Saw on ABC News last night a segment on the government wanting to stop the amount of pain meds being prescribe by PM Drs., Dentists, ect. The US uses 80% of total pain meds prescribe worldwide.

People with really bad tooth acks, broken arms, back pain and more are going to be told to suck it up and take aspirin.

I hope this does not inter-fer with everyones treatments.

Anyone else seen this.

According to the facts giving to the Drug Zar. the United States uses 80% of world wide narcotic pain meds.

Maybe this is due to many injured vets. coming home disabled from the war with wounds and receiving the help needed to cope with their pain.

Also if you live in Fl. they have more pain clients then 7-Elevens because there are more elderly people living there than in other countries.

The disable and elderly in the USA have paid the price by giving to this country and are owed the very best health care that we can give them for the rest of their life.

We need to stop the abuse the Feds put in place that allows the addicts to take full advantage of by abusing system at tax payers expense.

The Fed needs to stop putting fear into our pain managed doctors so we can get the proper pain treatment need nothing more noting less. Let the PM Drs. take care of their patience without big brother breathing down their backs. I need and want my PM Dr. to be able to address my pain problems and care for them as best as possible.

The Feds need to go after the drug companies advertising old drugs as new pain meds. Every night from 5:00p.m. on 7 out of 10 adds are for drugs. The drug companies keep coming up with new drugs as fast as the come up with new supportively new health issues. There are more new sin-drones each month to keep up with the new drugs. ENOUGH ALREADY.

Lets stop this madness and the rest should take care of its self.

Iam a vet, I am a C/P patient, My doc wants to totally change a 13 year regiman, send me to a pain clinic,(an hour away - yes they have a shuttle) the paperwork says it is voluntary - I no longer go to the VA - I got Medicaid and get treated far better. I have NO use for a doctor that thinks he is god and Yell's - yes you heard right and will not answer questions, like I am an idiot. I know more about my conditions then he does. I got SSI very quickly, I should report him but I have learned not to rock the boat - BE AWARE - A lot of docs check this and other boards so be careful what you say.
Luck
alex44

I don't know about the statement about old drugs being played off as pain meds. I take 2 "epilepsy" meds for nerve pain and the relief is SO much better than what I get from my Morphine OR the Fentanyl patch that I wear. I have herniated & badly degenerated discs at 3 levels. The ones in my neck cause me to have horrific headaches, and cause pain AND numbness to radiate out my shoulder and down to my fingertips. Were it not for Topomax and Zonisamide (both of which cause weight loss-- yay!) I would be in bad shape. I only have numbness in the very tips of my fingers and my arm feels pretty good. No headaches either! I'm pretty glad to be taking those meds that are meant for other things but had surprising side effects.

You're getting morphine and Fentanyl plus the anti-seizure meds? I'm very surprised they're allowing you to use them all. I got to use them as stand alone treatments.
Those meds work for some of us but I'm one who tried them all and just got more pain and side effects. My Fentanyl doesn't work as well as my morphine but it did allow me to have some quality of life. As they "wean me off" my meds I'm in constant pain and I'm NOT going to live like this. I'm glad the meds worked for you but sadly they don't work for everyone.

Hey alex44, First let me thank you for your service to this country! What priority group were you in at the VA Medical Center.

With a large amount of men and women coming back from Iraq & Afghanistan with medical needs they drop lower groups to make room, it's not by choice they just don't have the funds.

However no one Vet or not should get subsrandard treatment or treated with disrespect; the VA Medical center has a patient care office not only to report your lack of respectiful treatment but also has a patient advocate.

I go to a truly wonderful VA Medical Center and have a great medical team, who not only treat me with the utmost respect but also help me physically & mentally toward a better quality of life. And also is the best medical facility I've ever been to!!

Glad you have found a place where you feel you get good treatment with respect!

Good luck!

[Thank you to both of you, and to the rest of our service members who gave of themselves for our country. I have two in my family that served. My adopted son Joe, is over in Africa digging wells someplace. Nobody should ever yell at you for any reason, especially at a medical facility. Maybe for the sake of those that follow you into that same Dr. you should report it. If my boys were ever treated with such disrespect, I think I would be in DC myself to complain.
I have pain issues also and don't want to reduce further after my surgery C3-7. I am also limping now. Why is there this big push to remove a person from all meds.? I think dr.s are afraid of what this new Gov. Bill will do to them. I am afraid for fantastic dr.s there are who are willing to help with pain. How do we protect, our doctors, the patients, while getting rid of the bad guys who take to the streets? This issue is going to effect most of us with our doctors. The good doctors that are legitimate are being effected very negatively and I am not sure what can be done. In my own case, I will continue to be honest and curtious to my dr. as he really has been with me.
Maybe if the dr.s read the boards more, they could find out alot more about our real mental state regarding all these issues. Healing isn't just about the body. Thats why that Dr. who yelled at you was so wrong. I can't imagin coming home a wounded vet, to be treated bad. That should be changed. thanks again to all of you, ginnie

I hit the roof when the local VA hospital gave my father, a WW II vet, a hard time over needing to write an oral chemo script. It was outrageously expensive and his Medicare and supplement would not cover it. VA would. It was hard enough that he had to endure a major cancer scare and surgery. He didn't need the VA run around. The oncologist that he saw said he was tired of writing chemo scripts for patients who had their surgery in a civilian hospital. I told him if he couldn't network with doctors outside the VA system, our congressman (friend of the family) would help him find Dad one that could. We left with a script and an arrangement for him to see a VA oncologist q 12 months. I still wrote and called everyone and their dog about the treatment. If I had not been with him, he would have gone home empty handed.

They say there is an increased chance of us dying early. Like who wants to live 40 years in pain??? I'd rather have 10 good years then 60 crappy ones. I think this is all coming from the DEA who want to keep their jobs even if all of us die of pain. They also say that the pain meds are causing increased pain in us not the progression of the diseases or injuries we have. My new doctor tried telling me that the opiods are causing me to develop more pain receptors and that is what is causing my increased pain not the injuries. I hate when people **** on my head and then tell me it's raining.

I know they do their best at our VAMC but I had to go to the ER on Monday because I couldn't get in to see my doctor. I waited for 6 hours before I was seen. WHY because they only had 1 doctor and nurse on duty. Before there were always 2 or 3 doctors on duty. Yet our legislators still get gold standard medical. On top of this all veterans who don't have cancer are being forced off their pain meds. What a great thank you from our country. I feel totally betrayed by my government.