Wrongly Labeled by New Doctor

01-28-2019, 03:25 PM

I recently had to move from California to a small town in Oregon, and the doctors up here are awful. In California, I was always basically treated with respect, but up here, the doctors seem to think that EVERYONE is a drug addict.

I previously had chronic migraines for years, for which I was prescribed daily opioids. I’m very lucky that my chronic migraine finally ended around the time I moved to Oregon.

By the time I moved up here, I no longer needed daily opioids. I just hope and pray that I remain pain-free. I do also have endometriosis, which causes severe menstual cramps. For a few days out of the month, I need to take codeine for my cramps. I have enough left-over codeine to last me for a long time.

I do have occasional insomnia, and I took Dalmane for that. (I’d be happy with anything that helped me sleep.)

I went to a G.P. up here and brought in all my medical records and pill bottles, as requested. I was only requesting a sleep aid.

Well, this G.P. insisted on drug testing me. Since I’d been totally honest, I saw no problem with that. Well, he interrogated me, asking me what I thought it was positive for. I said benzos, and possibly opiods, as I’d had my period a week or so ago. He said, “Anything else?” and I said, “no.” (Indeed, it was NOT positive for anything else.) I felt like I was being interrogated by a cop!

Still, he seemed to think that me testing positive for opiods was a big deal, even though I said I took them occasionally. He made a big deal out of the fact that there were no opiod prescriptions under my name in the Oregon database. His assistant had to remind him that I’d recently moved up from California!

I later got my records, and here’s what the doctor wrote about me: “Benzodiazepine dependency” and “Opiods: chronic, continuous use.” Neither one of those things is true, and I don’t know how to correct it.

In any other place, you could just go to another doctor. But this smalll town is set up so that all of the other doctors and specialists have access to those records. (I had to see a different G.P. and a specialist for an unrelated medical problem, and I was shocked to see those inaccurate notes from the first doctor!)

I found out that doctors up here simply don’t prescribe opioids. Also, apparently there’s an opioid epidemic up here, so they automatically think the worst of anyone taking opioids for any reason.

I no longer take any benzos or sleeping pills, and I rarely take opioids, so that info simply isn’t true. I was asked about it when I had surgery; that’s how I knew the info was being shared and was a permanent part of my records.

How can I get my medical records corrected? I find this inaccurate information very embarrassing. Especially with this info going into a central database, I have no idea how to correct it. I’m almost afraid that other medical professionals are going to think “the doctor is always right” and that I won’t be believed.

Thanks for any advice.

01-29-2019, 07:12 AM

Hi there. I am really sorry that you are going through this as the Opioid problem is not specific to Oregon but is a National Epidemic.

Unfortunately, "chronic; continuous use" is what the doctor labeled you and is actually accurate. Chronic means long time use...continuous means you are still using it. You admitted to using them last week. There is nothing here you are going to get changed as long as you are still using them, even once a week.

He also wrote 'Benzodiazepine dependency"; if you are taking benzos at any point during the month, you are dependent. Having had endometriosis myself, I totally get how bad the pain can be; however, unless you are willing to find a new GYN who can prescribe something which is not a benzo - you are still going to take them; and therefore do have what appears to be a dependency on them. This is actually fixable by you, but first you have to find another substitute drug which is not a controlled substance, and then you can prove that you are no longer using Benzo's and get this removed from your record. After a period of time of no prescriptions, it will fall off anyway.

Unfortunately, every state has new laws about prescribing controlled substances and every doctor has new responsibilities to make sure they are not over prescribing. Doctors are so afraid of losing their licenses, you are certainly NOT the first person to complain that getting necessary pain management has become almost impossible. The only way around this is to change drugs- eliminate those which need to be prescribed by pain specialists- or work with the system and do what they need you to do to continue getting your scripts. I am not saying its right, but it is the only way.

I just wanted to add that you stated you have enough codeine to last you quite awhile. Don't forget that too will show up in urine and blood work; and codeine does have a shelf life; if it is too old, it will not work well - if at all.

Now that you have moved to a new and different state; maybe its time to reevaluate your pain levels and tolerance levels and try to find new doctors who can prescribe you non-narcotics to help you cope with pain. You might be surprised at what you can take which doesn't put you through hoop jumping every month and still controls the pain!

Good luck!

05-26-2021, 10:29 AM

About the only thing you can do is write a letter about how the doctor is wrong and ask it go into the medical records. Medical records are that doctor opinion and should not see at as law. Maybe you will do better with another doctor in a city. But they love to label women. Also being dependent is not addiction but that is not much help with what some doctor may believe. Meanwhile my doctor who prescribes my opiate make a big deal about writing what addiction is and that because i am dependent my meds are for medical reason and not for any other reason. But it just takes some *** to label you these days. Meanwhile the doctor should have written in your file that the meds you were taken were prescribed for medical reasons. The doctor certainly did not read your medical records and unless a doctor is going to order opiate for you say no to future drug test. Many are not very accurate and can cause more issues then needed.Also being informed about this and speaking up and not letting your doctor tell you stupid thing like you take a benzo once a month means you are dependent. I would have asked him where the heck he went to school to believe that. I would have never stood for that and would have asked what he though what dependency meant and said so If I take a aspirin once a month I am dependent too. Make sure you write that down for me being dependent for that along with the my daily OJ so everyone could see the guy has no clue. The state is great if MMj works for your pain but if you need a opiate good luck. Basically you might want to try something like Kratom for your period pain ( it is herb) also CBD oils may help also. I always motrin worked best for my period pain so maybe something in those lines. AS far as sleep marijuana is the way to go. But the whole system is insane when it comes to getting care in this country. Meanwhile a lot more people die from medical mistakes then OD from just opiates. Most OD are poly substance but the CDC has done basically everything to label your death as a OD if your have a opiate in you. Ps you maybe dependent on what helps you pain. For example the patient is depends on whatever to deal with period pain. But dependency in medical terms means you take the medication usually on a daily basis or at least enough to have side effects when stopped suddenly and not tapered off.

05-26-2021, 10:32 AM

Dependency has to do with taking the medication long enough where you stop you have side effects and not someone who uses the medication as needed once a month or less. Now if the doctor wrote the patient depend on a opiate to help with period pain that is one thing, but to label you like you use it daily is another, especially with scheduled 2 meds and dependency for those meds means addiction when someone else reads the record at a glance. Meanwhile patient need to stand up for themselves. I got into with the head doctor in the pain clinic at the VA and after the things they offered had all been tried in my 30 years of dealing with my back issues he mention epidurals. Well he was telling me how safe epidural were and I told them they are not even FDA approved and only worked once on my neck and how was that going to help when I have severe DD in my entire spine. Well when I showed him that he was wrong about epidural being FDA approved (they are not including many medication being used for pain has not been approved by the FDA for pain either but now prescribed like candy) Well back down and said well epidurals only work 50% of the time for mild cases and would not help anyway but we are required to offer if we think they will work or not so it looks like we are helping you. Well I get my care free at the VA but to know doctor are doing things like this knowing they are not going to help they are wasting everyone money ( we pay by taxes or in insurance premiums as we all pay in some way for each other illness and treatment) time any hope. You have these doctor gaslighting you saying well I do not see how you can be in so much pain when we just did this wonderful epidural. PS many medication last longer then one year self life. It is like food it is guideline. Much depend on the drug, how it stored ect. Meanwhile I would write the doctor a letter defining exactly why the medication is written and explain what dependency is and why she is not dependent on it and use the doctor words against him in making sure people understand that the medication was prescribed and only used once a month for medical reason and ask for it to be part of your medical records. you do have that right and I have done it with some of my records. However the letter needs to be short, on point and explain how the word dependency is being misused in this women case.

Wrongly Labeled by New Doctor

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