Could I have one of your meds?

[Guest guest]

I dont know if anyone else has ever had to deal with this question

or not. I have had close friends and even some aquaintances ask me

this. It irritates the he** out of me!

Here's the scenario: A friend or aquaintance for one reason or

another knows that you take narcotics for pain management. They get

hurt or have some pain going on and will give me a call to see if I

could " spare a couple " of my meds to get them through the night. And

some will even push after you tell them no, I need my meds and I

need to make them last, " Well its only one " " come on you can spare

a couple, just cut back on your dosage " GRRRRRRRR!

First this is ILLEGAL! I guess you find out who your friends if

they are willing to ask you to do something illegal. Second, even

if it were not illegal, I only get enough of my extended relief

morphene sulfate to last a month. Then the immediate release, is

enough for a month, but those I take as needed, I need to make sure

I have what I need to make it through the month. I pay to go to the

doctor to get these meds and I pay for them, now why would I want to

dole them out to people who do not want to pay to go to the doctor?

My husband when he was on them for his back problems even had people

he worked with ask him to SELL his to them so that they could crush

the extended release meds and get high off them! I was VERY niaeve

(sp?) at that time, I did not even know people did this! He never

sold any to anyone, but let me tell you these people were sure

pushy! The reason people at work knew he was on them was because he

could not work his machines on them and they had to give him other

duties while on them. So naturally people asked why he could not do

his normal job as a machinist.

I could go on about this subject all night, so I guess I had better

stop now Just wondering if any of you have had this question

posed to you?

[Guest guest]

--- " If you're good you'll figure it out! " wrote:

>

> Just wondering if any of you have had this question

> posed to you?

>

I haven't experienced this, Bren, but only because I am adamant

about not telling ANYONE who knows me personally outside of my

husband and my doctors that I use pain medications. It's absolutely

nobody's business, and sharing that info not only sets us up for

these kinds of pressures but also puts us at the very real risk of

theft or worse.

I really advocate that we all become much more careful about how

much we share about our medications with friends, acquaintances, co-

workers, and even some family members. We often just share too much.

As for how to deal with it when you do run into it - I think you're

right, you learn who your friends are. I think I'd stress the " this

is absolutely illegal, " and leave it at that. There's no reasoning

with someone like that about your own needs, because sadly they just

don't care about you or they wouldn't ask.

Cheryl in AZ

[Guest guest]

>brenygirl@...> wrote:

>If they persists, I tell them " NO "

Imagine that? They tell you to cut back! They are prescribed to me, not

them, if they're hurting and don't want to go to the doctor then I sure

as heck wont 'enable them' by giving my medication away to those idiots.

They are no-longer worth my friendship nor my time.

/New York

[Guest guest]

>brenygirl@...> wrote:

> I dont know if anyone else has ever had to deal with

> this question or not. I have had close friends and

>even some acquaintances ask me this.

Hi

I believe Cheryl, is 100% correct. Do not tell people

you are taking narcotics. There is no reason for them

to know about it.

Don't carry the entire bottle in your purse, pants

pocket etc. These pills can be sold for a small

fortune on the street, so you just might find them

stolen.

If your medication is stolen, your physician might

refill it once, but it will look suspicious. Your

chart, just might reflect this, even with a police

report.

In all probability, your physician will not refill the

prescription. Nor will your insurance company pay for

it either.

Then you will have to suffer because you don't have

your medication.

Keep your narcotics locked up. Just keep out, no more

than a week's worth at a time. Less, if possible,

especially when you have a caregiver, or many people

coming through the house.

When someone asks you what you are taking for pain,

who has no genuine reason to know, say " oh something

with a big long name, that I can't pronounce. " " It's

not a narcotic. "

Then change the subject. Ask about their kids, tell

them you just love their outfit, talk about a recent

TV program, anything to change the subject.

Kaylene

Moderator

________________________________________________________________________________\

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[Guest guest]

One reason people ask is because a lot of people get meds that they don't use

and then do pass them around.

I have seen in multiple groups where people say they don't take all their pain

meds. So you know they end up with a pile of them sitting around.

I know for a long time I didn't hide the fact I was on serious pain meds.

At work I had to let the company know what I was taking because I ran dangerous

machinery and truthfully probally shouldn't have been running it under " the

unfluence " even tho I did for years.

These people were mostly good friends that I worked with ,

especially since most of them I saw more often than my family and

had worked with the same guys 6 out of 7 days/week , 10-12hours/day basicly for

10+ years.

I had no problem telling them , when they asked that I only had enough meds for

my needs and couldn't spare any. Not one of my co-workers thought less of me for

not handing them out or asked a second time.

I did have one instance where one person , whom I've known for years offered to

buy my " extras " . We both have suffered with bad backs for almost as long as

we've know each other and compared treatments from time to time.

He was bounced from workers comp when they caught him working part time off the

books ,so he wasn't getting " free " meds anymore.

When he asked if I wanted to sell any of them I just told him no and he never

has asked again. Although in the same conversation right after he was turned

down by me,he told me there was a good market out there for the meds and I could

make some nice money selling them because he did when he was getting them.

I told him 1st off I don't even get enough to take care of my pain and 2nd I

wouldn't jeapordize my comp case OR my freedom by selling drugs.

It wasn't long after that incedent I was switched to TR morphine from Loratabs

and I stopped working and since then I have no longer discussed my meds with 99%

of people even my extended family.

My wife ,kids and 1 surviving parent know what I take and my Drs , everyone

else knows that I am on pain meds still but not what types .

If people ask I just conviently steer the conversation away fom the drugs and

towards my other treatments like acupuncture. So far I have had good luck with

that and not have anyone push for more info on the drugs I take

.

I haven't had anyone ask for any meds from me in quite awhile but if they do in

the future ,

I carry a couple extra business cards from my PM Dr and will tell them if

they need pain meds to call her.

I hope your looking at a pain free day

Jim

There is only one difference between a madman and me.

The madman thinks he is sane.

I know I am mad.

Salvador Dali

check out my site , if your inclined to , for my

personal info , some info on chronic pain and my attempts at photography

http://www.gargoylesdomain.com

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[Guest guest]

--- Wheeler wrote:

>

>> At my last job I was off work due to medical problems. I worked

in an office. When I came back my employer asked for a note from my

doctor stating what medications I was on.

Wow, Bren, what a terrible situation! As you probably now know, your

boss had no business asking what meds you were on, and you were not

legally required to tell him. Hindsight's 20-20, of course. I'm

just so sorry you were put through such a horrible (and completely

illegal!) situation with your employment.

I do understand your unwillingness to pursue it legally, however. I'm

kind of in the same situation, in that I made ADA accommodation

requests of my employer which were ignored and dismissed. I could

legally take them to the cleaners, but they'd make sure they fired me

over something else eventually anyway. It's just not worth the

stress of working with people I had to sue to get to do the right

thing. I'll find another place eventually.

I'm an eternal optimist, though - I can only think that it is for the

best that you are out from under a boss that thought so little of you

and of the law to treat you like that.

And hopefully now you don't have any more contact with those

worthless people you worked with who would hit you up for your meds.

That's a blessing.

Cheryl in AZ

[Guest guest]

No one has ever asked me this. Probably cause i look so " pitiful " in

pain all the time that they KNOW i need my meds!

[Guest guest]

Moderator's note:

Fantastic retort Deb!

Kaylene

Bren wrote:just wondering if any of you have had this asked?

Yes, I have. My answer is to look them sincerely in the eye and say:

" I would love to help you out, but my meds are so totally specific for me that

I am scared to death you would have a reaction! I would never forgive myself if

anything happened to you! "

Followed by a BIG HUG!!!

No one has ever asked again.

Deb

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[Guest guest]

I consider my self lucky in this regard I havnt had but maybe 1 or 2

people ask me for my meds and I told them,,sure I have somthing for

pain " tylenol or excedrin " ? that was all that was said. Thier is

only a few people who know what Im taking my doctors, the nurses,

pharmacists my 2 grown kids who I can trust with my life. I also

keep mine is a safe I bought years ago to keep inportant papers in its

fire retardent and perfect for meds.

[Guest guest]

I have a real problem with my meds. My wife takes them. If she feels the

slightest pain she takes my pain pills or muscle relaxers. This leaves me short

on them so I have to suffer

I have told her to stop but she won't. I get my meds from the VA.

[Guest guest]

YES!!!! The worst case was recently; the woman across the street has

taken me to the doctor a couple of times. She came over one night &

said she'd been cleaning all day. She has BP, fibro, & back problems, like I do.

She said she was in agony, & needed something to get her through the night.

My husband was fuming as he listened to her, & I told her I didn't have any

morphine left (a lie, but I wasn't about to give any away).

I'm in the same situation as you, the doc gives me exactly enough to last 28

days, & the dosage is not enough to keep me entirely pain-free. She kept moaning

on and on about the pain & she just needed 1 or 2 pills.

I finally told her I had some Excedrin & gave her a few of those, & told her how

to take them. She wasn't happy, but she did tell me a few days later that she

did feel better.

The thing was, she didn't actually mention that she'd taken me to the

doctor, but it was there between us, & I felt obligated to her. I'm

glad I didn't give in, though.

cyn

At 06:21 PM 11/19/2006, If you're good you'll figure it out! wrote:

>I could go on about this subject all night, so I guess I had better

>stop now Just wondering if any of you have had this question

>posed to you?