Stompy

Why the hell are doctors so goddamn stingy with prescriptions?

I've had a sore throat for about a week now... a very bad one. I go in telling him that I can't sleep at night, it hurts so bad when I swallow that I can't stay asleep, etc. So what does he give me? Antibiotics. That's fine and all, but at least give me some type of pain medication like vicodin or darvoset along with it.

Went to the ER on Sunday because my throat was so swollen that I almost couldn't breathe. They gave me some lidocaine and told me it would help with the pain - it didn't. In the end, they gave me 20 weak-ass darvoset. The recommended dosage was 1 pill every 4-6 hours, but in reality, 3 was the magic number. Ran out of those.

Went back today telling him that I can't just sit here through the pain and that I NEED something to get rid of it. I haven't slept in almost 3 days and this is ridiculous. So what does he give me? Fucking Lidocaine. After I got done goddamn telling him that it didn't work. What in the hell?

I'm not asking for unlimited painkillers, but jesus christ, I've suffered for a fucking week over this shit. Give me a BREAK.

I went to this doctor about a month or two ago because I have bad sleeping problems. He referred me to a sleep specialist but wouldn't give me anything in the meantime, like Ambien, even though I was a walking fucking zombie. Oh, but when is the soonest they can get me a sleep study? February. Sorry, but I'm not gonna spend a month feeling lethargic while I wait for this appointment - the least he could've done was given me some ambien. It was during finals, too, so I had a very hard time studying and concentrating. God forbid I get 4 or 5 pills to at least make it through those days... If it works, it works. I don't care what the effects are, I need sleep NOW.

Just like I need this PAIN gone NOW. Looks like I'll have to find someone with vicodin and make it so...

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uncle_el

three letters, d.e.a.

vicodin and darvocet for a sore throat?!?!?! i'd be laughed out of the er or a medicine floor for telling a resident or attending that's what i wanted to give a patient with a sore throat. that's not to belittle your complaint... but a viscous/topical anesthetic is likely to provide better and quicker relief than a pill which must work it's way systemically.

with that said, if the area is inflamed (i'm assuming it is, given the fact you were prescribed antibiotics), this doesn't give good properties for the area that needs healing (my memory is fuzzy, but i think inflamed areas are more acidic; and most topical painkillers don't work well in acidic environments).

as far as your route for seeking medical care, the emergency room isn't the greatest place in the world for relatively simple medical problems. while a sore throat and feeling like you can't breathe should get you a trip to the er, not being able to sleep isn't. don't take this the wrong way, as i don't know you or your situation, but i've had plenty of patients who come to the emergency room for minor complaints... fine for me as a medical student as i have a lot to learn, but a bit confusing/tiring for emergency room doctors who are looking for what is going to kill someone today... anything that's minor can be seen as an outpatient by someone else better trained in that field.

assuming you've seen the same doctor... you come to the er with a complaint of inability to sleep... you return with a sore throat... return with complaints of inability to sleep and a sore throat... i can see how the doctor (again, assuming you've seen the same one) may think that you are a drug seeker. that's not to say that you are, but that's the picture that's been painted with the words you've written. cepacol, throat lozenges, hot tea, thera flu... none of those over the counter remedies mentioned.

just one medical student's opinion on a situation without all the facts presented.

ShaniFaye

I never in the 2 1/2 years (couldnt stay well long enuff to have the tonsils taken out...finally ended up having the surgery will I had yet another case of mono) I had either strep, tonsilitis, or mono was perscribed PAIN PILLS for my throat....lol my doctor would laugh him self sick if I told him I wanted vicodin for a sore throat......topicals are the way to go.

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munchen

I think you have got a great doctor there. its so easy and so common for doctors to throw drugs at their patients. as someone who has been on painkillers many times beleive me, if you can deal without them, its best to deal without them. same goes for sleeping pills. i am a recovering cronic insomniac and i was on sleeping pills. these things had minor almost unoticable side effects. i only noticed the quality of life increase for me when i got off of them(with difficulty). mind over matter is the best way. the mind is the best healing agent.

Do they know whats wrong with your throat?

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maleficent

For a sore throat that bad -- sometimes the home remedies are the best.... Have you tried gargling with salt water.

I get one case of strep, and one case of bronchitis every year... One of the last cases of bronchitis I had I coughed so muich, and so hard that I bruised more than one rib -- Didn't get pain killers for that.

I'm surpirsed that a doctor would even give Lidocaine.... or even a low level pain killer... it's not treating the problem that is causing the pain...

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ShaniFaye

/temp thread jack

Mal....I have chronic bronchitis...I was born with it....it gets really bad about twice a year for me...rib pain, throat swollen closed from coughing too much, pulled stomach muscles BAD....when that happens my doctor gives me a cough syrup that also has codiene it it for all that pain....you might ask next time if you can get something like that...if you can take codiene that is.

/sorry stompy Im done thread jacking

stompy try making your own tea out of real lemons, sugar, water and LOTS of honey (if you want the exact recipe let me know and I'll find the thread I already posted it in) it not only works for my bronchitis but for sore throats too

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I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!

f6twister

My doctors are the exact opposite. They will give me a prescription for something if I want or suggest one if I don't ask. They will only give me something which fits the medical problem I have but they don't try and talk me out of it. Since my wife is a nurse, she always knows if what I got is acceptable and she hasn't found an error yet.

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Stompy

Vicodin or Darvocet for this type of pain I have is not uncommon. This isn't your average sore throat.

I had Vicodin when I had mono a few years back, and that's what they thought this was. I can barely swallow my own saliva.

Anwho, I called him back and told him, "Look, I need something for this pain. I haven't slept in 3 days because each time I swallow, it feels like my head is about to explode. The Lidocaine numbs the outer tonsils, but doesn't take care of the deep pain from the pressure."

So he called in Tylenol 3 w/ Codeine to my pharmacy.

I know it seems like overkill, but trust me... my throat is BAD. They don't know what is causing it. Mono tests came back negative, throat cultures haven't come back yet. I'm miserable. I NEED to sleep. I'm hallucinating from lack of sleep, I'm not getting any better because of the lack of sleep, etc.

Any old cold/sore throat, no, I can deal with sucrets. Not what I have now... where my glands on the side of my neck are so swollen that it's hurting my ears.

Yes, I tried salt water. I tried all the home remedies, and topicals have absolutely no effect on my throat at all. They soothe it for maybe a minute or two, but then it goes back to pain.

I went to the ER because the docs were closed on saturday, so I went through saturday feeling like at any moment my throat was going to close up. I went to the docs earlier in the week, so that wasn't my first route.

Sorry if I'm loopy or there's holes in the story.. I'll fill em in later when I can think more clearly.

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ShaniFaye

have they tested you for menegititis (sp?)

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I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!

Stompy

Not that I know of. I've been on a few antibiotics and it still hasn't cleared up.

Well, it cleared up last wed, thrus, and fri, but in between 9 PM and when the ball dropped on new year's, it all came back out of nowhere.

[edit]
And I don't mean for this to sound like I'm a pill addict, but this really is a worst case sore throat and is well up and beyond your common cold sore throat.

I mean, even after giving me the steroid shots in the ER to reduce the swelling (and it was BAD), that didn't do a single thing. The Lidocaine takes pain away on the surface, but it doesn't take the deep painful pressure away. I agree that in most cases, topicals would be best, but not in this case.

If I had a "good" doctor, they would see that I've been in pain for a week now, haven't slept in days because of it, and would give me something to knock my ass out so I can at least get a decent night's rest It's different from saying "oh I have a headache, can I please have some vicodin?"

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jujueye

Unfortunately, finding a good doctor is never on anyone's list while they feel good...which sucks.

Don't forget to keep taking the antibiotics: they will, in the end, take care of the whole thing. I also imagine it was the steroid shot that is keeping you awake. It is very common to use steroids with chemotherapy patients to help diffuse allergic reactions, as well as to tone down nausea. But the little bastards will keep you awake...(sorry)

Stompy

Yeah, I'm gonna be finding another doctor very shortly here. My mom referred me to hers, she said he's very good about handling stuff like this.

I'm just thankful my doc called in the Codeine syrup. I had sleep last night for the first time in ages.

I need to make another appointment tomorrow if stuff isn't cleared up any... and today is looking no different than any other day so far. I had 2 throat cultures so far, and I'm not quite sure why they aren't telling me the results... but after everyone I talked to about this, they're all tellin me to find a new doctor and that these people don't know wtf they're doing. I agree.

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ShaniFaye

see....I told you codiene syrup was great!!!!

Im glad you've been able to sleep

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I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!

Seaver

Heh, go to a military doc.

Yeah they have a history of being poor at diagnosing. But I have a cabinate FULL of vokdine, codine, and other really neat stuff from various injuries. I HATE taking medication so I'd only use 2-5 pills of each vial before putting it up and trying to "be a man".

Seriously If I sold all the stuff in my cabinate I'd pay for my schooling 3x over probably.

Hard8s

Just remember to take all of the antibiotics and no alchohol! As the alchohol will fight the antibiotics, leaving you dehydrated and de-medicated.

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Stompy

I'm still on the antibiotics. No alcohol till I'm better, of course.

The pain finally subsided around Saturday. The codeine helped a lot. The recommended dosage was 1-2 teaspoons every 4-6 hours, but because the pain was so intense, I had to up it to 2 tablespoons. I told the doc this and he said it was okay - not recommended, of course, but whatever works.

As for the pain itself... it was deep. I felt it in my jaw, my ears... I couldn't turn my head. Even moving my tongue in my mouth was unbearable. If I laid down, my head just throbbed, my ears rang, and it sucked ass.

He called in a refill for the codeine that thursday, but my insurance had a hissy fit and wouldn't cover it until saturday. They said, "there's no way you could've already used what was given to you on tuesday." So when the codeine ran out, I borrowed some vicodin from a friend who recently had a kidney stone.

I know people think vicodin is overkill, but it worked and that's all I care about. When I didn't have the codeine, the vicodin worked wonders (and lasted much longer!) I had 4 that day (thursday) and let me tell you, the pain was completely gone ALL day long. Still swollen, of course, but at least I could sleep and actually had the urge to get things done that needed to get done! With the codeine, it wore off after about 4 hours.

I'm not a doctor, but I do know when I'm in such incredible pain that I need SOMETHING so I can at least sleep and go about my day! It's just odd how docs will dish them out to people who don't really need them, but are hesitant when people DO need them. It was like pulling teeth to even get the codeine and that BARELY worked!

"Oh, you sprained your toe? Here's 50 vicodin."

"Oh, your throat is so swollen and sore that you can't sleep or eat? Here's some mild topical anesthetic that will last a whopping 15 minutes."

Anyway... my throat is still a bit swollen, but the pain isn't anywhere close to what it was last week. Things are getting better, but slowly...

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VitaminH

Codeine in cough syrup is generally used for its cough suppressing properties. Pain relief is just a nice add on.

Did you try and ibuprofen or aleeve? Those have anti-inflammatory actions and will help relieve the pain as well as the swelling.

Can you touch your chin to your chest? If you can't because it's to painful that may be a sign of meningitis and you might want to be letting your doctor know about that.

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Stompy

I can touch my chin to my chest now, yes.

Last week? Probably not.

I had ibuprofen I allow borrowed form the same friend - motrin 600. Didn't really affect it too much, though.

The minor pain I have now is aggrivating. It keeps moving. Earlier it was on my left, now it's on my right. Grr.. ah well.

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almostaugust

Stompy, i sympathise mate. I have had throat problems in the past. Its so bad. I have a shitty doctor too. I try to self diagnose myself online sometimes, usually i go pretty well. He just laughs my problems off, like they were nothing and tells me im overreacting. The place i visit is like a drive through clinic though, so i guess i dont expect much. One day it will be DIY surgery (like rollins says), and they will give us the equipment to extract our own bullets and operate on ourselves.

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