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Another anecdote: A friend got scripted (60) tabs of hydrocodone 7.5 mgs. Wal Mart said they'd only do 7 days, and to go to CVS. She did and game home with (60) tabs. And gabapentin. And Valium. All together. For a surgery. Apparently not all pharmacies are doing the (7) day thing.
They certainly are not. I got shingles about a year ago and got a whole wad of hydrocodone - so much that even I was surprised. And I also got gabapentin and some other thing as well - can't remember all of it, it was three or four prescriptions. The hydrocodone was at least a 30 day supply at four times a day. I looked up the street value when I found this bottle the other day in my safe - that bottle is worth about $1000 on the street.
Wal mart told me all that would be needed is for the Dr. to verify that it's a chronic pain condition and they would have filled the 60 tabs. It's not chronic, so I asked what about that? He said the Dr. would have to do a second script after the 7 day one and that could be for however many days.
This doesn't negate anyone's experience, but claims were made that 7 days is it, chronic or acute, anywhere, and that is simply not true.
This is very true but good luck getting this across - I've tried to clarify this many times to no avail.
THE SEVEN DAY PRESCRIPTION LAW IS ONLY IN REGARD TO ACUTE CONDITIONS. CHRONIC PAIN REQUIRES A QUARTERLY VISIT TO THE DOCTOR TO CONTINUE THE PRESCRIPTION. SURELY ANYONE EXPERIENCING ONGOING, CHRONIC PAIN IS SEEING A DOCTOR ONCE EVERY THREE MONTHS.
This is very true but good luck getting this across - I've tried to clarify this many times to no avail.
THE SEVEN DAY PRESCRIPTION LAW IS ONLY IN REGARD TO ACUTE CONDITIONS. CHRONIC PAIN REQUIRES A QUARTERLY VISIT TO THE DOCTOR TO CONTINUE THE PRESCRIPTION. SURELY ANYONE EXPERIENCING ONGOING, CHRONIC PAIN IS SEEING A DOCTOR ONCE EVERY THREE MONTHS.
Maybe you should tell me (I must be stupid) why someone who has chronic pain should most assuredly see a doctor once every three months?
How's seeing the doctor (other than for a prescription refill) going to change things for the patient....when the doctor and the patient both know that the pain will be ongoing, as the cause of the pain is ongoing or progressive.
A doctor and a patient used to have a bit of a relationship....the doctor makes the call on who will become addicted and whether it matters or not.
How do you regulate that?....and why would you even want to?
This is very true but good luck getting this across - I've tried to clarify this many times to no avail.
THE SEVEN DAY PRESCRIPTION LAW IS ONLY IN REGARD TO ACUTE CONDITIONS. CHRONIC PAIN REQUIRES A QUARTERLY VISIT TO THE DOCTOR TO CONTINUE THE PRESCRIPTION. SURELY ANYONE EXPERIENCING ONGOING, CHRONIC PAIN IS SEEING A DOCTOR ONCE EVERY THREE MONTHS.
There are two separate issues with this whole subject.
1) The first issue is doctors who are afraid of prescribing enough pain medicine for chronic pain, because of pressure from the DEA. And there are doctors who are afraid of even prescribing opioids for short-term pain.
My dentist was the latter. He was afraid to prescribe any amount of Vicodin for a cracked tooth. I only needed two or three days worth until I could get to the specialist. Instead, I got several days of HELL ON EARTH and a delay in treatment since I could not function on any level.
2) The second issue is pharmacies who refuse to fill some prescriptions for opioids for whatever reason.
I'm not surprised you were able to get opioids for shingles, because there is a consensus that shingles is incredibly painful, but also that it's usually finite. They aren't afraid of a shingles patient abusing. I was recently able to get a week's worth of Vicodin for a tooth extraction. Again, there is understanding that a tooth extraction is painful, and finite. No one is concerned about abuse.
People with chronic pain seem to have more issues getting prescriptions filled and this is well-documentedat this point. Chronic pain specialists are under scrutiny like never before.
I don't agree that someone with chronic pain needs to see a doctor every three months. If they have an incurable condition that's been going on for years, what is the point? The pain isn't ever going away. Seeing the doctor every six months or even once a year should be fine. Some people live at great distances from doctors who treat chronic pain. There is a shortage of pain specialists too.
Now, there is a pharmacist on YouTube who posted a video about pharmacies refusing to fill opioids. He hid his face because he didn't want to get in trouble. According to him, the DEA limits the amount of opioids any given pharmacy can fill per month. He claims that patients showing up with a new opioid prescription at the end of the month, may be refused because the pharmacy has already exceeded it's quota. He doesn't agree with the quota system.
So we have a situation where both doctors and pharmacists are being overly scrutinized. Which one affects a given patient in a given scenario is a toss of the dice.
Maybe you should tell me (I must be stupid) why someone who has chronic pain should most assuredly see a doctor once every three months?
How's seeing the doctor (other than for a prescription refill) going to change things for the patient....when the doctor and the patient both know that the pain will be ongoing, as the cause of the pain is ongoing or progressive.
A doctor and a patient used to have a bit of a relationship.... the doctor makes the call on who will become addicted and whether it matters or not.
How do you regulate that?.... and why would you even want to?
THIS Also, multiple unnecessary doctor's visits are a real financial burden on many people.
Tons of alcohol-addicted people either die from their addiction or create havoc in their families. But we don't restrict anyone other than minors from buying it. You can buy as much as you want. We don't punish everyone else because some people will become alcoholics. Yet, we punish people in pain because of the irresponsible actions of a few.
Are the families of alcoholics going through less trauma than the families of the opioid-addicted?
Alcohol is a WANT and not a NEED, but don't you dare restrict it! Didn't we learn that Prohibition didn't work? Pain-relieving opioids are a NEED and not a WANT for patients in pain. Yet many chronic pain patients apparently don't have the correct password to get in the door at the Speakeasy.
There are two separate issues with this whole subject.
1) The first issue is doctors who are afraid of prescribing enough pain medicine for chronic pain, because of pressure from the DEA. And there are doctors who are afraid of even prescribing opioids for short-term pain.
My dentist was the latter. He was afraid to prescribe any amount of Vicodin for a cracked tooth. I only needed two or three days worth until I could get to the specialist. Instead, I got several days of HELL ON EARTH and a delay in treatment since I could not function on any level.
2) The second issue is pharmacies who refuse to fill some prescriptions for opioids for whatever reason.
I'm not surprised you were able to get opioids for shingles, because there is a consensus that shingles is incredibly painful, but also that it's usually finite. They aren't afraid of a shingles patient abusing. I was recently able to get a week's worth of Vicodin for a tooth extraction. Again, there is understanding that a tooth extraction is painful, and finite. No one is concerned about abuse.
People with chronic pain seem to have more issues getting prescriptions filled and this is well-documentedat this point. Chronic pain specialists are under scrutiny like never before.
I don't agree that someone with chronic pain needs to see a doctor every three months. If they have an incurable condition that's been going on for years, what is the point? The pain isn't ever going away. Seeing the doctor every six months or even once a year should be fine. Some people live at great distances from doctors who treat chronic pain. There is a shortage of pain specialists too.
Now, there is a pharmacist on YouTube who posted a video about pharmacies refusing to fill opioids. He hid his face because he didn't want to get in trouble. According to him, the DEA limits the amount of opioids any given pharmacy can fill per month. He claims that patients showing up with a new opioid prescription at the end of the month, may be refused because the pharmacy has already exceeded it's quota. He doesn't agree with the quota system.
So we have a situation where both doctors and pharmacists are being overly scrutinized. Which one affects a given patient in a given scenario is a toss of the dice.
I underlined the sections I am responding specifically to.
If a person has severe, chronic pain, maybe they need to compromise as well and go see a doctor once every three months. Honestly, what is the percentage of people with chronic, unrelenting, severe pain, who are never going to get any better no matter what medical advances come along, who live a great distance from their doctor, and who can only get prescriptions filled by a pain specialist? Come on, these are great exceptions, not the general rule.
There are people on this thread who swear that CVS and Walgreens (or one or the other) won't fill opioid prescriptions any longer, but by golly, I just had one filled a few weeks ago with absolutely zero issues - at Walgreens. I got the prescription for shingles filled at a local grocery store pharmacy, for pete's sake. No problems then either.
Frankly, considering the potential problems with opiates, I think some scrutiny is in order. Doctors and pharmacies were way too slap happy with them for far too long.
As for the "pharmacist" who hid his identity on YouTube and made those claims, sorry, but I need more concrete "evidence" than that before I believe a claim.
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Also, multiple unnecessary doctor's visits are a real financial burden on many people.
