The DEA recently changed Hydrocodone to a Schedule III drug, making it even more difficult for chronic pain sufferers to obtain the pain medication they NEED to survive in the United States. When we take pain meds – even every day – we are not drug abusers. Why? Because the pain meds actually TREAT the pain and allow us to function. It’s the abusers that messed it up for us. If you take pain meds and you’re not in pain, yes, you will feel “high.” But not so for us.
Now we must go to our doctor to pick up our prescription – and only WE can go (no-one else). Then, most likely, we have to take a drug test in order to pick up the script. At the drug store, we have to show our identification to pick up the medicine. Our information is entered into a drug database. In short, we are treated like drug abusers and/or criminals. And these drug tests? You have to take them even if you haven’t shown ANY SIGN of drug abuse. That’s just not right.
A lot of folks in pain use marijuana, which is a natural pain reliever. It aids sleep naturally, which is so very important for fibromyalgia sufferers. If we cannot sleep, our condition worsens.
So imagine the frustration we face. If we use marijuana, we have THC in our systems for days – or weeks even – and thus, have a positive result on the drug tests. So then the doctor refuses the pain medication.
Imagine if you had to pee in a cup to receive blood pressure medicine. And a positive result meant you wouldn’t get your meds. You could have a stroke and die. So you tell me – is this fair? It surely isn’t. Why are we treated any differently?
Join me in our fight to get the help we need. That includes #medicalmarijuana. Educate yourself. This PLANT has been used for almost 5,000 YEARS as a natural remedy for MANY ailments. It was a negative spin made in the early-mid 1900s that changed the views about marijuana, and made users look like criminals. I can assure you that the “typical stoner” image most people have is INACCURATE. If you think people who use marijuana are lazy or stupid, don’t have any motivation, and eat munchies all day, you are WRONG. Lazy people are lazy, regardless if they smoke pot or not. We users are professionals, we are responsible adults, we give back to the community, we are GOOD PEOPLE.
I’m in pain. Serious pain. I want help. I don’t get the help I need. I’m treated like a drug addict. Is this wrong? I think so. If you think so, too, help me spread the word. It’s about time we #legalizemarijuana and stop wasting taxpayers money on the “war on drugs,” which has literally pissed away our money. According to recent polls, 88% of Floridians support the initiative to legalize marijuana. I would be there are about 88% of us who use marijuana – in the USA – where supposedly we are free. REALLY?
Think about that.
truthaboutpain 
I can send my caregiver to pick up my prescriptions if I register a signed note with the doctor’s office and pharmacy. This option might be available in other places. Not that it’s all that much of an improvement.
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I’ll have to check with my doctor again. Since I have to do a drug test when I pick up my prescription, I definitely have to be there. I guess she already instituted the new rules before they’re even in effect. Oh well. Now I’m armed to ask for something stronger, like codeine, since they’re the same schedule. I have an appointment on Wednesday, please, please, please let me test negative by then. If I don’t, I’m screwed. If I test positive, I’m going to insist they send it to a lab or retest me. Just ridiculous. Makes me so mad!
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Codeine may or may not actually work out as stronger for you. Normally I would say it is definitely weaker, but hydrocodone is odd and you may not be getting much at all from it, which would make codeine seem stronger. Technically though hydrocodone is simply codeine with a hydrogen cluster slapped on. So the two drugs are quite similar. You might not get much more from codeine, or maybe even less. Same goes for oxydocone (Percocet et cetera) although it does seem to be more consistently potent than hydrocodone. Almost everyone finds oxycodone more effective than codeine. But some people find hydrocodone more effective than oxycodone, so… again, it’s a weird drug. Morphine and oxycodone are what’ll be considered the “Strong” ones, also fentanyl. (Depending on what type of pain you have and how strong it is, the fentanyl patches may be your best option. If you aren’t allergic to the adhesive like my mother and I sadly are, they can be very convenient.)
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I have learned so much from you! Thank you for all the information you’ve provided about these drugs. I didn’t even know about the fentanyl patches. I will ask my doctor. 🙂
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Given you still have a very low opiate tolerance you would have to start with the very lowest dose of the patches, but since your pain is chronic, you will probably reach a point where they become more appropriately dosed for you as both your pain and your tolerance to pain medicines increase over time,
I’ve been through the wringer with all of these before so I know the drill. I always wanted to know exactly what I was taking so I didn’t get messed up any worse than I already am. Speaking of which, don’t let them give you methadone! Sometimes they try to give pain patients methadone because it’s cheap, or because they secretly think all pain patients are junkies. It’s very dangerous in ways the true opiates are not. Basically, the body processes different drugs at different speeds, and methadone has a huge range of how long the body may take to process it out of your system. But no matter what, it stops working after 8-12 hours. This means that it is possible for some people to FATALLY overdose on methadone even taking relatively low doses exactly as prescribed. This is especially true for people with impaired or slow-working livers. ‘I personally think it’s best to avoid the drug altogether – there are much safer alternatives, morphine if nothing else.
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Reblogged this on All This Bleeding.
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Reblogged this on pedubusa.
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