Has anyone encountered this with the VA?

Backyardcreek · #1 01/08/15, 05:44 AM

My DH is a disabled vet. He broke his hip in 1990 during duty & since then has had hip replacement. Also due to hip injury, he's experienced back problems among other associated medical issues. Until recently he was receiving a low dose of pain killer to help him manage his pain.

Approximately 4 - 6 weeks ago, DH received a VA letter stating that the VA will no longer supply him with the pain killer (narcotic) and sent him a substitute (non narcotic).

He's been struggling & the new meds are causing him discomfort (upset stomach, etc.)

He had an VA appt. this week & during the examine, DH addressed his pain, the current meds were not working, etc. This is when the examining dr. told him that the VA was offering doctors incentives to change patients from the more expensive drugs to cheaper ones.

Can this possibly be true?

1shotwade · #2 01/08/15, 06:40 AM

Yes this is true but not as bad as it sounds. They are trying to get the doctors to use generic drugs with the same stuff in them to do the same job.You can look it up online and see what drugs are on their list and if it's not there it's harder to get through the VA.

Wade

craftychick · #3 01/08/15, 08:09 AM

My husband is a disabled vet and since his pain is caused by a service connected disability he is prescribed hydrocodone monthly as well as a bunch of other medications.
The only change is we had to go to the local VA clinic and he had to sign papers describing what the hydrocodone does for the pain.
Also, every month when his prescription comes through the mail, it now comes via certified mail so we have to sign for it.

badlander · #4 01/08/15, 08:44 AM

I don't know if it has changed but my husband has VA and severe allergies. They had to get special permission to change his medicine to one not on their preferred list by documenting that the preferred drugs in their preferred drug list were non effective for his symptoms.

He needs to complain BIG TIME that the medicine they gave him was non effective.

Also, he has the option of having his doctor write him a prescription for what works and paying out of pocket for the prescription instead of running it through VA.

Given that he is a retired vet and disabled things may work differently but it might be worth asking his health care team if it is possible to get a drug that is not on their medication list.

Good luck with this and thank you to your husband for his service to his country.

unregistered358967 · #5 01/08/15, 09:02 AM

I found this:

https://www.myhealth.va.gov/mhv-port...drocodone.html

Not sure if it's related to his issue?

plowjockey · #6 01/10/15, 07:36 PM

I have a friend that suffers from advanced MS.

He battles endlessly over pain management, with the VA. Tried to kill himself over it.

It's a tough situation, for everyone involved. VA funding isn't endless, plus not every Vet that wants pain pills, has pain.

JeffreyD · #7 01/10/15, 07:55 PM

OTE=plowjockey;7342077]I have a friend that suffers from advanced MS.

He battles endlessly over pain management, with the VA. Tried to kill himself over it.

It's a tough situation, for everyone involved. VA funding isn't endless, plus not every Vet that wants pain pills, has pain.[/QUOTE]

I'm sorry to hear about your friend. I too, have friends that have extreme pain due to action related instances and it can be a real deal for these folks. And your right about the pain meds being over used!

**Tiempo** · #8 01/10/15, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badlander

I don't know if it has changed but my husband has VA and severe allergies. They had to get special permission to change his medicine to one not on their preferred list by documenting that the preferred drugs in their preferred drug list were non effective for his symptoms.

He needs to complain BIG TIME that the medicine they gave him was non effective.

Also, he has the option of having his doctor write him a prescription for what works and paying out of pocket for the prescription instead of running it through VA.

Given that he is a retired vet and disabled things may work differently but it might be worth asking his health care team if it is possible to get a drug that is not on their medication list.

Good luck with this and thank you to your husband for his service to his country.

Yes, they call it non formulary. They switched one of my husband's meds to generic and it didn't work for him so his VA doc had to put in a special order for the name brand.

That was a few years ago and it hasn't been brought up again.

Westexas · #9 01/11/15, 05:00 AM

As 2dogs-mom wrote, I suspect it is due to the changes made by the DEA. Schedule 2 drugs require a special, hand written prescription that is only good for a 30 day supply. A headache for us civilian docs, but a major problem for the VA, who is already strained past capacity. You cannot fax or call this in to the pharmacy; it has to be hand-carried. Maybe they would allow him to see a Pain Management specialist, or at least a civilian doctor who can see him once a month? Best of luck!

Backyardcreek · #10 01/11/15, 08:37 AM

Thanks for all the replies. We're still working through this (everything requires a paper trail :/ )

badlander · #11 01/11/15, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiempo

Yes, they call it non formulary. They switched one of my husband's meds to generic and it didn't work for him so his VA doc had to put in a special order for the name brand.

That was a few years ago and it hasn't been brought up again.

Thanks, I couldn't think of the words and was too lazy to go to the site to look it up

.

Yes, things have changed with controlled drugs. Not everyone is a prescription drug abuser. Many need pain control just to stay on their feet and live a good quality of life. The abusers have really messed it up for the folks that really need them and now have to jump through hoops just to get a refill.

I remember about ten years ago working with Medicare patients in an extended care facility. In order to get a non forumlary drug we had to document that the doctor had tried three different medications from three different classes of drugs without successful results before we could get them to pay for a non formulary medication. Do you know how long that took before we could get the medication on board that would help that poor soul? Many times I set and went through med lists with a doctor or doctor's head nurse looking for documentation that we had tried 3 different meds on their formulary list without success usually over the course of three weeks or more.

That's a long time for the patient to be in pain or be agitated if you are an old person.

Just another example of what is wrong with insurance companies and medical care in America.

What is happening isn't new, it's been going on for years. People are just becoming more aware of it.

unregistered358967 · #12 01/11/15, 04:19 PM

Best of luck. It's great that he has an advocate. Not all do ...

Jlynnp · #13 01/11/15, 05:07 PM

[QUOTE=Westexas;7342347]As 2dogs-mom wrote, I suspect it is due to the changes made by the DEA. Schedule 2 drugs require a special, hand written prescription that is only good for a 30 day supply. A headache for us civilian docs, but a major problem for the VA, who is already strained past capacity. You cannot fax or call this in to the pharmacy; it has to be hand-carried. Maybe they would allow him to see a Pain Management specialist, or at least a civilian doctor who can see him once a month? Best of luck![/QUOT

Yes I see a Pain Dr every month. These new changes are a nightmare for those of us who honestly need the medication. Here in TN they are running an ad on TV stating how much narcotic medicine is prescribed. They make it seem like we are all druggies. I take urine drug test on a 'random' basis, sometimes every month and then it will go a couple months. It makes you feel even worse - give me a break I am 61 yrs old and certainly do not resemble the anorexic, toothless junkies I see.

unregistered358967 · #14 01/12/15, 08:05 AM

Yep. It's not just the VA cracking down, it happens in the civillian world too. Most 'regular' doctors (primary care physician) will write a prescription for only a month and anything after that you have to start seeing a pain management specialist.

A few bad apples... Johnny comes over to grandma and gramps house and steals their OxyContin to sell for a few bucks per pill... so the doctors have to try to limit it.

Westexas · #15 01/13/15, 06:46 AM

A nightmare for everyone involved. After a chronic pain patient of mine committed suicide - on her 3rd try, with a cocktail of legal and street drugs - I was placed under strict scrutiny by the state Medical Board and am very restricted as to what I can prescribe and who I can prescribe it for. Age does not make a difference, and addicts come in all forms. One man insisting that he needed MORE morphine even though he had run out two weeks prior, and his drug screens were not always positive for the drug (meaning he was selling it). A few - or a multitude - of bad apples, including docs who would sell their prescriptions for cash, spoiling the whole barrel.