My wife who suffers with RSD has given up on doctors for the time being. She is extremely frustrated being treated like a drug seeking addict by doctors. She is on SSDI, she is on medicare. She has hundreds if not a thousand pages in her medical file. So why is she treated like a drug seeker? DEA....it's part of the war on drugs and those who are ill are paying for it. The costs of meds are through the roof. At one point I was paying close to $1000 a month for my wife's pain medication out of pocket, a narcotic that in reality are dirt cheap to manufacture. Change the chemical structure for patent purposes, throw in a few DEA agents and some regulations=$1000 a month for something that should cost $15. :mad:

As expensive as the meds are, their street value is enormous. Many patients are over prescribed. Some sell their meds or use them to get high. That's just reality.

I don't mind providing evidence that I'm taking my meds as directed--either with pill counts or urine samples. I've never felt demeaned having to do so. We can't expect docs to be mind readers...

And I doubt very highly, a law limiting pain meds to only cancer patients will ever come to pass. There is just too much money that would be lost...

All else fails, we can sneak over the border into Canada. ;)

Those pee tests are suspect too. We were told the cost would be $85. More like $600 billed to medicare. And this was a pattern I read about quite often up and down the east coast. The patient was told the cost would be around $85 then they received a bill for $600.

"Dr. Stephen Ross, who holds a slew of addiction and psychiatry titles at New York University hospitals and said he is in favor of the petition. He said about one-quarter of all patients who try heroine, an illegal opioid, become addicted. "

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In addition to the frightening prospects of any such legislation coming to pass, I also have issues with the writing and content of that article........


Could someone please explain to Dr Ross that a heroine is a woman to be admired, not an illegal drug ! :rolleyes:

Then.....mention to him that the statistics on the number of people who try an illegal drug and become addicted should have NO bearing on issues of licensed doctors prescribing needed LEGAL medications for their patients. :eek:

One article in the journal isn't cause for concern. In my opinion. Things aren't going to change any time soon. Just my thoughts.

I don't have a pass port.. think I could try swimming across niagra???? I get drug test every time I go to a dr, so some time 6 times a month, some pee Nd some blood. Im ok with this because I feel the prescribing dr,s need to know they aren't creating druggies, plus they also monitor kidney,and liver functions to make sure the drugs aren't causing damage... I think if I went to a dr that prescribed pain meds to me in long term doses and didn't test me .. That would scare me.

After reading the article, I have to agree.