Minnesota and Pain Prescriptions?

Question

Hello. I'm moving to Minneapolis next week. I am disabled with degenerative disc disease and take various medications, among them a prescription for pain. My current pain-management doctor in Colorado told me that I may regret the move to that particular area, that he has lectured there and discovered that Minnesota is notorious for its resistance to prescribing medications for pain, even chronic and dibilitating pain. Do others know this to be true? It's most disquieting...

Answer 1

HI, I had the same problem when I moved from The SW. It took me years and several doctors to finally control my pain with pain meds. They tried umpteen other kinds first. Blaming it on the Government involvement. All while we new people suffer. I can just tell you to ask your Doctor to give you as many pills (double dose so you can cut in half) as legally possible before you move. Also, a lot of pre filled presciptions. If you end up having a huge problem , you can fill them here. God forbid you can't fill in MN, you will have them and take a nice trip to your old State. Good Luck!

Answer 2

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Answer 3

I live in MN, and have been prescribed pain medication from time to time.

While its true that MN Dr.s here are more cognizant (read: more responsible) when it comes to schedule II - III medications, if you're scenario is legit, your doc will be too.

To be safe, I recomend scheduling an appointment with an internist (no, not an intern, an integrative specialist -- meaning 'over all' health care) ...to discuss your history and concerns.

You may want to talk about your relationship with your last Doctor, and how they prescribed your medications. Your new internist will not want to deviate from your current 'plan' and to boot, taking a proactive educated stance will increase the level of legitamacy they see in your case.

Answer 4

Your physician should be able to give you a referral to a pain clinician in the area where you are moving to and you should take your medical records with you, so there is no question about your pain diagnosis.
If your current physician is concerned you will not be treated effectively, out of professional courtesy, he should call the physician who will be assuming your care and give him a brief report on your problem. This ties up the loose ends and gets you started. It is not unusual for physicians to have conference calls on their pts.
Good luck
RN x 12 yrs

Answer 5

If you are determined to move then you can safely and legally get prescriptions by mail from Canada. Just ask your current doctor for the prescriptions and send to the Canadian pharmacy.

However, I think you have to examine that if you are going to live there for some years; ordering drugs from Canada is like putting a patch on a flat tire.

There are a lot of web sites for Canadian pharmacies that do mail order business with US customers.

http://www.nvo.com/promedica

Answer 6

well, i love minnesota. Cant you have your prescription transferred over here or something? also, i would be pretty sure that saying that MN doctors dont prescribe pain medication could be a stereotype of sorts...