Re: LISA-CA - drug seeking behaviour???

[Guest guest]

I simply have to ask, what is " drug seeking behaviour " ?

Since all of us experience pain (some constantly and some

infrequently), it would stand to reason that we would like some relief

from the pain. So, I would be interested to know what this doctor

thinks drug seeking behaviour is.

I too am extremely careful with any narcotic pain medication as I fear

addiction. However, there are times when I need those drugs for pain

relief. Would I be considered " drug seeking " ?

I'm puzzled, Barbara.

<SNIP> He will be the first to tell you that allot of CP patients are

drug seeking but he says you can tell the difference between drug

seeking behavior and someone that really needs help. In almost every

medical record he has written regarding my CP he notes that " patient

has no drug seeking behavior "

[Guest guest]

Barbara,

From my experience in a Dr's office, and a very short time working in his actual

office (to help him out between ME's) a few years ago, I can give you some

examples. One patient in particular would come in on a daily basis asking for a

shot of tardol with Demerol for her " headaches " . Since she came in on an

almost daily basis and refused to see a neurologist, or have any testing done to

determine the cause of her " headaches " she was considered to be drug seeking.

An other example would be this........

We would get faxes from the pharmacies telling us that some patients would be

getting narcotic medications from three some times four different DR's. It is

the pharmacies responsibility to notify the Dr if the patient is doing this.

They would fax over the names of the medications, the dates they were filled and

the Dr.'s name that wrote the prescription, the amounts given, etc.

Also a patient would be considered drug seeking if they used their medication

that was supposed to last a month in two weeks. If this happens it is the

responsibility of the Dr. to find out why. Is the patient not getting

appropriate pain relief? Can medication be changed to provide better pain

relief with less medication? Some patients won't let the Dr change the

medications because only want that specific drug.

I did not mean to suggest that anyone here is a drug seeker. If I implied that

by accident then I truly apologize. I too need my pain medications, but I am

very careful with them and can often make a 30 day supply last 60 days. I think

his feeling comes from the fact he studied at 's Hopkins and he told me one

time that they get allot of alcoholic/drug additics in their program there. He

also stated that some of the pt's had figured out that if they gave the ER dr's

a diagnosis of CP when they came in to the ER they would get the better

narcotics. So as you can see, I don't think anyone here is drug seeking, and

again I apologize if it came out that way. There are very obvious reasons for a

Dr to think a pt is drug seeking like the examples I gave above. I don't think

any Dr. would think a pt. that takes the prescribed amount of medications would

be drug seeking.

Simi Valley, CA Re: LISA-CA - drug seeking behaviour???

I simply have to ask, what is " drug seeking behaviour " ?

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[Guest guest]

, I, in NO way thought you were implying that anyone here was

drug-seeking. I'm sorry if my post came across that way.

I can see from the examples you cite that doctors would interpret that

type of behaviour as drug-seeking. I do agree that if the perscribed

amount of pain killers isn't cutting it, that the doseage or type of

drug needs to be altered. It is unfortunate though that for those who

use up their pain meds because they truly need them and are waiting

for their docs to do something to help them are catagorized with the

drug-seekers. That is my only objection - that we are often lumped

into that catagory of addicts.

Once again, please understand that I did not mean to make you feel

that I implied that you thought that anyone here was a drug seeker,

ok? (big grin) I was trying to speak to my frustration I have with

doctors lumping people with chronic pain into the junkie catagory.

Bye for now, Barbara.

[Guest guest]

Barbara,

No problem. This is one of my biggest pet peeves with Dr's. I think they shift

too much of the responsibility of our pain control on us. Our Dr's must make

the time to address our pain control issues and to help us in our times of need.

My dr. had a policy to respond to messages within 24 hours, sometimes sooner,

depending on the type of message. I don't understand these Drs that can't make

time to address these issues with their patients. I truly feel for those in

this group that can not get pain control. Doctors of all people should realize

the consequences of allowing a patient to go in pain. First of all, the longer

someone suffers from the pain the harder it will be to bring it under control,

thus causing a need for stronger medications than what may have been needed if

the issue had been resolved immediately. Second of all, by ignoring our needs

for pain relief they are destroying our faith in them as our caregivers. It

goes along way to treat people with compassion, and to appropriately treat a

patients needs. MY GOD! It makes me sick to think about some of you going along

in pain, suffering from other complications because you are not being treated

properly by your Dr's. I think it is when the Dr's ignore their patients needs

for so long that things get blown up to a point that the Dr. says the pt. is

drug seeking just to justify in their own minds that they have ignored their

pts. needs. Okay, I am ranting again. This is just such a sore subject with

me. I mean if the Dr. had a beloved dog that was ill and was suffering, you

better believe they would medicate this beloved animal because they couldn't

stand to see them suffer. WELL HELLO!!!!! 'Why not try treating your pts. with

the same respect? Okay, I better stop or I'll go on and on and on and on.......

Simi Valley, CA

Re: LISA-CA - drug seeking behaviour???

, I, in NO way thought you were implying that anyone here was

drug-seeking. I'm sorry if my post came across that way.

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[Guest guest]

Amen Sistah! We are on the same wave length here! LOL

Whatever happened to that old nut: An ounce of prevention is worth a

pound of cure " ? Oh, yes, I forgot, we've gone metric up here in

Canada. LOL

Bye for now, Barbara.

> Barbara,

> No problem. This is one of my biggest pet peeves with Dr's. I

think they shift too much of the responsibility of our pain control on

us. Our Dr's must make the time to address our pain control issues

and to help us in our times of need. My dr. had a policy to respond

to messages within 24 hours, sometimes sooner, depending on the type

of message. I don't understand these Drs that can't make time to

address these issues with their patients. I truly feel for those in

this group that can not get pain control. Doctors of all people

should realize the consequences of allowing a patient to go in pain.

First of all, the longer someone suffers from the pain the harder it

will be to bring it under control, thus causing a need for stronger

medications than what may have been needed if the issue had been

resolved immediately. Second of all, by ignoring our needs for pain

relief they are destroying our faith in them as our caregivers. It

goes along way to treat people with compassion, and to appropriately

treat a patients needs. MY GOD! It makes me sick to think about some

of you going along in pain, suffering from other complications because

you are not being treated properly by your Dr's. I think it is when

the Dr's ignore their patients needs for so long that things get blown

up to a point that the Dr. says the pt. is drug seeking just to

justify in their own minds that they have ignored their pts. needs.

Okay, I am ranting again. This is just such a sore subject with me.

I mean if the Dr. had a beloved dog that was ill and was suffering,

you better believe they would medicate this beloved animal because

they couldn't stand to see them suffer. WELL HELLO!!!!! 'Why not try

treating your pts. with the same respect? Okay, I better stop or I'll

go on and on and on and on.......

>

> Simi Valley, CA