Medication question:

General
1

Okay, have any of you had issues with your surgeon and getting medications?
Well, not so much getting them, but how much you get per script…

If you’ve seen any other comments I’ve posted regarding medications, you’ve probably seen me mention it, or if you’ve read my main post about my journey pre and post op, I’ve also mentioned it.

But I’d like to bring attention to this particular subject and issue I’m having.

So, upon discharge from the hospital, I received a prescription for 60 Valium 5mg for muscle spasms, along with a prescription for 60 percocet 5mg.

Now, the 60 valium was more than an adequate amount. Directions stated to take one every 8 hours- so that’d be 2 a day.
However 60 percocets was nowhere near adequate. Directions stated to take 1-2 every 4 hours; I had to take 2 (as 1 was not enough for my pain level) and I took them literally every 4 hours, on the dot, including throughout the night- the pain would wake me up, conveniently around the time the laat dose was wearing off. So, that would be 12 pills a day- starting the dosing day at 8 am, and ending it at 4am (the next day ttechnically, but that’s all in the same 24 hours)- and the next dosing day would begin again with my 8am dose when I woke up for the day.
So the doctor gives me a script for 60, I’m taking 12 a day and that gives me enough for 5 days of relief. FIVE DAYS.
I know there’s no way he expected I’d be pain free in less than week, or if he just can’t do math…
Maybe he thought I wouldn’t take them through the night? But that’s the most painful part of the day… at least for me.

So I got discharged on a Friday, and was out of medication by Tuesday- yes, I know, a day early, but there were a few times I had to take 1 in between doses because I was still in pain.

I’m going to make a long story short about the hassel I went through to pick it up- not getting the refill, but the hsssel of physically trying to get it. They called me when they closed telling me it was ready but I had to wait until the next day to pick the medicines up because they couldn’t do thwir jobs in a timely manner.

My mother ended up calling the ER and explaining my situation to see if there would be anything they could do and she ended up dragging me up there; the doctor on call that night was very nice, and couldn’t believe my doctor did me like that. He ended up sending me home with 24 percocets.

The next day my mother picked up my prescriptions for me. The surgeon wrote me for another 60 Valium at a higher dose of 10mg, but then also wrote me for Lortab 10mg at a quantity of 60! Another 5 days! I’m still not understanding his logic.

A day or two later I called the office again about some questions about my incision but also told her the Lortab weren’t working even taking two. They are barely touching my pain. I explained again how I take them all through the night and that’s why I’m running out so quickly. She asked if I’d like to be changed back to the percocet and I told her I did, but I’d also like for her to see what he can do about me being able to take them at night and not run out- as in, can he give me more? I mean, come on.
She told me she put the message in to him but probably won’t hear back until Tuesday when he’s back in the office; so I will probably end up running out of what I have before hearing anything.

I would just like to know if anyone else has gone through this?
I had assumed he would’ve given me enough to last until my sutire suture removal AT LEAST.
I remember when my mother had any of her surgeries (she’s had to have a few) that they always gave her a month’s worth of pain medication- qty #120.
So why is my Doctor so hard-up?
DEA laws or not, when your patient has their head cut open, you should make sure they are adequately supplied with enough pain relievers to be comfortable, not to be stressrd out trying to get ahold of someone to get a refill before running out.

2

I understand I had my surgery almost two hours away from were from were I live. When I was in the hospital my doctor stop my pain meds right after I got out of the NICU in to a room I had to call my husband he called this answering service and told them if he wasn’t up there by the time he got there and had my pain meds back he was going to sue him he was there and I had my meds back to. My husband ask the doc had he ever had his head cut open he said no my husband said than u don’t know how much pain she is in!

3

WOW. I cannot believe he stopped your pain meds right after you got moved to your room! That’s absurd and cruel. He had no right.
That’s the problem with doctors, they have no empathy, and most have no clue with what we deal with.
Your husband was absolutely right in asking that question, so he could try to get the doctor to realize; but whether or not he’s had it done, one can only imagine the pain.
Did he send you home with an adequate amount of meds, or did he screw you like mine did?

Its even harder for you with your hospital being two hours away, since you have to go all the way there to physically pick up your paper scripts. The DEA really has made things impossible for people with chronic pain issues who need narcotics for relief since doctors cant even call them in.

I’m terribly sorry you had to go Through all of that.

Doctors don’t genuinely care about their patients, just the money. :frowning:

4

Controlled drugs are only intended for short periods of time, and the goal is to only prescribe as much as the patient will use. It is really hard to find a doc at this point who doesn't strictly adhere to that philosophy. It's not incompetence, but evidence of how tight regulations have become. If you find you are needing more than what he is willing to prescibe, it might be a benefit to see a pain management doc, as they are comfortable doling out larger quanities. However, if you find that you are taking doses more often than prescribed, that's a big nono. Got to stick to the prescribed schedule unless you get a different Instruction from the prescriber, or they may become concerned about abuse and stop prescribing altogether. It can also make it hard to find another doc who will prescribe for you. I take meds for chronic pain and I am super careful about making sure I've got everything I need well in advance of running out. I wait for the Rx at the pharmacy, have a back up in case they're out, have my docs email address, and never take an extra tab without calling firSt. It helps that I have a 17 year relationship with my doc.

The new regulations make it incredibly difficult to get the amount of meds you need. :-(

5

I did ask the nurse about that the second time I was admitted just this weekend about the quantities and she said its all the new DEA regulations. I don’t take more than I’m supposed to because the last thing I want is to run out early, or be cut Off because they think I’m misusing my mmedication. I have let my nurse at the NS office when I’ve had to take an extra one in between doses or even a half just because for some reason at that time my normal didn’t do what I needed it to. I’m always sure to be honest with them so they don’t think negative of me and they know imnot using them incorrectly. Its just stressful to call for a refill every 5 days because he didn’t prescribe enough (of course calling in advanced as advised to give them time to get it ready), and then still running out because my NS is in OR so often. But I just had CSF repair surgery monday, and he gave me double the quantity he had been to last me longer. Hopefully I won’t have as much difficulty this time.

6

Yeah they like to blame the DEA, but its not, not completely anyway. Each state has different prescribing rules as to what each physician and specialty can prescribe. based on each class (I- IV) most practice groups/hospital staff do as well. It is based on morphine units. These limits are not established by the DEA but rather the state medical societies. They may not fax prescriptions or call them in and have to have a physical conatact with the patient based on the morhine units. The vast majority of issues have come from surgeons interestingly enough.They simply do not have the expertise, time, or experience to properly manage post operative pain. Most medical centers now have both protocols and a pain management teams to do so.

Narcotic pain medication ceases to be effective in pain management and impedes healing pretty quickly. You are far enough removed from surgery that you need a different plan even with the leak repair

7

We finally got the whole medication thing straightened out, but new problems have arisen, so Now my amount of post-op meds aren’t on my top list of concerns lol

But your information has been very helpful and makes a lot of sense. I realize doctors have a lot weighing on their licenses at all time, and though the DEA has become much more strict, I know its not all because of them. There is a moral Code doctors must follow as well, I was just in so much pain at that time I was concerned it wouldn’t be controlled well enough at home, but my care team has been wonderful with working with me.