Crossposting: Chronic Pain Patients Today in N.America: A THOUGHT FOR ALL (please share) (original) (raw)
Written by author below, who requested to Please Share: (Emphasis in article is mine) 
A thought for everyone:
Many pharmacies will now deliver your medications to your door...even Viagra. But a pain sufferer can not have their medications delivered (even though most are disabled). This is complete discrimination.
So people understand. To receive pain medication, and this is nation wide:
- WE have to see the doctor in person each month to pick up our scripts. (they can not be called in).
- We have to bring a hard copy to the pharmacy.
- At the doctor you have to have a urine test and answer many questions.
- If you are lucky your doctor won't lower your amount or tell you he is not prescribing anymore.
- After all that now it's time to go to the pharmacy. If you are lucky like I was, (when I was being treated) , you get the special treat of being able to have one pharmacy fill your script. If not it can take hours going to pharmacies trying to have your script filled.(This is great fun when you are in pain). This brings up the issue that you are pharmacy hopping (this is a joke). Some spend up to 5 to 8 hours looking for a pharmacy. (NOTE: in my experience, this is becuase the pharmacies cannot sty fully stocked due to the mandatory reduction in Opioid medication production in the country. So if your pharmacy is out of stock, do you go into withdrawal (which in cases can be deadly, or do go to the next pharmacy down the road and then the next etc, until you find one that has your medication? Furthermore, you cannot have a "partial script" fill- its "all or nothing". Most any other drug you can have a partial fill and pick the rst up later when the pharmacy gets it in.... but not with pain meds. If you take a partial script, you LOOSE the rest of the script, and most doctors will NO re-write a script early, no matter what- even if they can verify that the medication was not in stock, or you bring it in to show it was damaged, etc. So again, you have to choose- withdrawl and possible risk of life; forcing yourself to ration your medication (and have a less severe withdrawal (still potentially life threatening in cases, or at least, severely limits your ability to function) or go looking for another pharmacy? - Added by Al)
- And the next month that pharmacy may not fill the script.
Now here is the kicker:
- There are ppl' who have to disrobe, put there belongings in a locker and sit in their undies until their urine test results come back. Sounds illegal huh? Well it is. But who will they believe? And who would tell on a doctor after finally finding one who prescribes?
- Another story: a 22 year old girl had her doctor do a body cavity search, she had no idea the doctor could not do that. Of course everyone said contact a lawyer..o.k great. BUT then you have to find a lawyer willing to take that on and then this girl loses her much needed medication.
- This is the result of the CDC, their guidelines, DEA, PROP etc; have produced. It has destroyed patient and doctor trust. These doctors are not doing it because they are cruel, they are doing it out of fear.
- Now think about the patient who looks at the calendar and knows their next appointment is coming up. The fear and panic every single month is horrible. You have no idea what your next appointment will be like.
Now if your doctor stops prescribing you are not even given a heads up. They tell you at the appointment. Once all the medication has left your system life changes. So your life changes about 48 hours later. It's not like retiring where you have time to plan. You have a window of about 48 hours to make major decisions. ..quit your job, stop your hobbies, give up on going out, going to parties and weddings and more. If you decide to look for another doctor they call that 'doctor shopping. If a person with other health issues looks for a new doctor that is perfectly fine. But if you are a pain sufferer it looks bad.
So for those who are not getting involved and just say "there are doctors that still prescribe, look for someone else" Ask yourself would you want to keep going through this? Please think about getting involved. If nothing else look up the hashtag #SuicideDueToPain you will find a ton of info there. Stop watching main stream media.
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ETA: For those that say, why should I care, I'm healthy..... it just takes one car accident to change that, one diagnosis of cancer (yes, they are supposed to be excempt, but many cancer patients report the same problems of forced taperings or inability to find a a pain doctor etc). Or what about your loved ones, especially those who are older and dealing with often painful medical issues that come with advancing age. What about when one day you are? And if you still aren't convinced and are a 'scroodge', EMS, Police and similar workers are now being required to carry Naron which reverses Opioid overdoses- this is a medication that costs like a dollar to make and easily given by syringe by these people who oftn already have the training- but they've repacaged it into aut-application devices, patented them, and tacked on hundreds of dollars. One dr wanted us to get them if he treated us, and the pharmacy quoted is that it would be OVER $1,000 for ONE applicator, and this was WITH insurance. Who funds the EMS and police and others to carry these super expensive packages of otherwise cheep medication? YOU the TAXpayer. -A
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