[diverteach]

"
As one who has chronic pain I'd like to propose a better solution. Find a primary care physician you're comfortable with who can handle all of your regular stuff. I don't know if you've done the neurologist/MRI/etc. stuff but if not, you'll probably need to for documentation of what's causing the back pain. Ask your primary care physician to refer you to a pain specialist. The pain specialist will be in charge of prescribing all meds for pain."


Been there done all that. I have x-rays which undeniably show the problem of a couple vertebrae in my spine and still I'm FORCED to "Dr shop".

[eyespysomething]

still I'm FORCED to "Dr shop".

Because DR's are scared of being charged with a crime for prescribing pain meds.

[RushCrush]

I worked as an administrator in an anesthesia clinic for patients with chronic pain, for over 10 years. I can't tell you how many times we had patients who we suspected were 'doctor shopping'.

Quite honestly I will say that I think they were doing the right thing because so many physicians have NO IDEA how to treat chronic pain. Either that or they are just skittish about prescribing anything stronger than an 800mg Ibuprofen.

It's really sad because some of the people ended up having cancer, that was never diagnosed until the very end stage. They went through hellish pain because the doctors were inept or skittish.

I truly feel for anyone with this type of problem. Doctors are in no way as infallible as some people think.

[not2worry]

Most physicians today are scared to death to prescribe any kind of pain medication for being branded as a drug dealer or slapped with a malpractice suit.

I've seen doctors prescribe pain medication to a patient in need and then purposely refers him/her to another physican so that he can start writing the scrip. This goes around the horn so by the time you're "referred to a specialist", you do have a list of doctors a mile long.

Most people who need pain medication, quite frankly, do become "addicted". That's the nature of the medication and the only way to relieve the pain. If you have never had serious chronic pain you really can't form an opinion, IMHO.