| Re: I Have A Question About Pain Cont.
Hi Kelsy, This is actually covered in my contract, It does say not to shop for or obtain any meds or controlled drugs thafor the condition that I am presently treated, But it also says if I have surgery or a denatl prcedure not to use my CPmedication to deal with acute injury or, procedure or surgery. I should obtitain proper medeication from the treating dr or dentist and notify the clinci with 72 hours. This is actually printed on the back of every prescription along with some of the other basics. Contracts are not meant to prevent you from recieving medical or dental treatnment and just because you are taking meds prescribed by a PM doc for a headach, back pain, neck andor facial pain , whatever reason, doesn't mean you now have to be super woman and if you need a root canal, the dentist can't prescribe or if you break you ankle the ER doc can't give yu anything. Contracts are means to inform you of policy and the seriousnessof using these meds. They shoudn't be designed to make you suffer.
Just beause you are taking eds for some other reason doean't mean you can't experience pain from a completely different reason I would just notify he doc, you were sen by the ER for whatever the probelem is and X, Y and Z is how they treated you. Now if your problemis bheadhaches and he's managing your headaches, and uses BT meds, you shouldn't need to go to the ER for headaches. IF he's managing back pain, you shouldn't go to the ER for back pain. But contracts aren't meant yo keep you from seking medical attn for other problems, the docs don't want you t use your PM meds to manage the pain of knocking 3 teeth out and needing major dental work. IT's really not compllicated if you don't over think it. You should tel who ever is treating you what meds your on so your not given something that might interact. But just because I have a pump and roxiccodone at home, MY doc doesn't expect me to sit at home and eat my oxy to manage a apendasitis or any other medical emergency. My dentist has given my vicodin after an extraction and tmy clinic has no problem. It the only example that's ever come up for me.
If your not being treated for tby your M doc for the condition you were seen in the ER for, you should be able to seek treatment and not worry about your contract. If you break a leg and the bone is sticking out, don't call you PM and ask if it's OK to go tothe ER. The docs ecpect us to have some common sense and manage our medical emeergencies without bothering them after hours or on the wekend. MY OPM doc can't do anything for a compound fracture when it's satursday, the ofice is closed and their office is't set up to deal with every possible emergncy. If they gave you an anti indlamatory or a med to prevent gastric spasm, just cal monda and inform them thatis is what was done and this is whow they treated me and with what meds.
Getting a shot is not the same as doc shopping althouhg every ER has their frequent dfriday night flyers.
If your being seen by the PM doc,for the same problem. There isn't much any ER doc is going to prescribe that we don't already have something twice as strong at home for. IF you need a shot to manage the pain in order to get through the diagnostics, that's not the same as filling a script and bringing the DEA, board of pharmacy, the local medical board and police into the picture wondering why you have multiple docs prescribing opiates for the same problem. That's what they don't want you doing. I think your friend is over thinking the situation and you have nothing to worry about. I would call the PM cliinic and let them now you were seen, the DX, the treatment plan and what meds were given IM or IV but no written scripts were requested,provided or filled but they may want you to follow up with a specialist in the field of whatever probelem brought you to the ER if not your CP problem..
Contracts are common sense. IF you have back pain, and you start slipping on the stairs every friday night and have to be seen by the ER to be sure you didn't cause aditional damage and to get that shot of demi or any opiate, then you would be on slipery ground. This seems unrelated and would be unusually cruel to tell someone they can't be treeated with pain meds for any condition, now that you have a PM doc prescribing meds for a chronic condition. They really don't want you burning through your BT meds to manage the pain from a broken arm or a toot extraction or any unrelated probelem to the one your being treated by the PM doc for. As long as the prescribing docs knows all the meds your PM doc is prescribing, your doing everything you legally need to do.
Good luck and I hope your feeling better soon. Dave
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