New Va Pain Medication Policy

[Kristen]

On August 27, 2014 at 8:10 PM, Vync said:

The VA sometimes requires opiate pain medicine contracts to be signed by patients. The plan restricts pain meds to being given by a single VA physician. If you get any type of opiate pain medicine, in any form, from a non VA doc, they cut you off. It's a clear cut violation of the patient's bill of rights and makes you feel like you are a criminal, even if you do not violate the rules.

 

[rpowell01]

I'm going to kinda change the subject here but it has to do with pain meds. Pain medications only work for so long before they actually quit working. No matter how much they increase, and the more they increase, the less they will work on you. Remember they only work in the brain at the nerve endings. Most people's best bet is to do what I did, I was first on Oxycodone and then PM switched me over to Morphine SR and MOrphine IR. A week ago I asked my PM doctor to please take me off the MorphineS because they just were not working anymore because the VA has kept me on the lowest dose now for 3 years. See once a year they should increase the dosages but they haven't been doing this. So I asked to go back to Tramadol 100mgs 3 times a day so what he did is keeping me on the Morphine SR and prescribed Tramadol 50mgs 4 times a day. I am doing this to DETOX my body as I feel its toxicity levels are high because of the pain and other meds I take. You have to do this, its a must.

I am a bit time Christian but I do believe in cannabis as a natural pain reliever and whenever they get it squared away here in Florida I am switching over to that. First I will try the Charlotte's strain which has very, very low THC but normal levels of cannabis which is what we need to relieve our pain. If I have to fly to Denver to test it out for a weekend I will just to see if the Charlotte's strain does what they say its doing for people in pain. No smoking it just eat a little bit of it as you get more in digestion than smoking it. I watched a ex-police officer taking this as he has some type of disease that causes pain in his legs. He said it works. I believe the FEDS are in fact hiding the truth from people about cannabis because they have Patent on it for Neurological reasons!!! Think about it, why would they have a Patent on it? Secondly how can a government put a patent on something they didn't create?

[GARYLINN]

I take OPANA and OXYCODONE every day of my life for low back pain...I had to go to a PAIN Managment  clinic: NOT THE VA....I don't trust them

[Rover411]

I am VA Pension Housebound Aid & Attendance YET the VA Medical Center is demanding I go to VA for face to face with pain meds PN, his is 100% bullshit I have 8" of plating in my spine 6 back operations and pain 24/7 how can they violate my Housebound status like that?  When my Home Team PN comes to my home isn't that a face to face? The VA now rents an ambulance to take me to VA see a idiot PN and take me home what a bunch of bull. How do I get out of this?

[rootbeer22]

Vets:

There's no question that the VA is in the midst of both a formal and informal change of policy regarding narcotic pain meds driven by the news media  and congress. It's unfortunate because the media says that we are in the midst of a so called "narcotics epidemic"? As a result, many Vets that legitimately need their narcotic meds are being taken off or scaled back significantly to appease politicians and the news media it appears? I'm sure a lot of VA Doctors disagree with this policy but their hands are probably tied? It's been reported in the media that there are some Vets that have abused or diverted their VA prescribed meds? However,  that's all that is being focused on now and there will always be a small percentage of misuse in any large system--despite what the authorities do? Frankly, most Vets don't want to screw things up with their  Doctors and guard against any wrong doing. I've heard that most doctors now are very intimidated by the DEA  and feel threatened concerning the potential of loss of  their medical license about prescribing narcotics even if it's necessary for the patients health and well-being. So, it's easier to deny a patient what they really need to control their pain rather then dealing with the DEA? Also, the DEA is trying to do a good job are not the "bad guys"  here and I don't fault them for trying to save Veteran lives? Frankly, I think this is an aspect of the issue of the so called "drug epidemic" that must be addressed to show what happens to Veterans with long-term chronic pain issues that have been suddenly been pulled off of narcotics? I heard one politician say recently with no medial degree or experience that "only VA patients with terminal cancer"  should receive narcotics from the VA?  Veterans are now suffering from this policy and this "overreach" is increasing the suffering of numerous  Vets who were injured defending their country. Clearly, the media needs to tell the "unbiased" side of the story. However, that does not sell newspapers and magazines and run well with the cable talking political heads at night, many of whom have never served a day in the military? For every death that occurs from narcotics abuse, there are probably a 1000 other Vets being pulled off of their pains meds without cause or a formal review in which a Vet can have a say-so with regard to their pain meds and the abrupt changes at how they are being prescribed? Consequently, if a Vet argues for his/her rights, in many cases they are often labeled as a "drug seeker" and discredited which seems unfair?

Frankly, whenever  there is a  mix of government policy with politics there are going to be significant problems and losers. A patient's injuries  and the doctor/ patient relationship used to best determine the types and kinds of pain meds  that a Vet required and took? Unfortunately, many vets have been injured severely and have been on narcotic pain meds north of 10-20-30  years. But I've been hearing of vets lately being abruptly pulled off of their narcotics which seems to be a violation of medical rights and/or care protocols? Some vets have called to get their narcotic meds renewed ( in the hadit.com forum) which they have done so for years, and suddenly there are such long delays in which some vets have reported going into withdrawals because the new prescription coordination does not happen in time?  It appears to be a policy "overreach" in many cases and nobody seems to understand the rules and/or what the DEA actually wants and expects of the VA? Another, amazing  irony is that today I saw that the latest Defense Appropriations Bill has a provision in which states that have legalized marijuana, that Vets in those states can use marijuana on a recreational basis without getting in trouble at their local VA's? I live in the Seattle Area and was really apposed to legalizing marijuana for recreational use, but medical use is a different story if it actually help vets with something like cancer? So, it's just odd to me that the VA is doing this while they are pulling Vets off their narcotic  meds that they need? So, it shows that politics are playing a major role in what is going on across the country with narcotic pain meds and the news media needs to be convinced just how this policy is actually hurting and not helping Vets -so the balanced side of the story can be told.

Anyway, Take Care and Godspeed....Rootbeer22

 

 

Edited May 21, 2016 by rootbeer22
typos

[RUREADY]

On ‎5‎/‎20‎/‎2016 at 7:03 PM, rootbeer22 said:

Vets:

There's no question that the VA is in the midst of both a formal and informal change of policy regarding narcotic pain meds driven by the news media  and congress. It's unfortunate because the media says that we are in the midst of a so called "narcotics epidemic"? As a result, many Vets that legitimately need their narcotic meds are being taken off or scaled back significantly to appease politicians and the news media it appears? I'm sure a lot of VA Doctors disagree with this policy but their hands are probably tied? It's been reported in the media that there are some Vets that have abused or diverted their VA prescribed meds? However,  that's all that is being focused on now and there will always be a small percentage of misuse in any large system--despite what the authorities do? Frankly, most Vets don't want to screw things up with their  Doctors and guard against any wrong doing. I've heard that most doctors now are very intimidated by the DEA  and feel threatened concerning the potential of loss of  their medical license about prescribing narcotics even if it's necessary for the patients health and well-being. So, it's easier to deny a patient what they really need to control their pain rather then dealing with the DEA? Also, the DEA is trying to do a good job are not the "bad guys"  here and I don't fault them for trying to save Veteran lives? Frankly, I think this is an aspect of the issue of the so called "drug epidemic" that must be addressed to show what happens to Veterans with long-term chronic pain issues that have been suddenly been pulled off of narcotics? I heard one politician say recently with no medial degree or experience that "only VA patients with terminal cancer"  should receive narcotics from the VA?  Veterans are now suffering from this policy and this "overreach" is increasing the suffering of numerous  Vets who were injured defending their country. Clearly, the media needs to tell the "unbiased" side of the story. However, that does not sell newspapers and magazines and run well with the cable talking political heads at night, many of whom have never served a day in the military? For every death that occurs from narcotics abuse, there are probably a 1000 other Vets being pulled off of their pains meds without cause or a formal review in which a Vet can have a say-so with regard to their pain meds and the abrupt changes at how they are being prescribed? Consequently, if a Vet argues for his/her rights, in many cases they are often labeled as a "drug seeker" and discredited which seems unfair?

Frankly, whenever  there is a  mix of government policy with politics there are going to be significant problems and losers. A patient's injuries  and the doctor/ patient relationship used to best determine the types and kinds of pain meds  that a Vet required and took? Unfortunately, many vets have been injured severely and have been on narcotic pain meds north of 10-20-30  years. But I've been hearing of vets lately being abruptly pulled off of their narcotics which seems to be a violation of medical rights and/or care protocols? Some vets have called to get their narcotic meds renewed ( in the hadit.com forum) which they have done so for years, and suddenly there are such long delays in which some vets have reported going into withdrawals because the new prescription coordination does not happen in time?  It appears to be a policy "overreach" in many cases and nobody seems to understand the rules and/or what the DEA actually wants and expects of the VA? Another, amazing  irony is that today I saw that the latest Defense Appropriations Bill has a provision in which states that have legalized marijuana, that Vets in those states can use marijuana on a recreational basis without getting in trouble at their local VA's? I live in the Seattle Area and was really apposed to legalizing marijuana for recreational use, but medical use is a different story if it actually help vets with something like cancer? So, it's just odd to me that the VA is doing this while they are pulling Vets off their narcotic  meds that they need? So, it shows that politics are playing a major role in what is going on across the country with narcotic pain meds and the news media needs to be convinced just how this policy is actually hurting and not helping Vets -so the balanced side of the story can be told.

Anyway, Take Care and Godspeed....Rootbeer22

 

 

 

 

It all depends on can you pass a drug test or not you don't pass you are cut off.

They can't just cut you off your meds. Me I wish my state let me smoke marry jane

It helps more than them pills you need. The thing is vets are hooked and most don't

Even know when they're  are hook because they have a habit which is they have to have narcotics

just to live an everyday life. I been off narcotic pills three years now with no regret and no drug test

to get my meds. Get off pills if you can you are still using drugs whether its pills or Maryjane. narcotic

is just that. You should try something different pills kill. jmho