together; the legal treatment of alcohol should be the model for regulating of any drugs
IM not so HO

you and thousands of others have to suffer because we are so terrified that someone somewhere might be getting high! getting high can be viewed anyway as the self-treatment of psychic pain, which is just as valid as physical pain; and what if people use it purely recreation-ally: exactly what is so horrible about that? do our puritanical roots run that deep?

the so-called war on drugs is a war of the rich and established, drinking their alcohol and taking their prescription anti-depressants and whatever, against the underclass taking street drugs; the war is costly, a failure, makes some very bad people very rich, destabilizes and corrupts governments (look at mexico) and greatly exacerbates our racial problems (half the young black men in prison are in only for drug related "offenses")

there's another great irony: we all will die of something and doctors will be helpless to do anything about it; but since the discovery of the opium poppy (the substrate from which all narcotic opiate drugs are derived) the medical profession can AT LEAST make one's demise comfortable; the relief of pain is
the ONE THING that doctors should be able to almost always provide if nothing else, and yet they are scared and hamstrung by their own government

i could go on and on but it's hopeless ... sorry for the libertarian rant, but when i here of a situation like yours, and as your know you are hardly alone, it's just so frustrating ...

[Elisa]

the so-called war on drugs is a war of the rich and established, drinking their alcohol and taking their prescription anti-depressants and whatever, against the underclass taking street drugs; the war is costly, a failure, makes some very bad people very rich, destabilizes and corrupts governments (look at mexico) and greatly exacerbates our racial problems (half the young black men in prison are in only for drug related "offenses")


You and my husband could discuss this very topic all day. These are the things he gets so upset about and I am his sounding board but not always a good one b/c he does tend to go on and on about it. Up in BC here, it's all about getting a license to grow medicinal marijuana that apparently is good pain reliever. I know quite a few people who have a license to grow.

To the OP, I am so very sorry that you are not getting the pain relief you need and are having such a difficult time with it.

[mamamax]

you definitely have my sympathy as well; if it was up to me, you'd be able to walk into any pharmacy and buy whatever you want; until the early 20th century, you could; opiates were common ingredients in many patent medicines

control of narcotics is just another form of prohibition, a complete and destructive failure just like all prior efforts; alcohol has always and continues to cause more harm, by far, than all other drugs put together; the legal treatment of alcohol should be the model for regulating of any drugs
IM not so HO

you and thousands of others have to suffer because we are so terrified that someone somewhere might be getting high! getting high can be viewed anyway as the self-treatment of psychic pain, which is just as valid as physical pain; and what if people use it purely recreation-ally: exactly what is so horrible about that? do our puritanical roots run that deep?

the so-called war on drugs is a war of the rich and established, drinking their alcohol and taking their prescription anti-depressants and whatever, against the underclass taking street drugs; the war is costly, a failure, makes some very bad people very rich, destabilizes and corrupts governments (look at mexico) and greatly exacerbates our racial problems (half the young black men in prison are in only for drug related "offenses")

there's another great irony: we all will die of something and doctors will be helpless to do anything about it; but since the discovery of the opium poppy (the substrate from which all narcotic opiate drugs are derived) the medical profession can AT LEAST make one's demise comfortable; the relief of pain is
the ONE THING that doctors should be able to almost always provide if nothing else, and yet they are scared and hamstrung by their own government

i could go on and on but it's hopeless ... sorry for the libertarian rant, but when i here of a situation like yours, and as your know you are hardly alone, it's just so frustrating ...

wow. well said. I've been wanting to post something about all this but couldn't find the words to articulate my thoughts. thank you

[JenniferG]

Yes, very well said and an interesting perspective.

[Vali]

I ditto mammamax and jenniferG on this one. Well said. With regards to your line about alcohol and smokes being bad for you as well, this may interest many ladies on this forum. In Australia, Progesterone cream is a S4 (poison) product. Now..........you can rub in the cream and have so many benefits from it, but you can only get it on a presription (I import mine from the US) and only if your doc is well versed in recommending it to you (which many Aussie docs are not). However, you can buy alcohol, drink till you are absolutely paro, maybe put other people in danger or worse kill someone in a car accident, but no S4 on that one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Scoliosis Hurts]

Thanks for your support. Why am i not getting email notifications when you all reply?? My account is set up appropriately*

... I speak with many people in the public and you would be floored by some of the stories I hear on public transit. Some of the drivers have asked me to buy my pain meds after hearing I am on them.

I ran into a full blown Heroin addict last week on the bus. He was a middle aged man who was sweating profusely, very tired and nodding off , I asked him if he was alright and he told me he just did a "line" of Heroin and ran out of his 80mg Oxycodone pills 1 week early to his next refill. Then asked me if i had any!! I obviously refused and played dumb, he looked dangerous and like the type that would easily rob me.

I get so stressed out.



you definitely have my sympathy as well; if it was up to me, you'd be able to walk into any pharmacy and buy whatever you want; until the early 20th century, you could; opiates were common ingredients in many patent medicines

control of narcotics is just another form of prohibition, a complete and destructive failure just like all prior efforts; alcohol has always and continues to cause more harm, by far, than all other drugs put together; the legal treatment of alcohol should be the model for regulating of any drugs
IM not so HO

you and thousands of others have to suffer because we are so terrified that someone somewhere might be getting high! getting high can be viewed anyway as the self-treatment of psychic pain, which is just as valid as physical pain; and what if people use it purely recreation-ally: exactly what is so horrible about that? do our puritanical roots run that deep?

the so-called war on drugs is a war of the rich and established, drinking their alcohol and taking their prescription anti-depressants and whatever, against the underclass taking street drugs; the war is costly, a failure, makes some very bad people very rich, destabilizes and corrupts governments (look at mexico) and greatly exacerbates our racial problems (half the young black men in prison are in only for drug related "offenses")

there's another great irony: we all will die of something and doctors will be helpless to do anything about it; but since the discovery of the opium poppy (the substrate from which all narcotic opiate drugs are derived) the medical profession can AT LEAST make one's demise comfortable; the relief of pain is
the ONE THING that doctors should be able to almost always provide if nothing else, and yet they are scared and hamstrung by their own government

i could go on and on but it's hopeless ... sorry for the libertarian rant, but when i here of a situation like yours, and as your know you are hardly alone, it's just so frustrating ...

[Scoliosis Hurts]

the clinic I used to go to did nothing for me but make me more sick - mentally + emotionally for certain. It took 3-4 months and then I snapped. No one in their right mind would have put up with their behaviors and lack of adequate , personalized service. I now see that it was all about $$$$$$$ and now that I no longer go there they wont even call me new family doctor or me a call to provide data I need*

Sad.


hi "scoli hurts"...
i am so sorry you have been treated this way... as a retired licensed social worker (full time in schools, part time in drug/alcohol field), i know a little about dependence, tolerance, addiction, etc...and the difference between those using to get high and those given medication for pain, who sometimes become dependent...i am appalled that you have been put thru this...

i have a sister who has lived in Montreal for over 3 decades..she claims to have no problems with the Canadian health care system...i have my major doubts, from what i've heard and read...
regardless, you deserve specialists who know what they are doing...i have found several here in the northeast in the States...thank goodness! i have been able to get the meds i need..but have encountered a couple of unenlightened pain docs along the way...
i take oxy as little as possible, as i lose weight quickly on it...very quickly...last time i went down to 87 pounds (5'3" shrunk from 5'5" due to scoli)...and i try to stay with hydrocodone...but it often isnt enough...sometimes nothing is, as you know...
ignorant doctors dont seem to know that with severe pain, if the meds just take the edge off the pain, it is often the best relief that we get...

i hope you can find an enlightened pain specialist in Canada...but it sounds very problematic...and with what i hear about waiting for appointments for "non emergency" medical problems...very very hard!

you have all my sympathy...
jess

[Elisa]

I only get email notifications if I get a private message but not if I have a response to a post.

There are so many people out there with chronic pain and are not taken seriously or are treated like drug addicts. That's just plain wrong and I do feel for you.

[jrnyc]

i got a lecture today from my rheumatologist, whom i've known 20 years...
he thinks i am being given too many pain meds (by another doctor) and is upset that my weight is down again, to 92 pounds...but he is sure i have a an "eating disorder" unrelated to having no appetite from pain medication...

however, i can't eat with hydrocodone and the oxy is the worst for killing appetite...i take the oxy every other day now, cause the pain is so bad...
(i posted in "nonsurgical" under "are you losing weight")

sooo...he wants me to see a shrink for an eating disorder, but i told him i have a "pain disorder"!

you're up in Canada not getting meds, i am down in the States being told i am getting too many meds!!

we could switch places for a while...:confused:

the bottom line is he thinks i am in denial about eating disorder and using pain meds as the excuse....i told him no, the pain is the problem, and the meds for the pain prevent the appetite from being there at all!

Catch 22??

jess

[Scoliosis Hurts]

Weight?

Why is it I have gained? It seems my metabolism has slowed and I eat 2 meals a day with 2 fruits in the early part of the day. Meals are 6 hours apart and then at night I grab a small snack, like just now - handful of whole wheat chips ans some philly cheese + red pepper (pure) dip. I know i should be doing 3+ meals and all the rest, I used to be just shy of a Reg dietici. .. but since the outdoor pools closed for the summer I cant get my fat ass into an indoor pool - they gross me out.

good news, the new doc I got wrote me 3 refills = 3 months of my Oxy & clonaz but he says if he cant get my files history from the previous docs he may not continue with me after Feb / 2011 ...

I was supposed to fuk off out of town with family this morning and drive 10 hours into the great ontario bush to see a relative whos got a cyst on the brain and my refill isnt till Sat /11th and the doc would not release me them 2.5 days early.

he knows I was planning to leave the country soon too and .... well, times have changed. This oxycodone shit is a two edged sword.

1 - it has clearly added value and life to my life.
2 - it has me hostage in it being addictive (opiate withdrawals) and the GOV locally does not allow any funny business to happen such as releasing my meds early for ...

Pisses me off. I understand him, respect the rules 100%, .... what would have happened if I bought a plane ticket with no cancell insur.???????????????
I can tell you = I would have been jumping thru his window head first.

All i want is to find a doc that will allow to live my life, treat me, provide me with the pain relief that allows me to be. The past 9 months have been hell.



i got a lecture today from my rheumatologist, whom i've known 20 years...
he thinks i am being given too many pain meds (by another doctor) and is upset that my weight is down again, to 92 pounds...but he is sure i have a an "eating disorder" unrelated to having no appetite from pain medication...

however, i can't eat with hydrocodone and the oxy is the worst for killing appetite...i take the oxy every other day now, cause the pain is so bad...
(i posted in "nonsurgical" under "are you losing weight")

sooo...he wants me to see a shrink for an eating disorder, but i told him i have a "pain disorder"!

you're up in Canada not getting meds, i am down in the States being told i am getting too many meds!!

we could switch places for a while...:confused:

the bottom line is he thinks i am in denial about eating disorder and using pain meds as the excuse....i told him no, the pain is the problem, and the meds for the pain prevent the appetite from being there at all!

Catch 22??

jess