Va Pain Management

[yoggie2]

I was wondering about VA Pain Management I see a private Dr. for treatment and pain med's if the VA has these meds in generic form do I have to go through pain Mgt to get them filled? or talk to my blue team Doctor? I'm looking to save money on my meds, a service connected injury. Thanks Rick

Edited November 25, 2007 by yoggie2

[LarryJ]

Just talk with your Primary Care Physician.

If you have trouble making an appointment (if it's gonna take you forever to get in to see him/her) just call your clinic nurse and tell her what the problem is..the doc can write the script over his VISTA computer network and the pharmacy can process it...if it's narcotic, then you may have to physically pick up the first round of medication. Maybe, sometimes, I think......

[john999]

Your primary will probably want to refer you to pain management, but that is no big deal. If the VA is going to prescribe narcotics for you they want you to sign a contract. This is to protect themselves. I have been getting VA narcotics on a regular basis for a few years. If it is for something service oonnected there should be no cost. The VA will do bloodwork and urine test on you every 6 months but it is really not like "big brother". I get oxycondone and morphine from the VA. You want to be straight with them and tell them what works and what does not work. At least your VA doctor won't be hauled off by the DEA for prescribing adequate medication for you.

Each VAMC seems to have a different way of doing things. The Tampa VAMC wants you to go through pain management to get narcotics. Your primary can probably prescribe but why not go through pain management. That is what they are supposed to be expert at doing is dealing with pain.

[yoggie2]

Your primary will probably want to refer you to pain management, but that is no big deal. If the VA is going to prescribe narcotics for you they want you to sign a contract. This is to protect themselves. I have been getting VA narcotics on a regular basis for a few years. If it is for something service oonnected there should be no cost. The VA will do bloodwork and urine test on you every 6 months but it is really not like "big brother". I get oxycondone and morphine from the VA. You want to be straight with them and tell them what works and what does not work. At least your VA doctor won't be hauled off by the DEA for prescribing adequate medication for you.

Each VAMC seems to have a different way of doing things. The Tampa VAMC wants you to go through pain management to get narcotics. Your primary can probably prescribe but why not go through pain management. That is what they are supposed to be expert at doing is dealing with pain.

Pain Clinic tomorrow and Primary Care Dr Wednesday. Does this sound backwards?? Its for narcotics I've been on them for years.But I'm still a little confused. I have to go to pain clinic to sign paper work and have to see Primary care Doc for Meds? I take 10mg oxycodone and Oxycotin tried the morphine makes my mental problems X 10. Thanks RC

Edited November 25, 2007 by yoggie2

[sixthscents]

Pain Clinic tomorrow and Primary Care Dr Wednesday. Does this sound backwards?? Its for narcotics I've been on them for years.But I'm still a little confused. I have to go to pain clinic to sign paper work and have to see Primary care Doc for Meds? I take 10mg oxycodone and Oxycotin tried the morphine makes my mental problems X 10. Thanks RC

What you are bumping into is that certain meds are classified as "restricted", and ONLY certain doctors within the VA system can write a prescription for them. The Oxycontin MUST be wriiten by pain management, unless done by waiver. Oxycodone must be written by a MD, not an nurse practitioner... so its all staged and thats why you are doing these appointments backward. They are getting the major meds prescribed by the required department first. This is a GOOD thing, since you PCP probably couldnt write them. I ran into the same thing and asked the same questions of the doc's and thats when it was explained to me. If you look under the formulary table, you will see the VA offers certains meds but they are characterized as "restricted"....

[Pete53]

My prescription for Oxycontin is written by my Primary Care Doc. I also have gotten it from the Dentist with no problems. I guess the rules are different in different VAMC's.

[luvHIM]

My prescription for Oxycontin is written by my Primary Care Doc. I also have gotten it from the Dentist with no problems. I guess the rules are different in different VAMC's.

I agree! I am enrolled in the VA Pain Management Clinic but ALL of my RX's were requested by Primary. I keep trying to tell people that the VA Pain Management Clinic is really not about the narcotic drugs. The clinic was designed to help veterans manage their pain without the drugs, especially narcotics. However, a pharmacist is a part of the pain management clinic support team. But that doesn't mean he/she is the one primarily responsible for the narcotic RX drug. In fact, the pharmacist on my team does call me and check to see if the RX are working from time to time. But, on every notation from him there has been email contact also made with my primary.

So, yoggie2, in answer to your question...NO you do not have to be enrolled in the VA pain clinic to have your RX filled. However, the VAMC (as I understand it) will not fill a prescription written by a physician outside the VA. So, you do have to be receiving some sort of care through the VAMC and have a VA doctor prescribing whatever your private doctor is prescribing.