Labelled as a drug seeker

[Lou_inpain]

Have had an awful attack of severe pain since Thursday and requested some morphine based painkillers. My usual GP is on holidays and have now been refused and labelled as manipulative and a drug seeker. Anybody else experience this??

[Bananas5]

Sorry to hear this. Can you say who said this either to you or about you?

Have you been prescribed morphine based meds by your own GP before? If so it will be on your medical notes and the reasons for giving it.

x

[Lou_inpain in reply to Bananas5]

I have facial pain from an accident last year and am due to have a lidocaine infusion next week for pain. I am illergic to the drugs that help with neuropathic pain and use a mixture of cocodamol and sevredol when I am really bad. This doesn't take away the pain but can help make me sleep. I've had another bad attack since Thursday and haven't slept and have hardly ate anything as it's so painful. Pain clinic had suggested to GP that they shouldn't prescribe sevredol due to side effects and the fact that it doesn't really help with neuropathic pain but couldn't suggest a remedy apart from the lidocaine infusion. I wasn't aware that the pain clinic had said this and when I requested a script - usually I would only be given 6 or 8 at one time they said no. My mum asked the doctor to call out and see me as I was so bad and in a really bad way. He called out and after deeming that I wasn't sucidial decided that I was manipulating and a drug addict!! He actually slammed the door when he left my house leaving me sobbing on the sofa, in pain and now in limbo until next week.

[Danslatete]

Some gp practices around here do not prescribe tramadol, gabapentin even and diazepam. There are signs outside the building saying so. It makes you wander just how many people are made to suffer needlessly. I'm sure statistic can make any drug seem fantastic or pointless, but since pain is subjective to its sufferer and cannot be scientifically quantified then the true effectiveness cannot be accurately measured. They keep saying things like most people with degeneration in the spine feel no pain while others with little damaged suffer a lot and if must be psycogenic.

I don't care where it comes from, it bloody well hurts! If you are the one suffering inescapable pain then you don't want some fit healthy specimen telling you you are find and it will be fine if you take paracetamol!

Men and women process medication differently, it also varies from person to person. My daughter doesn't get any effects of sedation, nor dental injections. It's something to do with enzymes that convert the drugs not working. She can drink a navvy under the table too as she can't get drunk! Me on the other hand, I get plastered on a large glass of wine.

It seems so remiss of any doctor to fob you off. Did they even talk to you about what was different? What had triggered the episode? Give you any alternatives?

What happened to first do no harm?

[Lou_inpain in reply to Danslatete]

The cold triggered my pain on Thursday. Sometimes even opening the fridge does it

[Lou_inpain]

They haven't offered me any sort of sleeping tablets. That would be great if i could get a nights sleep. I hadn't heard that Ketamine would be helpful. Do you take it in tablet form? I wish I could just get some relief. The doctor today just washed his hands of me. Just left me to suffer. I am due to see a pain psychologist on Thursday for the first time too. Hopefully they will be able to help.

[Hidden in reply to Lou_inpain]

Meditation is a safe and reliable way to get to sleep, with no side effects and you can do it as many times a day as you like.

Even if you don't end up sleeping changing the brainwaves you use is just as good as a sleep.There are loads on you tube. Like anything it takes a while to learn to do it, but you've got at least 8 hours a nighf trying to sleep anyway, why not listen to some music with or without a gentle voice.. It will also help reduce your pain levels.

As for the dr, make acomplaint at the surgery via the practice manager. Consult GMC as to how to do it properly and get that comment removed from your notes. Go to CAB too they can guide you through it, help write letters, prep for meetings.

Also, be clear about what you need. Painkillers are for pain and sleeping tablets for sleeping. If you find your pain killers help you sleep as an extra benefit, you should have told the dr that they are rubbish for pain control but great for sleep. Then asked for something that would help you sleep.

Gps have certain flags for drug abuse and using a drug prescribed for problem A for problem B is one of them. But in your case it's a misunderstanding from lack communication.

To prevent it happening again ask the gp every time you see them if there has been any communication from other depts you attend. Then you are both informed. It's ususlly a good place to stzrt, also gets ghe gl to review your notes quickly.

[Kate-L]

I've had problems with getting meds for my PHN from my GP. I have found being referred to a pain clinic has helped as they have now taken over the prescribing and have give written details to my GP of what meds to give me. There's no arguments now and it has made life a little bit easier.

[teetree]

Wonder what are the general costs of these drugs being prescribed.I suffer pain been told I will be in pain for the rest of my days.very easy to say to patients that talking therapy is better it's a very cheap alternative.

But I like these docs to sit in my shoes for a day wonder if they hold the same views than

[Lou_inpain]

Had a terrible night last night, left screaming and crying in pain. Husband sent me to A&E this morning. He is at his witts end! Spoke to a nice doctor and explained what had happened with GP. He felt sorry for me and gave me some diazepam to try 5mg. Managed to get a few hours sleep this morning. Also pain clinic got back to me as had left a message for them yesterday. They have asked me to increase the venflaxine dose at night and have now brought my lidocaine infusion forward to this Friday.

I am reluctant to complain about this GP as I don't want to be labelled as a trouble maker - I really need doctors at the moment to help me through this. I will however be requesting a copy of my notes and will be speaking to my own GP when she returns from holidays.

[Hidden in reply to Lou_inpain]

If I may add to the advice. It appears that one GP has labelled you an 'addict' and 'manipulative'. Personally, I would risk the 'trouble maker' label in order to address the other two.

There really is nothing wrong in speaking with the practise manager in order to resolve any concerns. I had to do this once and there have been no further problems.

At the end of the day, you have a right not to be in pain as well as being treated correctly. You also have the right to be treated with dignity and respect by medical staff. This would be so even if you were an 'addict'.

Hopefully the situation will resolve itself and you will get the correct treatment to help you manage your pain.

[bentleyfoxer]

No, but I have probably come close when a pharmacist queried my private prescription and phoned my GP who had not yet got the appropriate letter.I am careful now to ensure that doesn't happen again. A locus doc shouldn't query your regular GP in my opinion though. My long term prescription was queried and an attempt made to change it when I moved house. I refused to accept the change which was not what my Pain Control specialist had prescribed ,

You should go back and be firm about this being your regular prescription and ask again .Dont let meddling Doctors upset the status Quo;GPs are not pain experts

[earthwitch]

Its a difficult position to be in. I get the impression that doctors really don't like you asking for specific drugs. My strategy now is to remind them what I am currently taking, and saying it isn't working well enough, then asking them what they suggest to try next. Definitely, asking for morphine does send up a red flag for most doctors, unless its a doctor you have a long history with and you have tried everything else.

[Baddog]

Hi dan, it's del glad to see your still posting and trying to help others in 💩💩place right now. Savior

[Baddog]

It's gettig very hard to get bentos prescribed by🇬🇧Gps now, tramadol as well because they are being abused.