Do you hate the term “drug seeking” when it’s used on people who are seeking legitimate medication?

[Anonymous]

And I have literally the opposite experience. Doctors seem to throw narcotics at me. I cut my finger and needed a couple of stitches. Went to the ER. 15 days worth of narcotics. I broke my toe and saw my doctor to be sure it didn't need to be reset. Narcotics. Root canal. Narcotics. My 22 year old was prescribed Loritab for a bad sore throat last year. It's crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And I have literally the opposite experience. Doctors seem to throw narcotics at me. I cut my finger and needed a couple of stitches. Went to the ER. 15 days worth of narcotics. I broke my toe and saw my doctor to be sure it didn't need to be reset. Narcotics. Root canal. Narcotics. My 22 year old was prescribed Loritab for a bad sore throat last year. It's crazy.

Ethnicity and social class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PS: Also, ERs are supposed to stabilize. They are not designed or suited for longterm management -- they are supposed to keep you alive for the immediate foreseeable future.

If you need longterm management, you need an ongoing relationship with a primary care physician. If you've had multiple PCP relationships come to an end, then there is probably a pattern.

Occasionally, at 3am, pain management needs an ER visit. I’ve had the same doctor for 27 years. I also have enough opioids in my house to open up a drug trade. I try not to take them because “addition”. Sometimes, when the pain is so bad that I’m screaming, vomiting, and have taking the maximum oral dose - I must go to the ER.

Lucky, my doctor has written notification for me to carry with me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS: Also, ERs are supposed to stabilize. They are not designed or suited for longterm management -- they are supposed to keep you alive for the immediate foreseeable future.

If you need longterm management, you need an ongoing relationship with a primary care physician. If you've had multiple PCP relationships come to an end, then there is probably a pattern.

Occasionally, at 3am, pain management needs an ER visit. I’ve had the same doctor for 27 years. I also have enough opioids in my house to open up a drug trade. I try not to take them because “addition”. Sometimes, when the pain is so bad that I’m screaming, vomiting, and have taking the maximum oral dose - I must go to the ER.

Lucky, my doctor has written notification for me to carry with me.

I'm glad that you are able to get what you need. If it happens more than occasionally, a different plan is needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Happened to me recently, I had an accident with internal injury and internal bleeding, the pain was through the roof, they did not believe me, chastised me and conveniently "forgot" me in a waiting cubicle. Once CT scan showed internal bleeding, the er doc apologized but it did not take away from the crazy pain or being essentially abandoned while I as pleading for help. Oh well. I guess its the reality these days.

Did it occur to you they had to validate the injury and there may have been an actual medical reason they didn’t give you pain control? Like, surgery may have been imminent and they didn’t want to risk depressing your respiratory system? Or as you were still wing assessed they wanted to make sure your neurological system was able to be checked?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Happened to me recently, I had an accident with internal injury and internal bleeding, the pain was through the roof, they did not believe me, chastised me and conveniently "forgot" me in a waiting cubicle. Once CT scan showed internal bleeding, the er doc apologized but it did not take away from the crazy pain or being essentially abandoned while I as pleading for help. Oh well. I guess its the reality these days.

Did it occur to you they had to validate the injury and there may have been an actual medical reason they didn’t give you pain control? Like, surgery may have been imminent and they didn’t want to risk depressing your respiratory system? Or as you were still wing assessed they wanted to make sure your neurological system was able to be checked?

In that case they could have mentioned to me that they were withholding pain medication for a reason. As it was, the ER doc did not say anything, walked out after checking on me without explaining anything. When she came back in a couple of hours and saw I was still in pain, she said, oh sorry, I guess the nurse forgot about you. They then gave pain medication and then did everything else so no, sorry the nurse forgot about you did not seem like an actual medical reason to withhold pain meds.

[Anonymous]

Oh, boy. I had an emergency c-section at a hospital an hour and a half away from my home (long story). My OB made a mistake on my prescription for Percocet when I was discharged, so the pharmacy wouldn't fill it and Advil wasn't cutting it. She told me the best thing to do was go to the local ER. (We all thought it would be faster than my husband driving 3 hours round-trip to her office - you can't call in Percocet)

So I did, and was treated so horribly that I walked out in tears. My milk had just come in, I was in pain with a fresh incision and newborn, and the ER doc told me he "thought I was just looking for oxy." I've never been so ashamed and horrified in my life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh, boy. I had an emergency c-section at a hospital an hour and a half away from my home (long story). My OB made a mistake on my prescription for Percocet when I was discharged, so the pharmacy wouldn't fill it and Advil wasn't cutting it. She told me the best thing to do was go to the local ER. (We all thought it would be faster than my husband driving 3 hours round-trip to her office - you can't call in Percocet)

So I did, and was treated so horribly that I walked out in tears. My milk had just come in, I was in pain with a fresh incision and newborn, and the ER doc told me he "thought I was just looking for oxy." I've never been so ashamed and horrified in my life.

That's horrible; I'm so sorry it happened to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have an NSAID/aspirin allergy so that will get you flagged as a drug seeker even though I've never been prescribed painkillers for any condition so not for migraines or for any major dental work, abscesses, never. I had a sinus lift dental surgery for an implant which will cause swelling. I was prescribed nothing at all because the minute you say allergy they flag you. My husband and neighbour had the same surgery and were prescribed a short course of painkillers so along with the NSAIDS they could live comfortable through the post operative period. I just had to tough it out. Apparently the drug addicts all say they have the allergy which then reflects on people who really do.

I’m a nurse and we don’t think anything of NSAID allergies. That’s not the red flag

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like anyone who's really bothered by this term, probably has a problem they don't want to admit.

Agreed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like anyone who's really bothered by this term, probably has a problem they don't want to admit.

Agreed.

Seriously? Read my c-section story above. Damn right I'm bothered by it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you have an actual issue, then you're not "drug seeking."

I think PP's point is well-taken. If you go in asking for help with a condition or symptoms, that's one thing.

If you go in saying "I need [name brand drug]" you're asking for trouble.

Basically, the patient needs to get better at the game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, boy. I had an emergency c-section at a hospital an hour and a half away from my home (long story). My OB made a mistake on my prescription for Percocet when I was discharged, so the pharmacy wouldn't fill it and Advil wasn't cutting it. She told me the best thing to do was go to the local ER. (We all thought it would be faster than my husband driving 3 hours round-trip to her office - you can't call in Percocet)

So I did, and was treated so horribly that I walked out in tears. My milk had just come in, I was in pain with a fresh incision and newborn, and the ER doc told me he "thought I was just looking for oxy." I've never been so ashamed and horrified in my life.

That's horrible; I'm so sorry it happened to you.

Seriously. That is lawsuit worthy in my opinion. Something not quite as horrible, but still awful happened to my 14 year old. He was injured at school. I rushed him to the ER. They did xrays. The ER doctor missed a serious fracture. They have him very little pain medication. I took him to an orthopedic surgeon the next day after a horrible night of severe pain. He had a torn ACL and a broken leg. The orthopedists called the ER doctor "incompetent" and suggested the radiologist who read the xray was probably reading it from his bed at home while watching Netflix.

This was just one medical nightmare too much. I have ZERO trust in doctors now. I'll see a PA or a nurse practitioner. But I avoid doctors like the plague when I can. I'm convinced ER docs must be the bottom of the barrel.

[Anonymous]

In your experiences, when the er staff labels you a drug seeker, do they offer medical detox? Or at least discuss it with you? If someone is addicted, they need to be monitored during withdrawal.

My good friend has been using opioids and benzos off and on for years. She abuses them. She has been to rehab twice. One doctor refused to give her another prescription, then she went home and had a seizure. That was her story. Her husband told me the doctor refused to give her the scrip, but did advise her to go to the er for detox, and recommended a rehab facility. She refused.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, boy. I had an emergency c-section at a hospital an hour and a half away from my home (long story). My OB made a mistake on my prescription for Percocet when I was discharged, so the pharmacy wouldn't fill it and Advil wasn't cutting it. She told me the best thing to do was go to the local ER. (We all thought it would be faster than my husband driving 3 hours round-trip to her office - you can't call in Percocet)

So I did, and was treated so horribly that I walked out in tears. My milk had just come in, I was in pain with a fresh incision and newborn, and the ER doc told me he "thought I was just looking for oxy." I've never been so ashamed and horrified in my life.

That's horrible; I'm so sorry it happened to you.

Seriously. That is lawsuit worthy in my opinion. Something not quite as horrible, but still awful happened to my 14 year old. He was injured at school. I rushed him to the ER. They did xrays. The ER doctor missed a serious fracture. They have him very little pain medication. I took him to an orthopedic surgeon the next day after a horrible night of severe pain. He had a torn ACL and a broken leg. The orthopedists called the ER doctor "incompetent" and suggested the radiologist who read the xray was probably reading it from his bed at home while watching Netflix.

This was just one medical nightmare too much. I have ZERO trust in doctors now. I'll see a PA or a nurse practitioner. But I avoid doctors like the plague when I can. I'm convinced ER docs must be the bottom of the barrel.

I think it's worse for a kid. Sorry that happened.

For me, I've forgotten the physical pain (except my milk coming in - I think I'm traumatized from that). But the accusations and shame stuck with me for a long time, and contributed to some pretty awful PPD. And like you, I don't trust doctors anymore. Love PA's and NP's.

And lest people like the PP think it's a socioeconomic thing, it's not. We were white, married UMC, and in our mid-30's. DH was an Navy O-5 at the time - which they knew since it was on my ID (used for insurance). Some doctors are just on a power trip and see drug abusers everywhere.