need advice ASAP

[Babebahn]

Mel:
I hope you scheduled an appointment with your doctor when he/she gets back. He/She needs to be aware of all your falls especially the latest ones. Be careful when you first wake up from a sleeping position as well....I have experienced dizzy spells & felt like falling on a few occasions. Hope you feel better soon.

[sparkey]

I signed a form also. It is a narcotic contract that you will only get meds from them and not doctor shop. There is a way they can find out if you are getting meds from certain pharmacy's. Be very careful as i have heard of people getting " red flagged". As far as the vicodin, they always worked well for me, but like every other drug you get use to them. Eventually they do not work after.

As i have posted before, i have been on numerous pain meds to try to find the one that helps me the most. Methadone was the only one that took away most of my pain and you do not get a high feeling. To bad i was allergic to it. I am now on Oxycontin 40 mg. 2 x's a day and take 1-4 percocet as needed. I went to the pain clinic today, and just got another refill for the month and told her that since i have been off the methadone i have felt my pain comming back everyday.

She said it is when you do not get ANY relief is when they want to cut you back. I get relief from it, as i take it when i first wake before my shower as i am stiff in the am, and then take a perc during the day if needed. I try to not use them, but they left me to heal on my own and if it was not for the meds, i would be back to square one in bed!!!

Just a thought mel, that i used all kinds of pain pills, and wish i would of tried the methadone first. It really works great with 20 mg. for me.

[mistreated]

A pain contract ties you into one office/dr issuing prescriptions. It is to keep a patient from abusing or overusing meds that can be addidctive. It simply says to agree to not recieve any other pain medication from any other physician without lettting the pain mgmt dr know. You can seek care from another er if needed but you must let the pain management dr know if you receive other medication. Most other dr's who find out you are in pain mgmt and have an agreement will not write you a prescription.

[Spring]

Also in many pain contracts...you have to do drug tests when the Dr. requests one.

Mel my only concern...you say you took 1 1/2 tablets of the new pain medications. I hope this is the way the Dr has it order for you to take. And you are taking the medications in the time limits as ordered. Since most Dr's only give just enough pills to get you by till your next appointment. You sure don't want to be running out of medications...before you appointment. And if the Dr told you to stop one of the old pain medication...you better not be taking it. Because if they drug test you...all the drugs you have been taken will show up. So make sure you are following everything the Dr's telling you. Good to know your pain is better.

[sparkey]

Exactly!!! Because you are taking narcotics, they can surprise test you at any time during your visit. It is part of the agreement also. The reason they also do this is because some people tend to sell their medications. Especially the oxycontin, which on the street can get you sometimes 20.00 to 40.00 a piece depending on the amount of mg's the pill is. If you do not have any in your system when they test you, you would be shut off from receiving meds.

When i took methadone for the first time, i got a terrible reaction. I itched so bad and had a rash on my arm only. My NCM was very sarcastic and said that heroin addicts get to itch like that and to the point of bleeding. Well i had no open cuts, but she still went to my doctors visit with me to see my arm and also ordered a drug test because she wanted to rule out that i may be doing heroin also.

What a joke that was. It really upset me to the point i was crying because i thought the same thing when they wanted to put me on it, that only heroin addicts use that drug and i did not want to be in the same class as them. It really was a wonderful drug for pain. Heroin addicts would take up to 180 mg's a day, and i was only on 20 mg's. It was the best thing i ever had for pain and wished i did not have a reaction.

Just take your meds the way the doctor orders them. If it does not work by the dosage you are given, mention it the next visit. Your pain meds should last you the whole month if they are giving it to you monthly. If you start calling for your meds ahead of time, they will take them away from you. Narcotics can only be written as a prescription when at the doctors office. Depending on the class of drug it is, it cannot be called into the pharmacy.

Good luck, and i hope you are feeling better.

[mel1980]

well everyone just to give an update the new med is working wonderfull i just have to call the dr tomrorow for a refill because she only called in a weeks supply to see if it helped and it did much more then the percocet i am just hoping she will keep me on this as it is helping alot more then the other med do you think i willl have a problem?

[sparkey]

You did not say what they gave you instead of percocet. I am curious myself what would relieve the pain?

[mel1980]

vicodin es which helped 10xs better then percocet and didnt make feel loopy or sedated at all for the 1st time i am actually feeling ok....but now i am out of meds and had to call today to see if i could get a refill as she only called in a 7 day supply because to see if it worked so i am hoping she will call in another refill ....