One day, what if you suffer an accident, are prescribed a painkiller, such as oxycodone, for your extreme pain and become addicted? What if the debate about treatment centered on your life?
Being addicted to prescription drugs causes family- and employment-related distress for so many Maine people. In 2008, the state had the highest rate of residents admitted for treatment for oxycodone addiction in the country and one of the nation’s biggest increases in pharmacy robberies.
Opiate addiction is a chronic disease — it doesn’t go away — but it can be managed over time. So for those who are working to stay clean, a cap on MaineCare reimbursements for methadone and Suboxone treatments, which takes effect Jan. 1, is insulting. Any savings to the state will likely be consumed by long-term health care and criminal justice costs.
It was not for medical-based purposes that the Maine Legislature approved a supplemental budget in the spring that limits coverage for methadone treatments to two years for MaineCare patients unless they get prior authorization. A similar change for Suboxone treatments, which also takes effect Jan. 1, was included in a February supplemental budget.
Placing an arbitrary limit on treatment perpetuates a stigma that people who suffer from addiction exhibit a moral failing. People make unhealthy decisions, but addiction is a medical condition, and patients require comprehensive physical and psychological treatment that is right for them. Not everyone needs to be on methadone or Suboxone treatments for two years, but a fair number do.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describe methadone treatment as “the most effective treatment for opiate addiction.” Methadone is not a cure. It suppresses withdrawal symptoms, lessens cravings and should be paired with counseling to address underlying issues. With proper doses, it does not get people high. It is a long-term, long-acting treatment, and the length of time people need it varies.
What will change on Jan. 1? The clock will begin ticking for methadone patients on MaineCare. After two years, physicians will have to request an extension for some patients to continue to provide methadone treatment, according to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. A tapering-off period will begin if the request is denied.
MaineCare patients on Suboxone, another common opiate replacement drug, will be subject to a 24-month retroactive cap starting Jan. 1 if they don’t get prior approval.
Is having another administrative layer necessary? Will it help patients? Will it provide assistance to doctors who are being bombarded with patients needing treatment?
The state estimates that methadone treatment cuts will save an estimated $1.36 million — starting January 2015. But a state plan amendment must still go to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services for approval. Suboxone treatment estimated savings total $600,000.
Coverage cuts are foolish, especially since dollars spent treating those suffering from substance abuse save future health-care costs, according to the Maine Office of Substance Abuse Services.
And treatment services make up a small percentage of the total estimated workforce, criminal justice and health care costs associated with substance abuse in Maine — which in 2005 totaled $898.4 million, equalling $682 for every Maine resident. Of that total, substance abuse treatment costs comprised the smallest proportion, at 2.8 percent. Costs associated with crime comprised the largest proportion, at 23.9 percent.
Across the U.S., the sale of prescription painkillers to pharmacies and health care providers tripled over the last decade, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. So did the number of fatal prescription drug overdoses. Maine is at the forefront of the prescription drug epidemic, and the state’s reaction is to cut methadone and Suboxone treatment?
We are disappointed. Because, in the end, it’s not just about you. We’re all touched by prescription drug abuse — whether we feel the effects directly or not.
I say limit it to 6 months and if they havent cleaned up by then…hang em’
unfortunately, while this may help those who are addicted, there are a lot of people who have been on this for 5, 6, 10 years. That is not acceptable. Where do you draw the line? You can’t honestly say that a majority of the individuals that are on this, for over 2 years, that are on mainecare, are individuals that are full functioning and contributing fully to society, if they were, they would have full time jobs, and unless they had a large score of children that put their income low enough for their household size, they wouldn’t be on mainecare. This new change doesn’t count for anyone NOT on mainecare, and if these individuals want to continue past 2 years, then they need to pay out of pocket. This is simply making it so that the state, and in the end that means us, are not the ones paying for people to stay on methadone forever. There are strict laws through the board of medicine and DEA that require doctors to be careful how they prescribe w/ narcotics, or it’s getting stricter now, we need stricter laws on things like this too so that they can’t be prescribed forever either.
testing
If your in an accident and are prescribed oxycodones for the pain that is WHAT THE DRUG IS FOR !!!! Even if you have to take it for the rest of your life!!! Pain is an antagonist. IT IS FOR PAIN RELIEF !!
i didn’t say doctors shouldn’t be able to prescribe it, but there is a strict law on the reasons why and how now, methadone is there to get people who are addicted off this, it is not there for pain relief. if you are in an accident, then you need to find what is causing the pain, and get that resolved so you don’t need the pain meds, if thats not possible, then because of state regulations (if you are on mainecare moreso) then you will be limited in what pain meds you can take, they are now putting limitations on acute and chronic narcotic prescriptions for physicians except in the case of cancer or inpatient. The reason? They don’t want people taking them the rest of their life.
just because you were in an accident and are in pain does not give you the right to take opiates, become addicted, and then have the rest of us foot the bill…
Just because you ate poorly and have heart disease does not give you the right to become dependent on heart medications and then have the rest of us foot the bill.
Just because a person made the choice to smoke, knowing, despite all the warnings of the health risks does not give you the right to receive medical care for COPD and the rest of us foot the bill.
Just because someone on TANF doesn’t use a condom and gets pregnant does not give them the right to receive TANF and the rest of us foot the bill.
Just because a person gets on a motorcycle without a helmet, crashes and suffers traumatic brain injury does not give them the right to receive MaineCare while the rest of us foot the bill. afterall they made a choice.
What really gets me is that people give methadone treatment a hard time based on the fact the rest of us pay for it. Get off it! You pay for much more at greater expense. Because addiction and specifically methadone seems to be unpopular people think it is ok to justify it as a poor expenditure. Wake up, it is all around you.
Bottom line, it is less expensive to the tax payers to treat opiate addicts with methadone and suboxone then to pay for them to be in prison. As such, the treatment is economically the better choice.
The only reason LePage is after this treatment, as well as others is they don’t like it. Bottom line, end of story. You can object to treatment or anything. METHADONE treamtent IS NOT about getting you off, it is HARM/RISK reduction. Keep the “addicts” out of jail, from robbing pharmacies, and using needles (at risk of HIV/AIDS) is the goal. If you can stop them from high rish behavior,control the craving they have the hope of getting their life back on track.
“unfortunately, while this may help those who are addicted, there are a lot of people who have been on this for 5, 6, 10 years. That is not acceptable. ”
Methadone is a maintenance program. Maintenance never stops. Ask any homeowner.
Directed at the nah sayers……..Should the government decide when enough is enough for a heart medication? Insulin? Because your Type 2 and still eating donuts should you be cut off. Does the government have the right? Should it be a prescriber guidance that makes a medical decision? If an addict has 2 years to get off the meds shouldn’t the diabetic have a time frame to stop making poor food choices? Should the smoker have X number of months to stop smoking? I”m a non-smoker. I’m sick and tired of paying for medical costs related to smoking. I”m tired of the 260 lbs fat person with diabetes and a handicapp plate at MacDonalds. If you’re on welfare you shouldn’t be allowed to have kids. Despite on this, it isn’t up to me judge what a person needs.
Those that protest the changes talk as if methadone and suboxone are going away. these drugs are not going anywhere, they are still available to those with opiate addictions and serve a purpose. But they are not going to be paid for by mainecare for an openended length of time anymore. The goal of addiction treatment is return to funcitonality, if someone is doing well on methadone then they should be functioning in society, meaning have a job, pay their bills, contribute. The cost of Mainecare comes out of tax paying society’s pocket and we are busy paying our own copays, our $2,000 insurance deductables, our medical bills that arent covered by our pathetic private insurance etc. So I am less than sympathetic that those who are paying nothing for the cost of their care are being asked to now shoulder some of the cost for their own medications.
Who will hire theses people companies will not hire them because they will not trust them,, to show up every day an they have no skills an they will not want them steeling from the company
That is why they need to GET OFF THE DRUGS. All the drugs including methadone and suboxone.
Why would i even consider hiring someone who is unreliable, cannot show up for work until after they get their daily fix, is a zombie for half the day, and has no character or moral strength.
Unfortunately, Kathy Alarie is a co-dependent. Her employment depends on throngs of junkies seeking “treatment”. No junkies, no job. So, it shouldn’t shock anyone that she’s not being exactly forthright or leveling with us.
Methadone IS an opiod. Period. Calling the use of methadone, “treatment” is a stretch also. The goal of addiction treatment is to get off the addictive substance and/or behavior. Not, to merely swap one heavy narcotic for another heavy narcotic. That’s not “treatment”, imo.
When she says things like ‘methadone doesn’t get people high…’ she’s also not being straight with us. No, used as directed methadone doesn’t get the user high. It merely prevents them from the discomfort of withdrawals. However, toss in a couple benzos, like klonopin, valium, ativan… etc. which seem to be given out like candy on Halloween, and the methadone client can get as high as any 6 bag a day heroin junky.
It’s also harder to detox from methadone than heroin. They don’t usually mention that. I wonder why not?
Maybe it’s the profitability of the methadone industry? Methadone is dirt cheap to make, has a life-long client in it’s users. Is paid for by the gov’t most of the time. It’s the goose that laid the golden egg. Junkies be damned.
Good reading… http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-09-24/news/sns-mct-methadone-caregivers-say-they-focus-on-treatment-20120924_1_methadone-clinics-colonial-management-group-mark-parrino
Alarie didn’t make the comment about not getting high, the CDC did.
No, the CDC said what was in quotes. The opinion after the quotes is from the author of the editorial and that’s her, unless it’s attributed to someone else, which it’s not.
The CDC pdf says the following… “• [Methadone]does not cause euphoria or intoxication itself (with stable dosing)”
Which is exactly what I said. But, expecting an addict to take anything “as directed” is pretty friggin’ foolish, now isn’t it? So, toss back a couple drinks, take a couple klonopin to go along with the methadone and off to la la land you go.
I recommend the documentary, Methadonia .
“But, expecting an addict to take anything “as directed” is pretty friggin’ foolish, now isn’t it?”
Yes, that would be foolish. As a result, addicts in methadone maintenance are given one dose at a time and must show that they have consumed it on the spot.
Then why are they trading with one another in the parking lot?
And then they down a few klonopin and are as wasted as ever.
Try research based articles. This is worthless.
There are very few in this line of work who are in it for the money and I don’t think she has any job security issues, so your point is invalid. If more people understood the facts about addiction and treatment there would not be an arbitrary time limit placed on treatment.
Do we place a maximum time that someone can take blood pressure medication? No, and most of these people can lower their blood pressure on their own through proper diet and exercise.
The amount of projected savings from this measure is a joke. It is such a measly amount it is pathetic and when you factor in the increased court costs and law enforcement costs this will only end up costing Mainers more money.
The stigma associated with opiate addiction is similar to the stigma that used to coincide with alcoholism back in the 50s-70s. Now most are educated about alcoholism but still do not grasp the concept of opiate addiction. I would assume that as more and more families deal with this firsthand there will be an increase in compassion and understanding for those dealing with opiate addiction. No one thinks it will happen to them until it is too late or nobody thinks that their “perfect” family member could be a drug addict until it is too late.
Addiction does not discriminate. I know this firsthand as I had a successful career, graduated in the top 10% of my class at Business School and yet I could not control my addiction to painkillers. Luckily I sought out the help of a methadone clinic and have been clean for over three years. I am fortunate enough to have been able to afford my own treatment but for those who cannot I would like to see as many avenues of help as possible. Setting an arbitrary two year cap is ridiculous, especially since the majority of research being done on opiate addiction shows that those who are in methadone treatment for two or more years are the ones who are most successful in staying clean after treatment.
Are you still on methadone? If so, you aren’t clean.
I see the haters are out in force. One: Legalize the drugs or provide the treatment the way it is done in many other countries. Go to a clinic, get the dope and take it there. Commit a crime due to drugs, lie about the addiction, refuse treatment, you can go to jail. Seek help and the drugs cost pennies a day.
Two: Portugal legalized drugs and drug usage has dropped dramatically.
Three: In the crudest terms, I would rather have an addict getting drugs at a clinic than by knifing my neighbors and stealing their stuff.
Get off your moralistic, false numbers. Treatment is cheaper than no treatment.
You make perfect sense…………..
As a victim. (sheep)
“Haters” I must have missed that. I do hate to be scammed. Is that what you mean?
There is freedom from addiction through Christ!
And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.
John 8:32
See some testimonies at iamsecond.com
http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/brian-welch/
Works for some alone and can work in conjunction with replacement therapy.
Nope. a “replacement drug” that is harder to kick than heroine will not bring “freedom from addiction.”
Tux you still continue to hide behind your smoke screen. Untill you can produce solid based research to support your claim…….don’t respond to me.
Does anyone know the period of time it takes most people get off the methadone completely and what is the recidivism rate?
People usually don’t get off the methadone completely. When they broach the idea to counselors they are discouraged from cessation. Methadone is a maintenance program. It’s not a detox program. So, it’s years and years, and years they’re on the stuff. Decades, if they live that long.
Bizarre approach! That falls into my theory that Methadone is all about the the drug support infrastructure and the money flow and the jobs that creates. If what you say is true there is no other answer.
Oh wow; Big surprise. Yet another special interest has discovered a way to get cash money from taxpayers. ….and as usual for doing next to nothing.
A.A. is TOTALLY self supporting. They do not take ANY government money, and they are the most effective program for “getting clean” ever created. PRECISELY because they espouse personal responsibility.
Of course4 to start in A.A. one must admit they have a problem. People on methadone do not see any problem, because counselors tell them they are doing “well” if they keep coming in for their drug.
An A.A. meeting with an open bar wouldn’t be very effective either.
To go cold turkey off methadone takes at least two weeks due to the long half life which makes it seem to work for replacement therapy.
As a route towards complete recovery, the same long half life makes it more painfull and stretches the symptoms out over a longer period of time.
The success rates with methadone therapy are deemed to be anywhere from 2% to 12%, depending on who funds the study.
Many “studies” claim 70-85% success rates.
In that context, “success” is deemed to be having the client still in replacement therapy.
The very best recovery to a drug free state seems to be when the client is entered into a controlled environment and detoxed completely.
This , along with counseling with a view towards behavioral change seems to have a successful drug free rate of upwards of 20%.
As with all statistics, it really depends on who funds it.
Much like this article’s author’s paycheck.
People are going to hate me for this. (whats new?) I think many but not all of these people need to be declared a “danger to themselves” and forced into detox… Getting them off completely. A little stigma and tough love is good for the soul.
There are so many Republicans today who think like you. That is why I left the Party. People need to be responsible for themselves. If they pose a danger to others they need to go to jail.
So how is making someone a methadone addict for life make them responsible for themselves? Help them out. We are paying the bill anyway. Might as well show them the way.
It seems everyone seems to know better than the doctors.. Some say cut it off and let them buy their drugs on the street.. Some say there is no need to be on methadone for such periods of time.. All these people must be doctors..My story is this.. I am sure you have heard me whine about having herniated discs in my thoracic spine and lower lumbar region as well.. I also had a hernia in my abdomen that would scare children to see it.. I was embarrassed about it and wore only baggy clothing.. 2 years later i finally had the surgery and it was repaired .. The 2 years because i had to wait for appointments and for the doctor to get his thumb out of his posterior orifice.. Last December i herniated 1 disc in my thoracic spine and now i have 12, all because i am waiting for doctors to be able to see me and treat me.. There was 2 in December of 2011. By March i had 4, After complaining of more pain than normal and upon my insistence i had a third MRI in November they found that all 12 were herniated.. Not to mention the 2 that were already herniated from the year before in my lower lumbar.. I am still waiting to see specialists in the field.. I am getting my chance at that February 20 2013, mind you the appointment was made January 2010 for my lower lumbar herniation’s.. They have tried to make appointments with other specialists and I was able to see one in September.. Problem there was my weight, he took one look at me told me that he did not know what to do because he did not do that type of surgery on people my size.. He put me through all kinds of electrical stimulation tests and confirmed i was a candidate for surgery.. He also penned in my reports that i have a 6 second delay before the signal travels from my foot to my head. The report says and I quote, 12 herniation’s in the thoracic spine resulting in excessive nerve damage to the spinal nerve, and it is in my professional opinion this man needs surgery stat to keep him on his feet and out of a wheel chair, end quote… He sent my file to the Scarborough spine clinic. I got a nice letter saying that i was not a candidate for surgery at this time.. That was in December 2012 just a few days before Christmas.. Now this last doctor i pray will see me and maybe do something, who knows.. Now the point i am trying to make here is, The only treatment i have received so far was to be put on opiates.. Percoset, Oxycontin, Vicodin, amongst others.. I have gotten addicted to the Vicodin i have been on those the longest.. I refuse to take the others anymore for fear of my addiction getting worse.. Do I blame my doctor for my addiction? How can I he has been the only one that has tried to help.. The specialists are too busy to see anyone without a years notice.. The Republicans saying you don’t have to wait for health care here in the us are lying.. If you don’t have to wait for it then what’s going on here with me.. And not just me there are others that i have spoken with that say the same.. I was in physical therapy and they truly believe that is what made me worse.. At this point right now i have 14 herniated discs and 2 bulging and i have 7 contact points with the spinal nerve.. My never perfect posture has now become awkward.. I have turned into a hunchback.. My ability to walk has dwindled to almost wheelchair.. I am at wits end and so isn’t my physician.. I have quit smoking, i have lost over 100 pounds and am now at a comfortable weight but i still cant be seen till February 20 of 2013.. By then i will probably need methadone myself.. What happens then?
These people some of them addicts will be back on street drugs and this problem will get worse.. And what for, all of this because Liepage has one agenda and one agenda only.. Since he took office he has said he wants to cut Mainecare.. He has vowed to kill it since the day he took office.. This was a pledge he made and has tried to hold educating our children hostage to get his way.. At one time he said he was cutting 67,000 people from mainecare to make budget, and if he couldn’t get his way he was gonna cut funding to schools.. Then he wanted to send money to private schools, he was stopped then too.. Now he is after our kids education again and still trying to kill off parts of mainecare to suit his needs.. Where was he gonna get the money to fund private schools? Imagine if he would of done that how much shorter the budget would of been.. This is just bad governing and many of you are blinded and just do not see the truth.. It is no wonder why Maine was voted the worst place to do business, one of the worst places to live, and one of the worst governed places in the U.S. It is no wonder why many die hard republican supporters have switched to democrat.. It is however odd that many of you do not realize this.. If republican governors are the shiznit then why is it that in most and close to all democratically governed states they are doing ok and are holding their own, heck some states are doing great without budget woes.. And practicaly all republican governed states they have all cut taxes and have all done the same plan as our illustrious buffoon here Liepage, they are having budget issues and their states are all in the red by millions..
For those of you that are heartless and think they are doctors when they have no medical degree, you should not look down upon someone because they are in treatment for opiate addiction, Remember this, Not all of them are drug abusers and they should not be categorized as such.. Some and maybe many of them may have a similar story to mine.. My father was closed minded as well, but after seeing me he has changed his mind. He also converted to democrat and I have never been prouder of my own father than when he admitted he was wrong about some of us that have gotten addicted to opiates.. He has even offered to pay all my lawyer fees so i could sue the doctors that have refused to do anything for me.. He has seen my pain he has watched me collapse and urinate on myself when my back snaps.. He has called an ambulance for me 3 times and even has come to my aid on many occasions.. And this is a man that lives 6 miles from me and we would only talk on his birthday or on a holiday by phone.. If this stubborn 78 year old man that knows nothing about illnesses, has never broken a bone and had maybe 3 minor colds in his lifetime can change, then any one can if they open their eyes…
The problem is is that you are in the WRONG state for medical care to begin with. There are NO good specialists in Maine, nor do they even have the experience with our problems. I made THAT mistake by coming here in the first place, coming from FL, thinking I would get help in Boston. (ha, was THAT a joke!) I have had 4 major spine surgeries, have over 14 levels fused with hardware and need more, have had spinal cord injury from hardware shoved into my spinal cord where I can no longer control my bowel and bladder functions, have lost most of my feeling from my mid torso down to my feet, have broken hardware in the past that was coming out of my back, broken hardware stuck in my cord that can never be removed and cuts when I move, several diseases from having the surgeries, surgeries that have done MUCH more harm than good and know THOUSANDS that will agree with me, surgeries that have bent me over into an *L* position and could no longer walk, surgeries that gave me brain damage and other permanent injuries and I live with pain on a daily basis and have been doing so since I was 15 and am now 46 (and the list goes on). I KNOW what it’s like to live with pain and work and have children during this time and to be disabled. I also know what it’s like to have taken pain killers and choose NOT to do so because it only makes you so you feel MORE pain and made the pain worse. I have learned to *deal with pain* and because of that I am a stronger person and have a much higher tolerance of pain because of it…as well as still standing on my own two feet and only doing so because I do NOT take pain killers (and that was told by several of my neurosurgeons and neurologists). I have LIVED it and I take this as a *cop out* claiming that people are addicted to pain killers. I understand everyone has their own stories to tell, but I am one of those that can also say *I’ve been there* and choose to NOT let something control ME, but rather take charge of myself. Too many people up here are using excuse after excuse to be on pain killers that don’t need them with many of them on public assistance. This state has been CATERING to these people and it needs to stop (not saying you don’t need something for pain)! There are far too many abusing them and have children that they don’t take care of and are being rewarded for their bad behavior. If people TRULY want change and have medical conditions that are not being provided for here, then they need to get their healthcare ELSEWHERE cause it will NEVER be taken care of here. I have never WITNESSED such horrible healthcare (or lack thereof) as in this state my entire LIFE (or lack of experience) and I thought Florida was bad…at least we had experienced, world-renowned doctors at major university hospitals and we actually had doctors that you could go to that were available at all times and didn’t have to wait months in advance…other than spinal cord injury surgeons. I have never seen such a lack of regard to younger patients and doctors that only seem to cater to elderly individuals (or those with their so-called *addictions*, or doctors that treated you so poorly and disrespectfully. I have been without medical care now since I have been up here for over two years, dealing with the pain full-force, no meds whatsoever because I refuse to play their games and have them pretend that they know what they are doing when they haven’t a clue. I cannot WAIT to get back to civilization and back to FL where doctors have seen more than someone with one slipped disc. I definitely would recommend you ALSO try to check out other avenues OUTSIDE of Maine if at all possible before you end up like me, going paralyzed and having numerous surgeries for the rest of your life…and mind you, that is where ONE surgery for spine problems ends up. These surgeries do not take AWAY pain, nor do pain-killers…they just mask the problems temporarily. As for the surgeries, like I said, one leads to another and so on…I have just simply put off having more every year. My next surgery I need will have almost my entire spine fused, but it will not CORRECT my problems, only keep me walking a little while longer. It will not take away pain nor the conditions that the surgeries have caused and you need someone SKILLED beyond what Maine has to offer when it comes to making a decision for yourself in the future. Trust me on this one!
I agree with you almost 100 percent.. I am trying not to take them but i have only been able to ween myself off of the oxy’s and perk’s as of now.. The Vicodin i take .5/500 on a daily basis and on bad days i may take up to 3 of them.. I try to stay on one a day and even restrict my self to doing nothing on bad days just to get through it.. Good days however i do what i can and try to push to do more, i do this for fear if i don’t try then maybe i will never strengthen and my condition will get worse.. But i find myself not being able to go one day without taking one.. My pain usually kicks in to high gear after i stop sometime around dinner time.. Then the shakes come in and the shakes seem to tighten every muscle i have in my body.. Even on the soles of my feet get tight and painful bearing any weight at all.. That’s a good day.. My goal is not to have surgery but maybe some bracing to hold me upright and slumped over like the Hunchback of Notre Dame.. My neck has been fused previously, and that is painful enough now that arthritis has set in i don’t need that in my thoracic area.. The surgery they claim i need is a 10 hour process where they cut you in front and in back from neck to crack and they put rods.. This will not happen as long as i can still think for myself.. The pain from that, and the fact that the surgery may never stop the pain and possibly increase it, is not an option i wish to explore.. I just wish the painful goose bumps and the loss of bladder control would stop.. It’s hard when feel like you have a major sunburn all the time.. and the pins and needles is no help either..
Portland has great doctors in various specialties highly educated and trained. AND you say the medical care in Boston sucked? The hospitals in Boston are always landing on the top lists for care.I wouldn’t base my medical treatment on one persons experience My god the internet has opened up every option to do your research on whatever ails you. I would start there. Good luck to you
Right at the beginning of this spiel you stated you were not a candidate for surgery because of your weight. Just how much do you weigh? Sounds a lot like you have created most of your own problems with choices you have made.
you can’t sue doctors for not treating you because they felt your case was untreatable. If a pcp, or some doctor undertreated or failed to treat you because they were afraid of prescribing opiods and all the medical board cases, then you can file a complaint on them w/ the medical board, but your pcp is trying to help. Patients get declined by specialists all the time when they feel it is out of their hands, something they can’t do, that is when you get referred to someone else, someone in boston, a different type of specialist. Your pcp is not a specialist, so yes, he is doing what he can, but that is all he can do. Pain management is usually where you go for herniated discs in the mean time until you can get further help. and you have an appointment in february, its almost jan 1st, that’s not bad! any specialist can’t see a patient the next day, you just got referred this past month after the last specialist couldn’t do anything, in other countries it can be 6, 9, 12 months. unless you are dying, you have a heart condition, etc, that requires immediate assistance, february is not asking much, I know it seems it because you are in pain, but that is the health system, our doctors are overloaded.
obviously you cant comprehend what you read.. My appointment was made in 2010 in the month of January almost 25 months later i will have my day at the doctors office…. The appointment was made for my 2 discs in my lower lumbar that are also herniated..I have gotten much worse since then, and the ones that made me worse by their own admission was the team that worked on me at physical therapy.. and your right you cant sue doctors here in Maine for refusing to treat a patient.. But you can sue if they wont treat you for other reasons or for not communicating their reasons..For instance if they wont treat you because you are on medicare, or medicaid, you have a suit.. Turns out that was not the case as i mentioned as well.. They said my weight and my girth would make the procedure almost impossible.. That they were not skilled enough to take on such an undertaking.. Please before you comment and look retarded for not being able to comprehend what your reading, ask someone..
yes, i understood what you said, but you have had MRI’s, physical therapy, and seen other specialists, who have turned you away. All this took time, and in that time period, they probably had to re-refer, I have had my own pain issues that I simply ignore or take OTC meds for because I won’t go on stronger and I have to work and can’t work while on those medications, but in order to get a diagnosis of what was causing it and how to treat it, I had to go one place, then go back to my PCP when that failed, then go to another place, then back to PCP, then have another MRI, then back to pcp, it is a step by step process, I have not met a specialist yet (and I actually work with physicians) that push you out two years before they will see you, sometimes its a month – 3 months for a consult, depending on the urgency, if its not life threatening, and then after the consult there is follow up, which is usually quicker, whether that is surgery or what not. For my gallbladder surgery, which is not a life threatening surgery, and I see them push people out for consults time and time again, I got in with the surgeon within 2 weeks, and had surgery within 2 weeks after that because I was flexible and met the criteria.
Keep letting the govt tell you what’s a drug and what isn’t. A plant is deemed illegal yet any pill big pharma makes instantly gets a stamp of approval and a prime time commercial spot.
You realize we have marines guarding poppy fields in Afghanistan and the CIA is the biggest drug dealer in the world!
Enough. We need to take this country back and stop acting like sheep.
The same people who approve vaccines filled with evil poisons for babies set our “drug” laws? Come on…..
oh, one of those people who doesn’t vaccinate their children for any disease, then, their child gets something like whooping cough, or measles, and the Younger babies who are too young for vaccinations get it from the children, like yours, who don’t get the vaccinations and get sick, and then they die, and an epidemic is started. Smart
Hahaha..yup, ok…
Oh, one of those people who believe whatever they are told. Then , their child develops autism, aspergers, or whatever concocted “disease” can be cured by a pill from big pharma. Let me guess, nothing wrong with those GMO food either ?
Back to your television
I worked in a pediatric office previously, I work with doctors now, and ones that dont’ try to bias one way or the other form pharmacies. It’s not about the money but the children, and the “study” that came out saying it caused autism was proven not legit. There is no proven link. I eat organic foods, I eat healthy, my husband is a vegan and marathon runner, but I also don’t play the game of thinking that all doctors are out to get me, you just have to find the right one, and do your research, make sure you know what you are stepping into, and know what prescriptions you are taking. The one thing my doctor knows about me is that when they prescribe something for me to take, I usually know just as much about it, it’s side effects, the things it is used for, as they do because I make a point to know. I also make sure that i match well with my doctor. I’m glad you think diseases such as whooping cough and measles are concocted diseases, let the epidemics begin!
Wow. Not about the money, huh? All about those kiddies? Do you let children you know ingest fluoride? Ya know, the poison? Let me guess, you think drinking it will fight cavities?
There certianly is correlations between autism and vaccines. What research are you referring to by the way? Question everything! Especially from doctors! Most of whom are nothing less then shills anyway! Wake up
And don’t assume. There is more to it. There are now something like thirty vaccinations parents are told to get for their babies in a very short time! Do you see the problem?
A new study, published in Human and Experimental Toxicology, a peer-reviewed journal indexed by the National Library of Medicine, analyzed more than 38,000 reports of infant hospitalizations and deaths following vaccinations.[1] Researchers found statistically significant correlations between the number of vaccine doses administered to infants and infant hospitalization and mortality rates: babies who receive the most vaccines tend to have higher (worse) hospitalization and death rates.
Infants who received 2 vaccines simultaneously were significantly less likely to be hospitalized than infants who received 3 or more vaccines at the same time. Infants who received 3 vaccines simultaneously were significantly less likely to be hospitalized than infants who received 4 or more vaccines at the same time. Babies who received 6, 7, or 8 vaccines during a single pediatric well-baby visit were the most likely to be hospitalized following their injections. In fact, the hospitalization rate increased linearly from 11.0% for infants receiving 2 vaccine doses to 23.5% for infants receiving 8 vaccine doses.
The authors of the study, Dr. Gary Goldman and Neil Z. Miller, also discovered that younger infants were significantly more likely to be hospitalized after receiving vaccinations than older infants. In addition, infants who received 5-8 vaccines simultaneously were significantly more likely to die following their shots than infants who received 1-4 vaccines simultaneously.”
wow, over 30 you say? that’s funny, because the chart you see that i have put below is the chart the most pediatric offices follow, with some variation, and of course, the parents have full say of when their children get what shots. Some shots are mixed, like Td and pertussis, making it Dtap. and measles, mumps rubella (notice i said twelve) but this is really a MMR shot, and so it would be 10 shots since that is one also. They have also combined HBV, IPV and PCV together for those who want it all together, lessening the shots. The shots are also spaced out from 1 month to 24 months, if you call that a short time. hopefully you can read this chart, there are 2 hep b’s 3 dtap’s etc. and coming from someone who also worked in a pediatric office, these are not “concocted” diseases. I have had a child walk into the front door of the office with pertussis, come up to the desk and cough in my face, when they were instructed to go in the back door, because of how contagious this disease is. I then had this disease, and I had to be out of work, I had to go through a round of antibiotics, it is a miserable disease, and i then got a dtap because it had been long enough that my immunization had worn off. Pertussis is one that has been spreading through the state each summer and fall for the past few years because a sick child will go to a large gathering and then spread it, or goes to school with it. You can quote what you want, but you have no real knowledge of this information. You are one of those parents out there who has hysteria over vaccinations, and like i said, will cause an epidemic one day.Figure
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5451-Immunizationa1.htm
Nope. Watch the congresswoman talk with the CDC doctor and get back to me.
It’s about clustering the vaccinations. Doesn’t mean anti vaccination.
The CDC advises up to twenty in the first year of a child’s life! The first year!
Again, Carolyn maloneys questions speak for me.
Who doesn’t have the real knowledge here?
And good luck with those big pharma pills! Wow….there’s not a more compassionate industry then big pharma! Haha!
Jimmy, she works for big pharma….obvious
The CDC? Yeah, i know, one in the same…
Oh you mean hermonmo? Probably….
Mike addams, at natural news:
Here’s my list of the ten worst ways in which our children are being poisoned right now.
#1) Multiple vaccinations that inject mercury, aluminum, MSG and formaldehyde into children
It is an admitted fact that today’s vaccines given to children are intentionally formulated with mercury, aluminum, MSG and formaldehyde, all of which is insanely injected into the body of infants and children.
This is openly admitted by the CDC itself, which has emerged as a criminal front group for the vaccine industry. Rather than trying to determine why vaccines are causing so much autism, the CDC tries to hide the evidence, delay the hearings, and deploy smoke and mirrors to protect the criminally-operated vaccine industry where nearly every single vaccine manufacturer operating today has been found guilty of multiple felony crimes.
#2) Mercury fillings
Astonishingly, dentists in the USA continue to fill children’s mouths with the most toxic heavy metal known to man: Mercury.
They don’t call it mercury, of course, because that would raise too many questions. Instead, they call them “silver amalgam fillings.” But the No. 1 ingredient in these fillings is, of course, the heavy metal mercury.
Continued at natural news
And, finally, if you take this seriously, and I assume you do, it is imperative to watch rep. Carolyn Maloney grilling the CDC over autism rates. YouTube it. Essential viewing!
These scum don’t care about you and me and our kids. Sorry, a harsh truth.
Carolyn Maloney link
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gDpkHEeCf3o
Watch please!! This ain’t about me being right, it’s about all of us!
The clinics have brought this on by not focusing enough on recovery.
They have created a pajama population that is never going to get
dressed and face the day. The clients have become content getting a huge
dose( Which is just like free recreational use) and sitting on their
couches …
Funny that you should refer to them as a “pajama population” as that’s what most of them wear.
Too wasted and too lazy to even get dressed to go get their freebies.
had to laugh at this one, even though it’s so sad. But very accurate! Pajamas or sweat pants, and flip-flops. Yep, I’d hire that person. Not!
When I was up on Kelly-6 they called it the paper-slipper ward.
And don’t get in their way to the Meth clinic in the AM. They usually car pool and are as organized as a herd of cats. Which means they are probably close to being late for their appointments at the clinic. It’s a wonder there haven’t been some head on collisions the way these people drive.
I think they’ve had a few collisions like that in Washington County.
Recovery Oriented System of Care! Discovery Houses use this. The clinic focuses on recovery. The more you cut funding the harder it is to do counseling.
Does anybody feel bad for all the people that have to live in pain every day because doctors are too scared to prescribe pain killers? I know several old people that are in pain every day and can barely move around and can’t get pain relief. I have always said if there was really a pill that would make pain go away, people would be “addicted” on the first day. Everybody is expected to toughen up and live with their pain, so addicts will have to toughen up too because it’s their fault all these old people can’t get any pain killers.
“because it’s their fault all these old people can’t get any pain killers.”
Actually, it is mostly all of the old people who are supplying these drugs, especially in Maine. When I was using I bought from three or four different people, who were all prescribed narcotics from their doctors. The youngest person who I bought from was in their late 50s and the oldest was in his mid 70s. You should be blaming all of the older folks who see an opiate prescription as a meal ticket. The people I bought from had more money than they knew what to do with, because it was like their doctor’s were handing them a $4000-$5000 check each month when they wrote out their prescription.
I always got a kick out of the fact that my doctor once told me he would never prescribe opiates to someone my age (mid 30s) because of the problem we have in Maine, yet he freely admitted that someone in their 50s with the same issues would be prescribed opiates. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that one of his 65 year old patients was the person who supplied me with the most drugs of anyone.
If people are selling them then they aren’t really in pain after all, they are liars. Why would somebody live in pain and sell their pills? Because they are liars and not really in pain. It’s also because of those liars that people in real pain can’t get any relief.
There is a FREE treatment methodology that has been around since 1953, it is a simple program known as Narcotics Anonymous. Google Maine Narcotics Anonymous and a meeting list for the entire state is available. It is completely self supporting and has no government subsidies whatsoever. If you suffer from addiction and think you have a problem, do yourself a favor, pick up the phone and call, or get to a meeting. One hitch that many find troubling,it is a program of complete and total abstinence. Many do not want help, they just want taxpayers to fund their continued use, or do not know there is another way to live. It is actually better that way, as you are not switching dependencies. Addiction is addiction, wether you became addicted from a prescription, or buying dope from a dealer. That part may not be your fault (there are thousands of studies with differing conclusions )and what difference does the “how” make anyway? The issue is what do you want to do about it? There is no magic wand for a cure, You need to change your way of thinking (playgrounds, playmates and playthings) and pray like hell. You might make it if you put recovery from addiction as the most important thing in your life, instead of wanting the government to do it for you.
Thank you……it doesn’t matter what the addiction is, the AA model has worked with every type of addict be it alcohol.drugs, gambling, over eating, the list goes on. I’ve been off alcohol & drugs for many years…never to look back. Having the government fund a methedone clinic is on a par with the goverment telling an alcoholic they’ll pay for their daily trip to the bar and pick up the tab for two double shots of scotch.
Your welcome
I’m not understanding what the issue is – why there is debate on this. There are lots of procedures that require a Prior Authorization from the patients Primary Doctor, or the Doctor performing the procedures, writing the scripts, etc. Obese patients that want to undergo Gastric Bypass require Prior Authorizations – their history is reviewed by a panel of nurses and doctors – some medical testings require Prior Auths, many narcotics require a prior authorization… read the MaineCare Medicaid Policy – lots of things require prior auths – why wouldn’t this be the same? It’s my tax dollars that pay for this stuff – I don’t really care if they feel insulted. Maybe they should pay for their own insurance, like the rest of us are required to do.
Most addicts do NOT become addicts as a result of a legal prescription. Methadone is NOT treatment, even the programs now admit it is “maintenance.” Two years is more than enough time for a committed person to “wean” themselves off drugs.
Your editorial is meaningless because it is based on a false premise. Most addicts take their first hit WITHOUT benefit of a legitimate prescription.
I newspaper should report the news, not spin it
Methadone is treatment. Methadone prescribed is a treatment for the symtom of craving. When prescribed properly, at the correct dose it eliminates the craving. Once craving is elimiated a person seeking drugs off the street can stop seeking drugs.
In methadone treatment there is counseling with the prescribing of methadone. THe counseling is intended to beging to deal with the life problems. The counseling (I know this because I’ve worked in a facility) includes addressing tapering off methadone.
You people mix it up when you think about addicts (most) are getting high for the “fun” of getting high. They get high to medicate away the symptoms. Unfortunately the more you medicate it on your own the more you might need. At a certain point your overdose. The methadone stops the cycle.
Your post was meaningless then. Apparently you have never met people who have developed a dependency by taking the smallest prescribed dosage?
Many folks develop the problem without intentionally taking more than prescribed, so yes some does develop via the script pad.
Where did Bushfan go? He always has a comment on the subject content.
“It doesn’t go away” OMG with an attitude like that and advocating for endless supplies of methadone one wonders if your more concerned about job security than anything else! and lest not transfer responsibility here. I have been prescribed hydrocone/ Oxycontin etc on a number of occasions from major surgery to knee pain to tooth extraction The drugs were great! They kept me from pain once the prescription was up (which I followed to a t) I was fine. I didn’t sell them I didn’t crush them up and snort them I FOLLOWED what the doctor ordered. So if you do end up getting addicted get help and get off the the drugs and get your life BACK. You are the only one who can. The idea that tax payers are going to endlessly foot the bill for your issues is nonsense.
“I have been prescribed hydrocone/ Oxycontin etc on a number of
occasions from major surgery to knee pain to tooth extraction The drugs
were great! They kept me from pain once the prescription was up (which I
followed to a t) I was fine”
You ought to consider yourself lucky. Everyone has different brain chemistry and you are lucky enough to not be susceptible to addiction. There are others who take even something as mild as vicodin for a week and become addicted. The same can be said for alcohol, some people can drink one or two beers three times a week and be fine, while others have one beer and binge drink for the rest of their life. I too was prescribed narcotics, after two minor surgeries, but I was not as fortunate as you. I took them as prescribed for two weeks the first time and a week later had another minor surgery and was prescribed narcotics again and when the prescription ran out the Dr. filled it again because I was still in severe pain. After this prescription ran out I was in full blown withdrawal and this is when my battle with opiate addiction started. I did not start out using illicitly, I followed the instructions and wound up hopelessly addicted. So as you can see, the same scenario can wind up with drastically different results, me addicted, you not addicted.
Ok. But why “hopelessly” addicted? Why do u feel hopeless about getting back to normal? I quit smoking cigarettes which from what. I can tell are a very powerful addiction and that happened through cold turkey. A mental commitment to stopping combined with some behavorial techniques. Anyway as a tax payer I want a limit a cutoff. If you can’t figure out how to quit after 2 years then pay for it yourself. If u then steal and get caught then jail will introduce u to going cold turkey.
your right. it’s not about me, its all about the drug addicted. they can do what they want, take as long as they want since someone else will pay. right? except that the money is running out. people are getting tired of working for nothing, watching their children struggle, and going with out. it’s time to face facts: the money isn’t there anymore, and telling the payers that they are full of hate and uneducated just isn’t going to work anymore. telling the payers that it’s not about them isn’t going to sway a work weary and hungry workforce into paying more and getting less. stop the belittling of the payers, and show some gratitude.
Well,Some folks have medical issues that cannot be changed.In those cases,Oxycodone might be the only thing that helps them get out of bed and live a normal life.Just because some abuse it and misuse it,dont lump it all into one category.
I’ll have sympathy for those prescribed medications and they get addicted. some people are more prone to become addicted than other people.
I would still suggest letting the body take over the opiates they so crave and get them on a strength training exercise regimen, it would be healthier and maybe save money on healthcare costs in the long run.
Exercise is good therapy.
We were designed to run……. Speed work for the dopamine cravers, for the quick release of adrenaline creating hormone, and stress releasing hormones lowering cholesterol to make stress hormones. Stress hormone will also lower inflammation and increase tolerance to pain. Long distance for the ecstasy cravers. Long distance requires serotonin to regulate body temperature along with the dopamine to create adrenaline, and opiate cravers for the muscle building for the required strength for the duration. Speed over duration will also require opiates for muscle building, and serotonin to regulate body temperature………
Strength training for the opiate cravers. Quick intensity is similar to speed work, and long duration will also mimic long exercise. The extra dopamine is good for jogging the memory too and all this movement encourages brain growth. ;)
No, I don’t need or want drugs, I exercise. ;)
Down side, too much stress from going too intense for too long will temporarily increase risk of heart attack, lower immune system, and increase risk of stress fractures…….. Too much of anything will kill you.
Actually, NOT. Many substance abuse counselors, including two I spoke with just yesterday, agree that this measure is long ovedue and will benefit many, including the burdened taxpayers.
Removing any connection of moral failure with addiction is a mistake. If you don’t use drugs nor drink to excess, you don’t get addicted. It is a clear moral failure of responsibility to do otherwise.
Here’s my suggestion: turn any assertion made by this radical leftist rag upside down and chances are excellent it will be close to factually and rationally perfect.
It cost less than a dime for a methadone pill but hospitals charge well over a 1000% to administer it. Time for a little tough ‘treatment’; if you can’t get your crap together in two years than you pay for your problem. A second chance at life shouldn’t drag out for more than two years, having the tax payers reimburse for Section 8 housing, food stamps, and whatever else the costs are associated with recovery.
Clinics and hospitals administering methadone treatments want the addicted person to feel powerless over their addiction – or a victim of the drug that got them there. What I don’t get is if the person knew it was addicting that why take in the first place?
Oxy, perc, and other prescription pills, yeah, I can understand the suffering that necessitates the use – especially spinal cord sufferers. But, then again, don’t belabor the use by poor diet, the caffiene in sodas and coffee, and beer and alcohol.