Guest guest Posted May 13, 2003 Report Share Posted May 13, 2003 Sharon, Yes some of our pharmacists think they are above reproach whenever they get a prescription to fill. They will give you this look of " hmmff, they must be an addict using all this medication " . Some even go so far as to make the person feel so uncomfortable in the store that the person just takes their prescription elsewhere. For some reason our pharmacists think they are the high and mighty who have a right to delve into our personal affairs. Whenever I cross one of those types I don't stand for it and I will fire right back at them. The DEA in our country is waging their drug war against those of us who must take high powered medications to relieve our pain so that we can live a somewhat normal life. They arrest our doctors just because that doctor is dispensing narcotics to his patients. They have the doctors so scared here in the state of Louisiana that most will not even write a prescription for Tylenol #3. And if they do they will only go for 4 weeks period. I was told flat out when I moved back here by the first pain doctor I went to that I could just forget getting what I was already taking for my pain. I of course left his office and found someone who did care and am now getting help. However, we have to go to pain management clinics to get our meds here because a family doctor will not prescripe opiates for pain. It's a damn shame that the DEA has decided to go after doctors all over America rather than fight against herion, cocaine, pot and other illegal drugs. They figure our doctors and us are easy targets. This must stop. Right now there is a bill before Congress that needs everyones help. Here is a link to check out: APF Form Letter - in support of The National Pain Care Policy Act of 2003 To view the latest available version of H.R. 1863, go to <http://thomas.loc.gov/> and enter " HR 1863 " in the search field. For those of you inclined to take action at this time, included is a sample letter that could be used to write your Members of Congress to request her/his support as a cosponsor for H.R. 1863. Also included are talking points for conversations about pain in their offices. I hope that everyone on this group will send in something to their leaders. We must fight back or else risk losing our battle against the DEA who seek to make Chronic Painers live a life of hell. If you'd like a sample letter I will gladly post it to the whole group. Sincerely, system concerns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 13, 2003 Report Share Posted May 13, 2003 wrote: > Sharon, > Yes some of our pharmacists think they are above reproach whenever > they > get a prescription to fill. They will give you this look of " hmmff, they > must be an addict using all this medication " . Some even go so far as to > make the person feel so uncomfortable in the store that the person just > takes their prescription elsewhere. For some reason our pharmacists think > they are the high and mighty who have a right to delve into our personal > affairs. Whenever I cross one of those types I don't stand for it and I > will fire right back at them. ...Snipped....> Thank you for sending this, I am absolutely appalled. This is not the way I perceive a civilized and an abundantly powerful country would treat the people who live there. It's backward to the way we and europe run their health system. I'm all for you standing right up to them, I certainly would. The bullies that they seem to be. Don't be bullied anyone. I hope your suggestion >(Right now there is a bill before Congress that needs everyones help. Here is a link to check out: T APF Form Letter - in support of The National Pain Care Policy Act of 2003)< ...to change the rules comes about soon. For everyone's benefit. ..Please keep me informed as I am very interested in this state of affairs. Sharon ~ from Australia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 13, 2003 Report Share Posted May 13, 2003 << Are your Dr's and pharmacists above rebuke for their behaviour? Thank you for in advance for any more input.>> Sharon, Dr's are for sure and it is even difficult to sue one because they all stick together and you will rarely get one to admitt another has done harm. For years here, Dr's have been treated like gods and " can do no harm " and no one questioned them. Patients would listen and never question what a Dr. told them and the " Dr. always knows best " was just taken as fact. I feel that is changing somewhat as patients are now questioning their Dr.s much more and 'working with' their Dr's instead of just doing what the Dr. says to do. I think it is so important to be able to work with your Dr. and not be afraid of asking questions but many are still afraid to do this. We pay lots of money for insurance, Dr.s, and medications and we should 'get what we pay for'. The way I look at it is if you had a mechanic fix your car wrong you would either take it back and make him do it right or never go to him again....well treat a Dr. the same way!!! You pay him, you have the right to good care....end of story. JMHO, Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 13, 2003 Report Share Posted May 13, 2003 Then there are the pharmacists that you want to hug, kiss, and take home... I would have died ten years ago if a pharmacist hadn't told me to forget the oral medication and get to the hospital immediately. As it was if I had waited just a few more hours I would have lost my right hand. And when I asked Kathy if I could take her to lunch or something, she told me that there was no need for me to do that because she was only doing her job. Aubergine " With any luck we'll all be dead by then. " - D. B. Vosburg -----Original Message----- From: Yes some of our pharmacists think they are above reproach whenever they get a prescription to fill. They will give you this look of " hmmff, they must be an addict using all this medication " . Some even go so far as to make the person feel so uncomfortable in the store that the person just takes their prescription elsewhere. For some reason our pharmacists think they are the high and mighty who have a right to delve into our personal affairs. [snip] --- Clean, Free-Running, and Sanitary -- This E-Mail Is Certified Virus Free! Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.481 / Virus Database: 277 - Release Date: 13/May/03 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 14, 2003 Report Share Posted May 14, 2003 Sharon wrote: > As I have been reading the posts, they all have this common thread of > Pharmacists either dispatching or not dispatching your medication > according to their whims or personalities. > What gives them the right to make such a decision? While pharmacists are not supposed to override your doctors' decisions, they do provide an extra layer of safety. First, they can ensure that you are getting what your doctor ordered, e.g., by verifying the prescription with your doctor if it seems unusual in their experience. After all, prescriptions are legendary for their illegibility, and doctors can and do sometimes make mistakes. But if the doctor confirms it, they're supposed to dispense it. But perhaps the most important job of a pharmacist is to watch for potentially dangerous drug interactions. This can happen when you go to more than one doctor and they each prescribe drugs without knowledge of the others. Yes, doctors and nurses always ask about your medications and warn you about interactions, but patients can and do forget. The classic example of a serious interaction is between the MAOI class of antidepressants and just about everything else (including some foods), but there are many other examples. Some of these interactions can kill! This is why it's a good idea to use the same pharmacy (or at least the same pharmacy chain) for all your prescriptions, especially if you get them from more than one doctor. My pain clinic is pretty typical in requiring me to sign a contract in which I agreed (among other things) that only my pain doctor would prescribe opioids and that all prescriptions would be filled at a single pharmacy. By following the agreement I have never had a problem getting prescriptions filled, and I am on friendly terms with local pharmacist. Then again this is California, where an intractable pain act has been on the books for a decade. Maybe we're a little more enlightened than the rest of the country. Phil (son of a retired pharmacist) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 14, 2003 Report Share Posted May 14, 2003 Ray in Virginia wrote: > * <snipped>... I'd have to say that I see no conspiracy among medical > personnel to cover mistakes. At least not in our town. > *.... I can tell you that mistakes are made, incident reports are > filed and investigations are given high priority by all involved. > * I'm sure there are a few " bad apples " out there, but overall I'd > have to say that my experiences both as a patient and a medical > employee have made me appreciate the honesty and care most doctors and > other medical personnel have given to me ... > *....It took almost 25 years of searching for a doctor to help with > pain management more than giving me anti-inflammatories. I did not > get good pain management until four years ago. I'm 54 this month. I wonder if it makes a difference being in a higher income and more desirable geographic area? Does socio and class status make a greater difference? Does a person with a higher income and social status who is also not mentally ill as well, get preferential treatment compared to a person with say, a mental illness, depression, who is also unemployed with no partner or social support and living in the poorest of conditions? You can't be partial. Might be that some Dr's and pharmacists are do you think? I wonder if we had a list of peoples status here and compared it with the way they are treated if we would see a trend happening? Pain treatment is everybody's right. I hope for everyone on this list and more that you rid these people of their abhorrent attitudes Maybe they should be on the other end of the stick for a while to see what it is truly like. Nothing changes things like empathy. Thanks for this response above Ray, I knew there must be different experiences out there, sadly it seems it's in the minority. Sharon ~in Australia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 15, 2003 Report Share Posted May 15, 2003 Hi all! I'm really amazed at how the US health system/s work/s (or not). I'm a welfare rights worker and we had disability legislation enacted a couple of years back (in the UK) based on your " people with disabilities " law which made me think your system was fab, but it seems it isn't that great either. I'd like to echo what Phil says about getting your scripts filled at the same pharmacy. My pharmacist keeps things in I use when I'm due a prescription, as I can have quite a lot on a prescription. They are also a useful source of information when I want to self medicate for other complaints as he knows what else I'm taking so will prevent dangerous interactions there. Some pharmacies will also pick up a regular prescription and deliver it to your home if mobility and/or time are a problem too. So I guess I'm saying " Use your pharmacy. It's a valuable medical resource!! " Do you not have to have a general practitioner (family doctor, GP)? Although it is true, having to go via a gp is a pain when one wants/needs a specialists opinion, having them hold all the specialists' reports is really useful as it means that one gets seen as a whole person. This means that the impact of all the different difficulties one inevitably has when experiencing chronic pain aren't seen in isolation. I do appreciate that this presupposes a good working relationship with the practitioner, but if you aren't happy with the treatment that's being given then change gp. GPs also are aware of which consultants locally/regionally are interested/specialise in what. If you've got a good working relationship with your gp then life can be quite good. I think of my relationship with my gp as she's an engineer, and I'm the owner of a very valuable, high maintenance machine which requires regular servicing in order to keep it functioning, some of which is possible to be undertaken by me others by an engineer . Sorry this is a bit long but I've been trying to be concise. Siel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 15, 2003 Report Share Posted May 15, 2003 Perhaps it is a difference in point of view, but I do not share the belief that doctors and pharmacists, etc., are covering for each other when a mistake is made. Being married to a physician, whose own partner forged perscriptions (this was years ago) to fuel her own drug addiction, and whose forgeries were discovered by a pharmacist who called my wife to come in and look at the prescriptions and determine if there was any way the truth could be anything but what it obviously was, I'd have to say that I see no conspiracy among medical personnel to cover mistakes. At least not in our town. I could give you other examples of pharmacists, nurses, techs, aids, and doctors who have caught, and declared mistakes made by other medical personnel. I put myself through seminary working as a clerk in a hospital and I can tell you that mistakes are made, incident reports are filed and investigations are given high priority by all involved. Yes, I'm sure there are a few " bad apples " out there, but overall I'd have to say that my experiences both as a patient and a medical employee have made me appreciate the honesty and care most doctors and other medical personnel have given to me both as a patient and as a coworker. THose who do know my story, also know that being married to a doctor did not hasten the time it took for a caring doctor to finally help me with my need for pain managment. It took almost 25 years of searching for a doctor to help with pain managment more than giving me anti-inflammatories. I did not get good pain managment until four years ago. I'm 54 this month. Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 15, 2003 Report Share Posted May 15, 2003 WOW I don't know about ya'll but I think I might just move to Australia. Kaylene Extra material [forwarded previous message removed] moderator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 23, 2003 Report Share Posted May 23, 2003 you are correct all of your docs need to know what me you are on!!!! marie > > > Date: 2003/05/14 Wed PM 09:08:18 EDT > To: chronic_pain > Subject: Re: system concerns > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 3, 2003 Report Share Posted June 3, 2003 marietim@... wrote: > you are correct all of your docs need to know what me you are on!!!! Even then, it pays to read as much as you can about this stuff yourself, just to make sure you understand your doctors and that they haven't missed anything! Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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