I am VERY good buddies with my pharmacist. Geez, they see me there enough!

It's up to the patient to make sure all Dr's know what the other is prescribing. Sadly WE have to be in control of our healthcare now a days. The old rules we grew up with no longer apply.

I voice ALL my reactions and side effects to Dr's and pharmacisis.

We ran into this at work recently. A client had his vicodin in an unmarked container and the sheriff had him bring in the bottle and script information to make sure.
IF we all carried the emds we took, first they could be stolen, exposed to heat, spill, need a brief case on wheels to tow, (not really)

if you become ill maybe while shopping it may be important to have medications listed somewhere.,.BUT we all take a few pills in a container to have on a shopping trip etc.

Technically, they do have to be marked.
If not, it is a pain in the butt to provide proff, but you will not be arrested.

I just wanted to add, Tams post was a hit close to home. Yes we have to be deligent in our meds and if our doctors notice a problem, or if our families are not just upset at the meds we are on; but how we act or don't act.... that is a heads up.

But no police officer can arrest us just because we take the meds....nor harass, put hands on. There has to be an investagation and and formal charges.

Even with not having the perscriptions right on your person; you can provide the scripts if asked.
It is like carrying your license, we are required to have it on us. But, if we do not there is 24 hours to provide it to law enforcement before they can write a citiation for failur to provide it to police.
(in PA.)

Enjoy life, be safe, use good judgement,
di

I am sorry that this thread has hurt and upset so many people.

It seems like whenever I think of something like this, and think, "wow, I should share this with the TOSers", I get PMs of upset.

I am not directing this at anyone.

I don't care if there is good probable cause to pull a car over...or individual cases of where things got turned over...it's the initial pain and hurt of the process, the holding cells, maybe even being dressed and put in general poplulation while you wait for bail!!! Am I spitting in the wind here? I clearly am worried about how someone with TOS would handle the process. I was, in fact, thinking sefishling OF ME. The point is, once you are either pulled over, or, in an accident, if the officer says, "have you taken any medication?" What are you going to say? What might happen next? MIGHT HAPPEN?

So think it through considering your own state and issues.

In CA there is no law to carry an identifying bottle that I am aware of, but I haven't worked for 5 years and don't feel like researching it...however, just logically, it goes back to the old thing of where do you go / what do you do while they figure it out? (Whoever they might be.) (Because of the laws against selling or sharing meds.) For me, I do carry ALL of my meds with me, in their bottles, ALL of the time...always have.

So, if I end up erasing my thread, please do not be upset, but I am feeling rather attacked by this one, when it is just a "what if" situation that I thought maybe others would want to be safe on. There are too many people here who think I am writing this to them, about them, when it was prompted by something totally different, and in context of my car being gone for the last two weeks...

Hi just a few words first tshadow i really don't know why any one should get upset with you i think it is a valid point in fact my doctor told me no driving when she put me on my meds. She also warned me if she found out i was driving she would have my license suspended well i am on the meds. I did not have a problem with this because it hurt to much to drive any ways. If we really think about it doing meds or not it is still on safe to drive when one is in such pain you are dessicated from the pain and it only takes a second and bam a car accident. My god i have a friend who end up in a accident because she took her eyes off the road just to put her smoke out in the ashtray. Now a days people are so busy talking on cell phones texting putting makeup on reading drinking hot coffee or tea eating it just goes on when what they are suppose to be doing is driving. No wonder car accidents are up in your countries no one can wait till they get home or get up a few minutes early to get ready for there day. The fast pace of the world is what is causing us to lose your sight on what is important and safe these days. If only every one could slow down and smell the roses. Well that is how i see it don't hate me just because i don't think the same.

Mucker,

I had to laugh because I picture my daughter with your description...she'll do just about anything while driving, and I really get after her, with some minimal success. I especially see young people who just don't think it will happen to them. And yes, definitely in CA, you see people doing all sorts of things while driving!

Wow does this bring back some memories of my own life and having to take meds for Trigeminal Neuralgia. Two diff occasions come to mind..the first was in 2000 when I had traveled by myself,7 hrs one way to spend a wknd with some friends. Of course when you're with friends and having a good time, you NEVER know when to go to bed..so the body was a little tired to begin with..
Not thinking anything out of my regular routine, I got up, ate breakfast, took my morning meds, and set out on my return trip back home. Within half an hour I jumped as my right front tired ran off the edge of the road into the gravel. Luckily, no injuries to anyone, THANK GOD!!! I was so groggy I was turning a/c on high to stay awake (this was in January). Much sugar, chocolate, coffee and anything else I could shove into my mouth to stay awake and I made it home safely.
The second such occasion was in '02 when I had driven 425 mi. one way with my husb. and son to get some of the items from my fathers estate. I was on Trileptal at that time and was drowsy constantly. Hubby and son in the rental truck, I in my mini van behind them, I doze off and woke when hitting the rumble strip on right side of interstate while traveling 70mph!!! I bawled, absolutely bawled in fear of what COULD have happened. Needless to say, my son drove the van the rest of way home and I slept in rental truck with hubby driving that. Dr. was so alarmed that he marked it as an "allergic to" in my folder on file with his office, never to take it again.

Hi guys,

Thanks Tam for bringing this up. It is of the utmost importance that these things be talked about. We are all on so many meds and yes with combinations we can have horrible effects. I know I have not been able to drive with the increase in my nortriptyline. I have not had to deal with this I have not really driven much here but if I do drive because of the pain I get I have to premedicate of take meds during the drive....usually two percocet and 5mg diazepam....so yeah this is a huge issue we need to discuss and be aware of.

i too am guilty of the pills in small containters due to going out somewhere....who can carry all those containers.......lol.....

As for the pharmacy issue I always use the same small very attentive pharmacy. They are great and good people they manage all of my medications. I only get them from one doctor (now) but may have to get more from the pain center in the next year......

Thanks Tam for the initiative in brining up this topic. We are sort of naive in some of these respects......I know I am but am careful of how I feel when I drive.....but anything can change at any moment.......

Best of luck to us all.....
Be strong and as Alison says "be brave"

love and hugs,
Victoria

Strangely enough, here is something I wrote on Mark's thread a couple of days ago:

One thing that happens on these posts is that bare words have no inflection, no voice tone, no warmth or soft sounds...so they can be misinterpreted or heard in different ways...and all are possible given the different situations where one is at on that day, etc.

It's happened to almost all of us here. God bless all involved here.

I've read a post and taken offense and later read it and thought, "gee, I was off-base" and I've also written a post and seen why someone else got a different take, as I didn't come across as I meant to, or thought I was.

This is the "danger" of the post / email. Even letters don't seem to have this, as the personal handwriting, and perhaps time of it, seem to remove the incidents of misgivings.

Anyways, that's my take in general, not specific to any posts here. And I am not taking any sides or saying anything other than just that these posts can be misleading so everyone just remember that we love eachother, which IS evident to me in the WHOLE of the posts. Try everyone to take in our WHOLE posts and give us all the benefit that we're all good people here, especially the group we've got going for a very long time now, and our new friends, too. I hope this does not come off as a flare, which would not be the result I want.

PLEASE if you know me, give me the benefit of knowing I am a supportive and loving person and would not knowingly write something that would hurt any of you. If I knew that this post would bring up such unpleasant or upset thoughts, I would not have written it. PLEASE you guys should KNOW me after years now...I would fight for any person here, but more importantly, I don't want anyone to fall into a situation like that...fiance said that "if only you'd talked to me first, I coulda told you not to post something like that..." Well, call me stupid then!!! As it seems half of you get it and half think it's about them...it's not, it's about ME.

I don't see anything wrong with a good healthy discussion about something like this. I need reminders from time to time to be careful about the timing of taking my meds and driving. My doc and I have also had a discussion about the breakthru meds - NO driving after taking that whatsoever. Further, he has an agreement with his patients that they use one pharmacy (and only one) for scripts. yes, I know people can get around this, but the people that would try to get around it would find their way to get what they want anyways. anywho..... good thread T.

On the COPS TV show they had a girl carrying her meds loose in her purse and they said it was illegal - but I don't recall the state that episode was filmed in. {Vicodin}