I'm so frustrated with my parent's medication situation.

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

My parents are both in their late 50’s. They are a couple of characters, they truly are. My mother grew up in a family of 7 that was split up when she was around 8. The house she was sent to was quite abusive. My dad, on the other hand, had an abusive mother, and an absent father. Neither of them made it through high school. When they met each other there was no doubts - they were going to be inseparable. When my mom found out she was pregnant my dad put his foot down - time to move out of the City. Despite having no support from friends or relatives they moved into the country for the education opportunities, fresh air, and all that good stuff. As a family of 5 we struggled - but we made it. Now all three of their children have at least a Bachelor’s degree. My mother now has COPD, and chronic pain from that. My father worked 30 years from Janitor to Head Boiler Operator. He has chronic back pain from a life of manual labor mixed with a car accident or two, and various other issues (Lyme Disease). I won’t get into the specifics of his back problems but suffice to say they are well documented.

This is where my question comes in: why in the hell has there been such a push by the medical community to eradicate morphine derived pain killers? Both of my parents, which had been steadily and carefully using hydrocodones for 3 years with no record of issue suddenly started being scrutinized. My dad was pulled off them a year ago, and my mom will be taken off them this month.

I’m mind blown, honestly. The doctors keep pushing for non-morphine derived medications which have a short history, interact with other medications, and may have terrible long term side-effects. My parents are basically being treated like addicts and I just can’t take it anymore. My parents gave everything they had for us three kids to make something of themselves. Why can’t they just stick with the pain medication that is working for them, and enjoy their sunset years? Instead they have to be lab experiments for a drug company, or sit in constant pain.

You want to guess what the doctors have told them? They are afraid for THEIR license - they agree our parents should have access to pain killers, but they don’t want to risk their license. So much for the Hippocratic Oath, eh? Another doctor suggested going to Canada, filling a bottle of Tylenol with painkillers. Another doctor suggested alcohol - I kid you not.

Why? Why are my straight-laced, white-bread parents being treated like drug addicts?

What is so dangerous about hydrocodone? The acetaminophen is the most harmful component.

Is there one, one good argument why they shouldn’t be able to get 2 or 3 pain killers a day? They probably won’t even live to 70 for Christ sake, can they please have at least a decade of painlessness?

2

It’s because of people who abuse morphine-derived painkillers, and shady doctors who prescribe it to anybody. Mostly it’s because of people who hear of the abuses going on and scream, “Do something! We can’t have people abusing prescription drugs!!”

They’re doing something. They’re damned if they do and damned if they don’t.

3

It’s how government works. Somehow, somewhere, someone near the top decides that these particular painkillers need to be targeted for elimination in the United States and it happens, regardless of how much harm it inflicts on people.

Just like it’s still illegal, in most states, to use marijuana for medical purposes. There’s no reason why it should be, but the government is not responsive to that sort of argument.

4

I know that is right.

If it weren’t so rediculous sounding I would believe that is all a scam by big drug companies trying to phase out the old, faithful, cheap medications and replace them with expensive, dangerous, patented medications.

It is just nuts to me…I used to know someone who had mild back discomfort (wouldn’t even call it pain) and they got 10 pills a day. Between both of my folks, who have been through the ringer the past few years, they’re lucky to get 2 a day. And now none.

I want someone to tell me, in simple terms, what is so dangerous about my disabled parents using prescription painkillers as regulated.

What is so dangerous about Morphine derived drugs?

They had a staunch reputation for not abusing them, so you can’t claim it is addiction potential.

There are no long term side effects of taking 5-20mg of narcotics based painkillers…so there goes that.
LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, LETS BAN FOOD! IT’S DANGEROUS! PEOPLE OVER-EAT, PEOPLE UNDER-EAT…IT’S FAR TOO DANGEROUS FOR US SIMPLETONS TO MANAGE OUR OWN EATING! THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD HOOK US ALL TO FEEDING TUBES!

5

I’m really surprised that no one has come along to argue that their cousin was a hydrocodone junkie and therefore your parents are probably junkies too, and it’s right that they should have to suffer. I’ve seen it a lot on the Dope.

6

This seems like a fine situation to bring to the attention of your elected federal officials. Write a letter to your senator and congressional rep; explain that while you understand the need to reduce the potential for abuse, the laws currently on the books need to be changed because they are actively harming your parents by curtailing their legitimate access to medications that have proven to work well for them. If you have any opportunity, you might consider meeting with them in person. Consider also making the case with your local TV stations.

There’s a small chance this will help your parents. There’s also a larger chance that in the long run, you will effect positive change for others.

7

No you haven’t.

8

Yes I have.

9

Look up a pain clinic in their area. Call the clinic and explain the situation. Say that your parents both have a long history of taking their prescriptions for pain without abusing them. But unfortunately, their doctors are insisting on weaning them off. Not out of necessity, but due to risk-avoidance in the current legal climate. Ask if they are accepting new patients, and if so, whether they are willing to keep your parents on their pain meds. Explain that their current doctors want to subject them to alternative drugs that will interact negatively with their other meds. Then, hope that their current doctors will vouch for your parents’ good behavior in their medical records (this may or may not be necessary, I’m not sure). Transfer the records to the pain clinic. Now, your parents get their pills and their primary doctors don’t risk losing their licenses.

It’s worth a shot. You will never know unless you ask! Pain clinics are scrutinized very closely these days, but they still exist. For a lot of people they are the ONLY way to get the meds that work for them. Becoming a patient of a pain clinic generally involves a signed agreement that you will not sell, give away, or otherwise abuse your prescription. Violation of that agreement means you’re fired as a patient and probably blacklisted from all area pain clinics (and potentially reported directly to the DEA). There may be other requirements, I don’t know. Ask!

If this is not an option, then get their pain pills from the black market. I definitely think that would be a moral decision to make under these circumstances.

10

Then you should be able to provide a cite. Of course, if you can’t provide a cite, then no you haven’t.

Regards,
Shodan

11

I will give it a shot - it cannot hurt the situation, anyway.

12

I’ll have to check into that - my mother was referred to a pain clinic by her previous doctor, but before my mother entertained the idea the doctor and her got into an argument. Basically my parent’s are both low income (but have good medical coverage) and were enraged to find out that the doctor gave her several drug tests “just in case” throughout her visits. She had assumed these tests were for other, legitimate medical reasons and hadn’t questioned it.

Thanks for this information - I’m looking through for clinics in the area now!

13

Junkies are getting their prescription drugs somewhere, and lots of them aren’t getting them directly from doctors, but from friends or family members who are (or were once) legitimately prescribed them.

I’m not implying even a little bit that your parents are junkies or are selling their meds, but I the problem is there’s really no good way to tell the difference between someone who really needs the pain meds and someone who is lying about it to profit/support a drug habit.

They are incredibly addictive. Not to everyone, no, but to very many people. And our public policy approach to addictive substances is not to treat the addicts but to control the substances. That means limiting them to almost everybody, because it’s very difficult to determine who actually needs painkillers and who is selling them.

I’m sorry your parents have to go through this. I wish we had saner drug policies.

14

Inthis thread, posts 3, 9, 13 and 19 … I’m sure there are more, I didn’t bother to look. Particularly post 9.

That was easy.

15

I don’t think those posts say what you think they do. They certainly don’t jibe with your first post in this thread, at all.

16

If your parents are going to get enraged about random drug testing - they are going to be in for a rough time. Narcotics for non-cancer pain isn’t generally considered necessary. If they want them - and can’t find a willing doc - they are going to have to put up with the bullshit “contracts” and drug tests. If they get enraged at them - they are going to be labeled drug seeking and be in the position they are now.

17

No, they are not a word for word quote of what I said.:rolleyes:

18

More like: they are nowhere near what you said.

19

Jeebus, this is a tired tactic. I make a claim: “cite!”

I go to the trouble to provide a cite: "The cite does not support your claim. "

Well do some work and show why not, big guy.

20

They don’t mind being drug tested and they tested clean as expected. The problem they had was that the doctor wasn’t asking them to be tested, instead he implied it was for medical treatment. Although the tests aren’t that costly it is insulting to be repeatedly made to bear the expense when you have already tested clean.