How do you overcome the discrimination against long term opiate usage?

Question

Seems everyone a expert these days. Vicodins-= addiction or abuse since everyone knows someone who could not handle it. For the responsible patients how do you deal with discirmination? Tell me about your worst experience

Ok heres one then, I guess you have to carry your bottle of Vicodins everywhere you go so that you do not get in trouble. Its easier for me to put a couple in back pocket for when i need them but now the hwole bottle. That would be kind of hard keeping it a secret wich I do if you brought this big bottle everywhere you go...right.

Answer 1

What I do is get an extra bottle from the pharmacy that is small. They give you extra labels with the RX number and your name already, so I just stick one of those on. This is especially important for my breakthrough meds, since I get 100 a month (which is how the manufacturer sends them to the pharmacy, so I don't even get a regular little bottle, just the bottle from the manufacturer) and if I carried them all around and my purse got stolen I'd be screwed.

As far as the discrimination thing, I don't know how to overcome it. My family, who live in an entirely different state and almost never see me, have decided I am an addict. Nothing my husband and I say can dissuade them of that notion, no matter how much I educate them on the issue. The fact that I have gotten a good job, lost 20 pounds, and begun leading a much happier, better life SINCE I started pain management doesn't matter to them. Some people are just going to be ignorant and judgemental no matter what.

Answer 2

I agree with the person who said tell family, friends you trust and anyone else who might need to know and anyone else can mind their own business.

Personally, I don't care who knows. I know why I take them, I know it's endorsed and prescribed by my doctor, I know what influence it has on my quality of life.

Really the only negative response I've gotten are on these boards. But again, I don't care about what ignorant people lacking in compassion have to say about the matter.

You mentioned something about bringing your prescription bottle with you. In some cases that may be a good idea since it would be hard to explain should someone find or see them who is in a position to ask. For instance getting on a plane, getting a minor traffic ticket, things like that.

I personally don't carry around a big bottle either. For one thing I don't want to carry around the whole bottle for fear of losing them all, though I guess I could put the others in an old bottle and keep them at home. What I do is I have a metal pill container that is connected to my key chain. Every day I put in the amount, or maximum amount I'd be taking and leave the rest at home (locked up).

It might be a good idea to get a card from the doctor saying you have a prescription though, you never know when it might come up.

Answer 3

i do not suffer from chronic pain and don't get discriminated for taking pain medication when i need it, rather i face discrimination from the doctors. i am in my early twenties, have messy hair, a semi-unkept beard, and tons of tattoos. i work in construction and last week i injured my back setting a 500 lb steel beam with one other co-worker. i was hurting pretty bad. it happened on a friday and i had to wait until monday to see a doctor. i had been taking obscene quantities of ibuprofen and tylenol. the first doctor i got to see on monday told me to rest and keep taking what i was taking. did he think i would've wasted my time going to a doctor if i felt what i was doing was working? anyway, two doctors later i finally get a perscription for twenty lousy 5mg vicodins. people assume that i am a med seeker just because the way that i look. my back still hurts. i missed a full week of work and my little perscription lasted me until thursday. i cant afford to go back to the doctor.

poeple have misconceptions of vicodin because of shows like 'house'. when i watch that show it drives me crazy. if he was hurting so bad wouldn't he get scripts for oxy? morphine? hydromorpone? methadone? no, the show drags vicodin's name through the mud and the idiots who watch that show think that vicodin is some hard core opiate, you know, because all the junkies on the street cream their pants when they can get there hands on 7.5 or, oh my goodness, maybe even 10mg vicodins. gimme a break.

sorry i kinda ranted there for a minute. what i'm trying to say is that the general public is kinda dumb. dont let their feelings about your pain medication influence your own.

Answer 4

Tell the people who need to know about your pain management (employers, etc.) and don't tell anyone who doesn't need to know. Insipid dummies thinking you're doing something wrong shouldn't matter at all.