Hey Miniver,

I think most of us are with you on that, the CDC should never have been granted power over the FDA to pass Laws governing Prescribing Policy for Narcotic/Opioid Drugs for Chronic and/or Acute Pain Patients.

Unfortunately they deal with the Drug Addict overdose stats, which have gotten ridiculous, in part due to all of the GP's out there that were tossing out Vicoden and Percocet to every patient with as little as strep throat. The interesting part will come at the end of 2017 as I highly doubt those Stats will go down much, addicts still get narcotic pain meds if they want them bad enough....

and life trickles on.....

Hope your weekend was somewhat restful.

When I first read what CVS is doing I felt just like the OP did. But after talking to my pharmacist whom I have trusted for the last 18 years, I began to understand. They are trying to limit people with acute pain to only what they truly need. The states that have adopted these laws already limiting some to 5 day and some to 7 day initial scripts for acute pain will allow the doctor to write additional scripts if needed, he just has to justify his actions which I don't think is a bad thing. My pharmacist says they are hoping this will lessen the scenario where people have extra left over and someone gets their hands on them that shouldn't. I know there have been times where myself and my kids received more meds for an acute issue than was needed. My 14 year old son had stitches in his hand once and they gave him 30 pills which is way more than he needed. I always flushed them but can certainly understand people who kept them just in case. After talking to the pharmacist, I think this is a step in the right direction. Now as far as the morphine equivalent thing, I definitely am not on board with that. Everyone is so different and at a different place in their pain journey that you just have to leave that up to the persons doctor. At this point, with everything that has gone on in the last few years, I believe that doctors are being very careful as to how much meds they are prescribing and trying to keep their patients at the minimum for them personally. I believe they need to rethink an across the board limit like that.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on the subject.

Cindy

Once again, the morphine "equivalent thing" is for people who are being treated by a "Non-Pain Management Specialist" like a PCP, M.D. or Family Dr. because those Dr.'s are not educated, trained or specialize in Pain Management and the way Narcotic Pain meds work in conjunction with other pain medications, like muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatory and off-label nerve pain meds. as well as how they work with other pain relief therapies.

If you go to a Pain Management Dr. then the Morphine Equivalent does not pertain. They use combinations of pain relievers with different therapies like PT, PRP therapy, Bio Feedback, Acupuncture, Chiropractics, etc. They Specialize in treating Pain and that's all they do.

Please don't flush medication down the toilette. That gets into the water supply. If you have to get rid of medication, take it to your pharmacy so they can dispose of it properly.

I don’t think chronic patients have a whole lot to worry about.

Probably not with narcotics...but since "extra medication" was mentioned, that could also be any number of things being flushed. Could be old antibiotics, could be anything prescription that is old. Flushing any kind of medication down the drain is not the way to get rid of it.

Well now, I'm extremely happy that my insurance stopped doing business with CVS! I have had chronic, intractable, pain for 37 years and am now, (according to the conversion program,) at the equivalent of 277.5mg per day of morphine. I have been through about 8 pain clinics including several from both VA and USAF and I STILL SUFFER EVERY DAY! I actually came on here for the first time in months because I was thinking, "I know there's no such thing and "pain go away" but it sure would be nice to not be suffering for a day!" SO then I see this thread about chronic pain sufferers being given a new slap to the head!
All that being said, I do believe that anyone who is new to chronic pain would be absolutely better served to try absolutely EVERYTHING before going down the opioid path, I sure did. I was given drugs that shut down my brain, my balance, my emotions, gave me double vision, and on and on. Turns out I'm allergic to drugs in the gabapentin family among others. But the REAL turning point was when I had to quit smoking marijuana for pain due to the "War ON Drugs!!!" that Nancy and Ronnie started. I wasn't willing to risk losing my home and my kids to some overzealous District Attorney who was filling the county's coffers at the expense of their citizens. So instead I had to use narcotics alone, when the combination of pot and pills was working adequately with me at a dose of 15 mg equivalent!
Where was I? Oh yeah, new to pain? PLEASE try everything else first, I'd give almost anything, (but my home and my kids) to NOT be reliant upon this stuff. And please don't tell me to go back, because at 61 and constantly fighting cancer I just don't believe it's possible.
Good luck all!

Federal Law states a pharmacist does not have to fill any prescriptions they have doubts about. This is nothing new.

I said flushing but didn't literally mean flushed down the toilet. I always take whatever meds I need to get rid of either to my doctor or pharmacist and let them take care of it in whatever way is correct. Sorry, I just have this habit of saying flushed.