my doctor is upset with me because of going to the emergencey room?

Question

i have arthritis in my hip my doctor stopped prescribing me pain meds but they helped. i have been going to the emergency room for meds now he is suspicious of me but i am in chrionic pain does anyone have any advice i am going to change my doctor for sure i cannot live like this any more.

i am a 43 year old female and the pain meds i was just taking 2 percocet a night at bed time thats what he prescribed for me

Answer 1

Well...he must be worried that you are getting addicted..I would say he is a great doctor, to be concerned even it if is for his own ****...You might get another doctor, or tell him flat out your concerns and ask him to help you...He is the one who got you started on pain killers, and you might very well be starting an addiction...it is his responsibility not to encourage that. Good luck..it might be in your head also...walking is the best to relieve the arthritis, but you already know that...

Answer 2

I was officially diagnosed as having chronic pain syndrome in 1995 but it took 2 years to do it. I had the same problems you've described because back then the condition was not generally recognized by the medical establishment. Even now it's often assumed that people seeking relief are simply looking for a prescription for their 'drug habit(s)', as evidenced by some of the replies you've received here.
Percocets do work, but as you must know by now they have some side effects that might be a problem in the workplace as well as driving a car, etc. Since you say you use them for sleeping, that should not be a problem. I also tried oxycontin but it was even more addictive than 'percs'. There was a news report on CNN several years ago about a new drug that blocked pain at the site rather than the brain which sounded promising but I never heard about it again so it may not have passed FDA testing. I used to take over-the-counter drugs like aspirin & iboprofen but in the quantities necessary to get to sleep they thinned my blood out so much that a small cut would bleed like an artery. I guess for sleeping some combination of alcohol & ibuprofen would work best unless you feel safe using marijuana. In Maine, USA, and some other states in the USA it's legal to prescribe that for medical reasons but the doctors are often wary about doing that because of federal laws. My doctor there was Canadian and didn't have a problem prescibing oxycontin when I told him I knew a pot dealer who would trade for it. Unfortunately the dealer was found several days dead in his cabin, allegedly from a heart attack, so I moved to another country where medical treatment is less controlled by the drug companies.
Depending on where you are located, a pain specialist is probably your best bet. Aside from fellow chronic pain sufferers, they are really the only ones who understand the condition.
Good luck

Answer 3

There are a couple of factors going on here. A big one is that the doctor is concerned that you are "doctor shopping" and/or "drug seeking" and if he cannot manage your total pain management care, he could find himself across a desk, or worse, from a DEA agent, asking him why you overdosed and died. Another, of course, is the doctor's ego and control issues.

If your pain is severe enough to warrant the sort of meds I assume we are talking about (schedule III drugs, oxycontin, maybe?), then you should really be looking at hip replacement or other option. You don't state your diagnosis, but I suspect it is degenerative disease, in which case the joint replacement is one of the limited options available. I jump to that conclusion because if you had RA, I have a feeling you would include that info.

You, in summary, have become one of the patients that doctors are constantly warned about that might cost them their license. I do suggest that you may want to start over with a new doctor, be prepared to be brutally honest with him/her about your medical history, including all the ER visits, and be prepared to be a good and compliant patient. That way it will be a clean slate, and develop an honest and trusting relationship. Clearly you are not getting adequate pain management. But changing this particular doc into one that will give you what you want, especially after this incident, is a slim possiblity. How about a pain management doctor, do they have those in your area?

Answer 4

Well, if your doctor is not helping you, I would certainly say changing doctors is a good idea. However, going behind your doctor's back to get pain medications is a really BAD idea. The ER doctors don't know the details of your situation and could easily give you something that could complicate your treatment or adversely effect your long-term health.

Was your doctor a rheumatologist? They are specialists in arthritis. If not, I'd suggest you try to find one.

If the rheumatologist cannot help control your pain, ask for a referral for a pain management clinic. They can help you explore alternatives for managing your pain that are safe, yet effective.

Good luck

Answer 5

2 percocet a day is hardly addiction territory. I would suggest you make another appointment to see your doctor. ask him why he stopped prescibing pain meds for you and tell him how you feel you need the pain management. try to come up with an action plan of what course to take in managing your pain that he is happy with. if you feel he will not assist you with a realistic plan, then by all means change doctors. But make sure you're ip front with the new doc also.

Answer 6

try finding a pain management clinic, and get a different dr. There are people who go to emergency room that are drug seeking.
Do you have lab work that proves you have arthritis?
get it done to find out if you have osteo or rheumatoid, though i feel it is osteo. You do not have to have permission to change dr.'s just do it. You have the right to control your own health care. You may need a specialist for that condition or a Dr. who is more empathetic, you do not say your age, dr's don't like to prescribe narcotics to people who are young for fear they will lose their effectiveness before you are older and in much more pain. No one should judge your pain or you if you have the lab work to back you up. good luck

Answer 7

No, I think you may want to start gaining some insight about why you go to emergency room! Are you craving for the mood altering affect those meds give you?

You said you could not live like this anymore and you were going to change your doctor, but to me you should not live by abusing meds and start changing your attitude towards the doctor that really care about you, obviously, more that you care about yourself. This is, to me, DENIAL! Your seem like in denial.

Good luck and break your patterns that put you in denial.

Answer 8

How many pain meds did he give you? How quickly did you go through them? Perhaps you are becoming addicted and don't even know it. If you consistently doctor shop for class 4 meds, you can be arrested. Remember Rush? Go to a pain management clinic and speak to them about alternatives.

Answer 9

Changing doctors to one more sympathetic sounds like a good idea. For your own pain management, however, you may want to check on that topic in the symptoms link at www.hufa.org. Certain foods can make your pain worsen, and certain foods can help.

Answer 10

I think your doctor should be more understanding and not upset with you, unless you've got the pain it's very easy to assume abuse, addiction etc... you're doctor should be able to recommend alternatives, I would be tempted to do the same as you did, pain is something I would not be prepared to accept and live with. Talk to him and make him/her understand your pain ask for alternatives etc...