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Pain Management & Opioids

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MaddMatt
  4/22/2019 06:50 EST

Hello,
I am a retired man (63yrs old) looking to escape a bad & growing situation in the U.S. Our government has decided they know more about healthcare than our Dr's. After being in the care of a Pain Mgmt. Specialist for over 23 yrs and taking MS Contin & instant release morphine successfully without problems, now I am being looked at as if I have a drug problem & am an addict. WTF? I am trying to find a Central American Country that does not interfere with their Dr's ability to treat patients.
Does anyone out there have any suggestions as to what I could look into?
Thanks
MaddMatt

losciale1
  4/22/2019 11:00 EST

Mexico is very inconsistent, the postal system sucks. Most things are sub par except for the stress free way of life and lovely Mexican people.

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RVGRINGO
  4/22/2019 11:10 EST

You are unlikely to treat your pain with opioids in Mexico. Those medications are strictly controlled, and not available to most doctors; just to specialized anesthesiologists, and only through certain pharmacies in major cities.

promobabe
  4/22/2019 13:42 EST

RV Gringo is spot on right. Opioid medications and other controlled substances are far more strictly controlled and nearly impossible to obtain in Mexico. And...even if you do manage to find a licensed anesthesiologist to write you a prescription...and can get to one of the very few pharmacies legally allowed to fill it...the medication itself is frequently not in stock. As tough as it now is to get pain meds in the States, it’s far more difficult in Mexico.

Dharmagranny
  4/22/2019 13:47 EST

You can't get oxycontin prescribed in Mexico. Period.

promobabe
  4/22/2019 13:48 EST

And I neglected to add...the medications are VERY expensive

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Dharmagranny
  4/22/2019 13:56 EST

That said, there are numerous pain management docs in Mexico who may be able to find an alternative drug to relieve your pain. Some pain and inflammation drugs that you need prescriptions for in the US are over the counter in Mexico, for example Tramadol. Diclofenac sodium (Voltaren), Lyrica (pregabalin and also gabapentin), Celecoxib, all kinds of steroids, and the non-narcotic pain reliever Ketorolac (Toradol), All are to be used judiciously, and it is best to spread your business around rather than visit the same pharmacy. Most pharmacies have prescribing doctors on the premises or on fast response and they are pretty cheap (cheaper than a doctor visit at a clinic), but they are reluctant to give more than two to four weeks of any narcotic that they are licensed to prescribe. The pain management doctors are MDs and/or anaesthesiologists, which gives them wider prescribing latitude. Hope that helps.

Cozumeldeb
  4/22/2019 13:59 EST

Mexico not allowing oxycontin, automatically makes them SMARTER than the USA.

promobabe
  4/22/2019 14:00 EST

Dharmagranny...actually you can get OxyContin prescribed as described by RV Gringo and myself. It’s just very difficult, time-consuming and terribly expensive. And...there’s absolutely no guarantee that a Mexican anesthesiologist will prescribe opioid pain meds for you even if you’ve been on them in the States. But yes, OxyContin, morphine and other controlled pain meds can be prescribed. Drugs like Norco and Vicodin cannot be prescribed, as they are simply not available in Mexico.

GwyneddOES
  4/22/2019 14:38 EST

When you find one, please let me know too.
16 years ago I broke my back in an accident. I went thru Kyphoplasty which lasted about 6 years before it broke down, and had to have an artificial disc put into my back. I still live in constant pain from my lower back and my neck. I was told @ that time I would ALWAYS be on pain meds for the rest of my life.
I moved to Texas and they cold turkey'd me off my meds (idiots) until i could find a pain management Dr. here. They continue me on my Extended release morphine Sulfate. I am also a human barometer being able to know 24 hours in advance when storms are coming in.
I'm seriously looking for a home in the Queretaro region.......just returned last week from Tequisquiapan.

RVGRINGO
  4/22/2019 14:38 EST

By the way: Mexico is in North America, not Central America.

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Enjoying59m
  5/5/2019 19:03 EST

Hi,
MaddMatt, I understand 100%.
I am a brand new subscriber to this forum. A California military retiree who has become disenchanted with California, and whom has been told my NORCO Rx will be coming to an end, after 15 years of "clean, as prescribed, usage". My pain, 7-8'ish (PA, OA, RA), is now irrelevant in the eyes of the politicians, as the same politicians have now become pain specialists. I too have been looked at as a drug addict with UA (Urine Analysis) and pain contracts. 30 years of ( some combat) service with PA, OA, RA. Mexico weather and beaches look fun.
Jeff
60y/o
Califorinia

Enjoying59m
  5/5/2019 19:10 EST

Thank you for those honest reply's.
The Pacific Ocean, and a "Sundowner", or two, on a cruise ship in Port of Mazatlan, did have a nice effect on my arthritis. :)
Thanks Again,
Jeff

delta90017
  5/10/2019 14:25 EST

The prescription of opioids is controlled in Mexico by FENASICA. The prescription pads are issued by FENASICA only to anasthesiologists who have a sub-specialty in pain management. Other physicians do not have access to opioids. Each prescription form in the pad is bar-coded with the patient name, condition being treated and the drug information.

MaddMatt
  5/12/2019 11:16 EST

gwyyneddOES, I totally understand about being a human barometer, I am also. I also was told to expect to be on pain meds for the rest of my life. Life is miserable w/o the meds but here in Texas, our government is pressuring doctors to take people off of meds even when they are needed & done correctly. I wish you luck in finding a doctor to help you. I am finding that it is difficult to locate a nation that will allow doctors to practice medicine according to the Hippocratic Oath. I'm going to keep looking as I really have no choice in the matter, if I wish to keep walking and enjoy these last 20 years of my life. Never expected this situation. Thanks to everyone who responded, Matt

MaddMatt
  5/12/2019 11:16 EST

gwyyneddOES, I totally understand about being a human barometer, I am also. I also was told to expect to be on pain meds for the rest of my life. Life is miserable w/o the meds but here in Texas, our government is pressuring doctors to take people off of meds even when they are needed & done correctly. I wish you luck in finding a doctor to help you. I am finding that it is difficult to locate a nation that will allow doctors to practice medicine according to the Hippocratic Oath. I'm going to keep looking as I really have no choice in the matter, if I wish to keep walking and enjoy these last 20 years of my life. Never expected this situation. Thanks to everyone who responded, Matt

MaddMatt
  5/12/2019 11:17 EST

RVGringo,
Yeah I blew that didn't I. Oh well. Thanks for your response.
Matt

Dougsd44
  5/12/2019 17:29 EST

Have you tried treating your pain with cannabis? Medical marijuana is legal in some Central American countries and of what u was reading may soon be legal in Mexico as well.

YellowTail
  5/13/2019 13:10 EST

Only marginally relevant to this conversation but -

Yesterday my wife fell off a ladder picking fruit in our garden. On her way down she hit the back of her heel on a stone wall. So she took a few aspirins, wrapped it in an ace bandage and iced it.

When she got up this morning it hurt almost too much to move on so we took her to our excellent Red Cross station (no breaks). 100 pesos admission, 300 pesos for the xrays BUT the doctor gave her a prescription for some pain-killers which cost 700 pesos for 7 pills. That is a lot more expensive than aspirins...

YellowTail
  5/13/2019 18:45 EST

Sorry again for the divergence...

So we got home and my wife was still having trouble getting around. I gave it some thought and I realized I had an extra rubber foot for an indoor ladder, and I had a matching 3/4" T fitting for our sistema de riego - so I visited our local ferrateria (first time this month). We are the only expats within "miles" and everyone knows us (and smile).

So I purchased a meter of 3/4" PVC and have fashioned a quite suitable cane (baston - today's new word). I have at least doubled my wife's land speed. (We are only talking a couple days - right).

GwyneddOES
  5/13/2019 23:38 EST

Same here Matt and I agree. The next 20 years will be hell.
OES

DachshundLover
  3/11/2020 03:31 EST

Well if you ever experience intractable pain that makes you want to kill yourself, and I truly hope you never do, then you would understand why that position is so misinformed. It’s not the use of opioids that causes problems, it the abuse of opioids.

DachshundLover
  3/11/2020 03:44 EST

Well Matt, it’s been almost a year since you posted that message. Did you have any success? We’re looking to relocate south of the border (considering Ajijic, Mexico or Boquete, Panama) and I want to make sure that I won’t be miserable down there.

RVGRINGO
  3/11/2020 10:53 EST

If you need opiods for pain management, Mexico is probably not a good choice for your retirement. Such medications are very tightly restricted, and are not readily available outside of specialized farmacias, and with a special prescription from an anesthesiologist, which can be very difficult to obtain, and may only be found in your state capital at a singly location.

Bigfoot8909
  3/11/2020 14:20 EST

Most liberal drug dispensing nation on the planet - Portugal. And about 37 million fewer murders per year.

Rooster1
  5/27/2020 11:06 EST

Hi Bigfoot
I am planning on leaving the US soon myself. Will need to find a source for my pain meds. Oxycontin mainly.
Portugal is a possibility?
Thanks

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