Va And Pain Meds....do They Give Them?

[john999]

Today I realized my pain meds are six days late. They were supposed to be sent out on the 8th of December. The VA pharmacy is closed on weekends. Walgreens is open. CVS is open. All real pharmacies are open 7 days a week, but not the VA. I can't even check to see if my meds have been shipped. I trusted them once again to just do what they said they would do after years of failure. Fortunately, I have options. If I was good little vet I would be in withdrawal right now. I have to go out there on Wednesday anyway. If they don't have my meds or have not refilled them I will just take it in stride. Another FUBAR situation with my friends at the VA. They wait until past due date to send stuff to me knowing it will take days. I changed doctors and everything is a mess until I see idiot doctor. I did send them written request for refill. I need to hold their hands to make sure they send them out to me. I know they have forgotten because I get them UPS and nothing in the system.

John

[carolinian]

John

If you log into the myhealthyvet.va.gov you should be able to track delivery of your medication if they have been shipped out already. Click on pharmacy and then refill prescriptions and you should be able to request, track, and check on your meds. I have been having the same issue for months now but they are starting to get better at sending meds to my home. I wish you luck and hope the info helps.

[Chuck75]

Dave has been getting his pain meds (hydrocodone) from a private doctor, but now they are making it hard to get. Have to have a prescription hand written every month and drug testing. I was wondering if the VA has gotten any better with giving pain meds. This has really gotten to Dave and he has been really depressed since his visit last week. The doctor said these changes are do to Government Regulations. Chronic Pain and depression make it so hard on him, and it falls back on my being depressed too.

We live in Groves, TX....the closest small VA clinic is in Beaumont, and Houston is about 100 miles from us. Anyone dealing with these centers that can help or just any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks, and I knew if I had a problem....Hadit was the place to ask for help!

Gwen

"Dave has been getting his pain meds (hydrocodone) from a private doctor, but now they are making it hard to get."

What's been going on (in my opinion)

Community hospital emergency rooms prescribe or hand out narcotic drugs to indigent patients.

A percentage sell the drugs or trade for others.

The result is that the feds tightened up the regulations, and those on pain prescriptions suffer.

The VA seems to be even worse in this area than the outside physicians.

[john999]

I think the VA just assumes we all will sell our prescription drugs if we get the chance. Everyone who is on Chronic Pain Contract has an opiate dependence/addiction problem from what I gather via my own records. I don't misuse my opiates. I have not had a dirty drug screen in many years. The VA wants me off the opiates and benzo's that is clear. They have had me on heavy duty pain meds in the past. Most of them I told them the side effects were too much. I wasn't begging for drugs but I am the one with the problem not malpractice city at the VA. Hydrocodone recently went on list with morphine, methadone , oxycontin and all the rest. This is probably the problem. DEA, mother may I take a pill?

[bigmuny]

John999 have you signed up for the UPS My Choice. Whenever you have a package coming via UPS you will be notified via email, phone or however you sign up for to be notified of where you package is and when it will be delivered. As soon as it is scanned at the VA it will show up on My Choice, most times you won't even see it on the prescription refill site but will on the UPS My Choice. Check it out if you haven't already.

[jeffperry1134]

I had an interesting issue with my pain medication prescription yesterday. I had actually requested a new prescription on the 5th 10 days before like they said. I checked to make sure they got it on the 8th. On the 10th I asked if it was going to be ordered and the 14th I sent an e-mail to the patient advocate discussing that I was again out of medication for the third time since the new rule after doing what they say each time. The next day they called me and I had to go in for another drug test, blood work and worked directly with the patient advocate and medical chief of staff who ordered my prescription. The weird thing is that he cut my prescription down because I am overweight. Anyone else have that problem with them cutting pain meds down due to overweight?