Please use this thread to discuss topics related to North Carolina

Any rec. pain doctors in eastern NC? Went to a "pain clinic" the other day and turned out to be a chiro with terrible credentials. Was very angry! Looking for a doctor not afraid to treat migraines with hydos, only thing that really works.

www.eclinicmd.com has a Doctor in Walnut Cove NC you will need up to date records and something that shows you were prescribed Hydro or a like drug in the past

I am still trying to figure out who to go with now in NC.I am seriously thinking of giving up on F2F all together but I called a local pain clinic and there is no way I can afford that either.

I called a guy who writes here, and he was really cool to me, but he said it was close to $300 for a referral to a doc in my town, and then there were additional fees, and I had to fax over my medical records.
I am here in NC and my regular doc quit writing for narcotics. And help?

There is a pain clinic in W-S that is only 129 per appointment. The obvious problem is that you need to go every month. I have pretty good insurance, but everyone want to write oxy instead of oxy or hydro morphone. Oxy is still not available in generic in the US. I hope this helps.

As far as hydro with APAP for migraines, you may have a difficult time as APAP causes BAD rebound headaches. Good luck.

Do most pain clinics in NC require prior MRI's?

No MRI and records and some sort of proof that you have been prescribed a like drug is usually all that is required. And forget the OC from F2F Doc's they want to stay under the radar. If your going for migraines they are going to try many oter drugs before they go to opiates.

Opiates are not the first choice for migraines, as they use to have been, but they may require an MRI. If you cannot afford one, there are places in NC that will do one for you, for free. In W-S, there is Community Care, and the docs there will order what they think is necessary.

I am in NC...have had two MRI's within the past year and suffer from a siezure disorder..I have all records and would like to stay on the current meds that I am taking now but my doctor is saying he wants to switch me to something else which does not work near as well..I have told him this but he is afriad of dependance, etc on the current meds...

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to approach my doc and tell him that I am comfortable with the current meds and do not want to change?? Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,
MM

MM,

I don't have time right now to find you all the links,but if you go to the pain relief network site or google Dr Alex Duluce there is a wealth of info on treatment of pain with opiods etc. For example most studies show if by the time your middle aged and if you have never had an addiction problem,the chances of becoming addicted is next to none. There is a lot of info to be had find it, make sure the source is good and share what you find out with your Dr.

The most important thing you can do is impress upon your Dr that it is a quality of life issue thats at stake.

Goodluck if there is anything I might be able to help with let me know.

I don't know of any contraindications with prescribing opiates along with anti-convulsant meds. It seems that they may treat with the usual suspects, or maybe the old stand by of phenobabital. There may be an issue with the depressant side of Lyrica, or others like it, pheno, and opiates, but it seems that pain, is in fact pain.
Where in NC are you? I know a couple of good docs, but they prescribe C-III meds at best.

I'm lucky to have a good pain mgmt doc here in the capital.
prior to him, it was really hard getting anything but Ultram or toradol and I dont know about anyone else, but that does not suffice when it comes to my pain (i have internal chest scarring as a result from surgery).

Anytime a doc prescribes toradol, he believes that you are in moderate to severe pain. It is only indicated for very short term use (5 days or so) and Tramadol, as well. It seems that you could move to a narcotic if you complain about stomach pain when you take the toradol, and Ultram, you can research about how that can give you bad, black mood swings, or even really bad dreams.
As I read your post, it seems that you may have moved on, but I will leave it for others to benefit.
I am sorry about the scarring; I lost 30% of my lung capacity due to a step-pneumonia that almost killed me.
Good luck, and hit me back if you would like.

Linearvideo,

I am living near Charlotte...and I do have neruopathic pain but it is way overshawdowed by the siezure difficulties that I have. I just do not want my doc to take me of the medicine that is working for me, even if they are afraid that it will cause dependence...I am middle aged and never had a dependence problem before..college educated, etc.. so if I request that my doctor treat me acertain way and he feels that the treatment outways the risk then there should not be a problem, correct?
Thanks,
MM

The doc should weigh the potential risk against the relief that the meds will give you.
I would be upfront with him. Physcial addiction is an accepted side effect, hence the warning not to stop taking the long term meds without speaking with your doc.
There are some good clinics near Charlotte. I would tell him that I have done research and accept the calculated risk.
Neruo pain is real pain, and one that should be treated accordingly.
Is this any help?

Elsewhere in this site is a post today about someone getting busted at Target for having four Hydrocodone prescriptions from the internet filled at Target without a face to face. It was in todays paper. It was in NC. Anyone?

Whoa what paper was that in?

I posted that thread. It was in the Asheville Citizens-Times newspaper, www.citizen-times.com I have looked several times today but there is no mention of it today. Go to the search box at the top of the page and enter Rodney Lunsford in the box, hit Local News, and then hit go. Click on the headline that comes up and then scroll down until you see his name.

I guess you aren't a friend of Rodney's. $5K bond, sounds high but I guess he had to cough up $500? Anyway. He probably saw a doctor at least once. We have no idea. I like the way the paper uses "the internet". Therefore, he is surely guilty.

Thanks for that edgewise!

So any advice on a doc to see in Raleigh? Just got here from VA and the local family doc seems to shrival in fear when I mentioned back pain.