Hey everybody, its late and I find myself in in a delima. I have an appt with Pain Management in the morning at 8am and its 1 am right now for the degerenative disc disease I have related to the L4. I also have Lupus and Fibromyalgia so I have to deal with the pain related to those as well. As a way to treat my pain I choose to smoke weed. It helps with the constant nausea, it helps me destress, and relaxs my muscle. Im not going to lie and tell you i don't get high off it because I do. Since I am seeing a different pain management than the one before, I filled out paper work stating that yes I have done illicit drugs, (cocaine, 7 years clean) but I didnt write anything about the weed. The paperwork said that if I am prescribed a pain med that They will test to see if it is in my system and that they will call u for a pill cout and you have 2 hours to comply. My question is can they order a drug screen on me and test me for that? Because I didnt read that anywhere in the paperwork. I have had 2 prior Rhitzotmys done on my back in last 5 years. Which is what I really want if I am a candidate. But I know they are going to want to do a new MRI my last one was in 2008, which I have on cd. Thats gonna take atleast another month, then its gonna take another month to get an appt with pain management, and if I am a candidate its gonna take another month before they can do the procedure. Thats 3 more months of pain. I can't stand it, I cant get 1/4 of the way around the block without having to stop because of the pain. The more I walk, stand or sit to long the more it hurts and its always worse in the evening. Im omly 43 and I am using the motorized carts in krogers for petes sake. I want to be honest with my doctor but I fear if I tell them I smoke weed that they wont prescribe me anythig until I can get the Rhizotomy done. And if I don't tell them and they drug test me I fear that it would make it impossible for to obtain any pain meds should I not be able to have the Rhizotomy.
I'd appreciate any feedback and sure there are more people in my situation than the world thinks.
I don't know what state you live in, but here in florida they do drug test you every visit, refusing the test gets you kicked out of treatment, testing positive for weed gets you kicked out as well. they have a zero tolerance in this state, up until about 5 years ago you could smoke weed and stay in pain management but some yahoo changed the rules and left doctors no choice but to comply or risk losing their licenses
Here in Arkansas they also drug test you each time. Now whether or not they are checking your med levels or illicit drugs I don’t know. What I do know is I have a very good and open relationship with my pain mgmt Drshe knows how I feel about weed and if they legalize it, she will prescribe it to me, she also knows when I run out of meds or am extreme pain, and I can get it, I’ll do it. She agrees with I gotta do what I gotta do. I’ve never mistaken my med and am trust worthy, so when I say it’s bad, she knows. So use your head but be smart and talk with Doc. Good luck
In CA, where it is legal, they can still test you and refuse you narcotics if you fail a drug test. I failed one and found out that they could still do this. How this is legal I don’t know. I use a vaporizer when the pain gets out of control or the nausea from cellcept is really bad. I was pretty angry when I found out I had to choose. Weed does not kill the pain the way narcotics do but narcotics don’t help with the nausea. I also have back issues (slipped discs at L4/5, L5/S1 and in my neck causing pain to radiate down my arms and legs) and sometimes it takes everything in my arsenal to combat the pain. So, yes they can test you and they can refuse to treat you. I had to sign a contract after I failed. Although my doctor has never retested me, so perhaps my doc is more flexible than I thought. ; ) Good luck!
I am in VA and attended a pain clinic to to a failed done on L4 and L5. Pain and situation very similar to yours. I went with the fentanyl path which took the edge off at a level I felt comfortable with without feeling like a zombie. They randomly test on appt. and they tested me on my first visit as a consult. My sister in MI did the marijuana and was denied services because she chose not to tell them. I think if you are honest and explain your situation they will understand and put guidelines in place to keep an eye on your compliance.
Yes Shawn...they will test you for marijuana and it depends on the pain dr himself to decide. Mine told me if I didn't stop smoking he would not treat me. I had a pain dr in Manhattan and they didn't care about pot. So it depends. If you are on pain pills already and have proof like a bottle with it's name on it, he probably will prescribe you what you were taking....It is a sad thing because when I first went to a pain dr it was great....now there are new laws because of people who abused them and sold them...so the people who really need it have to go through hell to get treated....I had such a hard time finding a new place after I moved and lost sleep and almost stressed myself into a full flare....Good luck...I stop smoking because of my dr and he is backwards and un-sensitive....they will test you....Zuppie
If it were not for the weed I smoke I would not be able to eat. The smell of food makes me sick. I have lost over 20 pounds in less that 8 weeks without even trying to diet. Here in WA weed is now legal. Have I told my doctor I smoke it? Hell no, he is an old fart with old fashion way of thinking and would just label me a drug addict. Will not prescribe me anything that relieves the pain that works. I feel that sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do to just be able to get thur the day!
I stormed my way into the pain management program at the HMO I belong to. On the pre-screening doctor visit, a spot urine sample was requested upon exit. Asked what it was for and was told "everyone has to do it." They didn't charge a copay so I payed no attention to it. Found out the reason later, No problem, haven't use drugs for decades. Uncomfortable with telling the entire story here.
This particular pain management program was for fibromyalgia, back pain, pain syndrome, and chronic pain conditions without any tissue damage. I didn't really fit in with my medical problems resulting from my autoimmune complex. There was one lady in there, trying to keep this anonymous, who lost everything due to usage of the big "M." And she had many physical issues that needed to be addressed including needing pain medicine. I think she was treated cruelly. I noted that the doctors only cared about their liability. She was working on keeping "M" free in order to get the meds she needed. And, I would guess she succeeded, She is a very fine person who has a lot of pain like many of us.
I found out that it can take up to a couple months for cannibus to clear the system. That was interesting.
I am a credenti a led substance abuse counselor and very learned c in regards to illicit drugs and options and narcotics. I’m waiting for my state nj to legalize marijuana. I can’t wait I have been drug free of all illicit drug for 20 years. I have not had a drink of alcohol in 20 years I take my status as a recovering addict quite seriously but I’m going to smoke weed as soon as I can get a prescription. The one thing I know is people do not rob steal or neg l et their children when they smoke unlike the addiction of prescribedopiates and other Iillicit drugs. FYI THE stays shows up in yourvu r Ine forat a minimum 30 days according t o a operson’s weight. However the THC levels decrease if you no longer smoke.
We’ll the appt went great. My next appt is in July and they will do a test to see if a rhizotomy will work and if so we will then schedule the rhizotomy. I didn’t ask for pain pills but he did give me a script and I got it filled. So I decided I was going to quit smoking weed for the next 3 months at least.