“The moral test of a government is how it treats those who are at the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the aged; and those who are in the shadow of life, the sick and the needy, and the handicapped.” – Hubert Humphrey
passionate pachyderms
Pharmacist Steve steve@steveariens.com 502.938.2414
I do not support nor encourage someone committing suicide …BUT…. before COVID-19 we had about 50,000/yr suicides and ONE MILLION ATTEMPTS and many claim that suicides have increased since COVID-19 came around in Feb/March.
I know that I am walking out on very far on a ethical limb… but read this entire post and see if you don’t agree with the logic behind it. Recently I made the post below and the title is linked back to the post
Out of those 50,000 suicides and one million attempts is there a suicide note left behind … which contains a statement as to who is to blame for this person for exercising the “final solution ” to get themselves out their unrelenting pain ?
Look at the chart on the above post of the adverse effects to the human body of under/untreated pain and look at the very last line “INCREASED THOUGHTS OF SUICIDE”.
Following the path that is outlined in the attached post to put those on notice that is involved in reducing/stopping a pt’s pain meds… doesn’t make any difference if it is a prescriber, insurance/PBM company, chain pharmacy if the pt suffers a stroke, heart attack, death or suicide… suicide in particular, could whoever is behind the decision to cut the pt pain meds.. could them be charged with assisting suicide, involuntary manslaughter or some similar charge… Insurance/PBM companies have medical directors and one would think that is where such policies of reducing pt’s pain meds would originate… and thus would they be the one who could be personally held responsible ?
Healthcare corporations have gotten away with cutting/stopping meds because they have no fear of retribution from pts. Putting these healthcare corporations ON NOTICE with a single certified letter from the pt’s attorney could start the ball rolling. If someone has committed suicide and left behind a suicide note who they blame..then the pt’s relatives should be able to go to the local prosecutor or state AG and have charges/arrest warrant on the individual who the pt claim was the reason behind the pt’s actions.
This path, the pt’s relatives will not need an attorney, nor have money to hire an attorney, This involves a CRIME… the state’s bureaucracy would do the “heavy lifting”
Has anyone noticed how much “whining” that Joe Biden has been doing because he is not being included in the COVID-19 vaccination process ?
By the time if/when he is swore into office there is probably going to be millions of doses of vaccine distributed and administered to the most vulnerable people. The WHOLE SYSTEM will be in place and functioning… WITHOUT HIS INPUT and what will he be left to TAKE CREDIT FOR… telling people to wear their masks, wash their hands and stay 6′ apart. According to this doctor, our country could to be four months away from NATIONAL HERD IMMUNITY by Jan 20th, 2021.
Joe is watching his opportunity to take credit for our society and economy getting back on its feet because Trump was finishing his “warp speed project” that he started and not letting Biden get into the middle of the project and try to tinker around with what appears to be a very successful program.
Operation Warp Speed projects 70% herd immunity, potential return to normalcy May 2021
Dr. Moncef Slaoui expects vaccines to start being distributed by mid-December
America might reach herd immunity from the coronavirus sometime around May, according to a timeline laid out by Operation Warp Speed‘s top science adviser.
Dr. Moncef Slaoui spoke with Jake Tapper during Sunday’s “State of the Union,” addressing the timeline for delivering vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer – each of which is pending approval.
An advisory panel is meeting Dec. 10 to determine whether or not to approve the vaccines. Should the panel grant approval, Slaoui said that the government will move fast to deliver the vaccines across the country.
Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief adviser to Operation Warp Speed, speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House, Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
“Our plan is to be able to ship vaccines to the immunization sites within 24 hours from the approval, so I would expect maybe on day two after approval, on the 11th or 12th of December,” Slaoui said.
When asked how long it may take to reach herd immunity, which would potentially allow for a return to normalcy, Slaoui confirmed that Operation Warp Speed determined it could distribute up to 20 million immunizations a month starting in December.
“Normally, with the level of efficacy we have – 95% – then 70% or so of the population being immunized would allow true herd immunity to take place,” Slaoui said. “That is likely to happen somewhere in the month of May, something like that, based on our plans.”
Operation Warp Speed will take its cues from state health departments to determine where the vaccines should go and who will receive the immunizations first.
Slaoui said the Center for Disease Control and Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice would meet to issue guidance as to who states should prioritize for vaccinations, but the final decision would be up to each state.
“But clearly the highest-risk people, front-line workers, essential workers should be among the first,” Slaoui said.
The key, though, will be to shift public perceptions about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines. A recent Gallup poll found that only about 58% of people trust the vaccine enough to take it.
“I really hope and look forward to seeing the level of negative perception people have about the vaccine decrease and positive perception increase,” Slaoui said. “Most people need to be immunized before we can return to a normal life.”
In subsequent Sunday morning show appearance, Slaoui answered questions regarding the handoff between the Trump administration and the incoming Biden administration, with President-elect Joe Biden set to announce key cabinet appointments this coming week.
On ABC’s “This Week,” Slaoui confirmed that Operation Warp Speed has had no contact yet with anyone on the Biden transition team.
Talking with Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press,” Slaoui stressed that Operation Warp Speed has been separate from “the political environment,” and hopes that there is no disruption during the transition.
“My personal role, as you know, is that I have volunteered for this on a limited basis,” Slaoui said. “My personal agenda is that when we have two vaccines approved, and two medicines approved, and the rest of the portfolio we have in good hands, I’ll probably move back to my private life.”
“As you know, I’ve been highly supportive of the program, and if it means I’ll work with the new administration, I’ll be very happy to.”
the spyware just following “controlled substances” recording every pill you take the rest of your life has failed to reduce the overdose deaths and now being used to deny patients their pain modulating medications for having a phony “overdose risk”. Heroin addicts die from mulit-drug overdose only one per 500,000 die from overdose taking prescription drugs and those maybe statistical error. With virtually no one overdosing on prescription opioid pain medicine why are states paying for something that is no needed. 95% of overdoses are, sadly, in people with receptor addiction disease (heroin addiction) from not having access to medical care, ‘The mass hysteria is costing taxpapers a lot of money for things that already have been shown not to decrease OD deaths and possibly increasing them.
Tracking every signal pain pain in the US is now being used to deny patients medicines based on an artificial “overdose dose risk score” normed on Heroin addicts using secret algorithms – not appropriate for the regular painful disease patient but interfering with the doctor patient relationships just the same. This is wrong and probably illegal. The word witch hunt is no longer a metaphor . Its getting worse and worse but we will do something about it
I’m from Arkansas. I came to visit my daughter & grandchildren October 28th not realizing I had a broken hip (right) I had fallen the day before I left for Florida & went to the ER X- Rays showed no break so i came to Florida. On November 14th I bent over & felt a pop in my (R) hip & down I went, luckily half on a bed. Went to ER (memorial in hollywood, Fl.) X- Ray showed no break, CT showed an irregularity which prompted an MRI after staying in the short term stay the results from that is a “non displaced superior fracture of the pelvic ramus with extensive marrow adema” can’t have surgery due to location of fracture.
I was able to be released & the doctor wrote a script for 12 Percocet 10/325 & told to see a local doctor within 3 days because that was all they were allowed to write my script for & I would need more pain medication so I made a appointment with a doctor got a script for 7 days here is my problem when I went to fill my script every pharmacy I went to said ” we don’t have any percocet, our shipment will be in the middle of next week”, 2 wal marts, neighborhood market, 2 CVS then finally Walgreens filled my 3 day supply however, I’m still looking for a pharmacy to fill my 7 day script! How can every pharmacy in the Hollywood/Hallendale area not have Percocet 10/325? They are not out right refusing to fill but they are supposedly out, come on! That’s the way they get around refusing to fill the script to not be reported.. So, I’m here in Florida with a broken hip a 7 day script & no pharmacy that will fill my script & in severe pain this does not sound right to me! I am so disappointed in the process or the lack thereof I have never felt so angry to have people lie right to my face when I’m in this kind of pain (the worse pain I’ve ever felt in my life)! What can be done about this, if anything? Your help is greatly appreciated, thank you..
Many factors are associated with suicide risk. These factors range from PTSD, depression and anxiety disorder to financial and interpersonal concerns to access to opioids and other lethal means, like firearms. Even when we take these risk factors into consideration, moderate to severe pain intensity is associated with suicide risk.
Veterans are a particularly vulnerable group. The suicide rate among Veterans is 1.5 times that of the general population. Also, Veterans develop chronic pain conditions at higher rates and report greater pain severity than members of the general population.
VA’s Behavioral Health Autopsy Program: Executive Summary reports pain is the most common factor Veterans experience before they die by suicide. The VISN 2 Center of Excellence (CoE) for Suicide Prevention studied the link between reported pain intensity and suicide attempts. The results may uncover how effective pain treatment can be a critical suicide prevention tactic.
Managing pain in daily life
Veterans have several treatment options through VA to cope with pain and reduce pain intensity. Nonmedication interventions are considered first-line treatments. They include physical therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain and chiropractic care. Medication-based treatments include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications and injections. Examples are cortisone for low back pain and botulinum toxin for migraines. Opioids may be used under close monitoring when they are taken appropriately and the benefits outweigh the risks.
Strategies
Strategies that improve psychological well-being can also help Veterans cope with pain in everyday life. Veterans can discuss the following tactics with care providers to see which may work best:
Be honest about the pain you’re experiencing. An important step in managing chronic pain is accepting that it is part of your life. Accepting the presence of pain can help you move on and engage in enjoyable and everyday activities despite that pain.
Pace your activities. Although you may not be able to do everything you did before the pain began, try to find ways to reintroduce some activities in a moderated way and create more balance in the activities you’re doing. For example, if you plan to go for a long walk in the morning, consider taking a break mid-day to give your body time to recover and to prevent a pain flare-up. Even if you start to feel better over time, avoid overdoing it to avoid a relapse or further injury.
Explore mindfulness. Increasing awareness of the present moment can help relieve emotional and mental tension that can intensify physical pain. Meditation and other mindfulness practices help you become more comfortable in feeling the way you feel without judgement, helping to prevent pain from taking over your thoughts and acting on autopilot.
People with higher pain intensity had lower survival rates than those who had mild pain or no pain at all.
Study findings
A CoE study looked at Veterans’ average pain intensity scores in the year after they began receiving pain specialty services to determine whether pain intensity was associated with suicide attempts. Based on data from 2012–2014, moderate and severe pain over the course of a year increased the risk of a suicide attempt, even after considering other factors like a Veteran’s history of suicide attempts.
As the graph to the right shows, those with higher pain intensity had lower survival rates than those who had mild pain or no pain at all. This close correlation between pain intensity and suicide risk and death rates suggests that reducing pain, or the perception of that pain, can help prevent Veteran suicide.
Advice for Veterans’ family members and friends
Family members and friends are often the first to realize that a Veteran may be at risk for suicide. Warning signs include changes in mood or behaviors, outward comments about suicidal thoughts or increased interest in lethal means, such as firearms and opioids. If you see these signs in a Veteran in your life:
Start the conversation. Topics of pain and suicide can be challenging to talk about. Still, don’t be afraid to begin the conversation with the Veteran you’re concerned about. Starting the conversation can help the Veteran realize the need to address pain. It also reassures the Veteran that you’re willing to help.
#BeThere for the Veteran and engage in healthy activities. Invite your friend or loved one to a movie or dinner or for a walk around the neighborhood. Getting a Veteran out of the house can remind them of activities they can enjoy, despite their pain. Research suggests changing a Veteran’s mindset and engaging them in activities can improve overall wellness.
For numerous years the DEA has “forced/persuaded” the pharmacy wholesalers to RATION controlled substances that a community pharmacy can purchase. That rationing is based on a PERCENT of all the Rx meds that a particular pharmacy purchases… I have seen rates of 15%-20% being thrown out as the limit of controls that a pharmacy can purchase.
Several of the statements/press releases that has been put out by Amazon over the past 1-2 weeks… have had some vague statements as to what they are intending to do. One of their statements was to push the issue that they believe that they can sell pts medications for less than their insurance copay.
They also said that they would inventory “common prescribed medications”… since controlled substances are typically 15%-20% of all prescriptions – will they be considered “commonly prescribed medications ” Just think of all the potential headaches of dealing with the DEA that they would avoid if they don’t dispense controlled meds ?
Just like pain clinics wants to only do ESI’s on pts so that they are not dealing with controlled substances.
If people start having their non-controlled meds filled at the Amazon mail order pharmacy, that means that the local community pharmacist will be purchasing fewer non-controlled Rx meds and most likely the DEA will reduce their ability to purchase the amount of controlled substances as they have in the past.
Could this produce a larger “out of stock” issue by local pharmacies for controlled substances and/or if the local pharmacies are even able to retain enough overall Rx business to remain profitable enough to remain in business.
The vast majority of controlled substances are prescribed to pts who are dealing with subjective diseases (Pain, Anxiety, Depression, Mental Health & ADD/ADHD). The total number of pts that could be affected could be a HUGE NUMBER.
As fewer and fewer controlled meds being distributed by pharma wholesalers, will this just encourage the DEA to cut pharma production quotas on controlled meds even that much more ?
Could this end up causing a whole lot of collateral damage to those pts with a valid medical need for controlled substances that NO ONE WILL CARE ABOUT ?
UPDATE
We do not deliver Schedule II controlled medications, which includes most opioids. Learn more atamazon.com/pharmacy.
I was very impressed with the article that I just read . I am having that problem with a Walgreens store located in Indialantic Florida 32903 Highway A1A and Paradise Boulevard. I have been using that Walgreens store where I have been filling my chronic pain medicine hydromorphone (4 mg) for the past 4 months and before that I was with them for years The pharmacist would not fill my prescription based on the fact that it was increased from 4 mg to 8 mg 3 times a day 90 tablets. I had to wait 4 days until I found another Pharmacy to fill my prescription and therefore was without my pain medication. The reason other pharmacies did not want to fill it is because on record I am a patient using Walgreens pharmacy. and I should not be using different pharmacies. I just went to the doctor and have the same prescription that’s why I hope you might be able to help me. It is due to be filled on the 27th of this month.
I have already contacted the corporate office and filed a complaint approximately 2 weeks ago I still have yet to hear back. Any suggestion on how I am supposed to get my new prescription filled? Unfortunately I cannot go back to the pharmacy Care Plus Pharmacy in Sebastian Florida. This is where I finally got my script filled from last month. The reason being they called me about a week after they filled it and said they did not realize I was in Brevard County and their Pharmacy is located in Indian River County even though the pharmacy it’s about 20 miles from my house
I would highly appreciate your help in resolving this matter so I can have my medication that I so much need. I am also disabled and have at least five other major illnesse. For one a brain aneurysm so as you can probably imagine the stress of the situation is not good at all for my health
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my email
In filling these prescriptions, the Board does not expect pharmacists to take any specific action beyond exercising sound professional judgment. Pharmacists should not fear disciplinary action from the Board or other regulatory or enforcement agencies for dispensing controlled substances for a legitimate medical purpose in the usual course of professional practice. Every patient’s situation is unique and prescriptions for controlled substances shall be reviewed with each patient’s unique situation in mind. Pharmacists shall attempt to work with the patient and the prescriber to assist in determining the validity of the prescription.
unfortunately, I’m not aware of any action the FL Board of Pharmacy (BOP) against any pharmacist that has denied care … as you have experienced here is a link to file a complaint with the BOP https://mqa-flhealthcomplaint.doh.state.fl.us/
The DEA has claimed that a pt traveling a long distance to get a controlled Rx filled is a RED FLAG.. . because that is what substance abusers/addicts/diverters do… I heard one story years ago a chain pharmacist refused to fill a controlled Rx for a pt that lived in a different zip code that the pharmacy … but… the pt only lived about 1/2 mile from the store but there was a zip code boundary line between the pt’s home and the chain pharmacy.
My suggestion is to find yourself a independent pharmacy where you will be dealing with the pharmacist/owner here is link to find one by zip code https://ncpa.org/pharmacy-locator
go talk to the pharmacist/owner and talk about moving all your Rxs to them… talk to them about syncing up all your meds so that they are all filled on the same day each month.. everyone saves time and trouble.
I wouldn’t hold your breath on getting a response from Walgreen corporate… we have a serious and growing pharmacist surplus and if they were unhappy with how a pharmacist was treating their pts.. they would get rid of them… just yesterday I posted a article on how the surplus is so bad that for every 3 new pharmacists grads… ONE may be able to find a job — and do not count on it being FULL TIME. IMO, Walgreen’s lack of response SPEAKS VOLUMES about how much they care about chronic pain pts getting their medically necessary medications and/or being thrown into cold turkey withdrawal.
Finding a independent pharmacy may be the quickest route to help you deal with your health issues. every other entity that you can complain to will drag their feet and you will be lucky to hear from them within 12 months.
One final point is that one of the basics of the practice of medicine is the starting, changing, stopping a pt’s therapy – that Walgreen pharmacist basically changed your therapy – refused to follow physician owners… you might find some relief by filing a complaint with the FL medical licensing board… for the Pharmacist practicing medicine without a license.
As a retail pharmacist for 18 yrs with a massive company. I would highly recommend that anyone who can, transfer their prescriptions to a local independent pharmacy
The brick and mortar chains are cheating customers and employees, while earning a windfall of cash for the executives only.
Every store is understaffed, techs are underpaid. Pharmacists are overwhelmed.
I have read statements from numerous statements from numerous chain pharmacists that typically pharmacist’s shift is from opening to close – normally some 12-13 hr shifts and when they leave at the end of their shift..there is still a few hundred UNFILLED Rxs left in the computer que that was not filled by the end of the day.
I have read from pt statements that when they come to pick up their Rxs after calling in a refill a few days before and it is still not ready and when they do finally get their refill.. the date on the Rx label can be a few days before they tried to pick up their Rx and it was not filled. Not to justify a such lag time … it could be done so that if a prescriber has to be contacted regarding a refill with no authorized refills left … that process can be initiated and/or if the pharmacy computer system auto replenishes inventory… that would help assure that the needed medication can be in stock… when the Rx finally gets to be filled.
Historically, there has always been what is called a PIC ( Pharmacist in Charge) who is responsible to the state’s board of pharmacy for the legal operation of the Rx dept that they are listed as PIC. Back when these designations were developed into a pharmacy practice act, the vast majority of pharmacies were independent pharmacy… so the PIC was typically the pharmacy owner.
Some states have changed this designation from PIC to “responsible pharmacist”… and since chain pharmacies dominate the market place… the pharmacist that is responsible to the state’s board of pharmacy for the legal operation of the Rx dept … is now responsible for everything and IN CHARGE OF NOTHING… just the way the corporate management of chain pharmacies likes it.
When a pt patronizes a independent pharmacy… typically they are dealing with the Pharmacist/owner and often the tech staff has been there for years… because the Rx dept is well staffed and the staff is well paid. We had our own independent pharmacy for 20 yrs and when we sold out to a chain… my primary tech had been with us at least 12 yrs and they said that they would keep her hourly rate and benefits and was told that she was going to be the HIGHEST PAID TECH in the entire chain pharmacy and this chain was in the top 5 in the USA as far as the number of stores that they had.
It is YOUR HEALTH…. It is YOUR LIFE…. It is YOUR CHOICE …. chose wisely !!!
I do not support nor encourage someone committing suicide …BUT…. before COVID-19 we had about 50,000/yr suicides and ONE MILLION ATTEMPTS and many claim that suicides have increased since COVID-19 came around in Feb/March.
