@jackiet
Hello, thanks for your note and reply. I lived in California on the Monterey Peninsular for many years and had one doctor who took great care of me for many years. However, when he joined a corporate medical practice for cancer treatment they no longer allowed him to prescribe my my PERCOCET, (at that time). That’s when my real problems began. Of course, I had lived in Nevada and Tennessee in between the Monterey Peninsula and it took me a long time to finally find one doctor that would assist me. It’s never been easy but I’ve managed to always find one physician to assist me. This really changed after the so called “Opiate Crisis. True, it happened and it was a real problem but it didn’t involve me or any other legitimate doctor-patient relationship. However, the aftermath has in fact grossly and unfairly affected the legitimate doctor-patient relationship concerning opioids.
I’ve also live in France and Australia. It’s not easily or readily available there either. 2 years ago, when the doctor I had retired I could not find anybody in Northern or Southern California, doctor or pain clinic that would have anything to do with me. All I know is that if you lose the only physician you have that has been assisting you. Trying to find a new doctor to assist you is virtually impossible. I’ve spoken to too many patients and read too many online accounts of patients who can not get adequate pain relief treatment or access to opioids. It’s become too risky to doctors and they don't want to deal with it. If you don’t have cancer or dealing with an end of life situation it’s almost impossible to get access to opioids. I am a patient who has been actively dealing with these challenges for 35 years in various States and Countries. I have usually always found a way but it’s taken a lot of work and continuous pursuit to make it happen. I live in Mexico now and they don’t even have any opioids available in Baja California Sur. I have to fly back to the States once each month to get my prescription. I knew that before moving to Mexico but all the literature said that it was LEGAL to get prescribed opioids in Mexico and legal to use them. However, I was told, and it’s true. by a Mexican Anesthesiologist who said he would write me a script for it but that there wasn’t any pharmacy in the entire State that had any. As a general rule, Mexicans don’t use pain medication. It’s just not part of their societal makeup! Interesting, but not very effective if you’ve been in a severe car accident or some other serious physical injury a person could sustain.
In short, opioids are severely misunderstood and given a huge biased and unfair, non factual reputation that continues to make it an almost impossible situation for the truly needy and legitimate patient to obtain them.
There are Pharmacies in California who refuse to fill a legitimate Prescription from doctors for their patients to get opioids. The entire system is totally
F…………up about it!!!!!