Jump to content

Can You Have Your Mmmp Card And Get Pain Meds?


Recommended Posts

Hello

 

I have had my card for three years now for multiple health problems.  When I received my card it was for chronic pain and inflammation for pinched nerves and bulging/deterorating disks in my back and neck, and to help with my anxiety and depression.  At that time I was on alot of vicodin and the doctor recommended medical marijuana instead of taking the pain meds.  Three years later and it still helps with these problems plus a few more.  The problem is that my back pain has gotten worse and there are times that I am not able to take my medicine till the evening, where a pain pill would help ease the pain and discomfort until I am able to be home and medicate.  Where is the law on your card and pain pills?  Tylenol has not been working for pain.  Thought I would ask and educate myself before talking to my primary doctor about this.  I know they drug test for narcotics now using a pain contract and wondered if anyone else has been in this situation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

there isnt a law, but some doctors will not prescribe them , just because your on medical marijuana, but there is no reason to tell them,, just say you need  them again, as the pain has become intolerable again...also pain clinics can pull the same deal, the VA does it,, can't say no but you have to sign a letter saying you wont use drugs including marijuana or be cut off of vics or other pain meds.. but as far as a legitimate law.. anint no such thing..

 

If your primary ph. knows your trying mj, he should also be good with the vics again.. if he said he can't its likely policy were he is located, and with who he is connect. 

Edited by Willy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

i would like to clear one thing up..the VA allows for the use of Medical MJ in those state that it's legal in...i take vicodin and use med.mj with no issues at the VA..bp

not me ,my doctor wanted me to sign the crap contract, of no drugs, including mj for a vic request. she told me flat out, its sign this contract saying no mj, or you dont get your vics, i told her to take a leap.. first time i got them anyway, second time had a fight again.. And i can't imagine how it is now that sched. has changed? maybe you just got a more open  va doc.. mines an azz

 

did you tell them BP, cause that was my first mistake, suddenly I"m a drug abuser.  So i will agree to disagree. Did you sign the pain management contract from the VA ? not saying your not getting vics from va but it is different from doc to doc..again no laws, some just wont ..

Edited by Willy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

thank you all for your responses.  I am going to be talking to my primary doc soon and have an appt with a back surgeon to see what he advises me to do about the health problems I am addressing.  I know the doc is going to want to have me sign a contract (even for tramadol now) and I will have to tell him that I have my mmmp card.  While this is not my first choice, I have to be able to take something for pain during the times I am not able to be home to medicate and tylenol is not helping at all.  I have also had gastric bypass so my pill options are limited anyways...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

not me ,my doctor wanted me to sign the crap contract, of no drugs, including mj for a vic request. she told me flat out, its sign this contract saying no mj, or you dont get your vics, i told her to take a leap.. first time i got them anyway, second time had a fight again.. And i can't imagine how it is now that sched. has changed? maybe you just got a more open  va doc.. mines an azz

 

did you tell them BP, cause that was my first mistake, suddenly I"m a drug abuser.  So i will agree to disagree. Did you sign the pain management contract from the VA ? not saying your not getting vics from va but it is different from doc to doc..again no laws, some just wont ..

  yes i had to sign the pain contract,when i rec'd the notice i called the VA and asked about it..i was told that the VA allows the use of med.mj in states that allowed it...i would have to have my card copied along with the signed pain contract...i had an app't with my Doc, signed the form,told him i had a card and asked if he needed a copy of it...he just said no...and i let it go at that...now years ago i had asked him if he thought i might get some pain relief from MMJ and he said i might but he couldn't sign my application or anything like that...needless to say i like my VA doctor..... i feel for you willy, i was scared to death about the whole thing because i count alot on both my Vic's and MMJ to contol my pain,,i've been really lucky with the VA so far..i made several posts here about it..i know its not the same everywhere..there were Vets in other states, where MMj wasn't legal, that were hurting big time by the pain contract...bp

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Veterans face ultimatum: Pills or pot (six months ago)

USA TODAY NETWORKJolie Lee, USA TODAY Network12:08 p.m. EDT May 23, 2014

 

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/05/23/veterans-affairs-medical-marijuana-ptsd/8611333/

 

 

Military veterans are increasingly able to turn legally to marijuana to treat pain and the symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome.

But disclosing their marijuana use to the Department of Veterans Affairs sometimes comes with a price.

Veterans who tell the VA about participating in a state marijuana program say they have been forced to choose between their prescription narcotic painkillers — such as Vicodin, Oxycontin and Percocet — or marijuana, said Michael Krawitz, president of Veterans for Medical Marijuana Access.

Marijuana alone "certainly is not a replacement for somebody's narcotic pain medication," Krawitz said. "Most veterans would see quite a dramatic difference."

Although VA doctors cannot recommend marijuana as medicine to their patients, the VA does not explicitly ban patients from participating in state marijuana programs.

Per VA's policy, a veteran who reports marijuana use to their doctor cannot have his or her VA benefits taken away. But patients can have their treatments "modified."

At the VA, patients who get narcotic painkillers must sign what's called an opioid pain care agreement. As part of the agreement, the patient consents to a urine, saliva or blood test to "make sure your opioids get into your body," according to a copy of the agreement provided by the VA.

These tests also ensure the patient is not abusing or overdosing on the drugs, as well as taking the right amount and not giving the pills to others, according to an e-mail from the VA.

These tests can also identify when a patient is using marijuana.

The VA declined to make someone available for an interview for this story. In e-mailed responses, VA spokeswoman Gina Jackson said decisions about marijuana and prescriptions are made on an individual basis.

Nationwide, 21 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized medical marijuana. It's unclear how many vets are using medicinal pot. The VA does not track the number of patients who have reported medical marijuana use, according to Jackson.

And whatever numbers would be reported to VA do not count the many who simply don't tell their VA doctors, Krawitz said.

Vets choose marijuana over narcotics

When given the choice between their prescription painkillers and marijuana, many vets choose marijuana, Krawitz said.

One such patient is Ryan Begin, a Marine who lives in Maine, where medical marijuana is legal.

"It was pills or pot, but I can't do both," Begin said he was told by VA.

Begin suffered an arm injury during a 2004 deployment in Iraq. When he returned home, Begin said he was given a "big bag of pills" and told to go home and feel better.

But on the pills, Begin said he was jittery, unpredictable and reactive.

"People feared me when I was on the pills," he said.

Begin said he went "cold turkey" off the pills and managed to transition to marijuana without too much trouble because he had a strong enough strain of the plant. He now grows his own marijuana plants. He also uses tinctures and edibles. He said the marijuana slows him down enough so he can think and get through the day.

Doctors' varied views on pot

The medical community's stance on medical marijuana is widely varied.

The American Medical Association does not endorse state medical marijuana programs, but also is calling on more controlled studies of marijuana. AMA has also urged the federal government to review marijuana's categorization as a Schedule 1 drug, the most dangerous and addictive type of drug, considered to have no medical use.

For Dr. Jeff Goldsmith, incoming president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, marijuana is not a medicine because it has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and therefore has not met the standards of other approved drugs.

"It's just an illegal drug that people like to use," Goldsmith said.

But Dr. Dustin Sulak, whose patients include Begin and other veterans, said marijuana has been life-changing for his patients. In his opinion, marijuana is a safer option: People die from opiate overdoses, but they don't overdose from marijuana, he said.

"It's an herb," Sulak said. "It should be next to St. Johns wort and kava in the health food store."

Begin has become a champion for medical marijuana access for veterans. But he says it's tough to find vets who will speak publicly about marijuana. There's still a stigma around marijuana use.

"This is something I believe so strongly in that I know it works and I know other people can benefit from it," Begin said. "I'll do just about anything if it means people will have access to the same things I do."

Edited by Willy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/01/veterans-medical-marijuana_n_5244565.html ..........Six months ago as well....

 

 

 

Veterans Still Can't Discuss Medical Marijuana With Their VA Doctors

T
 

Introduced by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), the amendment would have altered the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act to allow qualified veterans easier access to medical cannabis in the 21 states and the District of Columbia that have legalized medical marijuana.

The Department of Veterans Affairs currently bans physicians from recommending state-legal medical marijuana to veteran patients.

Blumenauer’s amendment wouldn't have allowed VA doctors to prescribe or provide medical marijuana to veteran patients, but it would have allowed for the physicians to have open discussions with their patients and kept VA funding from being used to implement medical marijuana prohibition. The amendment text, via Blumenauer's office, read:

The amendment was killed by a 225-195 vote. However, Blumenauer said that despite the loss, the vigorous debate and close vote was a signal that progress was being made on medical marijuana issues.

 

 

None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to implement Veterans Health Administration directive 2011-004 with respect to the prohibition on "VA providers from completing forms seeking recommendations or opinions regarding a Veteran’s participation in a State marijuana program."

 
 

"There was a spirited and very strong floor debate in support of the amendment," Blumenauer said. "The move toward making marijuana reform less of a partisan issue was underscored as there were more Republicans voting for the amendment than Democrats voting against. And, with probable votes of members who were absent, it’s very likely the vote total in favor or my amendment would’ve been 200 or more."

 

Twenty-two Republicans joined the 173 Democrats who voted in favor of the amendment, while 18 Democrats joined the majority of Republicans who voted against it.

 

"It’s inexplicable and inexcusable that VA doctors can’t answer their patients’ questions and give their best advice," Blumenauer added.

 

The VA estimates that as many as 20 percent of soldiers who recently served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have post-traumatic stress disorder, according to The Associated Press. Scientists have speculated that marijuana could help veterans suffering from PTSD symptoms, which can include anxiety, flashbacks and depression.

Earlier this year, the federal government signed off on a historic study looking at marijuana as a treatment for veterans with PTSD. The study will examine the effects of five different potencies of smoked or vaporized cannabis on 50 veterans suffering from PTSD.

Currently, there are ten states that allow doctors to recommend medical marijuana for PTSD-related symptoms.

Edited by Willy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

thank you all for your responses.  I am going to be talking to my primary doc soon and have an appt with a back surgeon to see what he advises me to do about the health problems I am addressing.  I know the doc is going to want to have me sign a contract (even for tramadol now) and I will have to tell him that I have my mmmp card.  While this is not my first choice, I have to be able to take something for pain during the times I am not able to be home to medicate and tylenol is not helping at all.  I have also had gastric bypass so my pill options are limited anyways...

 

A topical could help you a lot when you can't smoke, or even some medibles maybe.

Since i discovered medibles and topicals, i smoke less than half as much as i used to, and my productivity went way up.

Edited by I wood
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...