Please use this thread to discuss topics related to Ohio

So where in the world are all of the Ohioans?

Maybe they all went off to FL looking for a compassionate doc. Docs I am used to seeing feel like they are doing you a real favor if they give you Motrin 800 mg!

Here is another Ohioan.

I am from S.E. Ohio . B.D.

I read somewhere else on this board that midwest states seem to be more stringent when it comes to pain meds than say, Fl or TX.

What do you all find in your localities?

I am NW and docs here are like gestapo(not to mention the chain pharmacies). The PM clinics treat you like an addict. I only went once and refuse to return.

There will be like one doc in town that is prescribing like candy and everybody flocks to see him. Then DEA shows up and shuts them down and they wait til the next quack shows up.

Makes it extremely difficult for CP patients to get proper treatment. My pcp won't prescribe higher than Vic and that only for short periods of time (like somehow I was miraculously healed and no longer need the meds).

I dunno, I guess I'm just sick and tired of being sick and tired. I have spent too much of my life lying in bed.

Is it just me? I watched "Sicko" enough time to get myself really angry. How do we fight back?

I am in S.E. Ohio and If you get a 5 mg percocet or vicodin after major surgery your lucky.The D.E.A. kicked my doctors office door in wearing ski masks and put all the patients up against the wall.My doctor spent 3 years in court and $125,000 in lawyer fees before he finally won his case.If you take a script from an out of state doctor for 10 mg Hydrocodone into a pharmacy in my town and the pharmacist will call the police.I had R.O.P. doctors call the pharmacy personally and was still denied.Now I hear that up around Columbus,Ohio you can get out of state scripts filled and doctors will prescribe 10 mg Hydro but I don't know for a fact.Just a tough state to get pain meds. JMHO. B.D.

Good luck in Columbus area. Not many Dr's or pain clinics that will prescribe much of anything. That is unless you have a Dental Appt. Seems the Dentists are the ones prescribing these days. I had one Urgent Care Dr give me Perc's awhile ago, but that was really rare. The PMP here has both the Dr's and Pharms scared to death to prescribe anymore even if justified. Sad state of affairs here these days. I expect it to get worse.

But you have Shaq and Lebron.

It's the same here in north central Ohio. I just get by with a small script each month for some weak vicodin, from my family physician.

Tru www.eclinicmd.com they have a Doc in Lima OH. drop them an e-mail if you have good records and have been prescribed you should have no problems.

But they won't give us any pain meds either LOL. B.D.

In all seriousness, I really wish it wasn't so hard for those in pain to seek relief, in any state. If my humour or my attempt there of, offended anyone. I apologize. I hope and pray that all in Ohio can get the relief they need to live better lives.

Have a good day y'all

I bet Shaq and Lebron have no trouble getting their meds.

Is the problem that you don't have current records or you have never been prescribed something stronger than Motrin. I'm a Viet Nam Vet and have turned friends all over the country on to www.eclinicmd.com all of them are pleased. The only reason they are at these paces is because the VA hospitals ain't as liberal as they used to be . Recently seems like they want to treat you like a lab rat. But any way if you have records and have gotten Viks you'll probally get that or better. I'm on my sixth refill and not a hitch.

Who can afford to drive or fly 300 miles to Lima,Ohio , pay a high consultation fee, pay for the meds, get a motel and fly or drive back .You might as well buy them off the street.JMHO. B.D.

Ne Ohio here, and I guess I am lucky to have found a compassionate Doc that has never refused me although I have never asked for anything stronger than vics.

I totally agtee with you it's tough. But if you got records and have been prescribed before it's a sure thing. That's that recommends them.

...That's the flu report today in the Northeast quadrant of Ohio.

In the past two weeks, six of my mid-20, early 30-something friends/associates have developed flu-like symptoms...most notable feature: extremely high fevers (ex-boyfriend reached 105 degrees this past Thursday).

Additional demographic/psychographic characteristics notable in this population (probably not exhaustive list):
-Low income
-no health insurance/preventive health care
-typically do not seek health services unless illness/injury is considered life-threatening
-education level: some college
-tend to live in close quarters

Just kinda wondering how things are going in the rest of this region...or state...or wherever...

i have heard great things about docs in se ohio .. i have fam that live there

I am in Columbus. I have a friend with fibro and another one who had a back surgery that really didn't work. The one with fibro somehow gets 240 percs per month from 2 different doctors so she gets 12 percs a day and the other one gets about 120 percs a month. My step-niece who really has nothing wrong with her at all gets 60 or 90 generic Lortabs per month. All three of them are on medicaid. I don't know the names of the doctors but one of them is on South High street and is a DO not an MD.

Records I have. The problem is getting prescribed in the first place.

I know people who are prescribed unholy amounts of Oxy 80, OxyIR, Lortab, Dilaudid, Morphine, Norco ... the list goes on. They have never worked or work sporadically and live their lives "pilled out" and pay the bills by selling their extra. They always know who the current "candy doctor" is and they flock to him/her. They also patronize the very few mom and pop pharmacies that will fill scrips without question, like they ought to. The chain pharmacies around here are notoriously gestapo-like.

I have worked since I was 11 years old. Am currently receiving disability but I practically kill myself to continue working. I might work really hard for 1 or maybe two days and then lose the next week of my life to horrendous pain. The docs I have seen, including surgeons seem to have a limited number of pain scripts that they will fill before they say, that's it, no more. Don't want you getting addicted. And then it's back to Motrin and Tylenol. Or if you are especially blessed, maybe Darvocet or Ultram.

It has been suggested by many that I go see these candy stores and I refuse. I do not wish to get involved with that garbage and I refuse to have my name tainted when the DEA comes in, which they always do.

I also can't afford the F2F doctors that advertise. I have health insurance that I spent a lifetime buying into, my insurance is accepted practically everywhere, why in the world should I have to pay a ridiculous "consultation" fee?

So then, how does one go about receiving pain relief in this set of circumstances?
[getting down off of my soapbox before someone kicks it out from under me] LOL

It sounds like you are a good candidate for a pain management clinic.
If your current physicians have told you they are not comfortable with long-term opiate prescribing, you should suggest that you understand that is not their area of expertise and ask for a referral to a pain management practice.
That is the most common method I've seen recently for receiving pain relief in your set of circumstances. Especially since you indicate that you have good health insurance coverage.

I actually tried PM once. Not my cup of tea. Maybe it's just the area I live in, and if there is anyone else in NW Ohio, I'd like to hear your opinion. But I just really feel like CP patients are treated exactly the same as drug abusers, that is how I felt when I went to the PM clinic.

They gave me Lyrica (if they had actually read my records I have tried Lyrica twice and Neurontin at least 3 times, makes me too drowsy during the daytime)and Vicodin with instructions to come back in three months and "be ready to supply a urine sample".

They also had me choose a pharmacy and told me that that was the only place I could fill ANY prescriptions. It's been quite a few years. I just really remember it as being an unpleasant experience and feeling very degraded.

I guess I am a bit of a rebel but I just really dislike having my pain treated so differently than any other disease or condition. I still get infuriated when they make me show ID and sign a logbook to get a stupid box of Sudafed. I mean seriously, does the govt really need to know every time I sneeze?

Oops, did it again..... I don't mean to get OT. Is it just me or is this common in Ohio or is it everywhere?

Oh, and thanks for the advice, martind, didn't mean to just blow it off like that.

Like I said, I am on disability and pretty much work when I can and want to. I'll never be wealthy and sometimes the quality of my life gets me down but then, I always meet somebody who is lots worse off then I am. I just make do with what I have and pray for a better day tomorrow.

Pamipa, I believe I saw you live in NW Ohio. Most of the PM Clinics are south and SE of Columbus area from what I can tell and hear from others. Sadly, we live in a state that does not recognize Pain for what it is, REAL, and Dr's are more worried about the DEA and other agencies with the PMP Programs and Insurance Companies watchful eyes. It is getting worse and I see not much relief in the future.

Although you might not have liked some of the requirements of your prior pain management clinic, you shouldn't feel like you were subjected to some kind of harsh treatment or this only happening in Ohio.
Since the advent of this specialty, these clinics have managed to avoid some of the pressure from oversight agencies by instituting more strict patient compliance measures such as contracts, frequent UA's, single pharmacy fulfillment and even regular pill counts.
You might feel like you are a "rebel" but if you want to try to solve the problem with your current doctors' hesitancy to prescribe opiates long-term, then you'll need to play by the pain management clinic's Rules.
Your imagination probably cannot conceive of the extent of patient lies, deceit, fairy tales and subversions that the staffs at these clinics have to deal with every day.
As I said before, if your current healthcare providers are not working out for you, the best advice I can suggest is another try at Pain Management and a willingness to play by their Rules.
And, hopefully, you understand the reasons for the limited distribution of OTC meds like Sudafed. It's not regulatory interest in your sneezes.

I live in SW Ohio, just moved here from Denver, and moved from CA to Denver all in about 3 years. I had surgery on my back 20 years ago with some success. I also suffer from severe headaches almost daily. I had my PCP in CA prescribe 5 mg vics (3 or 4 a day) based on me telling her my history and current ailments. My records are from PA and many years ago. My point is, I moved to Denver and looked up a PCP in the phone book, had initial visit at which time he prescribed 10 mg Loretabs 3 times a day. He then had my records sent from my previous PCP in CA (which contain no xray reports or anything about my back, only my word) I then moved 2 years later to Ohio, looked up another PCP in the phone book, went in for initial visit and received my same prescription. I do see my Dr twice a year (annual physical & meds review). I don't understand why people have so many problems getting pain meds. I don't even produce any viable records and it's never an issue. I think maybe some need to work on their interpersonal skills. Maybe you're trying too hard when you go to the Dr, relax, be honest.

Look, you have been lucky IMO for the most part. I live in Ohio and know how hard it is to get pain meds for many without the testing and forwarded records. I don't think it is interpersonal skills so much as it is the physicians and the new laws and regulations they are facing. I am glad you did get the same treatment you have gotten in the past and you found a good PCP it seems by luck. I do know of many Dr's, many I have visited here in Ohio who have signs in the waiting rooms that no narcotics will be prescribed. I fortunately do not need strong pain meds. Additionally the new PMP Programs here and the Physicians licensing board will be examining records of all licensed Dr's over the next few yrs under a new law. Many Dr's are starting to change their ways now.

Meanwhile happy to hear you found a PCP to take care of your pain.

Look, obviously your Dr is NOT meeting your needs as I responded how wonderful for you.

While reading, you are all over here ordering like crazy in addition to what you so eloquently wrote about being able to find your meds here in Ohio.

I believe in honest posts and your post to me based on my perception is anything but...

i did notice that order in another thread. would not have been so bold if he stated his doc was not prescribing much (or any) for adequate pain relief. but to say your needs are met, don't understand why people cant get what they need because he always gets his script where ever he goes without updated records/tests (then proceeds to order from an online vendor! DOH!!)

i dunno. seems to be a lot of this with people lately.

why not stay safe and legal with the original script (and somewhat out of pain) instead of doing both and run the risk of losing all?