The opioid crackdown is making life untenable for chronic pain patients

[n2doc]

By Melissa Sanders-Self

President Trump recently said that he intends to declare the opioid crisis a national emergency. If he makes good on that promise, it will be the country’s first official state of emergency for a drug epidemic. That designation would make more federal funding available for curbing the crisis, and likely result in stricter limitations on new and existing opioid prescriptions.

When I hear the words “opioid” and “emergency” in the same sentence, I panic: Is my prescription running out? I have stage-3 neuroendocrine cancer. For me, not having opioids would be an emergency.

Every three weeks, for the last four years, I’ve had radiation treatment to suppress the cancer. Both the cancer and the treatment have left me in constant pain. I’ve tried everything. I drink bone broth. I slather the damaged nerves in my elbows, hands and feet with Bio-Freeze and Frankincense. I meet weekly with a massage therapist. But what seems to work best are oblong pills with a big “V” stamped on one side — Vicodin.

They make it possible for me to work. I teach creative writing and literature at UC Santa Cruz. To get from my car to the classroom, I have to walk up a large hill carrying two bags that contain my laptop, books, student papers and a cosmetic case full of medication — five bottles of pills, for nausea, digestion, headaches and pain. Together these bags weigh 32 pounds, and everything in them is necessary.

more
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-sanders-opioid-crisis-national-emergency-20171025-story.html

[OKNancy]

1. I've worried about this too. I started going to the Oncology Pharmacy

which is on-site at the Cancer Center where my husband goes. Next month we change from our ACA Blue Cross policy to Medicare, a supplement, and the cheap HumanaWalmart Plan. I called the Walmart and they can order the opioid my husband takes.
I'd rather stay at the Cancer Center, but the Walmart plan is super cheap.

[csziggy]

2. Watch out - the Walmart plan will not automatically refill

You have to call every time to request a refill. After two months of that, my husband went to the Humana mail order pharmacy program. That works better for him - they send him three months worth automatically. They call to make sure it is still needed but send it even if he misses the call.

I pay $5 more per month for the Walgreens program. They do have autorefill and auto sync so I get my pills at the same time. I get an automatic call letting me know it is ready. And they have a drive thru that is open when the pharmacy is, 24 hours a day 6 days a week.

[OKNancy]

3. That's odd. I've never had a problem

I'm older than my husband, so I have used the plan 2 years. I use the website. They send a notice that it's due, then I go pick it up at the drive in window. I DID, last month use the mail option.

[csziggy]

4. Maybe it's in this town or this state (Florida)?

But they told my husband when he went in to set up autorefill that they do not do that for any insurance coverage. And none of the Walmarts in this town have drive in windows - you have to go into the store and stand in line to turn in prescriptions, to order a refill, and then to pick up the refill when it is filled a day or two later.

It's as if the local Walmarts want to force people to go into the stores as many times as possible, maybe in hopes they will spend more money. Since the closest one seldom has stocked shelves, that is quite a challenge even if I wanted to spend money there.

[dembotoz]

5. I worry about this as well

I have known some folks with chronic pain. Messing with their meds is just wrong

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. Banning marijuana is even worse,

esp. now that in the states which do allow it, there have been tremendous gains with products and information which actually tells you which strain of weed is good for which medical conditions.

Most of them are good for pain, happily.