Florida laws regulating pain management practices and prescription painkillers were supposed to crack down on the state's pill mill problem, but they have created barriers to care for many patients, according to two ABC 7 reports.
Sarah Hall of Ft. Myers, Fla., has been in a coma for 11 years and takes oxycodone to manage the chronic pain her mother says leaves her screaming in pain and clenching her fists. Ms. Hall received a letter from her physician saying she would have to see a pain management physician to continue receiving her medication. This would involve moving the woman, who is hooked up to machines and susceptible to disease, to a pain management clinic where her mother was told it would be a two-month wait.
Laurie Damanto suffers from systemic scleroderma, an autoimmune disease with no cure. In one month, 11 pharmacists refused to fill her prescription for oxycodone. CVS is one of the pharmacies in the state refusing to fill prescriptions from certain physicians.
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Sarah Hall of Ft. Myers, Fla., has been in a coma for 11 years and takes oxycodone to manage the chronic pain her mother says leaves her screaming in pain and clenching her fists. Ms. Hall received a letter from her physician saying she would have to see a pain management physician to continue receiving her medication. This would involve moving the woman, who is hooked up to machines and susceptible to disease, to a pain management clinic where her mother was told it would be a two-month wait.
Laurie Damanto suffers from systemic scleroderma, an autoimmune disease with no cure. In one month, 11 pharmacists refused to fill her prescription for oxycodone. CVS is one of the pharmacies in the state refusing to fill prescriptions from certain physicians.
Related Articles on Pain Management:
Pain Physicians: What is the Biggest Challenge Facing Pain Management as a Specialty Right Now?
Report: Networks Behind Prescription Painkiller Increase
Study: Reformulated Imatinib Eliminates Morphine Tolerance