DEA proposes to make Vicodin, etc. schedule II narcotic

It is currently a Schedule III narcotic.  Moving it to Schedule II will put significantly stronger controls on it (morphine, codeine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone (the opiate in Vicodin and the generics) by itself (without the aspirin or acetaminophen) are Schedule II drugs).

I know a lot of people here take some form of hydrocodone w/aspirin or acetaminophen for chronic pain conditions, so I wanted to give a heads up and provide the link for public comments for anyone who is interested.

Lora

Very good to know. Vicodin is one of the few I can tolerate for pain. Thanks for this information!

I just wish I had some of those right about now lol 

AARGH.  Will we ever stop fighting the "war on drugs" that are used legitimately for pain?  I realize diversion is a problem, but for crying out loud.  It's hard enough for some folks to get adequate pain relief.  (I'm a fortunate one - I hope my doc never retires).

One of the newest issues in the senior citizen community is addiction to heroin.  It is actually easier for folks in some areas to get heroin than to be medicated properly for their pain. This whole issue just infuriates me.

It is ridiculously hard to get pain medication.  I can't even get Tramadol anymore.  Neither my PCP nor my rheumatologist will prescribe it.  I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, degenerative disk disease and a herniated disk in my back, and osteoarthritis in my knees and hands.  They tell me to take ibuprofen for the pain, even though I have explained that my bariatric surgeon and the ASMBS says NSAIDS are not safe for RNY patients. 

I would buy pain meds on the street if I could afford it.  Unfortunately, dealers don't take my insurance. 

Instead, I have not slept through the night in months and months and take lots of hot baths and spend much of my time sitting on my heating pad and sitting under my electric blanket and I go through lots of Bengay and just try to cope with the pain.

This makes me even happier that I got both knees replaced last year.  How ridiculous that people have to suffer when they have legitimate pain because of abuse.  I am surprised that you cannot even get Tramadol, but you are not the first person who has said this.  I know the state of Ohio has been cracking down, but this is getting ridiculous.  (I wouldn't even know where to go to find a dealer... but if this is a sign of things to come...)

I don't know where to find a dealer where I live now, either.  However, one of my neighbors seems to smoke a lot of pot (the hallway of my building frequently reeks of it, which I have complained about to the property manager may times) and I bet he would know.  Now, when I lived in Cincinnati, I lived downtown and there was a group of enterprising young men that dealt off the steps of the abandoned building next to mine.  But where I live now, I don't know where one goes to buy such things.  I'd figure it out if I had to, though.

But I really can't afford it.  I've thought about it.  For a while I was getting Tramadol from my PCP but he won't prescribe it anymore.  I have about 10 left which I am saving for "emergencies." 

I don't understand how some people get pain meds that they don't even need in order to sell them on the street.  I have real pain.  I have medical diagnoses.  And I am being told to take ibuprofen which is not safe for me to take due to my RNY.  And probably would not provide adequate pain relief anyway.

It is ridiculous.  It's not just a matter of being uncomfortable.  The pain has a significant effect on my daily life. 

I've been through a lot of fights on pain med issues and feel like I am at a pretty good place now. PM me and we will get in touch.

I am in pretty much the same pain boat with you poet-Kelly.  Due to numerous injuries, my spine (neck included) and my shoulders create unbearable pain 24/7.  Thank goodness my pain doc (he is not my PC), will still prescribe for me but he watches me like a hawk.  Altho I do not abuse these drugs, it is the actions of those who do that make him so cautious.  The docs are being watched very closely.

Can you get another doctor?  I only ask because I can commiserate with the pain you must be feeling all the time.  I spent a few years on Percocet and had to take myself off because I was so addicted to it.  My pain doc was VERY happy I did that.  Now, I am on Tramadol but it just barely skims the top of pain relief.

I can get another doctor, yes.  But how do you know if another doctor will prescribe meds for pain or not?  I could just go from doc to doc, but I don't feel like I have the energy for that.  Maybe it comes down to how much do I want/need some pain relief, but doctors make me extremely, extremely anxious and going from doc to doc trying to find one that will actually prescribe something for pain would be very difficult for me.

For a few months, I was getting Tramadol and Flexeril (for the muscle spasms in my back) from my PCP.  I was on 50 mg  Tramadol four times a day and 10 mg Flexeril three times a day.  That kept the pain at a bearable level.  Still hurt, but I was more able to do things.  Now, things like grocery shopping and doing laundry are extremely difficult.  I can't bend over to pick up items on the bottom shelves in the grocery store so I have to pick items from the middle shelves, even if that's not really want I want to buy.  Taking shopping bags out of my cart and putting them into the trunk, and then unloading them at home, is very painful and difficult.  I have a service dog that takes laundry out of the dryer for me but I have to be able to pick up a basket of laundry and carry it to the laundry room and get the clothes out of the washer.  I don't even know how to explain to someone that doesn't have this type of pain, like my PCP, how much thought I have to put into doing every single thing I do.  If I spill something on the kitchen floor, I have to think about how much it will hurt to bend down to clean it up and decide if it's something I can just leave there or if it has to be cleaned up.  I have to decide if the pain involved with bending down to put on my socks is worth it or if I'd rather just wear my shoes without socks and let my feet be cold.