Narcotic pain relievers - too hard or too easy to get legally? (cocaine, healthcare)
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Vicodin can cause addiction, but in the big scheme of things it's not one of the big guns. It's similar in strength to morphine, but with better bioavailability. Oxycodone, on the other hand is about 50% stronger than morphine by weight, and heroin, hydromorphone, methadone, oxymorphone, are all 4-5 times as strong as morphine. Part of the reason heroin is considered the "gold standard" for addicts, though, is that the chemical structure of it enabled it to cross the blood/brain barrier faster than most other opiates, so the full dose will hit harder and faster - especially if it's smoked, when it will reach the brain even faster than injecting will.
Oh I know - and I've been prescribed hydrocodone too in the past. The weird thing is, I really can't tell the difference other than for some reason my body reacts more quickly and "smoothly" (if that makes sense) to Vicodin. If I take hydrocodone, it makes me sleep harder but not necessarily better, it doesn't handle the pain any better than Vicodin, and I just don't like it as much. I guess it seems stronger but not as gentle and since I'm not in it for the high, I prefer a gentler drug.
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That's unfortunate - you should really find a new pharmacy. It's one thing to have anti-abuse policies, quite another to enforce them in a way that makes patients feel suspected of wrongdoing.
Oh, believe me, I found a new pharmacy. That really ticked me off.
I think that some people and our government are totally over reacting to drugs. Opiate painkillers work well and make one feel good. Just because some people can't handle them and become addicted doesn't justify the extreme stigma that gets attached to opiates.
Don't tell your doctor about this! It will get you branded a 'drug seeker' or 'addict' if you get a zero drug tolerance robot. It is against the law to take prescription not for you. ( no judgement at all )
Don't worry...the only doctor I really have is the endocrinologist who treats my thyroid, and I can't envision a situation wherein I'd say, "Hey guess what doc, ten years ago I ripped a stump out of the ground with the help of a cancer-patient friend's Percocets."
Several days ago in Southern California a female doctor was sentenced to life in prision for second degree murder; several of her patients had died from overdoses of drugs she had prescribed for them. One patient travelled from Arizona in order to get drugs from her.
Is it too easy, too hard, or about right to get drugs through legal channels? Obviously doctors who abuse their prescribing privileges are in the minority, but should standards be tightened or left where they are?
Is there concern that patients needing pain medication for legitimate, medical reasons will have trouble getting it?
A personal case in point: Four or five years ago I had hernia surgery and was sent home with a bottle of 30 pills of a narcotic pain reliever. I took eight of the pills over a two-day period after which I didn't need them anymore, leaving 22 pills left. The door was open for me to sell them illegally or use them recreationally myself. Since I wasn't interested in either, I just kept them. It took years for me to use the 22 pills - for the odd headache here, a dental procedure there, and so forth. In my view that was over-prescribing, leaving the door open for abuse.
I wonder if things have changed, or perhpas will soon change? Should they change?
Up until I left Northern CA in December 2015 I was given pain pills through a Pain Management clinic.
I had to be referred to it through my primary care doctor then extensive tests run, Xrays, CT scans, MRI's to "prove" that I wasn't just making up the pain.
I also was drug tested every month for illegal drugs and other pain pills that I wasen't prescribed.
Now that I've moved to Las Vegas in December I haven't been able to get *anything* for pain, even with a copy of my CA records.
I've heard of doctors over prescribing pain meds but it's never happened to me.
First off, Oxycodone is generic for Percocet so there's no difference.
I've had shoulder surgery and can tell you that the pain I had was probably some of the worst I've had in my life including when I blew my back out. I hope your son has less than I did!
One thing I found out from my nurse (after the 3rd day of agony) is that I could take 2 Aleve along with the pain meds and it would knock it down to a manageable level instead of taking more pain meds.
With the new prescription rules in place you have to think ahead, like start thinking about what you need on a Wed, don't wait until Sat or you may just be out of luck.
Thank you! Yeah a few people have told me that shoulder surgery was worse than anything else they'd experienced, which I'm glad I know ahead of time. Doesn't sound fun (and neither does the recovery time, ugh). Good idea about adding Aleve (or maybe ibuprofen) after a few days, and thanks about the Percocet.
Oxycodone is not generic for Percocet. Percocet is a combination of oxycodone and acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol). Oxycodone when prescribed as oxycodone only has oxycodone as a main ingredient. Why would a doctor do that? Maybe he knows the type of pain doesn't respond as much to acetaminophen. Maybe he wants to unlink the dosage of acetaminophen and the narcotic so your son can take more oxycodone and less acetaminophen. We here on the forum can't read his mind, so I suggest you ask your son's doctor for his reasoning. But the narcotic ingredient in Percocet is oxycodone, it's just that Percocet also includes acetaminophen.
I am almost willing to bet you that the doctor prescribed Oxycodone/Acetaminophin and that's why the question came up.
While "technically" correct you might miss how "regular" people as in those that don't get regular narcotic prescriptions (or any other for that matter) don't understand that what's written on the script is most times generic or chemical name and not brand name unless BRAND ONLY is the goal.
I'm just glad someone would actually ask about what they're about to take/give to someone instead of just blindly following whatever is written for them.
As difficult as this seems to have to go through you are fortunate
I have RA that is moderate to severe in my neck area. Unfortunately I have the VA for my health care provider and they are not about to rewrite a new scrip every 30 days for something there is no cure for and will only get worse
So instead I get the largest dosage of tramadol recommended by the manufacture (400mg per day) that is the baby aspirin of prescription pain drugs as they can write this for 4 months before renewal. If I was seeing a real doctor I would be given much stronger meds and might actually have a chance at some sort of life.
Because of this my pain numbers are so far over the top it is inhumane for me to be forced to live this way
Before the DEA crackdown on scrips 18 moths or so ago Tramadol was not even a controlled substance. Over the years I have known a number of DEA persons, unfortunately I can truthfully say I have never met one who was not some sort of low life without a normal interpretation between right and wrong
I don't know if everyone is aware that multiple scripts can be written for Schedule 2 Narcotics like Hydrocodone or Tramadol.
They can write up to 3-30 day prescriptions as long as they put a "do not fill before" date on each one. When I go pick up my scripts now I get on fill now and #3 separate prescriptions for a 30 day supply that have "do not fill before" dates every 30 days.
Without that I'd have to go to the office every month for a refill and THAT is unacceptable. I know my doctor had no idea she could do that until I brought it up (thanks to my old friend who's a pharmacist).
Thank you! Yeah a few people have told me that shoulder surgery was worse than anything else they'd experienced, which I'm glad I know ahead of time. Doesn't sound fun (and neither does the recovery time, ugh). Good idea about adding Aleve (or maybe ibuprofen) after a few days, and thanks about the Percocet.
Let me add to this that the nurse was "supposed" to tell me to add Aleve from day one but somehow that got missed, hence I suffered for 3 days before I called in.
I had a torn labrum repaired, slept in my recliner for 2-3 months before I could tolerate a bed. After talking with many who've had shoulder surgery I found this was pretty common.
Not to go off topic but best advice to you and your son is to be sure he does EVERYTHING the doctor says and does NOT try to short cut or speed things up.
Trying to speed things up will most likely cause more pain and a much longer recovery or worst case, more injury like a frozen shoulder... (ask me how I know this...)
I don't know if everyone is aware that multiple scripts can be written for Schedule 2 Narcotics like Hydrocodone or Tramadol.
They can write up to 3-30 day prescriptions as long as they put a "do not fill before" date on each one. When I go pick up my scripts now I get on fill now and #3 separate prescriptions for a 30 day supply that have "do not fill before" dates every 30 days.
Without that I'd have to go to the office every month for a refill and THAT is unacceptable. I know my doctor had no idea she could do that until I brought it up (thanks to my old friend who's a pharmacist).
Actually the VA is not this way with hydrocodone but they are with tramadol (i prescription and three refills but not before a certain date)
For people who need a little more help then what they are getting, smoke or herb stores carry a pain relieving product called "Kratom" that is still legal in most places, but you need to check your local laws and whether it might cause you to fail a drug test. It is not very powerful but will complement tramadol if you are being limited to it
In the USVA and by DEA mandates tramadol is classified one class less than hydrocodone combination's that can only be given 30 days at a time with a new script having to be written for each refill
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Pain Pills
I hope your son has less than I did!
You and others might try this refill "trick".
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