Suggested Provider Responsibilities to include in a Pain Contract

[thehipcrip]

Greetings All...

First time poster to these forums. :)

I'm about to sign a pain management contract with the doctor who provides my opiod pain drugs. I have concerns that all of the contracts out there are very one-sided -- they specify a whole laundry list of what I must do, but don't outline any responsibilities for my provider.

If you were able to write your own pain management contract, what responsibilities would you want/expect your provider to agree to?

One that I want to make sure is included is that should my provider decide to discontinue any of my opiates for any reason, he/she agrees to do so by gradually reducing the dosage over whatever period is medically necessary to avoid withdrawal symptoms.

Does anyone have other ideas?

Thanks in advance for all contributions!

[rybread]

The responsibility of your provider is simple, if you follow their rules, they will provide you with medicine. I've signed one and had no problem doing it. I've kept to my agreement of taking only a certain amount a month and not asking for them to early or going to any other doctors and asking them for pain meds. I'm not sure why they want to reduce your medication every month, maybe they're just testing you. Anyways, if you did a poll, I'm sure many people here have signed a contract with their pain specialists.

[thehipcrip]

The responsibility of your provider is simple, if you follow their rules, they will provide you with medicine.

But IMO, it's not that simple.

For example, most contracts include a clause that says I will not take any other pain meds from any other doctor without the consent of my prescribing doctor. I understand why this is included, and generally have no issues with it.

However, it seems to me that if the prescribing doctor wants the right to control all of the pain meds I take, he/she should also bear the responsibility to be accessible outside of office hours in the event there is an emergency and I need pain meds or anesthesia to be treated (e.g. breaking a leg or dislocating a shoulder on the weekend, both of which have happened to me this past year).

Maybe it's just me, but I don't think getting pain meds should require me to sign away my right to get immediate and appropriate medical care in the event of an emergency because my pain med doctor can only be reached from 9-5 Monday through Friday.

--THC

[onolan]

dont sign a thing until the doc agrees to take the stuff himself first, and getting fully physiologically involved and then get free again. Try that one on him.
Ok i think anyone that prescribes psychoactive substances must be vetted in their personal experience/use before being allowed to prescribe any such,, this should be true for each and every substance prescribed