This is now the standard protocol for pain management. I am not just a chronic pain patient but also a nurse who has worked in pain management for years. My opinion, for whatever its worth is that this opioid crisis has been blown way out of proportion. I find it interesting that now that Narcan is in every police car, ambulance and being prescribed to patients who are on opioids, there is suddenly an opioid crisis. The people that legitimately need pain medicine are being deprived because there are people out there use good drugs to get high. These drugs are being laced with fentanyl, heroin and other substances to enhance their high. They are going to get their drugs on the street and no amount of TV commercials, posters, government regulations or political agenda's are going to stop it. Every few years the cause changes and the money that is invested in fighting whatever the current cause comes out of our taxes. Unfortunately you can't fight the liberal politicians.

Yes, I had to sign a contract and was super upset. Now that I have several friends at the same Clinic and being able to speak with my friends, most don't mind.
Within the last 3 - 4 years the DEA monitors what the doc RXs an patient. I friend I've know for over 20 years was told by his doctor that the DEA has ordered him to taper off the meds and about 3 weeks later we see each other in the waiting room. My friends pain is so bad that he can't control his lower bodily functions.

Out doctors are very upset that they can't treat non addict patients as they know they should because of the ' opioid ' crisis that I think is a crock of crap.

If people not in Chronic Pain choose to abuse then why is it out fault?
Heroin and Meth use is skyrocketing so why is the DEA making it a crime to be in Chronic Pain. We didn't choose to hurt so much. And alcohol is used to numb pain as well. I feel for you. I hope that know you know that the DEA is telling doctors how to treat patients helps understand the DEA literally have docs by the nuts now. I love my pain management docs team and I fully understand that if they give an RX to a patient w/o a clear urine sample that their medical license can be revoked immediately.

It really sucks.

It is another tool to humiliate you. I did an internship in a doctor's office and this "pain" contract was his junkie contract. He was one of the few that would treat people that had been in rehab. It is an intrusion into the physician/patient relationship by government. I do not tell my pain doctor anything that I can avoid. It is humiliating to have you medication counted in front of you as a warning. The entire new system is meant to oppress and humiliate you.

Signing contracts for pain management is standard operating procedure. It gives the doctors a safety net, to protect themselves. This war on opiates is “killing” a lot of people with chronic pain. As many of you know, once you have tried every procedure known to man and they haven’t helped! All we have is pain medicine. It’s terrible how doctors will prescribe opiates to patients for 5 or 10 years and then seem shocked and want to drop you as a patient because you are dependent. Like we all know, our last resort to a semi-normal life is the pain meds! I don’t know anyone who is in true pain who gives a shit about being dependent on pain meds. It comes with the territory! No one wants to be dependent. Who the hell wants to live a life where you’re always a couple days away from withdrawal?? There’s always anxiety that something could happen and we can’t get our meds. I’m fine with the government weeding out the bad doctors who over prescribe but they need to stay the hell out of the doctor patient relationship. Every person is different and it should be our doctors that determine what and how much pain medicine we need. Another thing I can’t stand are the people who blame the doctors for their addiction/dependency. Anyone who is HONEST about their pain, to their doctor knows it’s not the doctors fault. Yes there are a few that overprescribe but 99% of doctors prescribe based on YOU and what YOU tell them about YOUR PAIN. It’s very simple! If you think you’re being overprescribef, then don’t take the meds and find another doctor?? I don’t know anyone that has chosen the second option, to find another doctor. Like I said before,”The governments war on opiates is killing a lot of people in chronic pain.” When you’re in our types of chronic pain, where we’ve tried everything and only opiates help us to have a life? What do people do when all their options fail and the one thing that helps, is taken away from away from us? I wish that the true number of people in chronic pain that commit suicide was known. I’ve had family members commit suicide due to pain. This was after years of using alcohol to numb the pain. I believe that a lot of the deaths blamed on over doses, are actually suicides. I also, believe that many deaths happen due to withdrawal yet is blamed on other conditions. Someone going thru severe withdrawal may not have any drugs in their system so their deaths are blamed on something else. In the same context I believe that withdrawal is what drives a lot of people to commit suicide! Anyone who has gone thru severe withdrawal, understands this. The pain, the flood of emotions, the anxiety and the self loathing has driven many to suicide. It’s very complicated but the war on opiates is destroying the lives of many chronic pain sufferers!!

Contracts are malarkey. We are treated worse than injured animals and pets.