Dunno, but with the last perscription I had filled (beginning of July) the doctor asked me where I wanted to get the meds-- told him Walgreens There is one near my house-- actually there is a WalMart and a large grocery store with a pharmacy slightly closer but I was in a lot of pain and figured I could park a lot closer and have less walking at Walgreens. Don't know how he got the perscription to them---carrier pigeon for all I know-- but they had it when I got there. They had it ready in a few minutes, got the needed info about the pills, paid and left. No problems in the least. Larry
Sorry that you were in pain. One email friend of mine in another state says that the Walmart brand of Vicodin (Malandcrodt, maybe?) is just useless. He's got fibromyalgia, and lives on Vicodins. Maybe the Walgreens brand worked better, anyway.
Yep. My doc showed me his program for so doing. It keeps all the info needed, drugs, history, pharmacies' fax numbers, etc. All he has to do is enter my name, check the drug (if it's a refill) and push a button.
Actually, no "fax" machine is required. The computer actually generates fax-compatible communications. No fax machine at the pharmacy either; the incoming "fax" goes into the pharmacy's computer and everything pops up on the pharmacist's screen, labels printed, drug info sheet printed, etc.
Heck, I even fax my request for a refill to my doc (not really a fax - it's a computer generated facsimile of a fax) who, in turn, sends an imitation fax to the drug store that receives the fax without a fax machine.
My head hurts from thinking about it. I'll have to fax my doc.
For SOME people, the side effect is walking into walls. For MOST people, Lyrica is effective for the pain of fibromyalgia or diabetic neuropathy. By substituting Lyrica for Vicodin for a couple of weeks - thereby flushing the hydrocodine out of one's system - the efficacy of Vicodin is re-established.
HB, I know you were replying to Stormin about Lyrica, but that info is good to know. The generic version of Vicodyn is what I am taking-- back problems/sciatic nerve. I got a series of injections , three times two weeks apart in July. Exactly midway between the second and third, I woke up that morning and felt better than I had felt in months. A few weeks ago the pain started coming back, though so far not anywhere near as bad as it was before. Serveral friends had recommended acupuncture, so I had a treatment each of the last two Mondays. Supposed to get one more this Tuesday, but I dunno now-- it seems to have made me worse instead of better. I thought of asking about it in here, but never did, and was unable to find any other NG's where it might be on topic. You or anybody have any experience/opinions on acupuncture? Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Larry
I'm an old nurse and have done a few years of case management for workers comp claims. I've also had three very painful back injuries which I cared for myself. More recently, I had two long episodes of tendonitis of the shoulder, each one separately. It takes a lot to get me to the doc, especially in the realm of "tincture of time". For my back, the worst pain was after I helped a friend boost her very heavy mom up in her wheelchair. I bent over the back of the wheelchair to lift under her shoulders ... the very worst way to lift. Bam! I was in pain for two months, serious for the first two weeks. I had no signs of pressure on sciatic nerve, which would have been a very good reason to see a doc right away. I used otc anti-inflam., heat and rest.
My shoulders were a longer-term problem, not real painful most of the time but moving the wrong way was very painful. I didn't resort to seeing the doc until I was in the second seige...the first went away untreated. Got rx for strong anti-inflam., followed instructions religiously but still had gastric pain. Not wanting a bleeding ulcer, I quit taking it. Went back to the internist (bad specialty for shoulder pain - they figger that if you're breathing you have no right to complain:o) hoping to get a session or two of ultrasound rx. He said, essentially, s--- happens ... sometimes at certain age things don't work. I decided to take hot showers, as hot as I could, run stream of hot water on shoulder and do stretching exercises at the same time. It might have resulted in tearing the tendon but the problem resolved quickly.
First, obesity is of major importance in back problems and a lot of joint problems. Second, a "protruding disc" is not pathology, per se. It is a normal part of aging, and another good reason to stay in shape and be careful about how you lift. If you look at back problems from a mechanical point of view, like a good ahr-er, you will see that a fat gut doesn't provide adequate support for the mechanics of lifting and structural support....it's kind of like having soft, flexible bent wall studs on two sides of a house and good, sturdy sound studs on the other side. The weak side isn't going to hold up the roof and puts strain on the other side.
If I was faced with needing Vicodin...or any other narc...for chronic back pain, I would go see a good physiatrist (that is NOT psychiatrist). Have referred numerous clients to them, but they are like any other doc; some have good treatment plans, some are just selling drugs. I would also consider acupuncture for chronic pain...many physicians use them and the same cautions apply. Practitioners in any specialty vary widely....some are creative and fashion treatment to the patient, others just write the same garbage on an rx pad and collect a fee.
Swimming and bicycling are good, low stress exercises for back pain. I once had a w.c. client, recovering from back surgery and under care of an exceptionally good neurosurgeon. He prescribed water therapy for her and we gladly paid for a YMCA membership for her. She was a good patient, followed doc's orders, and recovered without any long-term limitations. Went back to the same job. This is where obesity rears it's ugly head again - makes it tough to go through surgery, tough to exercise.
Sorry for the long epistle. If your problem gets better and then worse, is it related to activity, stress, or ....?
Hey, thanks for the replies. Yeah,my problems are way beyond strain, which go away after a few days. First I went to a chiropractor on a Friday afternoon. He took Xrays and gave me a "treatmnent" =putting me on one of those tables and crunching me around. I felt good for just shy of 24 hours afterwards. Went back on Monday afternooon and he showed me the Xrays and gave me another treatment, which did absolutely nothing. The next day I went to a back pain specialist who gave me the perscription and set me up for an MRI. After the MRI, I got the three series of injections. The Xrays and MRI showed 3 discs on my right side were pretty much worn out. I pretty much agree about Mexico meds. My folks are almost on the border(Tx/Mex) and get a lot of their meds from Canada. I ws down there just last weekend. Luckily felt fine almost the whole time. I never told my folks about the problems-- would do nothing but give them something else to worry about. Plus the occasion was my HS reunion, so I didn't want to be hobbling around, seeing people I hadn't seen in from 10 to 40 years. I personally have always wondered about acupuncture, but several friends swore by it, so I figured I'd give it a try. They told me up front that there was no guarantee it would help at all-- which I understood and had no problem with. About a month or so ago I had a customer who highly recommended yoga, and I heard something on the news just this weekend saying pretty much the same thing, so it is definitely something I'm gonna look into. Thanks again to everyone. Larry
Our doctor and drug store are close and we either take script in or have the doctor phone in. For long term mail oder stuff, its all electronic through computer or phone and does not require visit to doctor or pharmacy.
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