When you start a practice, or relocate, your first 60-90 days are overwhelmed wiith drug addicts trying to scam you for narcotics. Some of them are decent actors.
If you take call for a group, you will get 2-3 calls a night begging for pain medicine, from patients you don’t know and can’t look up easily. Some of THEM are pretty good on the phone.
If you have a specialty practice and don’t do surgery, like me, you can take the stance that you don’t prescribe those drugs. I’ve written 2 or 3 Schedule II drugs in the past ten years.
But if you do general medicine, or if you’re a surgeon, you will get beaten by scammers a lot when you’re young. Their success rate falls with your experience, but it never goes to zero.
It’s already apparent to me that the “war on doctors who prescribe opioids” is having the desired effect. Patients with chronic real pain, patients with cancer, patients with unfixable painful injuries?
They’re collateral damage. But (oh, yeah) they CAN smoke dope with a doctors note. Already, there are “practices” opening up next to marijuana dispensaries (you can’t co-locate) where you can get your doctor’s note for $500.
Legal or not, demand is the problem. Way, way too many people have a spiritual sickness for which drugs are the palliative. Don’t fix that? The problem is unsolvable.
If you are a white male with chronic pain, you are better off going to the liquor store than a MD for relief.
I have been active all my life and my body shows it. Back X-rays look like a bad train wreck. Throw in chronic migraines, and pain free days are but a distant memory.
Ibuprofen will destroy your kidneys over time, and tylenol can and will destroy your liver. Aspirin does not cause organ failure like the others, but loses effectiveness over time. Where are the stats listing organ damage from these “safe” pain relievers? Tylenol kills daily, but their lobby is strong, so it is never mentioned.
Absolutely NOTHING is being done for chronic pain sufferers, and if you mention to a Dr you have chronic pain, you are blacklisted as a prescription drug abuser.
My SIL has the same back problem I have. Funny, her Dr prescribed real pain killers for her 5 years ago, me, “take 2 aspirin and deal with it” is what I get.
If that is legal under state law, then so what?
A doctor’s note for pot is only $40.
I have a problem with migraines. A few months ago I had one that was a horrible, one of the worst I’ve had. I called my brother in law, who took me to the local VA hospital (veteran here) ER. They put me in a room, turned down the lights, took my vitals, promised me I’d be seen soon, then let me sit there for two hours.
A worthless trip.
Never received care for my pain.