Wellness

[Effie54]

Yes, absolutely. The doctors are now paranoid about prescribing any pain meds, even to those who deserve it. I think it's ridiculous that people with legitimate pain, operations, and broken bones have to suffer because of those who abuse drugs. It should be taken on a case by case basis.

[Scooby Doo]

This is the reason that so many people have become addicted to heroin.  Dr's won't prescribe pain meds so people turn to street drugs for pain relief.  Heroin is actually easy to buy if you have contacts and it's cheap compared to an rx.

[hckynut]

@evergreen 

I have not personally had this problem since I quit taking any opioid types of prescription meds a few decades ago. Other types of prescription pain meds I cannot take, or I risk dangerous internal bleeding.

My nephew is an MD, and he owns several Pain Clinics. He said he now is much more judicious when prescribing those types of pain meds, but only to a few of his  specific patients. My nephew-in-law is also an MD, and he too prescribes them in the same manner as my nephew. 

Like Auto Insurance, especially in certain age groups. A price is established, to some degree, by your age group and the number of  claims paid  by the insurers. Most is based on your driving record, but was not when I was a young man. 

Others are unfortunately effected by the actions of others. I started fighting against that when I was a Freshman in high school, and several jobs and other pertinent things, to this day. Got many things changed through fighting it through hours/days/ months, and even years sticking to the fight.

hckynut 

[stevieb]

Such a typical response to anything perceived as a problem: throw the baby out with the bathwater. I'd suggest they're also hoarding antibiotics due to previous perceptions they were overprescribed, and when some folks really need them. 

[chiclet]

This subject infuriates me.   My poor sister died of metastatic lung cancer and had to suffer so much.  My husband has arthritic knees and is 75.  To be old with medical problems and not get relief is cruel.  We are being punished for all the people who abused it and it is not fair. 
If you are  old and your condition is not solvable then keep us comfortable.  If you are terminal keep them comfortable. There is no reason tho make people suffer. 

[Flatbush]

Due to chronic back pain and no available meds to control it, my entire life has changed. I am no longer able to walk, even a block, not able to cook very much, clean . Cannot shop and had to resign from my volunteer work at the library. I argued with my primary care Dr, not to take the meds away, only to have him put me down in my record as an addict. This is Kaiser Permanente in California.

[chrystaltree]

Doctors are between the proverbial rock and the hard place.  It's not that they are under prescribing pain meds, it's that they are being over cautious.  Who can blame them?  They were blamed for the drug problem because they trusted patients who complained about pain and many of those patients misused the pain meds and got themselves addicted.  Many of them sold their prescriptions.  It's common for people  to blame their drug addictions on their "back pain" and the doctor who prescribed them the medication that THEY asked for,  So, now they are very cautious.  When I had my knee replacementocetseveral years ago, my surgeon gave me a 30  day prescription for the percocet.  My friend had her knee replacement a few months later, her surgeon gave her a 7 day prescription and refused to renew it.  He told her to take Ibuprofen and Tylenol together,  Yes, people like you with real pain are pay the price for all those people who abused pain medication.   

[Trinity11]

My first encounter with this was when I had my second heart attack. The first in 2016, I was given morphine for pain and uneventful. The second in 2017 I had to literally scream to get relief. I was told it was a smack down on pain relief. It was simply awful.

Then last year I developed post herpetic neuralgia after shingles. I was told to take Tylenol in the hospital. My cardiologist went out on a limb and prescribed pain killers that I took for five days and I then took Tylenol. He prescribed because he was concerned the pain would induce my atrial fibrillation. 

Ridiculous what the medical community has done to an aging population.

[hckynut]

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@Flatbush wrote:

Due to chronic back pain and no available meds to control it, my entire life has changed. I am no longer able to walk, even a block, not able to cook very much, clean . Cannot shop and had to resign from my volunteer work at the library. I argued with my primary care Dr, not to take the meds away, only to have him put me down in my record as an addict. This is Kaiser Permanente in California.

@Flatbush 

Just curious, answer if you wish. What was the diagnosis of your source of your back pain at the beginning? What methods have you used to control or eliminate this pain, other than pain meds, to help relieve or improve your level of pain? 

I am familiar with back pain. Have had 2 invasive back surgeries, which removed my ruptured: L-3/L-5/S-1 spinal discs. Spent over 3 weeks in the hospital prior to my L-5/S-1 surgery, which was way back in 1974. Spent my 35th birthday, in traction, in the hospital, yes traction!

A lot has changed since my 1st surgery, much of which allowed me to continue my active lifestyle, through the years after 1974 up to the present. 

hckynut(john) 🏒

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[Katcat1]

@evergreen    It makes no sense for a dr. to leave his patient in pain.  He/she controls how much you take so what is the big deal?  I would change doctors and find one with some compassion.

When I dislocated my hip I was screaming in pain.  That is very intense pain.