Pattie, I think he means that you’ve dug up a thread that we all thought was dead and buried.
Mataribot, Pattie is a brand new member. How about a welcome? 
Hello and welcome! Sorry about my terminology. That’s what I get for playing too many online games!
So can I change the thread some and have a weigh in on what has changed with all the new restrictions? Are you frustrated, same scripts, being monitored? Curious to see how regulations might be effecting those taking them, me incuded as needed.
Thanks for the welcomes. I have been feeling so ashamed about needing to take narcs. People can be judgmental which made me feel isolated.
I go to a pain mgt specialist so I don’t notice too much about the process of the scripts.
Welcome Pattie, you’re in a place of understanding and its OK to feel like you can express yourself here. There is no shame in wanting and having a close to “normal” quality of life. I am running late to work but I will get back to this post as I have more I would love to say. Keep your head up none of this disease is easy it challenges our bodies and sadly our mental state and image of ourselves!
That's correct, the process of the scripts is not a problem when these meds are being used by those the professional associations have determined is appropriate. The DEA regulations are much less restrictive actually. There are pill mills closing all over the place.
Pattie said:
Thanks for the welcomes. I have been feeling so ashamed about needing to take narcs. People can be judgmental which made me feel isolated.
I go to a pain mgt specialist so I don't notice too much about the process of the scripts.
I live in Florida. Just to share my last episode of getting a script for Percocet 10mg.-- I hand carried a script written by my doctor on the required "blue" paper and hand signed to Pharmacy #1. The pharmacist checked the national data base and returned to tell me that he could not justify filling the prescription because I had tried Hydrocodone 10mg . He advised that the doctor should have tried 5 mg. of Percocet first! On to Pharmacy #2. The pharmacist checked the prescription and immediately told me they were out of it and would not get any until Thursday (this was Monday). Pharmacy #3 - the pharmacist profiled me and filled the prescription. It's getting pretty bad when the government is telling doctor's how to practice medicine.
Rachael said:
So can I change the thread some and have a weigh in on what has changed with all the new restrictions? Are you frustrated, same scripts, being monitored? Curious to see how regulations might be effecting those taking them, me incuded as needed.
You had a wise pharmacist and a less wise Physician.
Hydrocodone and Oxycodone are not even close to the same the same, strength wise. A 5mg Percocet (Oxycodone) is about as equivilant to 10mg of Hydrocodone. He more than quadrupled your narcotics. Your chance of accidental overdose was moderate to very high depending on how the script was written. If it was the standard 1 - 2 every 4 hours you could be in a world of hurt not hurt but rather dead. I admire Pharmacist 1. Pharmacist 3 should be bagging groceries at the front of the store for not even confirming with the physician. With that kind of incompetence its no wonder folk are winding up dead.
This is not to mention that state medical society has some pretty significant regulations in terms of how many morphine equivalents can be prescribed. 10 mg percocet will blow the top off that in nothing flat. That is a postoperative amount. This isn't the government, this is your state medical society waking up to fact that most physicians are too unfamiliar with what they are doing to be prescribing narcotics in these amounts. It happens no where else in the world. You could easily find yourself in a pain management contract and no narcotics fro several months.
Coee said:
I live in Florida. Just to share my last episode of getting a script for Percocet 10mg.-- I hand carried a script written by my doctor on the required "blue" paper and hand signed to Pharmacy #1. The pharmacist checked the national data base and returned to tell me that he could not justify filling the prescription because I had tried Hydrocodone 10mg . He advised that the doctor should have tried 5 mg. of Percocet first! On to Pharmacy #2. The pharmacist checked the prescription and immediately told me they were out of it and would not get any until Thursday (this was Monday). Pharmacy #3 - the pharmacist profiled me and filled the prescription. It's getting pretty bad when the government is telling doctor's how to practice medicine.
tntlamb. I appreciate your input. However, I was prescribed this after going to the emergency room for an unbearable flare up in my PsA. I could not move and had to go via ambulance. I certainly understand that there are abusers out there. But I was given the prescription in early December and have only taken 10. By the way, the 10 mg. barely helped the pain. Hopefully you have not or will not experience this kind of pain. My primary doctor feels that there are certainly diseases, e.g., cancer, certain type of arthritis that need this type of narcotic. By the way, I have an appointment with a Pain Management doctor to help work with me in case of another flare up.
I am currently weaning off Prednisone which is the only thing that took care of the inflammation. I know how bad it is so I'm praying I will not have another flare.
What you are going through, Coee, is awful, no doubt about it and I’m very glad that you are going to be under the care of a pain management specialist. I’m pretty sure, though, that tntlamb has experienced the kind of pain that you’ve described!
Your profile says that you were on Remicade, but also mentions Cimzia. So I’m wondering what arthritis meds you’re on and what’s the rheumatologist’s plan to get your disease under control?
I’m so sorry that you are suffering.
Acute flare ups on chronic pain are horrible. I am new to this support group and am glad to see I am not the only one that has gone to the ER for a flare up. Thanks, I love the sharing!
It is horrible, and too many of us have been there! Interesting that you should mention the ER: I’m in Canada, and at the admissions desk of the local ER is a sign that says that they do not prescribe pain meds. (Implying “GO AWAY”) Now if you go with a visible injury, that’s a bit different. In that case they will give you a script for maximum three days’ worth. But I seriously doubt that I would be able to to get a prescription for drugs for arthritis pain from them. I keep a small supply of tramadol on hand for emergencies, but haven’t taken any for a very long time. Touch wood (knocks on head).
It isn't a matter of abusers. I'm glad you are seeing someone expert in prescribing medications. 44,000 people died last year in the United states accidentally from pain killer overdoses It was the leading cause of accidental death. 21,000 of those deaths were from bad prescribing practices. (Fla lead the nation percentage wise by a long shot) I would have guess it was an ER doc. Quadrupling a narcotic dose to someone already using them in some measure is actually more dangerous than someone who is not. Frankly I'm surprised your ER prescibed, most do not anymore
The other reason I would have guessed that it was an ER doc or overworked PCP is because, they didn't work. In a real strange way that's good news. That means that the pain likely was PsA pain. It can be controlled with treatment at some point. Had you responded well to the narcotics , it would likely been something else. Rheumuies rarely us the narcos because they know they don't work unless they are in high enough quantities to almost zonk you.
Hopefully you never have to visit the ER again, but if you do. Make sure they give you a goodly dose of torodol. As much as regular use of Steroids is a bad thing, a burst at this point will do a lot and won't cause problems. These are the only two medicines that will help. What a big dose of Narcotics will do is start a flare, considering you are already having one, that's not good. it will likely extend it. You already figured that out from your comments below. You just didn;' connect all the dots.
All that being said, if you go to a real pain specialist (not a pill mill) they will evaluate all of you films take more if necessary. You primary doctor is correct there are forms of osteoarthritis that are helped by narcotics. And many of us with PsA also have some osteo arthritis from poor disease control. osteo is our reward for not demanding aggressive treatment for our PsA. Osto artritis is the ONLY form that narcos give pain relief to. The interesting thing is that low dose narcotics are more effective than higher dose when coupled with the appropriate NSAID. These folks thrive on a norco a day..........
I could give a long dissertation on pain management for PsA, but I'll spare you.................
Coee said:
tntlamb. I appreciate your input. However, I was prescribed this after going to the emergency room for an unbearable flare up in my PsA. I could not move and had to go via ambulance. I certainly understand that there are abusers out there. But I was given the prescription in early December and have only taken 10. By the way, the 10 mg. barely helped the pain. Hopefully you have not or will not experience this kind of pain. My primary doctor feels that there are certainly diseases, e.g., cancer, certain type of arthritis that need this type of narcotic. By the way, I have an appointment with a Pain Management doctor to help work with me in case of another flare up.
I am currently weaning off Prednisone which is the only thing that took care of the inflammation. I know how bad it is so I'm praying I will not have another flare.
Nothing works better for my hip than Celebrex, but overtime seems to make my hands worse. Narcotics work better as sleeping pills. I would not reconmend anyone take them long term.
I don't care and not a judge of how much pain pills, narcotics, whatever other people take. But, I have witnessed in my own family--my husband's heavy use of pain killers throughout his life which has had bad results and now I have a husband about to retire at 65 with kidneys at 50% and who-knows-what's wrong with his liver. He is presently having random joint problems (painful swelling) for which he asked the doctor for yet more pain meds! He thinks I'm completely out of my mind and a glutton for punishment because I avoid pain meds, but I truly think I would be way worse off had I been taking meds for all my PsA and pain over the years. I totally agree with tntlamb that pain meds don't work for PsA pain (that's what I understood him to say). Pain mgmt is very beneficial--that is something my husband refuses because he's convinced pain meds--and he's taken tramadol, percocet, vicodin--are the only treatment that works. Maybe my PsA pain is wimpy compared to some, but I've had 4 babies without epidurals and I think I have a high pain threshold. I think the use of ice packs and heating pads helps tremendously and alleviates some of the pain, thus being able to reduce the meds dosage. Massage helps, too, along with exercise. I'm not saying I'll never take strong pain meds, narcotics, etc., but for me it is the last resort.
My visit to the ER provided me with 50 mg. or Prednisone and 1 Percocet. They will not give a prescription for narcotics however, between the two meds I was able to get through the night and felt much better the next day. I then went to the Rheumatologist for follow up.
Seenie said:
It is horrible, and too many of us have been there! Interesting that you should mention the ER: I'm in Canada, and at the admissions desk of the local ER is a sign that says that they do not prescribe pain meds. (Implying "GO AWAY") Now if you go with a visible injury, that's a bit different. In that case they will give you a script for maximum three days' worth. But I seriously doubt that I would be able to to get a prescription for drugs for arthritis pain from them. I keep a small supply of tramadol on hand for emergencies, but haven't taken any for a very long time. Touch wood (knocks on head).
My husband takes the big guns for every pain he gets. I've argued with him zillions of times over the years about this. He also asks for antibiotics and codeine cough syrup (and gets them) every time he has a little cough or sore throat. He has horrible health now--mega issues. I often worry I'm gonna find him dead in bed someday (and not when he's 80 years old).
I had a acute flair recently.Was on hydrocodone acetometaphen every 4 hours for a week.it did nothing for me.It dulled..and wore off
I've had one week of steroidsl
.It's only good as a adjunct.steroids and biologics are the answer.or n
ock me out.
Narcotics work short term ..to get u through a brief flare an onto correct medicine..it does cut the pain until..the doctor figures out what's wrong and your on proper meds.so again for short term it cuts it.but that's all. U can stil
Moan
I am going to argue that it takes knock out doses to help with pain. They work better at relaxing you and help with sleeping than pain management. The only time I have had much of any pain relief is when I am completely out…