Fyi, Opioid Pain Management = No Medical Marijuana.

[swamper]

Had to sign a new pain contract (multi-page document) the other day and was told that the use of medical marijuana was forbidden while using opioids for pain management. Unfortunately I do not get pain relief from mmj for my spinal arthritis misery, but it does help with minor aches and pains. My mood far better than with any antidepressant, and I have been on them all with no benefit whatsoever! It also helps me to relax, i.e., muscle tension related to anxiety, and it gives me the energy to get out and exercise daily.  I just don’t get it! Is this just the precursor to what the federal government is going to do? You are allowed access to medical marijuana but you cannot use it! As far as I am concerned this whole thing has descended into a money grab, with card holders identities most likely to be made available to law enforcement and any other government organization that deems it necessary to have this information. Time to send my card back and go back to the way things were before!

[Restorium2]

Had to sign a new pain contract (multi-page document) the other day and was told that the use of medical marijuana was forbidden while using opioids for pain management. Unfortunately I do not get pain relief from mmj for my spinal arthritis misery, but it does help with minor aches and pains. My mood far better than with any antidepressant, and I have been on them all with no benefit whatsoever! It also helps me to relax, i.e., muscle tension related to anxiety, and it gives me the energy to get out and exercise daily.  I just don’t get it! Is this just the precursor to what the federal government is going to do? You are allowed access to medical marijuana but you cannot use it! As far as I am concerned this whole thing has descended into a money grab, with card holders identities most likely to be made available to law enforcement and any other government organization that deems it necessary to have this information. Time to send my card back and go back to the way things were before!

Your only answer is to try to get off the pills. They will kill you in the long term. 

[t-pain]

the real question is why is the government in between you and your dr?

 

get govt out of vaginas and get govt out of prescriptions too

[Restorium2]

Specifically, spinal arthritis doesn't go away, so a long term regimen will need to be adopted. Try to move to some over the counter pain killers like ibuprophen. 

[swamper]

the real question is why is the government in between you and your dr?

 

get govt out of vaginas and get govt out of prescriptions too

 

This is the Veterans Administration doing this. I was off the pills for over a year but the pain is too much to bear any longer with no relief from any other method.

[swamper]

They specifically said no medical marijuana while on pain management with opioids. This is coming down from the administration of the Saginaw VA.  This whole shenanigan with pain management prescriptions by the DEA does very little to stop the abuse of drugs obtained illegally. It does however greatly affect the live of those who legitimately need pain management.

[swamper]

I am not willing to find out. The contract itself does not mention mmj, but the attached phamplet says no illegal drugs including marijuana not authorized by a provider. The contract does say that treatment plan can be changed at any time if you are not following the plan accordingly. I will have to wait and see what happens when the provider is allowed to discuss mmj, next year if the language survives in the bill, so we can openly discuss this. I was told by the nurse that mmj was not allowed. The question is, where do the nurses get their marching orders? I am assuming from the administration, I know, it is an assumption, but having dealt with the VA for so long, I think it is a good one. I would like to hear from other veterans out there.

 

(edit for spelling)

Edited November 21, 2015 by swamper

[GrowGoddess]

Your only answer is to try to get off the pills. They will kill you in the long term. 

 

I must say, you are 100% correct.

 

Not only do they cause harm to your body over long term use, they also harm your brain. I causes the brain to discontinue producing natural chemicals that fight pain.

 

One of the biggest problems in long term pain pill use, I recently witnessed through one of my patients. My patient has been on percocet for a long time, seems like forever. Not long ago, she went to make an appointment with her doctor, and the office was closed. No warning was given to any patients of that doctor. Come to find out, the doctor prescribed pain meds to a patient and the patient's friend overdosed supposedly on that medication. So, the doctor was shut down immediately. My patient in turn, due to the office being closed, became cut off cold turkey from all medications. She still has not been able to find a replacement doctor,.since she was a patient to that doctor, she has been labeled as a pill abuser. 

 

The point is, being addicted to a pain medication that is not going to cure you can be very dangerous. Being cut off cold turkey can kill you. Is it worth it to have your life in the hands of someone else? Living with addiction is just as bad, if not worse, than living with pain.

 

Realistically, you become immune to the dosage, your tolerance goes up, so you need more medicine to get the same results. When you reach maximum potency, at that point, you are only taking the medicine to feel normal and eliminate withdraw. May as well live with the pain at that point, since you are living with addiction and pain.

 

This is not to say that pain medication is all bad. After surgery, broken bones, etc. Short term use. Keep in mind, prescription drug overdose is the highest death rate in the country. Second is automobiles, according to the most recent article I read.

 

Just my opinion here.

[outsideinthecold]

The VA has continuing issues across a broad spectrum of its management. Two high ranking VA officials, Diana Rubens and Kimberly Graves were demoted for manipulating the agency's hiring practices for their own gain.

 

Although both are no longer Regional Directors and were demoted to jobs with lesser responsibilities, they will continue to receive the same salaries. Rubens was paid $181,497 as Director of the Philadelphia Region. Graves made $173,949 as leader of the St. Paul office. Both also regularly received annual bonuses raising their individual salaries and benefits well over $200,000.

[outsideinthecold]

My mom had three failed back surgeries and became addicted to OxyContin. It was awful. It influenced her bridge game and mental processes. She found as effective or better pain relief from topical mmj and methadone. She also was able after switching to methadone to regain her prowess at the competitive duplicate bridge game she loved.

 

Topical oils weren't suitable for total relief, but it made a big difference and it won't make you test positive for mmj.

 

Regardless, and I think I can speak for everyone here, I hope you can find relief for you arthritis. Best regards. oitc

[swamper]

The point is, being addicted to a pain medication that is not going to cure you can be very dangerous. Being cut off cold turkey can kill you. Is it worth it to have your life in the hands of someone else? Living with addiction is just as bad, if not worse, than living with pain.

 

 

There is a big difference between being an addict and being physically dependent. I am not and have never been an addict. I use pain medication to manage my pain, not to get high.

[Restorium2]

There is a big difference between being an addict and being physically dependent. I am not and have never been an addict. I use pain medication to manage my pain, not to get high.

Ibuprophen?

 

I have what you have ....

[Restorium2]

Might be one of those times that helping the patient and fixing the political issues are two different things. 

[t-pain]

From what I've seen it has a negative effect on people who have experienced the most pain for the longest time. I wonder if it works at all to slow the flow of pills to the black market? Probably not.

nothing the DEA or legislature has done has stopped or even slowed overdoses or black market pills. this is easy to fact check because you can just look at the stats.

 

this is all political posturing. "look, we're doing something".

 

remember when they put the sudafed behind the counter? did that stop the meth? nope!

 

how many meth people did they even catch with this nonsense? less than 1000 over 10 years?

 

 

i think the pharma companies are just selling on the black market. maybe theres a couple pill-mill doctors , but i'd say the number is very small. how many doctors in schemes have they caught over the years? less than 1000? again, nothing.

 

maybe the pharma companies are working with the dea/cia to sell on the black market. funding the cia black ops (seriously secret torture prisons all over the world??) isnt cheap. they set the prices and if someone doesnt cooperate? they get busted because they know the whole supply chain.

 

it really is a war. war profiteers, torturers, military tactics, guerilla tactics, psy-ops, propaganda and everything.

[swamper]

Ibuprophen?

 

 

Name an NSAID and I have been on it with no help.

[t-pain]

resto, how do you deal with ibuprofens liver-killing side effects for long term use ?

[Restorium2]

resto, how do you deal with ibuprofens liver-killing side effects for long term use ?

I always eat something with it. I don't have to take as much as I used too because of special stretches and exercises I do and MM. I have to have my liver checked every other month because of other meds I have to take. My liver hasn't ever even been irritated after about 30 years of taking Ibuprophen. 

[Restorium2]

Name an NSAID and I have been on it with no help.

Had to ask. Some people it helps. Not like a pain killer. It helps take away the underlying cause, inflammation. 

[swamper]

Had to ask. Some people it helps. Not like a pain killer. It helps take away the underlying cause, inflammation.

 

 

My recent bloodwork showed very little inflamtion, Activity is my enemy, due to eroded joints, but I must keep moving!

[phaquetoo]

There is a big difference between being an addict and being physically dependent. I am not and have never been an addict. I use pain medication to manage my pain, not to get high.

I was put on 10 mg methadone 4 times a day, I was also prescribed 1 mg xanax 4 times a day, I only did them as directed, I even forgot to take them some times, mm with the methadone realy gave me awsome pain releif,  I got caught around 5 yrs ago driving while liscense suspended, and wound up getting 10 days in jail, which is only 8 days, the jail was narcotic free, I dt'd and dont remember much about my jail stay, I woke up I.C.U less than an hr of being released from jail, My dr. said I should have died!  So even if you do opoids and a xanax type rx as directed and get cut off cold turkey you most def could die, the jail gave me nothing to help me get thru it, they had my meds but would not give them to me, even in a structured way (like half's or 1/4's) to ween me off, I had been on them for 12 yrs!

 

I have been quit by no less than 4 dr's since becoming legal, My primary care physcian's office just went narcotic's free, my dr. found me a pain clinic in saginaw that lets me use mm as long as I have my card, and they write me rx's, I rarely do my pain meds, but when I am having a realy painful day I will do a half of methadone, (which is 5 mg) with mm and it realy works great, I will never use narcotics as prescribed again, I get urine screened and as long as thc is the only thing in my urine besides the rx's they write for me!

 

I know the op is a vet and going to a vet pain clinic, I wish you the best, dont give up, there are or is some one out there that will help you!

 

Peace

[outsideinthecold]

My mom had degenerative spinal arthritis. Stretching and non-painful (if there is any you can find) exercise helped her as well. If you can find an affordable facility with a pool, simply floating on her back and kicking or even wiggling her toes helped.

 

As an added bonus, the life-guard babe's red bikini swim suit made helping mom even more rewarding.

 

Being a dirty, old man isn't all bad.

[swamper]

Phaquetto, no one should ever be CT'd off of benzodiazepines period! Whichever entity that placed you in confinement should be brought to justice for what they did to you! I was on a benzo for 4 years, quit last December and am still suffering from protracted symptoms. The VA doc told me to just stop taking them, that's when I found out you can't just stop taking them, and you should not take them for more than a few days. They had me on those evil pills for years, for something I came to find out from a chiropractor was just a posture related problem!

[Restorium2]

My recent bloodwork showed very little inflamtion, Activity is my enemy, due to eroded joints, but I must keep moving!

Special stretches designed for your spondylarpathy combined with walking on the treadmill are very helpful to most of us. 

[Restorium2]

My mom had degenerative spinal arthritis. Stretching and non-painful (if there is any you can find) exercise helped her as well. If you can find an affordable facility with a pool, simply floating on her back and kicking or even wiggling her toes helped.

 

As an added bonus, the life-guard babe's red bikini swim suit made helping mom even more rewarding.

 

Being a dirty, old man isn't all bad.

You really do know what you are talking about. The warmer the pool the better. I like mine at about 90. 

[phaquetoo]

Phaquetto, no one should ever be CT'd off of benzodiazepines period! Whichever entity that placed you in confinement should be brought to justice for what they did to you! I was on a benzo for 4 years, quit last December and am still suffering from protracted symptoms. The VA doc told me to just stop taking them, that's when I found out you can't just stop taking them, and you should not take them for more than a few days. They had me on those evil pills for years, for something I came to find out from a chiropractor was just a posture related problem!

I was on the meds for 12 yrs!

 

you should see the hospital bill I got because of ogemaw county and clare county!

 

Ogema (west branch) is where I went to court, and I guess they couldnt handle me so they sent me to clare county jail, both of them need to be sued, I did call my attny when I was feeling better and he said I could file a suite, but it most likely wouldnt even pay his wage, Im a poor guy, poor people get screwed by the courts, it dont matter if your white, red, black or yellow, cash talks and bull chit walks!

 

Peace