Why does my Dr. treat me like Courtney Love when I need a refill?

[elehhhhna]

WTF is up with that? I've had migraines longer than he's been out of med. school. Anybody have this experience?

[iconoclastic cat]

1. Try asking for advice on birth control pills and see what he does.

Did he get his MD from Bob Jones?

[sui generis]

2. my advice - change your outfit before visiting your doctor

[iconoclastic cat]

4. EYYYYAAAA!

My EYES! The goggles do nothing!

[SteppingRazor]

6. Only Fallout Boy can save me now! n/t

[SteppingRazor]

3. Yeah, I hate that crap.

Just give me my damned percocet so I can get to my other doctor and pick up my vicodin, for God's sake.

[DistressedAmerican]

5. Maybe He Was Burned By Rush's Doctor Shopping!

[leftofthedial]

7. you don't swear at him and flash your breasts at him do you?

'cause if you did, that would be one reason.

I've found that the entire health care system is predominantly suspicious of and antagonistic to anyone who is actually seeking care of any kind.

[dogday]

8. Good Question? They drum it into the heads of Doctors,

The Doctor must take into consideration the amount of medication,-vs-the pain relief factor-vs-the addiction factor.

I think they do job by informing you of the dangers of such medication, once informed the choice is yours, not theirs.

I also think they are withholding pain relief at times for people for fear of addiction.

[SteppingRazor]

12. Not fear of addiction, but self-preservation

If they hand out pills to addicts, they could lose their license. It's not that they want to avoid you being addicted -- heck, that would just make them more money because then you would need more pills -- it's that they don't want their own livelohood taken away.

So, it's because they care about themselves, not that they care about you. Perfectly understandable, though. But it certainly does make it hard for me and Rush to feed our degenerate lifestyles.

[dogday]

15. Not everyone is looking to get high

There are people out there with legitimate pain and they should be seeing a pain specialist. They are the ones that are licensed to distribute pain medication to people in desperate pain.

[elehhhhna]

13. I get that but cripes, who needs a lecture from him? I don't think he

takes migraines seriously. 20 pills per month is not exactly a front for a wholesale operation, here.

[Horse with no Name]

17. I used to have severe migraines

It's literally been years since I have had one. I ended up having a migraine that lasted 2 solid weeks--had to endure CT scans, MRI, lumbar puncture...it was resistant to everything and it just lasted and lasted and lasted.
After it was overr, my Doctor sent me to a migraine specialist in Tyler, TX who did multitudes of very specific diagnostic tests. He found some blockages in the venous structure in my head--and even 2 weeks after my headache there was still vascular damage. He then prescribed low dose antidepressants and calcium channel blockers which I took for about 3 years. He also gave me a script for a pain medication that was very specific for a migraine and it worked great during an acute attack.
He told me to avoid things like Imitrex, Zomig, etc because of the vascular damage I had already suffered.
I honestly cannot remember my last migraine. I didn't change any eating habits or anything. I never knew exactly what the trigger was.
If you aren't too far from Tyler--it might be worth a visit. His name is John Miller, MD and he used to be Chief of Internal Medicine at Parkland. He semi-retired to Tyler.
Good luck.

[gulfcoastliberal]

20. Addiction vs dependence

Addiction is from taking something recreationally, not for a real medical need. Dependence means you only take the drug when you have to for the painful medical condition. Big difference.

[elehhhhna]

21. I think I gaffed about that at the last appt--

He asked if I'm dependent and I said "If you mean do I make sure not to be without it on hand (not in my purse but at home and on vacation) ? Then yes."

[eShirl]

9. it's because the Feds are leaning on the doctors, BIG TIME

the Feds are probably treating the doctor like Courtney Love's dealer.

[Burma Jones]

16. This is Exactly Right - The DEA tracks physicians

Even an investigation by the DEA can really screw up a Doctor's career. And EVERYBODY knows that Physicians' prescribing narcotics fund terrorism, right????

[Logansquare]

23. Yeah, my MD told me that he has to be very careful

My meds are a controlled substance, and he's not allowed to post-date prescriptions; he also has to make carbon copies of it for his own records.

[realFedUp]

10. Wait til you have to give your doctor a large retaining fee....

More doctors are going to a private, annual pre-pay "fee" just so you
can get a timely appointment.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

11. It depends on what you are asking refills for. If it contains narcotics

and requires triplicate prescription etc., if the doctor is sloppy with record keeping and just automatically refills on request without any kind of written record documenting a visit or reason why, it is easy for this to be raised as a red flag where he could potentially lose his license over it. It can and does happen.

There's a lot of shady docs who are the willing "candy man" for drug seeking patients and they are investigated and disciplined much more frequently and zealously now than in the past for this.

[Horse with no Name]

14. They teach it in medical school these days

as part of defensive medicine that they also teach.
Prescription drug abuse is one of the biggest health issues in the country--these docs are taught that and look at everyone as a suspect.
Unfortunately, some truly need it and get caught in this web, however, many that are addicted just get their dealer cut off and go off to find another one.
My suggestion is to find an older doctor in his late 50's or early 60's--stick with a general practitioner and stay away from specialists, and you might find him more compassionate than you find your younger doc.
Good luck.

[undeterred]

18. I've had migraines for over 20 years and my neurologist is great

but if I happen to run out of vicodin on a weekend and he is not on call some of the other doctors in his group will give me a hard time.

"I don't prescribe narcotics over the phone to strangers" she says. "I'm not a stranger, I've been coming to your clinic for 15 years and I've talked to you before", I say. She refuses to give me what I need so I end up going to an emergency room for treatment.

Meanwhile she writes up a note about my "drug-seeking behavior" and puts it in my chart. My own doctor doesn't see it till 6 months later during my appointment, and he starts laughing. "I don't known how she has time to do this".

[elehhhhna]

22. I make sure NEVER to run out-- realized that sending Hubs to Walgreens at

2 a.m. to pick up a refill was just poor planning...

but my 'graines are hormone triggered and thus mostly predictable.

[undeterred]

24. I don't run out any more either-

It was only one of the doctors in his group who treated me like that, the rest were great.

[KharmaTrain]

19. Interesting Thread...A Few Thoughts

My father practiced for over 50 years...I saw a couple factors get in the way of his writing prescriptions over the years.

As a kid, I remember him writing out scripts for almost everyone in the family. That was until the day we got a call that my cousin had been selling her diet pills and got caught. Then there was the threat of malpractice...it's gotten to the point that any doctor can be hauled into court even if they no longer treat the patient or for a different diagnosis years ago. He was always leary of any consignment or "walk-in" business as he could be held liable in the future and not even know it. Lastly, there's the insurance companies...they all but control health care now. They determine not only what medications are "waranted" for a certain condition, but will demand a doctor to use a certain drug (always costing more) which also can make a doctor hesitant on writing prescriptions.

Think of your problem as being part of a far larger migrane.

Cheers...

[noonwitch]

25. I had a doctor who wouldn't give me coedine for gall stone attacks

I told him fine, I'll keep buying 222s in Canada until you can refer me to a surgeon. Asshole.

The same doctor asked me what birth control method I was using. I told him "celibacy". He still, despite noting that I smoked, tried to push the pill on me twice. I found another doctor after I had my surgery. My surgeon was cool, though.

At this same time, I had a friend who had migraines. Her doctor (who I swear must have been Elvis' doctor) gave her renewable prescriptions for barbituates, and when she had an outpatient D&C, she was given a scrip for 50 100mg darvocettes with a refill for 50 more.

My friend had traditional Blue Cross, where I have BCN (the Blue Cross PPO). I wonder if that had anything to do with it?