If these people were filling their prescriptions through insurance, even if they used a new pharmacy every time, I wonder why it took one year and $25,000 worth of claims for controlled substances before they were caught.

I know in my own practice insurance companies send reports all the time (I'm their PCP) when a patient has filled a controlled substance from more than two physicians. Some of them are silly (flagging Xanax or Ambien from a psychiatrist and Vicodin from an ortho a few months later) but every now and then I get reports that show patients visiting multiple family docs and getting several different kinds of schedule two scripts within the same month... we discharge these patients immediately.

Not long ago we started requiring drug contracts before prescribing, but I can tell that a lot of times the patients are offended. Hasn't made me stop though.

In primary care I think the suspicion and weariness about potential drug seekers may be just as prevalent as the fear of legal liabilities..

Whoa, I think the type of sleazy physician you're describing is a very rare minority. How many total doctors did they try in all and fail to obtain from? Even a good many who did prescribe probably did believe them. Whether you want to believe it or not (and despite the assinine ramblings of a select few whack jobs around here) a majority of doctors do have both ethics and empathy. They are also aware of the legal liabilities associated with over or needlessly prescribing.

With pain control I've long thought its a kind of damned if you do, damned if you don't proposition. If you overprescibe, or prescribe to a drug seeker, the DEA gets all watchful and pharmacists get suspicious (not that their opinion of you ultimately really matters, but they can contact other authorities). If you're too conservative in prescribing, you risk letting patients who really need help suffer and people complain that you won't help them.

What exactly is pain? Its what a patient says it is, and its nearly impossible to evaluate objectively. This makes it very very easy for good liars to take advantage. Ultimately, would you rather risk writing a script one time for someone who may or may not genuinely need it or turning down someone in legitimate excruciating pain? In lieu of a clear diagnosis (like a fracture or cancer) prescribing for pain of unknown etiology is a crapshoot.

"...find out how hard it is to get pain medication..."

It is so easy. Just go to the ER, if you're willing to wait, tell them you're hurting at this body part,and just show the nurse or doctor that you're in severe pain and they will give you narcotics. The ER doctor always wants a good grade in the survey so he gives whatever makes the patients happy. Then follow up with whichever doctor and do the same. You're all so naive. It's so easy. Ask any drug seeker.

Just go to the ER, writhe in pain, wait your turn for 8 or 9 hours, then tell them you've got a kidney stone. Go into the Bathroom, piss in a cup, then cut your finger and put a few drops of blood in the urine. You'll get narcs, till the CYA CT SCan shows no stones. Then you'll get a script for 8 percs just to get your ass out of the ER.

I opt for a demerol, percocet, vicodin, dilaudid, xanax vending machines outside the ERs next to the coffee and candy machine instead of wasting time of the nurses and doctors.

Wait, even that wouldn't work because people would actually HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. So instead they would still torture the ED staff with concocted stories and complaints that can't be proved to get a free fix.

As an outpatient doc, I rarely rx pain meds to a new patient, even if they bring documentation of lumbosacral disc disease and what not...I usually refer to pain management; I have lost patients because of this but I think I am better off...you go DEA!

You are all full of shit every single one of you what they reported was a big fat lie me and my husband do have real pain provin by mri and other test not only that we were refered to the doctor in nevada and we told him which doctor we were seeing in Utah and what medications we were taking the doctor told us he would communcaite with the doctor in utah. and when we found out that he wasn't we immeditaly stopped seeing both doctors and contacted the insurace agency also i helped the dea do a sting on the doctor in nevada and the acutally the only thing the insurance over paid on me Tonya Green was $100.00. This is not over we are going after the state of Utah and the Doctor in Nevada Oh and I only got probation so I guess it wasnt that serious they lied.

Tonya Green

I have been treated in four different reputable pain treatment centers in the past 10 years. I have tried PT, stretching, acupuncture, and tried a number of the neurotransmitter meds that each make me uncoordinated, confused to the point I am unable to function. Now that the "wonderful DEA" has tightened up on doctors who give narcotics to "painseekers" how am I, a person with real signifcant PAIN approach a doctor for pain relief? I feel guilty or shamed as I feel pre-judged even tho I have done nothing wrong. Many legit patients end up self-medicating with alcohol with even worse results. I wish there was a poligraph to determine who is telling the truth. Today I am in a "flare" and don't feel able to leave the house, so it's ice packs, Whirlpool, resting, stretching...any thing but go to get the only pain relief that works for me. I am not very smart, I guess. I don't know how to get meds leagally without feeling like a drugseeker as I AM a drugseeker looking for narcotics for serious pain and I have no clue as to where people buy illegal drugs ( and don't WANT to know.)