Posted by Crotale on July 21, 2008, at 12:33:55
In reply to keeping opioid prescribers out of trouble, posted by pseudoname on November 10, 2005, at 12:03:45
A couple suggestions not only for keeping your doc out of trouble if s/he prescribes opioids, but also for demonstrating your own trustworthiness:
* offer to sign a contract
* try to keep the dose as low as possible (also because these drugs have quite a lot of side effects)
* give your pdoc the phone number for the pharmacy you use (always get it filled at the same place; I recommend a local, independent pharmacy rather than a chain)
* if you're asking your pdoc to continue a prescription started by another doc, give him/her the phone # for that doc; call the original prescriber and give him/her permission to tell your current doc about the prescription (you may have to write a note or something of that sort)
* get advice from your doc about how to use the med properly
* keep your doc regularly informed about your use of the med, and make it clear that you're not abusing it (note that the definition of "drug abuse" is "whatever your doctor says it is")There have been some other good suggestions here (although IMO a few of them, like some of the DEA's recommendations, are way over the top). I'm pretty sure that as long as you're not misusing the drug in any way, your doc
Be careful not to do anything your doc would consider "abuse" even if you don't agree about how s/he defines that. (Try to find a doc whose attitudes you're comfortable with, of course, but be careful to avoid "doctor shopping" - that is, switching doctors repeatedly with the exclusive purpose of finding someone willing to prescribe an opioid.)Oh, one other thing: it's better to ask for a lower-schedule opioid like tramadol or buprenorphine. Make it clear that you're concerned about avoiding becoming addicted. (And if you're not, you should be. It's a serious risk. That's why I've stuck to buprenorphine - I would have gone with Ultram if I weren't also taking Parnate.) It also can't hurt to let your doc know that you don't want to get him/her in trouble. Exactly how to address the issue depends on your relationship with your doc, how long you've been seeing him/her, etc.
-Crotale
poster:Crotale
thread:81414
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080718/msgs/841239.html