Comments on: Drug Seekers Suck

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 19:12:49 +0000

I am a Physician Assistant in New Mexico at a major teaching university clinic. The hospital there promotes drug abuse and diversion because it helps there bottom line. More visits is more money. The hospital management wants zero complaints. Less complaints improves reimbursement. 90% of complaints come from drug seekers who don’t get what they want. So hospital management threatens to terminate the PA or NP who gets a complaint. They don’t tell the PA of NP to write more narcotics. They simply tell the PA or NP that if you get more complaints from drug seekers, you’ll be fired. By way of indirection, the message from management is that the PA or NP should write a scrip for narcotic whenever it is demanded by a patient or risk termination. Does anyone wonder why New Mexico has the highest death rate from drug overdose?

By: Mary

Mary — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 05:04:24 +0000

Ironically,
I was labelled a drug seeker, adn menatlly ill when I went to the local ER with severe back pain. I was in bed in agony for days before going ER. I was afraid of Opiates in thase days. With the Mental health and Drug addict label it took years to get a diagnosis. I couldn’t work, couldn’t attned College, pretty much my life went down the toilet. I was ridiculed and told I had “female trouble”. I now have permanent nerve damage, Chronic pain, and I am on SS, and Welfare. So I am costing everyone money! I would like to work, but the minimal requirements, like ergonomic work area, and padded Chair are too difficult to get. I am also tired of the invalidation, and ridicule! I can hardly even type, the “stress” and Mental health issue that was actually damage to the cartilage in my neck requiring surgery, damged the nerve in my arm!
The ER Doc, that called me mentally Ill, Drug Seeker, was recently busted with Cocaine and a Prostitute in the red light district! I put his mugshot on my fridge!
I had to put my life on hold becasue of the numerous misdiagnosis. It took them 15 years to diagnose my Broken tailbone, mind you Medicare paid for thousands in Imaging, and unnecessary tests.
I have finally found A kind, empathetic Doctor, I haev been through hell. I am afraid to go to the ER. Toradol makes me puke from years of taking NSAIDS until my liver blew up. One Doctor thought he was being clever and doubled up the toradol, leaving me in the featl position for 3 days, puking my guts out. I was on Oxy, until the reformulation gave me hives, my previous Dr was unconcerned. I had to go cold turkey, or else scratch myself to death! I fired that imbecile. So many of the responses made me realize there are a lot of morons out there and many are Doctors. Why should Doctors be in Drug enforcement? Why don’t they treat Drug addicts? Why do people with Pain have to suffer and become disabled, unable to work, as their condition worsens? Why is there such a lack of Empathy? I used to hate drug addicts, they are annoying, and now I understand that many of them are in some kind of pain, physical or emotional, that should be treated. The “drug War” is a joke! Doctors who lack empathy, should go work in a prison or something! I have met some real imbecile Drs, the ones that think all women should fawn over them, the ones with the attention span of a gnat, the ones who look at a tablet, when you talk to them. I wonder if they are looking at Real Estate or Porn? Whatever it is has nothing to do with my chart, because I have to repeat information that should be on the tablet.
I once offered to set up a Booth for Doctors at a Convention, to simulate various types of pain! I was going to use car batteries, alligator clips and other devices. I thought it would be “educational” and fun! No Luck!

By: Violet

Violet — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 13:30:10 +0000

This comment actually made me cry. I had numerous ER visits for over a year, complaining of chest pain. I was young, so they said I was crazy. My own doctor referred me to a psychiatrist. A new doctor later that actually did real tests, diagnosed me with not one..but two heart complications. I live with this forever. Happens to me again, several times. I’m refused pain medication because I guess I fit that profile of a drug seeker, I’m young and it seems impossible that I could have all these health complications, and of course my blood work is fine. For 10 years now, I’ve had to deal with doctors and nurses treating me like I’m not worth anything. I never even took narcotics or pain medicine until I was in severe pain. I had uterine cancer, and it took a doctor to actually look to find it. I can’t have anymore children because it was too late to do anything besides completely remove my uterus. What do people like me do? There was a time when a doctor couldn’t find what was wrong with me, so he dismissed me as a drug seeker. The only hope I had for pain relief was ER visits. After my surgery I was just fine, no more pain..no need for pain medicine. People like us, go because we are asking for help. Do you know what its like to go to multiple doctors, do multiple tests but they don’t even remember your name on the fifth visit and tell you your pain is caused by a surgery you’ve never had. I do..I’ve lived it.

By: JadeDustEyes

JadeDustEyes — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 03:19:58 +0000

Let me ask you something. Have you ever been addicted to opiates, legal or illegal? Have you ever gone through the horrible withdrawal experience when those opiates are taken away or are not available? No? I didn’t think so. Much, much worse than ‘a really bad case of the flu.’ Take a hammer, smash both arms & legs, pound at your torso, turn the heat all the way up until it’s like a sauna, then the A/C until it freezes the sweat on your skin, drink some ipecac & pule every hour on the hour, take a whole bottle of stimulant laxative & empty your bowels constantly, with cramping in between, dehydrate severely, & take a steady dose of too much caffeine so your nerves are twisted & you can’t sleep. Then repeat over & over again for as long as it takes for your system to cleanse…could be 10 days, could be 28. Doesn’t seem to matter when each minute stretches for eternity & guess what? You’re scum. Reviled. Vilified.

As a pain patient ‘taken’ off my meds, I know how this feels. And yes there is a rare occasion when they are lost or stolen, as happened to me. I stuck it out & didn’t bother with the ED…what’s the point if I’m going to be crapped on & blackballed. Drug addiction is a medical AND psychological issue…the moral issue enters only when a crime is committed and/or someone is wronged. And addicts don’t end up continuing to take opiates because it ‘feels Good’s and they just don’t want to stop. By this point, a dose is needed just to get straight & feel normal, stave off those wicked withdrawals. So take your judge’s robes off. While I would certainly never condone breaking into someone’s house to steal opiates, I understand the pain these people are going through.

By: karen

karen — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 07:27:46 +0000

i think an ER dr should beleive the patient and give them one prescription with a peice of paper telling them about a follow up Dr. and that wouldnt hurt, what is one prescripton?

By: Terri

Terri — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 04:26:51 +0000

I agree with everything you said greg I was addicted to vic’s for years and i bought them from a guy who had alot of older “friends” every one of them got scripts every month for 120 to 150.

By: mj Young

mj Young — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 00:00:01 +0000

The article Top 10 Reasons Not To Practice Medicine in FLORIDA was intriguing.

However,few doctors who purport to practice medicine in Florida, do actually practice medicine for the well being of patients and advancement of ethical medical practices.

They come to a beautiful paradise at young ages to follow the Medicare and retiree money and get wealthy without putting in the long hours of the truly dedicated physicians in other areas, research better methodology to ensure proper, empathetic care of patients.

FIRST – DO NO HARM

REMEMBER The Hippocratic Oath ?

Patients must be able to trust doctors with their lives and health. To justify that trust you must show respect for human life and you must:

Make the care of your patient your first concern.
Protect and promote the health of patients and the public.

Provide a good standard of practice and care:
Keep your professional knowledge and skills up to date.
Recognise and work within the limits of your competence.
Work with colleagues in the ways that best serve patients’ interests.
Treat patients as individuals and respect their dignity:
Treat patients politely and considerately.
Respect patients’ right to confidentiality.
Work in partnership with patients:
Listen to patients and respond to their concerns and preferences.
Give patients the information they want or need in a way they can understand.
Respect patients’ right to reach decisions with you about their treatment and care.
Support patients in caring for themselves to improve and maintain their health.
Be honest and open and act with integrity:
Act without delay if you have good reason to believe that you or a colleague may be putting patients at risk.
Never discriminate unfairly against patients or colleagues.
Never abuse your patients’ trust in you or the public’s trust in the profession.

This does NOT describe the average Florida doctor

By: mj Young

mj Young — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 23:31:05 +0000

You do NOT belong practicing medicine or in any other field where life and death decisions and empathy are required. You belong counting your dollars from taking advantage of the ill, poor elderly.and defenseless- maybe housing scams?
When your time comes for serious and painful illness, I hope your doctor has your attitude and your suffering is very long!

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:19:50 +0000

Yeah, we know you hate us. That’s why we don’t trust you. You wouldn’t last 20 minutes we the condition I have. Maybe you need another job, like scraping road kill off the road. That would actually be too good for you.

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:17:03 +0000

It’s interesting that the dr ends by blaming “drug seekers”. Isn’t that how he started out in the first place? By labeling “people”? At least this dr was going through some sort of soul searching and for that I give him credit. He also confirmed something that I have known for a long time: Drs use pain scales, especially the 1 to 10 scale, against patients. He also confirmed that no matter what we do as people who are in chronic pain… we will have any dispostion (happy, sad, nice, beligerent) against us.