New Federal law about pain and other medications.

[GSS]

^^^Yup^^^
then why do they even sell those small key chain viles at pharmacy to put a day's worth of meds in.
Cops now actually even count the meds in someone's bottle when they pull them over. Thats insane as I don't even think a lower begginers level check out clerk at the pharmacy can do??
Making drugs legal and cheap just might make the dealers get a job as there will be no market.. Yes it's not that simple, and let the user decide when its time to try and quit..Pipe dream though..

 

[paul1598419]

I am not jumping off BZDs completely. I got my scripts refilled prior to the law going into effect and I will taper off as best I can. I once did run out after taking a large daily dose and the withdrawl is difficult to take. I did have some mild seizures, but not as bad as some people have had. Seizures can cause death and have for some people. My BZD dose is fairly low now which is the cause of many sleepless nights, but it is what it is.
One thing I found ironic was my physician told me I would fall asleep eventually as the body won't allow one to go without sleep forever. It is a miserable way to live, however. Since my pain meds have been decreasing over time, I do less for myself than I used to. I now have my groceries delivered instead of going to shop for them myself. I have to sit in my recliner to adjust my position to try to alleviate some of my lower back pain. At least I can still get around my house enough to take care of myself and to build the occasional laser.


I did have a drugs of abuse screen yesterday as I have to take them occasionally, but I never take anything I'm not supposed to. There are many different types of drug screenings, but the gold standard is the GC-Mass Spec. I once had a presumptive test that they thought I had taken PCP. Really! If I were going to take any drug of abuse, phencycledine would be the last thing I would ever consider. Fortunately my current doctor who was in practice with my old doctor took me on when my old doctor dropped me when the presumptive test came back positive for PCP. I asked for the GC-Mass Spec, but no one was interested in doing that one.

 

[RedCowboy]

I found some more information. Looks like it's just Medicare patients ATM but the 90 limit can be exceeded if the Dr. is willing to do the paperwork.......Rather answer a phone call from a pharmacist, however most won't want to draw any added scrutiny even though they do have an obligation if they had been prescribing more, chances are they knew all along.

I know insurance companies will follow suit as well and then who knows, people need to speak up now

https://www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2018/4/2/medicare-finalizes-plan-to-reduce-high-dose-opioids

http://nhpharmacists.org/resources/Documents/SE18016-Prescribers guide to Part D Opioid Policies (2019).pdf

 

[paul1598419]

This is a great example of why Donald Trump scares the hell out of me. He loves taking unilateral action, leaving congress out of the decision making process. This has caused a major change in my lifestyle to the point where, not only will I have to deal with more pain, but I will also have to deal with less sleep on top of the pain. Does he think that Medicare patients are abusing these medicines and that coming between myself and my doctor is appropriate as a one size fits all approach to medicine? It is absurd on its face!

 

[RedCowboy]

I talked to my mom and she said she heard her pharmacist telling a lady just days ago who is on disability/medicare that she couldn't have her Xanax or temazepam ( spell check ) any more while taking oxy, could only have a max of 120 doses of oxy per month and only 90mg morph equiv. of it unless her Dr. wrote the reason for the higher prescribed dose on the script, and he said it can't be chronic pain but has to be a specific reason such as opioid tolerant, apparently that's all he required to fill more than the 90 limit.

Your Dr. is no doubt covering his ass wanting to make his average look as small as possible, you had better speak up about your pain or he may cut you further, but he can write for more than 90 equiv. if he will talk to your pharmacist and/or write the reason on the script, what ever the pharmacist wants, the DEA has pharmacist playing Dr. now 2nd guessing the real MD, but they are getting an earful from the DEA, still because you have been prescribed more and just got cut to ribbons if you cry bloody murder when you go back or maybe call for an early apt. and cry murder if you are in bad pain and your Dr. should push you up some, otherwise the cuts will probably stick.

I think this is very wrong and I hope it gets changed soon or the regular insurance companies may adopt the diminutive guideline/limit and a lot of otherwise functional people could be ruined, there is no reason for this, it's sheer ignorance and overzealous overreach, this won't solve the problem of 30 people OD each week as 90% die from illegal opiates not pharma.

---edit---

If you can get your Dr. to write for more than the 90 guideline and square it with your pharmacist then you will still likely have to pay out of pocket for everything over the 90 equiv. but what you take isn't expensive is it ?

As for the Trump admin. they went with the lower of two alphabet agency guideline numbers that weren't meant to be hard numbers but I am afraid they are being treated that way, a lot depends on non doctors and what they think by simply looking at someone, it's absurd to think a pill counter can look at someone and know more than a Dr. reading a MRI report.

 

[paul1598419]

I am already getting more than the 90mg morphine equiv. as my doctor is using a different chart than the administration is using as to what is equivalent. I am also getting more than the 120 pill number per month, so it remains to be seen if this will be okay or if I will have to go back to a pain management clinic and go through their lengthy process again to show that my pain is real and not imaginary and I am tolerant to the drugs I am taking now. Even so, I still lost all of my BZDs and have to use what I have left to ween myself down so that I won't experience a severe withdrawal syndrome. What the hell does Donald Trump know about medicine that he can just unilaterally make these decisions for people on Medicare and everyone else as no one can get opioids and sedatives or muscle relaxants. I have been on these medicines for over ten years and with the swipe of his pen it all disappeared this month.

 

[RedCowboy]

They were saying all the 2nd half of 2018 that by 2019 that the pain meds and benzos couldn't be prescribed together, the problem is Hollywood stars can get a lot of everything and they keep taking more and more to feel good until they die, so in their infinite wisdom everyone has to go without one or the other, it was a DEA decision IINM but it's still wrong to restrict everyone for the bad actions of a few.

It's like bump stocks, the BATFE issued a ruling that they are legal and people bought them legally with their own money and then Trump ordered his new DOJ head appointed temporarily to have the BATFE re examine their decision and they came back that they are no longer legal and gave everyone 3 months to destroy or turn them in, peoples legally purchased property taken away without compensation. it would have been ok to ban further purchase and grandfather in the existing or at least offer compensation.

That's not right either, who are they to decide, oh they represent us all, so by the authority of the people for our own safety they decided these things, but without our vote......that's also a problem as these things were legal, in both cases we should have at least had a vote right ?


BRASS TAX BELOW

How about we let a free people have what they want and hold each person responsible for their actions and if someone drinks enough alcohol to kill themselves then we must accept that that person alone was responsible for their own death and stop legislating everything.

If someone kills another with a spike they want to legislate spikes, if someone kills themselves with pickled rat droppings they want to legislate PRD, how about we insist they stop and let a free people be free, legislate that I can't kill you with a spike or PRD and if I do then hold me alone responsible, not everyone.

Everyone should not be restricted because of what someone did, it's theft of our freedom, it's control under the guise of public safety, it's tyranny.