... injury. my doctor is refusing to refill tramadol until I have a sleep apnea study, and physical assessment. is there some emergency thing I can do to get my tramadol medication tomorrow? or am i just squirming in bed in pain?
I was laid off work and have no insurance and no income, except very little from spouse's income. Do I just go to the emergency room? and will they ok my subscription until my doctor appointment with a different clinic a month from now? or should I talk to my doctor about this being an abusive approach to my situation?
Back Pain - I am on gabapentin, diclofenac and tramadol for herniated neck, mid and lower spine?
Question posted by Anonymous on 10 Sep 2010
Last updated on 7 December 2017 by TSAMA913
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5 Answers
TSAMA913
7 Dec 2017
I am in no sense attempting to come off as hurtful, however, the epidemic and situations regarding narcotics and pain medication has escalated beyond patients understanding. If your situation was as you say, then your PCP would have dispersed and rx that prescription to help you as THEIR PATIENT. You mus follow up with your pcp per their guidelines in regards to your specific treatment plans and if you cannot do so and just expect narcotic or any Rx drugs to be immediately dispersed you are beyond your mind. The physicians must maintain their liscnse and titles in regards to state and federal guidelines and not to be rude but you have no idea how many patients pull the same scenario as you are playing on the PCP's now in this thread.
I hope you find a means of a non-medicated way to live your live.
PhyllisGail
11 Sep 2010
I take Tramadol 200 mg time released with gagapentin for trigeminal neuropathy. It helps a lot. It is a good combo as you have found too.It sounds llike your rapport with your GP needs improvement. If he/she insists on some studies, you may need them and why doesn"t he/she want to renew your prescription? It sounds unusual and sad. You and your GP need a trusting relationship. If this is not the case I would shop for a new Dr who will be open to your needs.
IhearttheOcean
11 Sep 2010
Idk if this is a good thing or a bad thing to recommend but theres a lot of online pharmacies that sell quality Tramadol. Ive used several of them myself when I was in need. It sucks we have to buy from outside the country sometimes because our government is so strict but sometimes we need pain medication and drs are getting worse and worse when it comes to getting help in the form of pain meds. If you would consider this, let me know and I can give you more information about it. Dont even bother asking about OxyContin or Hydro or anything because they are almost impossible to find. If you do find some, its probably a scam. But Tramadol isnt regulated nearly as bad so its pretty easy to find.
aterrell784
13 June 2017
I am interested in more info about this. I've never heard of ordering any medication online.
RSDHurtzme
11 Sep 2010
I also don't understand unless you are having a sleep apnea test in the next 24 hours or so why this doctor wouldn't give you any kind of pain medication. I don't even know what made him think of sleep apnea to begin with.
I had no choice by a doctor who now has no medical license that only saw me one time at a pain management place I'd been going to for over 6yrs rip up my scripts that were signed and ready saying I didn't have a disease I was diagnosed with over 11yrs ago. I never raised my voice, asked him to at least physically examine me also saying he could run any tests known to man. I was given nothing after being on the same medication and dose for 9 of 11yrs; Oxycontin 40mgs.
I detoxed so badly and even when I went in and saw my regular doctor there the next month, I was so angry and still in so much pain I refused to take back my much needed meds. I did so for over 3 months until I realized the only person I was hurting was myself.
It is cruel for a pain doctor to not give anything when he/she does know you are in real pain. If a doctor tells you that he/she believes you are/have become addicted and wants to take you off of pain meds, that should be done with much respect by lowering the doses unless pure abuse was found.
Even then it is cruel but I had never abused my meds always passing my drug tests and was a compliant patient.
I agree to try to get them back or some other form of pain med. I also believe you do need to start looking for another doctor.
Best wishes from someone who has been there. It was like a nightmare but I survived.
I not only got out of that pain clinic but the doctor who ripped my scripts up lost his medical license for "over prescribing strong narcotics in exchange for unnecessary procedures", the OD death of at least 5 patients, and reusing needles on over 150 patients. Maybe he read in my records that I would not be a guinea pig for my medications and he was right about that.
He was also federally charged with bilking Medicare, Medicaid, and other insurance companies out of over $21 Million in less than two years.
We as patients have to be careful about who we allow to be our doctors unfortunately as I found.
The place is closed now and thankfully I went back to the first doctor who diagnosed me and am now out of pain management for good only seeing an internal medicine doctor taking care of my pain and entire health.
Better doctors are out there and my opinion is that I would rather go through detox to find one than to remain with one I don't trust or doesn't treat me or my pain correctly.
dmfdjttor57
10 Sep 2010
I don't know if you have abused your Tramadol or why a Dr. would do such a thing if you are now addicted to it and you did not say why he wanted a sleep study, but an emergency room is not going to give you any help, certainly not a month's worth of medication, lucky to get a couple days worth. Your best bet is to do the last thing you mentioned, try to get the medication back and get in to that sleep study to see if you have apnea asap. If this is something he is expecting YOU to pay for, then check out the clinical studies they are doing in your area, often you can get into a sleep type study where they are going to try something new for apnea or whatever, for free and maybe even compensated, but if you are seeing this Dr., what kind of assessment does he want you to have, a drug assessment? Why did he not do a "physical" himself before prescribing addicting medication to you. If you live in the US, i can tell you for certain an emergency room Dr.
is not going to give you a narcotic for a month, so your best bet is to either deal w/the original prescribing dr. or to see if you can't talk your way into the new clinic sooner by explaining to them the problem you have, the extreme pain you are in and the withdrawls you are experiencing. I wish you the best, don't understand why a Dr. what do such a really nasty thing, unless, as i mentioned, you had abused them in some way, but you did not say you had, so i assume you did not.
Best of luck to you, keep trying, calling places, etc., that is all you can do if he refuses to help you out, and if you've been on this a long time, i would report him to the American Medical Association Board. Good luck to you.
Dede
Inactive
10 Sep 2010
Well I am taking Tramadol 50 m, 2 tabs x 4 times per day, so 8 pills. And that's the limit is the point. They are saying that if this is not doing the trick then I need to be evaluated, the sleep apnea, to see which narcotics next to prescribe, the sleep apnea helps they say, determine which way best to go.
As to the abuse, no, just that I've been on this doseage too long is the point. So, they need to up it to a narcotic.
What went on for 2 years is that my dr (she) would set up the meds and I'd be fine for 4 or 5 months, then I'd say that something was not right, and I'd go in and there'd be an adjustment and I'd be alright for awhile.
At first the dr. prescribed physical assessment for movement evaulation and they set up a referral (had to have that for my insurance), insurance would pay 400, I would have to pay 1,200. I was not willing to do that.
Then I asked for a physical therapy doctor, and she sent me to a specialist and he said, i can do pain medication management and Steroid Injection, and he offered the SI. I said no, too scarey, the medications are doing fine, I 'thought' you were a physical therapy dr. He said no, well call me when you want it.
Then after 1 1/4 years I said ok, this is not healing at all, I need to have it checked more thoroughly. So dr sent me to a neuro surgeon, he said you are way behind the 8 ball physically unfit, overweight, no activity, your trapezoids are going to freeze if the medical community doesn't help you within a year. But no, I can't do surgery on you, it's not severe of herniated discs in the lower neck, C4, 5, 6, 7... and mid back, and lower back.
To 'me' the ultimate culprit is my mid back, right at the bottom of the scapula, at the last rib there. when I sat in a chair that agitated that area, 3 separate times it blew my body up nerve wise. "But", I've been informed, they have no tests for the mid back. So my MRE of the hands/wrist, neck showed right side aggravation and right wrist, elbow carpel tunnel.
So, then my 2nd specialist prescribed wrist wrap, and returning to the surgeon. Also that he could 'not' do the SI, because I am alergic to shellfish and the dye they use in those instances provides a very iffy murky view in the best circumstances (slim frame, low weight), I am broad at the shoulders and overweight, so he gave me to percentages of 50/50 and death posibility, so I declined.
Meanwhile the 1st specialist who also does pain management would not sign a form for work required for me to remain off work (I was receiving short term disability for awhile)... he wouldn't until I had the Physical Movement Assessment study done, and he now decided that he would not do the SI as originally offered, as after seeing the neuro surgeon's report he couldn't offer that in good faith. He also stated he wanted to set up a sleep apnea study for me to see if I am losing sleep by waking in the night, and that would be one reason I am not healing.
So, facing being fired, I cancelled the sleep apnea study, his reasons weren't very solid for that to me, and I did the MRE for the other specialist instead. And then after that study, and seeing my 2nd specialist for interpretation and diagnosis and suggestions, well at that time, because neither the 1st specialist nor my primary would sign the work papers, I was released from work... no insurance now.
So, I said, ok, I have my meds and I'm maintaining ok...
But then a few days ago the pharmacy said dr refusing to refill. Contacting dr stated she needs the sleep apnea study because it will tell them which way to go with prescribing narcotics. I stated what the 1st specialist stated why he wanted it was not the same reason or else I would have made the appointment, but she disagreed that he would misinform me, he was the most respected specialist in the area.
My wife and I sent three faxes to the 1st specialist stating 'why' are you refusing to sign my off work paperwork? I can barely move, and they released me as a patient because they stated over and over the reason was they needed the sleep apnea study and the Physical Assessment study.
I'm caught in the medical professionals making good on the paperwork with the government and the med insurance agencies in procedures needed. But I am the 'real' case, and I am being docked by the abusers of the system in the past. I hate that.
So, now I am going to a walk in clinic tomorrow and stating my need.
If nothing goes well with that, I will sit here in bed from Sept. 11 until October 6/7th to see if the clinic will refill the prescription plus set me up with sleep apnea and/or Physical Assessment.
I am applying for SSI (2nd time, 1st time they stated percentages showed I'd heal with in 12 month period, I've gotten worse... I don't know if it's also arthritis now, or just the herniated discs shown in the MRI)...
Also I've signed up for the local VA clinic/hospital, and those things take time to set up.
I've asked around, the specialists assistants, etc. and they state that there is really nothing I can do, and that it's a sad situation.
My dr was angry and upset because my workplace required paperwork for every time I went from full to 1/2 time (8 times in a 1 1/2 year period) calling it excessive compared to her other patients only needing paperwork 1 maybe 2 times, for Short Term Disability. My reasoning was that I couldn't work more than 1/2 time, however my insurance rates doubled and I was left with 100.00 x 2 times per month to live on, so I'd go back to full time and had 300.00 x 2 times per month, yet after 3 to 5 weeks I'd falter badly and have to go back to 1/2 time. So that process that I felt I had to take for my family agitated my dr. Plus 2) my stating requesting physical therpy and she sent me to a pain medication specialist who offered SI when I didn't want that, plus 3) the 1st specialist stating sleep apnea was to see if interrupted sleep was why I was not healing over time. shrugs, she just became frustrated with my case, plus she stated she is an internal medicine dr and not a generalist, and really can't help me much.
so, it's a mess.
Looks like I'm going to be in bed for 20 days, and try my hardest to be civil to my wife. :)
Wish me luck.
Thanks for the feedback, by the way. I appreciate it.
Inactive
10 Sep 2010
by the way? that really, 'really' hurt me to type that much. I used to type 110 wpm, and mentally it hurts not to be able to also, grins. But my fingers are cramped. So i'm going to have to try to do short answers from here on in.sorry
Related topics
rheumatoid arthritis, sleep apnea, pain, back pain, sleep disorders, muscle pain, sciatica, diclofenac, gabapentin, tramadol, sleep
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