Va Pushing To Decrease Pain Medication

[JayBrown1]

I recently called in a renewal of my pain medication and when I checked my doctor decrease it from 90 pills to 60. I had agreed that I would decrease it 120 to 90 until my next appointment and then we would decide if I can tolerate it at that level but just after a month and a half I told I couldn't too much pain at this point instead she decrease it without letting me know in advance. I secured message her and she told I was right and that we did say we would only drop it 30 but the VA is pushing to get veterans off of opiates and suggest that I get some bengay or capsaicin cream to help with the pain. I have been taking 2 pain meds for over 20 years now and using Capsaisin creams for over 10 years and I am still in a lot of pain and now within 2 months they have already cut my meds in half. My pain level has not been under 5 since 2004, some days I don't even get out of bed especially with the pain that runs through my legs. I had to quit working in 2008 due to severe pain.

This is scary because next the only thing I will be getting is Tylenol. I wrote in my response to my doctor that whole the VA is looking at reducing our pain meds they will create alcoholics because veterans will have to find alternatives to deal with their pain.

Has anyone else had their meds reduce!

[JayBrown1]

My doctor called me today because she said she felt bad that I was upset over the decrease without being notified! She told meet that in a meeting she had about six weeks ago it was told to that they need to wean all those deemed at risk off pain meds. I asked what she meant by "at risk" and she said older patients with multiple medical issue who take other meds are at risk of increasing problem from med interactions. She also that she could send to pain management but they are also told the same thing. I asked her first, don't you think that we as patients should be told first about this hew procedure that's going on within the VA system, second, what happens when we can no longer take the pain, and third what are we to do went our bodies start to feel the effects of withdrawal? She said that's why they are doing it slowly, I said slowly I have been taking these meds for over 20 years and you are want to wean me down to a few pills a month in a few months? She good only that those were good questions that haven't been answered yet. She went on to say that they have flagged everyone who are taking opiates and have been on them for a long time and have other medical issues will be wean off of them. I told her that if they are taking us off these pain meds they better have something in place to combat our pain. She they can out source chiropractic services and things like that. I told her they are creating one huge problem and I feel it's more of a death list than a help list. She tried to assure me that I was wrong but I'm not convinced. What I see is me being confined to my home in the near future. She said there is a packet that the VA has that they we give to patients on opiates. I told her to send me a copy. She told she will be out next week but if I have problems let her know week after next and she will call me to discuss it further .

This really bad!

[JayBrown1]

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, she said other veterans basically saying the same thing I am but her hands are tied. I can't wait to see this handout she is talking about. I think this is much bigger than I can even imagine right now.

My concerns are becoming very scary because my doctor stated the we are just going to have to basically get use to being in pain, I told we are dealing with the and the medicine is only masking what's there!

[Navy04]

I am sorry to hear of your pain bud. The problem is too many Vets and people in general are over using pain meds and becoming addicted. I don't have any sympathy for anyone when it comes to pain. I have had 15 surgeries in the last 5 years, and due to my Crohn's and 2 blood transfusions, I have never been able to have pain meds. I broke 5 ribs and tore my left pectoral muscle a few weeks ago, and you talk about pain, I can not even sleep. Going to have 2 Knee Surgeries, Shoulder Surgery and 8 feet of my Insides removed in the next few months with no pain meds whatsoever. I can not even take a dang Tylenol. Just too many Vets out there screwing the Pooch for good folks like us. God bless and hope your pain gets better.

[JayBrown1]

Well navy04, I too have had many surgeries, 7 on one leg which includes having 2 plates and 12 screws, 2 knee replacements on the other, back, 4 shoulder surgeries, and 2 abdominal surgeries with a ruptured appendix , and a broken leg also have a hip problem due to leg shortening and arthritis in both ankles that are extremely painful. That's just to mention a few, I have more that's why I have pain meds my pain level has never been under 5 since 1989 but on a daily average since 2004 has been about 7. So I sympathize with those who take meds and I wish there was something for you as well.

[Navy04]

I knew a Vet when I was stationed in New Orleans back in 2012, that the VA forced him to go to Rehab or lose his 100% SC VA money. He threw a fit when the Docs wanted to lower his Pain Meds that he had been on since Vietnam, cause he broke his back over there. He was so scared that he went to the 45 day rehab in Florida. My Wife's Mother was arrested about 8 years ago by DEA for going to multiple Pain Docs and selling the Prescribed Pills to random folks. What I am trying to say that in the next few years the VA wants to cut down the Pain Meds for a lot of folks that really need them. I just don't see a good solution down the road, other than people have to buy them off the street.

[Chuck75]

"The main question is this. DOES THE MEDICATION IMPROVE THE PATIENTS QUALITY OF LIFE, . If it does and the risks are minimal, then why rock the boat."

That's not the way the VA operates! It got hammered for prescribing more pain killers than the average. On top of that, the current medical/political thinking is that

there are too many "drug addicts". Even the state governments have tightened up on who can prescribe long term addictive pain killers.

The VA will do whatever it thinks will benefit the VA, even when it does not benefit veterans.

"Sleeping Pills" and "mood altering drugs" are other hot VA issues as far as I'm concerned.

Over the last decade or so, I've been offered them multiple times, even when the offering VA doctor was aware of

my medical conditions that basically make them much riskier than normal.