I had to sign an pain management agreement with my PCP... is this normal?

I just read your post here. I hope you have not given up. Not all drs and or clinics are such asses. I have been on heavy narcotics for 30 yeras and I have never signed anything. But if asked I suppose I would. I wouldn't mhowever let them leave me in pain. It isn't doc shopping to get real relief. I don't know nwhat state you nare in but you should be able to find a clinic that will treat you. I always say that you have to be a jerk sometimes to these Drs. If you have medical reasons for narcotics then it is mandatory that the Dr treat you.Dont give up please life is way to short to spend it curled up on the floor in a fetal position in pain. Don;t ledt them do that to you.

I know how u feel, have you tried subutex a low dose it is a narcotic analgesac in low dose for pain or suboxone you have to find a addiction dr. this med is also used for pain. I have fibro and they did not want to give me any more narcotics try this med it saved me. wendy good luck!!

Dear Anonymous, I was born and raised in Tenn, so when I read your answer in this group we are both in, I just had write back. I am surprised your Phamacy will fill 2 days b4 refill date. I know I shouldn't say, but, my Pharmacy for most meds is C**. I use other pharmacies too because I take 14 meds and MUST shop around. You would be surprised. Any way, just wanted you to know my Pharmacy will only refill on pain meds on the 31st day. Unless I can manage to save a little here and there, I go to bed taking last of any pain med and then have to get up, no pain relief, get dressed, leave the house, drive to drug store, and wait for about an hour to get them filled. I have mentioned this to my doctor, what an inconvenience this is, but was not concerned. Told me he writes for 30 days supply and when you fill it, they SHOULD wait till 30 days has passed to fill it. Heaven forbid I might get hooked on an extra one pill to help me get the rest. Take care

let me explain further, had a brain fart... ok... pcp will send me to a pain management dr for pain meds so pcp won't give me pain meds right? BUT, they say {my primary care dr} that they won't let pain dr give me any pain meds either..so no pain meds from pain dr and no pain meds from primary dr..IF i go to pain management... thats what I understood..so primary dr will drop pain meds if i go to pain dr and primary dr will tell pain dr not to give me any pain meds either..but, if I don't go to pain dr, then I can still recieve pain meds from primary dr... really crappy, i think..does anyone get this?

Where did u get the card you had made with a list of all your meds? Thats a good idea.

i guess i am almost in the same boat as you. i have bluging disk an went to a back dr an he gave me 120 lortabs a month 10/500 mg for 15 months then i go back an tell him there not working so a nurse told me the lortab 7.5 is better so i ask to b put on them well i have been on the 7.5s for 3 months an went back to my dr an told him there not working an he says i am addicted to them an he is going to take me off the pains meds completely unless i go to a pms. why wont the lortabs work anymore? is it my tolerance an i am ashamed to go see him everytime.

I just had to sign a pain med contract which to me is ridiculous.I also have seen alot of people take alot of pills and sell them.I choose not to do it so what do I get?I went to the doctor not worried about a thing and had my blood taken.I had a positive for oxycotin.I told my doctor I must of gotten it second hand.The doctor said "No you didn't get it that way you had to of taken them".I know I did not take those pills and I couldn't even tell you what they look like.My doctor said I have to go to treatment.I will be so embarassed going and having to make up a story about my addiction that I don't even have.If I tell the truth nobody will believe me because alot of people say they didn't do it.I might be looking for another doctor.It makes a person not even go to the doctor.I have high blood pressure and cholesterol and have to be treated for those but I want to stop going.SIGNED:One day your a normal patient and the next day your a drug addict.

Well said!!!

dee dee, Please don't give up hope. There is help for you, believe this. I know how frustrated you are, I can tell by your comment here. Join in the community and ask/answer lots of stuff! Maybe some members can help steer you the right way. You aren't alone in your pain or discouragement of some of these doctors. Please keep posting! :-)

Lets face it, with or with out pain... physical or emotional, we are humans who want instant pain relief . I have never come across someone who has bad pain: motorcycle crash to broken arm, first response is relief. what in western word will satisfy that temporarily: pain killers. from that first experience on its between the doctor and patient how much more to be administered or not. I am of thinking doctors have plenty to treat and rx,so why waste time after healing a hurt man on getting him strung out. very paranoid in my opinion! RC

how do you get a medical card?

i have a bunch of medical problems i signed a pain contract to have a ua when the doctor calls me to do so then they added in pill counts etc i have followed my contract to the letter then i had to have an emergency hystorectomy and because the surgeon gave me diladid and knew in advance i was on a pain contract with my pc and i called my pc office 2 weeks before my surgery to ask what i should do the nurse said the surgeon will take care of your pain meds i was cut off of my regular pain meds for taking the pain meds that the surgeon gave me how fair is that and when i reminded my pc nurse that i did what i was told to do the nurse lied and told my pc i called for a pain med increase and they stopped my meds how fair is that and now i dont know what to do and i cant even get to my pc i just had the surgery 2 weeks ago and if i had waited any longer i would have died for i was bleeding ever week

So true. Great answer.

doctors dont prescribe pcp or cocaine except the gel for toothacthes were did you get this info? are you retarded? pcp was once an animal trank but i dont think its no longer used, but pscyomajor is wrong

My Dr. told me to just let her know if i go to the ER and am given any narcotic.s

they found that addiction is a mental thing by watching which parts of the brain light up.
-When an addict would talk about the drug of choice dopamine would be released confirming that you physically feel better by thinking about the drug.
-your PMS may be different from others PMS's so your experiance isnt the case for everyone
-your right in the sense that they dont prescribe coke and PCP but legally they "have medical relevence" hense why its a C2 not a C1
-Physical dependance and addiction are 2 different problems so comming down by yourself shows physical dependance is more likely but addicts can stop the same way in the minority of cases.
- and for anything i missed, i probably wont respond to for a long time. thanks for reading

I'm wth you! This is getting ridiculous & way out of control. Please, everyone, let your voices be heard to your State Reps, Congressman, & your State Govenor & even write to the President. Be candid & honest. Express your concerns & fears very clearly. Too many doctors have their own rules that are not even laws. That is abusing authority & hurts far too many innocent people. What is the first oath a Doctor takes when they become a Doctor? "FIRST, DO NO HARM". Have they forgotten? Remind them! Never just stand back & take anything you are not in agreement with or uncomfortable it. It is your right to speak up. Please use it.
Best to all,
Dylanfan

I am on the pain contract. My doctor sent me to the university to see a different doctor. He ordered me a different medication for a couple of days. I called my doctor's office right away. I reported what the doctor had percribed and there was no problem. Just be sure you inform your doctor.

gey cypress i believe you are correct

@bnagoh
Mmmm sounds like you have a chip on your shoulder. Settle down a bit. People can be wrong and not be YOUR enemy.

Psychmajor: Obviously, you have not read the DSM IV or you would KNOW that addiction is a physical problems, not a coping mechanism. Thank goodness that you said it was only your opinion, but you have a terrible response to people who are actually in pain. In answer to the next response, yes they DID have pain meds 100-200 years ago, and can find evidence of pain meds back to the earliest time we can find communication. For instance, alcohol is a pain med. They used that in the Civil War to dull pain and the senses when they had to do surgery etc. Keep studying psychmajor, you just might learn something if you keep your mind open.

Narcotics have been used for thousands of years. They are not a new occurance. Opiates have been used by many cultures, and for many reasons. The give them a shot of whiskey came from being out of a supply route. Opiates have been misused for as long as they have been known. ie Opiam dens!!

I agree with psychmajor--first of all drugs WERE around a couple hundred years ago--opium!! it was even put in baby's bottles as "Soothing Tincture" pharm manufacturers realized there was money in this miracle drug and good ole Bayer produced the first heroin--narcotics weren't illegal til late 1800's only due to racism (flaxen haired blue eyed women began cohabitating with Chinese men) withdrawal never existed until all the damn processing and is actually a hangover from additives such as ethyl alcohol--the DEA needs to back out of our lives and leave the doctors alone--there is no illegal prescription problem, the problem is doctors afraid to treat patients properly due to DEA harrassment

They suffered

There is a difference between being addicted and being dependent on a medication to control your pain issues. I know it sounds the same only different so to speak, but that is how one of my doctors described it to me.

I hope this works: TO WENDY -- My Neurologist has said this to me a few times, about my not being in as much pain as I said I am. You're right, HOW do they know? I called him for an emergency today - cannot cope with this horrid pain! (I have other issues with the Fibro) and he said it yet again. I'm so frustrated!!

This is @ bnagoh, drug use is not a modern or "new" phenomena, Asian opium dens?, Indian bhang?, coca? Ayahuasca? There are statues of Demeter and Venus holding Poppy pods dating back thousands of years. I'm a clinical master herbalist and I specialize in ethnopharmacology. I'm sorry sir, you are wrong!

People have always used some type of pain medications, whether it was herbs, or plants picked. The book Lost Ways is a good example.

Not entirely true. The pain medication contract is a normal, expected agreement between the Provider and patient, but it is to protect the PATIENT. It assures the Provider that the patient understands that all opioid medications will be written by one Provider, so what is being prescribed will be appropriate and safe for the patient.

I was in just this situation in February. My Pain Management Doc had me sign a form a couple of years ago and even took blood to check what was in my system. She Fired dozens and dozens of patients when all of her test came back. She is very strict with medication administration.

Anyway, I had a bad wreck in February and was given pain medication in the ER. My family knows about the agreement between my doctor and me and when I came to I found out that my husband had already told the doctor to notify my PMP. The surgeon was also in contact with her after the surgery. It is unbelievable how close they pay attention to this now.

My ex-s-n-l has been addicted to pills for years and years. I don't see where people get the pills to sell to people like her.

To answer your question... You can get medication from another doctor if you have permission and if the medication is not a duplicate of what your already getting.

God bless
Billie

That is very normal for most pain management practices. It is there way to make sure you do not abuse the narcotics. Also expect randon urine tests to be sure your not abusing the pain medication. At first it bothered me but then I realized too many people abuse the medications and they need to protect themselves even though they are tryinng to help us manage the pain. if you have nothing to hide then it is not a big deal..:)

My doctor hasn't made me sign any agreement like that. In fact, I ask for what I need and he gives it to me. He trusts me because I have shown him that I am not dependent upon these medications and I have demonstrated how aware I am of the dangers they pose. Believe me, it wasn't fun, I was hospitalized with a bowel obstruction, and have had four bowel related diagnostic procedures-all due to the use of pain meds. I routinely have my bottle of 90 expire with 1/4 of the bottle left though, and I have shown him when I ask for another. If you don't have that trust with your doctor, find a new one and be proactive in showing him or her that you are committed to your own health and use drugs sparingly and appropriately. I have fibro and OA. I know it sucks, but we can't kill all the pain without doing other damage, that's just the way it is.

It is not law that they do this in some states and mine is one of them. I only take pain meds from on doctor.

I have two Neurologists and two pain management specialists and I did not have to sign an agreement that I can not get narcotics from only one doctor. If fact, I see 18 specialists and I never had to sign any kind of agreement. I recently stopped seeing one pain management doctor on my own because he left the practice he was in in the city, so now I see one. It helps me enormously to get more than one opinion. I don't even see my PCP on a regular basis because he is not educated in Fibro, Migraines and the other ailments I suffer from. He himself prefers to farm me out to a specialist.

Just a note to toodoo, it isn't a matter of if your doctor trusts you or not. Even my PCP has had to ask me to sign a contract for a benzo like xanax so I just had them sign it over to my pain management doc so they didn't have to do the screening & all the paperwork involved. You may not have to yet, but it is a new law & all docs will have to have you sign a contract, & do twice a year urine screenings to make sure you have this medication in your system. The DEA has made this come to a new law for ALL doctors. If they aren't following it yet, they could be in for it if they are ever checked & could lose their license to proactice medicine. A lot of doctors already have had this happen to them. My doctor knows me personally, & with all my problems knows I am responsible taking my meds, but the law is the law... Mary

@jaywuugirl- first I am sorry about all your illnesses. I am horrified for the lack of communication at your doctors office. Your doctor can give you a new script with new orders on it that you can fill. There is no appeal expect a call to the insurance company to explain that there was an issue on their end and are trying to fix it. I would be telling them admit me for pain control or help me control it. You must be your own advocate. It is best to speak with only one doctor and one nurse at an office that has bunches. The nurse becomes an advocate if they are good and knows your story so they will go to bat for you. You are in control. You can always if its really bad go to the Er and demand to be admitted for pain control until your doctor gets this under control. I would call them first and see what they are going to do for you and tell them your considering it because this is more than yo can deal with home. Goodluck.

Most pain contracts include an emergency clause. You must let whoever is going to administer the medication is told that you have signed a pain contact. This has happened to me several times. Once in the ER with a broken arm and for a few surgery's.