Drug screen?

[lostforgottensoul]

My pain contract allows the hospital to give meds and prescribe enough to get to my pain doc's, same with surgery.

Lucky! Here in Florida there is a centeralozed pharmacy system now. The pain contract says no other Dr but my pain dr is to prescribe any pain meds. So I can take them while in the hospital but cant fill a prescription by them. But, I agree about a team. When I had my pain pump implanted (the only surgery since my back surgeries and the only one under this Dr and in this State) he prescribed me extra the month of and I just saved them for after surgery. So, they still work as a team.

 

[Cyberluddite]

We've had quite a history of ignoring major drug addiction and overdose problems in Florida, and this probably goes back way before the 1980's when Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, and John Leguizamo (for a few episodes in Season 6) put a face to it. Miami's a popular international hub for dealers, cartels, and other major up-and-coming hustlers, and back then the police department was on the payroll.

It's not something we're proud of. That, and boat loafers being considered "professional footwear"... but hey, it was the '80s... the drugs were really good back then. So eventually, after we cleaned house in multiple counties across the state (and a few in L.A. and New York) it became necessary to develop stricter regulations to ensure things like this didn't get out of hand again.

Part of the problem is that the FDA is only as good as the folks who run it, and it's not really the FDA's job to enforce dispensary laws and restrictions; that's the DEA, which also tends to have a high risk of being co-opted by friends with "right-minded fellows". After the national pill mill industry ("pain management centers", which we were plagued with in South Florida especially) made a laughingstock of the regulatory oversights, we shut them down too.

And then someone thought it was a good idea to promote opioids under the FDA's radar... and that's where we are today. It's a game of whack-a-mole where you're always one step behind the next bugger that pops up. While I'm glad that the feds are finally saying "this is a problem that must be dealt with, no excuses", one of the reasons that the drug abuse epidemic has become as destructively pervasive and persistent is because people don't feel like they're useful anymore.

Pain can be extremely debilitating, and when a lot of the people you know are in a similar situation it's a lot harder to come up with a solution that can be turned into a life-saving purpose. It's easy to give up, it's easy to stay negative. And for a lot of people the pain is always going to be there, but they're just as strong and powerful today as they were before the pain started. Give a person a purpose, something that makes them feel like they've accomplished something (no matter how small), and you give them hope.

Give that hope something to feed on, and while it may not entirely stop the pain it'll help ease it a lot more effectively. This may not work for everyone, and not everyone can do it, but it's just a thought from years of hanging around addicts. Wishing you love and a better day! :hug:

 

[DharmaGirl]

I have chronic pain. It is with me everyday and night. I have decreased my dose of narcotics by getting exercise - gardening, taking care of chickens, composting, refinishing furniture. These also give me purpose as @Cyberluddite said. I have never been an addict, nor even like the feeling the meds give me, other than the reduction in pain. I take breaks often throughout the day, avoid driving long distances or lifting heavy things. I also saw a pain psychologist, where I learned not to be afraid of the pain. That made it a lot better! I get the relief I need, and I also have pain every day.

The problem is that when someone is in chronic pain, and getting no relief, it rollerballs into anxiety and depression. You have to get the pain under control first, and at the same time work on all the other things. It is complicated, but they are learning more everyday.