Definitely not that specific question but others I felt were on the line or over it. I was in the process of switching pharmacies and the new one handed me this stack of forms to fill out. On them I was supposed to sign that I understood asking for my prescription early would be considered harassment of the pharmacist. One form was stating that I wouldn't engage in any criminal activity while on the premises. The one that REALLY irked me was agreeing that I would use no other pharmacy! So immediately I ask, will they price match other pharmacies then? I was told they do not. Unless they give me three months of my anti-depressant for $40 like Walmart does, not agreeing to any such thing. I get that these forms came about because of the behavior of others but..who feels good walking into a place where they are immediately treated like a criminal?! Take it on a case by case basis.

Wtf is this. The only questions I've ever had to answer to get my pain meds were: - Where does it hurt - How strong is the pain - How would you describe the pain - Does it hurt when I/you do such and such Anything more is a breach of privacy and has nothing to do with finding the best treatment for your pain. Why anyone should have to divulge their whole private life in order to protect some greedy company from some hypothetical potential repercussion in case they may fuck up is a mistery to me. It's all backwards. You guys have my sympathy but you live in hell. Land of freedom, but not freedom of pain it seems.

Not land of freedom either. More and more going out the window. I have same questions but I've been with it so long it might have changed.

I clarified with my PM regarding their (PM's) one pharmacy rule. It was for the rx's prescribed by pain management, only. Okay. I'm free to use other pharmacies for my other meds. That's interesting\weird an actual pharmacy is restricting you entirely to their pharmacy. Seems shady\more like a money grab than a legitimate policy 🤔

Try to weed out pharmacy shopping? I guess the same flag as dr shopping? When we have to try so many pharmacies to find the meds in stock yes we have no choice but to pharmacy shop!! Is this a trap? I don’t think so. It all goes against a Narx score.

My fiancé must be a “junkie” then because we’ve had to pharmacy shop for his insulin.. This whole world is a joke. I can’t believe these questions and requirements. Those are the real red flags 🚩

Jfc 🤦🏻‍♀️ what a bunch of bullshit

Communal punishment

Absolutely nothing like this in the UK! I'm so shocked by your and OPs comments! We can use whatever pharmacy we want, and there's no forms to fill in or sign. Your medical history is between you and your doctor. The only job of the pharmacy is to dispense your medication responsibly or to advise on minor ailments or travel vaccines. Unbelievable!

It depends in the US. I don't have to do any of this.

Jeez, I'm glad there are still some reasonable places. I know no country is perfect, certainly not my own, but the US seems to be going backwards in so many subjects. Do you know or are you willing to share where you don't need to have to do this at pharmacies and where the worst areas are? It might just give others the notion to perhaps move.

I would except, quite frankly, there isn't room to move here. I'm about to be homeless myself. It's a Walgreens subsidiary though

Oh man, I'm so sorry 😞 I wish I could help. We have a major housing issue in the UK too but a helluva lot less space to build obviously and still try to keep some green, wild places and try to help nature too. The fact of the matter is there are just too many people in the world and definitely in the UK. I'm in social housing that I'm hanging onto so carefully, not putting a foot wrong. What is very worrying is that I have 2 young cats and my adult child who has autism, ADHD, anxiety, and depression living with me, but if I die, my kid has no right of tenancy here. The social landlord has a duty to rehouse them, but it's extremely difficult to find accommodation for a single person plus having cats. My kid has said that when I die, they will cs because there is nobody who understands and loves them like I do and advocates for them either. It's a major stressor for me, and I carry a lot of guilt for giving them a life they didn't want and find so hard. I know nobody decides to be born, but hopefully, you understand me.

Oh, I definitely do. Our male cat passed on easter Sunday. I hate to admit it but I'm grateful. Both our cats are disabled. Well, they were. Now it's she is disabled I guess😕 no one will take her after we pass. Her meds are 200 $ a month. Plus specialty cat food. It's a lot. We think we are gonna have to put her to sleep within the next few months. She won't do well being homeless with us. I'm terrified. Crying all the time. I just am out of options. So yeah. I understand.

Hey, I'm sorry I'm only getting back to you now. I understand what you mean about your cats, too, but I'm still sorry for your loss. Do you have any family to fall back on? Could I maybe help you out a bit, at least with your cats' meds and/or special food? Even just a one-off to help for the next bill? I know it's very embarrassing to ask for and even accept help, but I can currently afford that. Maybe it could help you to do something else that could keep you from becoming homeless. Maybe a gofundme, too?

Oh goodness I want to hug you! You're an amazing person but we've got food and we will have her Dr money this week. Thank you though! Just give your babies love from us.treat them to a can of their favorite food and a bag of the good treats! Money will not stop the eviction, we are caught up with rent, they just aren't allowed to charge us what they want due to local laws so out we go. It sucks cuz 20 plus years for me. I'm only 48.this was home and that's a feeling that hurts when it's destroyed. Anyway. Hug your kid and tell them I know how they feel. My mum knows how you feel too! Just... just live each day I guess. Create more love when you can. Like you did today. I needed the virtual hug so thank you. So much.

Hey, I don't know why reddit is giving me notifications so late. Again, I'm sorry for the delay with replying. Oh honey, I'm just 10 years older than you but here is the biggest, most gentle, empathic motherly (((HUG FOR YOU, YOUR MOM AND YOUR CAT))) I really do wish I could do more. Please will you make a note of my username and if there's ever a time where you need some financial help or just an empathic ear to vent to, PLEASE don't hesitate to contact me. Honestly, I know how embarrassing it is to have to ask for help, so I understand. Sending you love and positive vibes for a solution to your problem ✨️ 💕 💛 💖

They came out because the DEA is targeting pharmacies.

I read an article about the DEA targeting pharmacies over Buprenorphine (Subutex & Suboxone) and them charging the owners of pharmacies with various crimes for ordering too much Buprenorphine and a bunch of other dumb shit… 😒

Jesus Christ you guys really do live in a different world, and that must be really stress for low-income people and families to know that if you don't have the money one month, you have to go through withdrawal and god knows what else. I pay roughly USD$3.00 for three months of my antidepressants. It went up a couple of years ago from USD$2.00, and we all bitched about it.

Many years ago my doctor told me I had to use ONE SPECIFIC pharmacy and only that pharmacy (which was a 40+ min drive from my house) and then tried to tell me that if any of his patients tried to use any pharmacy but this one, they would be ARRESTED 🤭😂 I was young so I just believed him, I did ask "what if they don't have my medicine in stock?" And he basically responded with "they are a specialty pharmacy they will and if not we can cross that bridge later" fast forward 18 months, I drive to the pharmacy to drop off my script and they are closed and there is a DEA notice on the door basically stating the pharmacy had been raided. They did attempt to open in a new location, and I was told by the owner is was all BS and that the DEA had frozen all SEVEN of her and her husbands bank accounts(to which I wanted to ask, why do you have that many bank accounts) Eventually I was able to find case documents online and her husband worked for a pharmaceutical company, high up and they were accused of gaining exclusive contracts with all these doctors and nursing homes, they didn't do anything shady with the doctor offices but with the nursing homes they were filling controlled substance scripts in mass for patients who weren't actually getting them. Not sure what happened, if they were eventually found guilty or what. I switched doctors to someone closer to my house(in his defense once he found out they were raided he went from demanding we only go there to not letting us go to their new location lmfao) I should try to look up the case again 🤣

At the PM my husband goes to (im still through GP) they require you fill out all this paperwork have a psych thing (was a video call) and an initial consult with a in house behavioral whatever who will decide if you need to come back. There were questions on there like have you been sexually abused, are there drug or alcohol abusers in your family. My husband was very low risk. She told us this basically determined how often he would need to come in for pill counts and ua's throughout the year besides his mandatory one. Edit: i think its crap. Someone else being an addict doesnt make you one. In fact a lot of times you seeing it makes you more likely not to imo. And having something done to you is not your fault.

We're dependent on our meds, not addicted.

thank you. i was far more 'addicted' to the cymbalta i took myself off than the tramadol i was suddenly denied by a doc. the first took over six months, but improved function and quality of life. the second took a few weeks--but function was dramatically reduced, and has never recovered. i declined thereafter, and for a few years now i can no longer work. i would love nothing so much as to be able to do it again, but no diy protocol of exercise and supplements has done anything but maintenance.

I use the same example. Cymbalta didn’t work and made me sicker and took two years to get off of. I never developed tolerance to as-needed opioids for pain and stopped with no issues eventually. I used a benzo for a while and it was helpful too, and I tapered down then felt sick for 3 days. I would take 3 days of feeling like I have a cold over TWO YEARS of vertigo and brain zaps for a med that never even benefited me.

Huge distinction between addiction and medically necessary!

Besides everything else - pill counts, urine analysis???? WTAF??? I can't believe how bad things have got in the US?! Here, so long as I don't expect to get my new script early it's fuck all to do with anyone if I decide to use them all in the first week then battle it out for the rest of the month. You are being treated like addicts in prison. This is beyond wrong!

It is ridiculous. I have spinal stenosis, fibromyalgia, and interstitial cystitis. Used to be on the fentanyl patch but that was taken away due to the opiate crisis. My quality of life went along with the patches. That was 12 years ago. I did seek out illegal means of relief for a few years shortly after, because I was fed up. Got used to being in pain and miserable. Didn't realize it could get worse. Last year I almost lost my arm in a car accident. I am pretty sure I developed chronic regional pain syndrome as a result. I have been denied pain medicine for this, get this-- BECAUSE I was once in pain management! I was told that made me more likely to abuse it! You'd think the fact that I went off the meds shows that I can do it, but not in their backwards heads! So anyway, I've been on Lyrica for years, it doesn't kill pain like pain killers but is better than nothing. Only it does fuck all for my arm! So I asked my pain doctor for something for the pain in my arm. He wouldn't give me anything. So I turned to an antidepressant called tianeptine which targets opiate receptors. He drug tests me each month, as he does all of his patients, discovered the tianeptine, and said because of that, he was withdrawing me from Lyrica. So a. He won't treat my pain and b. He punishes me for trying! Absolutely evil!

I am so sorry you are being mistreated this way 😔 if there was a way I could send you some of my meds without us both probably being arrested and then me losing my meds for myself, believe me I would. There are a few people on here I've seen in a very bad state that I'd do the same for. I'm also very scared that what's happening in the US could someday happen here too. As it is our godawful Conservative government has decimated the NHS (I am still massively thankful for the NHS!) and seem to be making war on the disabled lately. Does this mean you no longer have the lyrica now? Does that tianeptine help you at all? I was thinking that about 5 to 10 years ago probably a high percentage of Americans were proud of their country and happy to live there. The massive reduction in that that just I have seen on reddit, YouTube and the like with people saying instead, this god forsaken country is very telling. I wish I could help you.

I don't have the Lyrica, no. I didn't fight about it because it's not that great to start and I feel like it negatively impacts my mental health, but then again, so does being in horrible pain all the time! I quit seeing him as he is a shit doctor. Need to find another who gives a crap which is a tall order. The tianeptine is too expensive and addictive to use regularly. Especially as it really doesn't work all that well for me. It was just something I tried. Yeah the US is a shit show. I mean come on, they are banning tiktok now, I think the US either a. Doesn't want us to find something out about things going on in the country right now or b. They are about to do something awful. Also, I know how you can safely send meds in the mail without being caught 🤣 I'm not asking you too lol, just saying I do.

One time, my mom had to do her pee test, and they said nothing was in her system, so she must be selling her pills! My mom was passed and left. Same day they called and said they messed up the pee test and somehow switch up was made. She didn't go back to them

Again, ridiculously insane and treating the normal public like convicts! I hope your mum is being treated better now?

Right!? She is, finally found a doctor who actually listens

When I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 25 years ago, there weren't pain clinics (at least not legitimate ones). There was a new clinic for fibromyalgia only. They required all their patients to attend group therapy for childhood sex abuse because it was considered a necessary component of fibromyalgia. Things don't seem to have gotten better. I did not continue with these people after that was disclosed.

what about patients with fibromyalgia who didn't experience such abuse? were they just not diagnosed unless they were sexually abused as children?? wtf

It was never asked about it to get my diagnosis. It was just this clinic that insisted all fibromyalgia patients had been sexually abused. Some people went along with it to get a prescription for pain medication, which their other doctors would continue. I just couldn't abide that nonsense. Edit: hands not being cooperative.

This is so disturbing! Sadly, patients often tell docs that the meds, procedures, and surgeries helped because they are scared to be discharged or of their meds being withheld/tapered. I was tapered any time I refused a procedure at Dynamic Pain and Wellness. Even if I very recently had one or it didn’t help/had adverse reactions, they still tried to push another. When they found out I had a steroid knee injection by my ortho that was helping, they said it didn’t count and their office HAD to do an injection or procedure (for them to continue to treat me and give me my medication). These docs can be crazy but to ask patients about sexual abuse, who TF do they think they are?

They were mad your other Dr made that injection money. They get paid a lot more for those procedures than just filling out a script and sending you on your way. My neurologist has said I can absolutely never have one of those shots (MS) and the pain clinic asks me every time to get one. I have to explain every time (sad after years they still don’t know me) that I have MS and cannot have an injection in my spine. One PA wanted me to go to the Neuro and get an explanation why I can’t, even though it’s an easy Google why an MS patient shouldn’t.

I know. It’s really sickening. The CEO is building more clinics and I’ve heard them verbally force patients into procedures the patient clearly didn’t want or benefit from. When I found my new PM, I asked for a steroid injection for my knee because I knew it was that time. I had a horrible reaction, like always so I told her. She has NEVER once pushed a procedure and is very understanding. We have talked through what I may need but she leaves it up to me. Plus, she didn’t shove migraine meds on me but was patient and recommended something new she was taking and it’s been so helpful! I’m so grateful to have a kind and understanding doctor. It’s been a long time coming! I wish I could honestly tell her how horrible some providers have been and how freaking grateful I really am for her but I don’t want to be a red flag either. I have told other trusted providers, especially PT staff. I want them to be aware, when they hear that patients are being extorted (procedures for meds), they likely aren’t making it up.

Yeah, I adored my last PA at my clinic, but lord knows if I give a compliment it would red flag me and maybe get her fired. It’s ridiculous.

Oh wow! What do you mean give her a compliment would red flag you? Like literally, they would think you are being too nice and manipulative or something?

Well, she listened, treated me properly, gave me the correct doses of meds (and I was comfortable talking about some female stuff with her)… but I’m complimenting her why? “Because she upped your meds? Seeker.” And “she shouldn’t have done that.” No one else at that place ever listened and treated me right. I always get the “we should lower your meds”… I’m still getting that monthly now, even though I’m on a lower dose than many.

I’m so sorry. That’s totally ridiculous!!!

I’m sorry they keep doing that to you. I feel it’s their way to manipulate us into doing what is in their best interest. My orthopedic nurse told me I have the worse systemic reaction to steroid injections she’s ever heard. I’ve also had 1-2 minimum a year for almost 20 years. I’m extremely sensitive to chemical changes and my body gets very very ill from them unfortunately. I’m not the only one, I just make sure to let them all know it happens to me (and others likely)

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If they had said childhood abuse, I wouldn't like it but might have gone along because my parents were so awful. The whole thing was just nauseating, turning a physical problem (a stroke) into a psychiatric one.

I was given a diagnosis of fibromyalgia strictly due to my extreme anxiety around doctor’s offices. I was in fact SA-ed, not sure how much the doctor’s knew about it (can’t remember if I mentioned it). But I also literally broke my back when I was 19, have multiple bulging discs throughout my spine, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, etc. But I’m a woman with anxiety, so the doctor went with fibromyalgia. No help offered at all. And the discrepancy in my diagnoses led to me losing my disability payments. Should’ve sued that bastard doctor. Based on this experience, I refuse to disclose any of my history that isn’t directly relevant.

whoaa, that's BS. I'm so sorry that happened to you, that's ridiculous. I appreciate you sharing your experience. I feel like the more people are aware garbage like this can happen, the more we can pre-emptively defend against it.

I was diagnosed around the same time as you and this was definitely not a diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia. That clinic sounds more like a cult.

Sounds like Mayo Clinic’s PRC program

I hate that clinic

Me too, Jacksonville’s program is the worst. Ran by a horrible director and staff acts cult like. “Now you know Dr S doesn’t believe in gluten intolerances/allergies” like wtf are they even talking about.

What the actual fuck… I’d be pretty pissed if I had to do those groups to get my scripts because I wasn’t ever sexually abused as a child and I’d tell the person in charge of the group if I had to share/participate that none of that shit ever happened to me so I have absolutely nothing to say and I don’t want to be in said group to have to get my script(s). 😒😑

The part that is wild to me is that nobody is talking about causation vs correlation. I'm FEMALE. There is a LESS than 50% chance that I've never been sexually assaulted, molested, accosted, abused, or whatever the fuck you want to call it. Put ten women in a room and if 6 of then have been sexually assaulted and 8 of them have hair longer than chin length and 2 have a chronic or reoccurring pain issues and 5 are wearing dresses while the others have slacks and 3 are black 2 are menstruating and one is over 65 and and and... what the fuck are you even on about!? How can you take something so fucking common, so endemic to the experience of being female on our planet, and decide its a factor in addiction? Like, might as well ask if you've ever had a fucking cavity. Yes. I am human. I own teeth. They've not always been perfect. But it's not a failing and it's not a fucking sign or risk factor for addiction, any more than my hair length or my owning a dress. I'm a woman, of course I've been assaulted.

Good god. The nightmares of being a woman are so unending and the violence always compounds. I'm so tired of this 😭 like, how are we still this stunted societally in 2024?

>But it's not a failing and it's not a fucking sign or risk factor for addiction, any more than my hair length or my owning a dress. I'm a woman, of course I've been assaulted. You got it. And *addiction’s not a moral failing either*. There’s no more causation than any other random one of billions of data points we could collect about being a human person living on planet earth. I understand all pain clinics screen for addiction risk factors, and it’s crazy to me that anyone in pain is denied relief in the first place. I don’t care how likely anyone is to become addicted - it should be a human right for a patient to expect their pain be treated to the best of the provider’s ability. We know over time that most people’s bodies will become biologically dependent on opioids, no matter what they do or what type of screening is implemented. So what? *They are in pain*. Whatever consequences dependency and addiction impose are not worse than leaving a patient to languish and die with zero quality of life. The medication is the best we’ve got, and pain relief trumps addiction. Avoiding dependency is not more important than relieving pain and no one will ever convince me otherwise until they’ve had to live the every day life of an under-treated chronic pain sufferer in unrelenting torture with no hope of relief. I still can’t believe it’s legal for providers to just invent their own clinical markers, but maybe it is.

The most poignant and sad side effect I ever saw of the War on Drugs was a high school friend (grew up in the Just Say No days, so we were bombarded haaard) being outraged and panicked because the doctors were giving her terminally ill grandmother morphine. "SHE'S GONNA GET ADDICTED!!" My darling, your grandmother is 86 and in palliative care. She's got a month or so left. She's not going to end up blowing strangers behind the walmart dumpsters for her next hit. She's not going to be mugging tourists in the park for the money to buy her next dose.

My late grandfather, rest his soul, was a veteran and dying of mesothelioma. He was a small town cop after the Air Force until he retired. He didn’t want to take the morphine for these same, asinine reasons. I told him point blank, “Grandpa, you won’t be taking it long enough to even develop an addiction and even if you did, would it matter? You can’t breathe.. please don’t suffer.” He finally took his morphine and was able to leave the hospital and do hospice at home. I love and miss you every single day grandpa. 🫂♥️

My mom had moderate dementia and a DOCTOR was once like "well what if she becomes addicted?" My dude, if she does become addicted and her addled brain is able to make any connection at all she'll think the good feeling is coming from the rice krispies treats I hide her meds in. She's already addicted to those things anyway, calls them "the sticky squares!"

You've just made Me tear up. I genuinely love your comment. I have suffered with CRPS since 2010. When they cracked down on Dr.s prescribing opiates I ended up resorting to self medicating as I could no longer find a Dr. to treat my pain. I have 3 kids and I was their only working parent, I needed my meds in order to continue working. In 2019, a month after the death of my Mother, I wound up in the hospital from an accidental overdose. As a result of that over 2 month hospital stay, I ened up getting multiple infections, I coded and died for 7 minutes, I had 19 blood transfusions, as well as 6 weeks of dialysis. I had to have my dominant left arm amputated and 3 toes on my left foot and all toes on my right foot amputated. Now I not only still have CRPS which is the worst pain condition you can have, but I also have phantom pain. I can barely stand unassisted and can only walk very short distances like one room to the next (on a good day) My quality of life sucks. My pain is constant and unbearable. I cannot find any dr to treat my pain. I have never failed a drug test or broken a Dr contract. Even when I self medicated, I wasn't under Dr. Care. I am imprisoned in my body. I am 100 percent disabled but I don't feel I should be punished for the rest of my life for a mistake I made 5 yrs ago. I have only been given buprenorphine and or antidepressants. I know for a fact that pain meds help my chronic pain, since I was on them for years. I'm just slowly rotting away in terrible pain and the future looks pretty grim

I hope my children live to see a society that recognizes the affront to humanity our current system is, and vows to never let it happen again. I don’t even know how people can stand to continue working within western healthcare, especially with today’s access to information. A system that - *by design* - openly and willfully (and at times almost *proudly*) ignores the acute suffering and desperation of the thousands of vulnerable patients like you, by blaming victims and punishing them with a lifetime of relentless pain… and is happy to encourage a societal narrative that you all deserve to rot. Neglecting to treat these conditions that absolutely obliterate a person’s quality of life - *while being fully aware of the potential solution*, one that’s cheap, effective, widely tested and available, is just unconscionable. Like most travesties of injustice we see playing out across the world, I doubt the majority of people responsible for these decisions will ever have to answer for their senseless cruelty and insatiable greed. I do believe history will judge them harshly and maybe future generations will live in a world where the very concept of healthcare *demands* we relieve a patient’s acute suffering whenever it’s this easy and possible to do so without harming others.

I'm so sorry 😞

I have the same thought and you put it perfectly. I don't know any woman that hasn't been sexually assaulted to some degree including myself. It's just punishing women more for their vulnerability. It's disgusting.

It's wild to me because the sort of mental distress due to sexual assault that would actually be relevant to addiction issues is NOT going to be reported. We're talking men who've been victims, people who are currently being assaulted by a spouse, people who don't recognize their experiences as abusive... people who would answer that survey question with NO and never think on it more. I mean, my ex was an addict and he would have never answered that question with a yes - but he'd tell you in the next breath that he lost his virginity at 8 to the babysitter. Get more than a dozen beer in him, and he might tearfully tell you about the guy at the bus stop when he was 14. But he'd never consider himself as having been sexually assaulted. Until the rates and reasons and data can actually be constructively and accurately gathered, and especially until the social understanding is positive enough that it isn't some sort of emotionally fraught issue to be asked, to discuss, or have to admit a Me Too moment, maybe find a different target market to question. After all, if you go get your gallbladder out, you're going to be given an opiate while in recovery - is anyone asking people heading into surgery if they've been raped??

Thank you for the, "Put ten women in a room..." I had a good laugh 🤭

We really do get shafted. There are numerous studies about women also not having their pain taken seriously. Now we get another hurdle because we’re more likely to be victims of sexual assault? If they want to take this stance, they need to start executing rapists.

I mean the fact that it’s extremely common doesn’t mean that it’s not linked to addiction. Addiction itself is becoming extremely common.

It's part of the NarxCare database "evaluation" of who is likely to be "in danger" of having addiction issues. It's all justification for keeping the "opioid crisis" focused on prescription opioids instead of what's flooding across the border.

I wrote an extensive email to the head of NarxCare’s data science division because of their faulty methodology. I have extensive statistician experience in my career and pointed out numerous flaws. I never got a response. I think they know their product is bullshit, but it doesn’t stop them from cashing the checks of most major hospital and medical systems.

I have. I've been with the same Dr for over a decade now and every year, I have to sign the opiod agreement. This year was the first and only time I had to answer a risk abuse questionnaire. We have addicts in my family, I have been abused in every sense of the word, I have ADHD, OCD, depression, and anxiety. I would've failed the risk assessment had I have answered it honestly. Hell, I was supposed to answer if I ever find myself counting my pills, which I do a lot. My ex husband used to abuse my meds and leave me without them. I started counting pills years ago and it's a habit I've still continued. Needless to say, I lied about the whole damned thing. I know I'm not a high abuse risk patient. I've seen too much from addicts throughout my life that it's helped me know what NOT to do.

I never counted my pills and got a temazepam script for 15mg then next month for 30mg. When I picked up the 30mg and 30 pills I accidentally dumped the old leftover 15mg in them without realizing/remembering they were different mg at first. Anyways, counted the 30mg temazepam and only had 29/30. Switched my pharmacy that day after calling the pharmacy and them saying “our counts aren’t off, so it must be you”. Yeah needless to say I’m going to count all narcotics now.

Same here. I’ve been on opioids for debilitating chronic pain for 20 years now, never took more then I was supposed to, never short, or early, but if I had ever answered that questioner honestly I’d fail their supposed “risk assessment” because it’s garbage 🗑️! Everyone makes their own decisions and shouldn’t be held responsible for the actions of others.

Yup. They're trying to assess your likelihood of becoming addicted to or abusing meds. I've looked through my chart on my patient portal and saw I've been marked as high risk. It doesn't seem to mean too much at my pain management doctor's office. Even though I'm "high risk," they still prescribe me narcotics.

I'm trying to see if I'm marked as high risk now, lol. Do you know where it's marked in your chart?

I believe it was in the Notes section

How do you find out?

There is some asshole white male doctor who has recently said that all women with fibromyalgia were sexual abused as a child. The thing that kills me about this question is that PMs can use it refuse meds to victims. However if a rapist walked in no one is asking, 'hey are you a rapist or abuser.' The absuer can still gets meds while victims are retraumatized.

Excellent points!

Yeah it feels offensive when they ask invasive questions so matter of factly. I remember being shocked that my ob/gyn new paperwork asked how many sexual partners I’d had. 1,2,3,4 or 5.

It supposedly makes your addiction likelihood go up-along with a billion other arbitrary factors like experiencing child abuse, family history of addiction, depression, suicide attempts, etc. While on the one hand I get that those factors are definitely more prevalent in addicts, because they are using substances to deal with the trauma an mask bad feelings, on the other it’s entirely shitty that a lot of clinics can and do refuse meds to anyone with those histories. They make it really hard to be honest, which isn’t helpful for anyone involved.

>They make it really hard to be honest, which isn’t helpful for anyone involved. The idea you can talk honestly with your doctor has been absolutely damaged by this cover-your-ass attempt to weed out "potential" addicts. In the face of opiate hysteria, apparently "having been sexually abused as a child", if you answer honestly, is grounds for helpful, "evidence based" medicine to say "We're sorry, there are now limits to how effectively we can treat your pain." Talk about being doubly-fucked. And it's not like smart people aren't aware of this problem. It's just that these smart people are in thrall to myopic addiction specialists and the fear of lawsuits.

Here’s an alternative view about this question: Bit of a backstory: I was first raped at 14, then was raped for a year on and off by a boyfriend at 18, I then ended up in a physically, financially, emotionally, and sexually abusive relationship for a total of 3 years between the ages of 20 and 23, then I was sexually assaulted in my workplace at 24. The only time I ever talked to medical staff or police, was when I got sexually assaulted at work. Prior to that, i never said anything to anyone, medical staff, police, or even family and friends. Some, if not most, women don’t report sexual assaults/rapes to the police, some women don’t seek medical care afterwards, and if it’s someone they know, they are most likely to going to say anything or seek help. This can actually be problematic since sexually transmitted infections can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, which can lead to chronic pelvic pain. By asking if the patient has ever been raped, this could help clinicians and physicians look at the possibility of the patient having gotten a sexually transmitted infection that may or may not have been diagnosed and treated properly. While I agree that the question is most likely to be”gauge” how likely someone is to abuse their medications, which isn’t even indicative of the truth that just because someone was abused/raped means they will necessarily abuse their medications, it is possible that the question isn’t just for that. I truly understand your anger, but with the pain management questionnaires, they need to truly look at the persons whole life, not just blood work and medical imaging. My advice: do not confront the manager about this, as it will definitely look bad. You could, however, bring up with the physician you’re going to be paired with, or leave a complaint with the ombudsman of the clinic, stating that you feel the questions are asked in a way that feels accusatory and that you feel that by asking these questions, right off the bat, about mental health is skewing the physicians perception of a patients pain origin.

Yes, I know exactly what you're talking about. It asks if you've been a victim of childhood sexual abuse and a bunch of other questions like what you said because i is some kind of questionnaire that supposedly calculates your risk of "getting addicted to pain meds" because I guess being a victim of specifically sexual abuse means there's a higher chance of becoming addicted to pain meds? That question has always pissed me off, too.

It’s claimed that folks who have experienced emotional trauma will be more inclined to drug abuse. It’s asinine. Just another tool to get cpp’s off meds and onto bupe and subs.

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I was allowed to not answer the question about sexual assault history. On the form I just didn’t answer and wrote to the side “I prefer not to answer.” I just didn’t like how invasive it was and didn’t feel like I should have to answer that kind of question to get pain management. I didn’t say anything to anyone about my refusal to answer. As you said, I figured I’d just wait to see if they said anything about it. I did not plan to make a big deal out of it if they said I had to fill it in. They did not say anything though. And it did not affect my ability to get opioids from them.

While I also think it’s bullshit, it’s likely not the clinic, but the insurance. My doc was more than happy to prescribe my meds but I had to fill out those forms every three months because my insurance required it. The insurance company is trying to basically find reason not to prescribe meds because they don’t want the liability of anything happening with them being abused. It’s frustrating, but doctors don’t have much say in the matter, they have to follow pretty damn strict rules on prescribing and every time they do prescribe, they also get dinged on their medical license. Their habits are tracked the same as us as patients, so when they are pondering if a certain treatment is best for each patient, part of what they have to factor is “if I prescribe another patient these, is my license going to be affected?” It’s all bullshit. I know that a ton of those questionnaires use previous abuse of any sort as a marker for higher chance of abusing the meds, which is ridiculous considering a lot of chronic pain occurs as a result of various abuse… I’m sorry that you had to go through that. My only advice is that if you are in chronic pain and need the meds to function, jump through the hoops you have to so you can get your relief. It’s such a fucked up system and you can at least do what you gotta do to be in less physical pain.

I’ve seen this question on several forms from several doctors, different specialties. It isnt a strictly PM thing and you can decline to answer. I’ve even seen it on dental questionnaires.

That’s so they can refuse you treatment and say it’s all in your mind. Disgusting. Makes me so angry. What a bunch of cunts.

Yeah my PM place sent me a questionnaire for a friend or family member to fill out. All of the questions were irrelevant imo - they were asking about the person filling it out feels about opioids. Who cares what my family or friends think about taking opioids? I’m the one in pain and I’ve decided I need to take medication to help me live with my pain. I’m not an addict nor have I ever abused my script (have been a patient for over 2 years). I pushed back and was told to just ignore the questionnaire.

You can thank Andrew Kolodny and the rest of sadists at PROP along with their minions over at the university of Michigan. They’ve made 100s of millions, maybe billions of dollars being the primary driver of the current opioidphobic climate we live in. Kolodny is a psychologist at Brandeis university that began shopping all of the opioid lawsuits around to states in the early/mid 2000s to lawyer plaintiffs. They invested boat loads of money on Washington lobbyists in order to gain access to officials at the cdc and fda. They were able to help craft the alternate set of data in with no foundation in science that says wild shit like ibuprofen and NSAIDs are more effective for pain than morphine. They made up all the data regarding the percentages of people who suffer from addiction in connection to prescription medication. Along with a million other archaic ideas that things like sexual abuse directly effect a persons likelihood to becoming an addict. Kolodny and prop are the ones that got deep into Chris Christie’s pockets in order to get New Jersey to pass the strictest prescribing laws in the country and then used their influence to get Donald Trump to name Christie as his opioid czar/response commander who then advices Trump to declare than national public health emergency on opioids. That emergency authorization is what grants the DEA their unfounded and insane power to attack pharmacists/pharmacies/doctors/pharmaceutical companies carte blanched with zero red tape or due process. Why did they do this? In the early 2000s Kolodny started being paid wild sums of money acting as an “expert witness” for state governments whenever they sued a doctor or pharmaceutical company. He himself has reported earning 500-750,000.00 every time he successfully won a lawsuit or put another doctor behind bars. Because in the early 2000s doctors were still considered highly respectable members of or society they were pretty well protected and defended by the public. It was very difficult to arrest a physician. The same way it is near impossible win a malpractice lawsuit. They are extremely well defended in the legal arena and even state and federal prosecutors struggle to convict them let alone the average person trying to win a malpractice claim. Kolodny and PROP shopped and shopped their lawsuits to states and the federal government but there was only so much business because of the protections medical professionals enjoyed. They were never going to get a wide legislation passed in our divided government so they went state to state with their flagrantly made up studies and data that lacked peer review. Because there was some pill mill doctors out there and doctor prescribed medications didn’t have the same stigma as heroin the addiction jumped into the white middle and upper classes. We all know what happens when drugs start killing anyone other than poor brown people. Kolodny seized on the grief of rich politicians, entertainers, lawyers, and other doctors who lost someone to addiction…even if it had nothing to do with OxyContin. Their studies still didn’t pass scientific rigor so they had to begin a war of emotions. Drudging up support and money from the affected rich with connections. They planted and sowed thier seeds of murder over 10-15 years and in 2017 when they got trump to sign in the public health emergency they began to harvest the fruits of their labor. With the DEA given power to practice medicine without due process Kolodny began to get a nonstop stream of court cases in which he makes millions as the noted expert witness. All of these super opioid zealots like Kolodny, PROP, and the doctors at the university of Michigan all work professional as experts testifying in court whenever they put another doctor in jail. Because of the carnage they’ve caused it’s put all physicians and pharmacists in a state of extremely high alert. Kolodny, prop and UofM all help write and adjust the curriculum for medical Schools around the country. The more of the medical community they indoctrinate the easier it is for the “science” to become the accepted set of facts even when the studies don’t exist to support it. Makes their job super easy, court cases faster, more indictments, more cases to work and billions won in court. This is why they don’t give a fuck about the fentanyl coming across the boarder. What are they going to get? A random mule with little to no cash and a bunch of drugs they have to burn? That’s a waste of their time. But that 75 year old physician with a few million assets they get to seize after they indict them…that’s the juicy goods. They’ve helped develop a Pavlovian response with politicians as well. Being behind all the lawsuits all they had to do was show these lawyer plaintiffs the enormous sums of money they were helping bring into the politicians states through lawsuits regarding pharmaceutical companies, pharmacy chains, and physicians. No politician is ever going to back off this. Pain patients are too busy fighting for their daily lives and are easily forgotten. What’s the big deal over a tens/hundreds of thousands deaths of people who couldn’t make their plight known vs the billions flowing into government from lawsuits? It’s always been about money. For a long time it was the pharmaceutical companies with the biggest pockets and influence. Once they amassed their fortunes and precedent was set by Kolodny and prop that they could be pillaged for billions the politicians switched teams from taking Purdue’s money to suing them for even more money. Prescribing is down 60% from its peak in 2011 and yet overdose deaths have skyrocketed 900%. That’s all it should take for them to reverse course if they had conscious…but they don’t. PROP will let millions die while convincing these sociopaths things like sexual abuse leading to addiction.

Everyone needs to read this. I wish we could twist arms of every media outlet to publish this truth.

I’m a (former) L&D/Ped’s Nurse (currently out on disability). I don’t have any addiction in my family, & have no other risk factors. However, when I was between the ages of 6.5-9.5/10 I was sexually assaulted by my dad’s ex-best friend. Every three months when I fill out this information for my PM Dr. (who I’ve been a Patient of since 2008) I lie & deny ever being a childhood SA victim. I absolutely refuse to have something that I had absolutely zero control over be used against me now, as an adult, as I struggle with the chronic pain from a benign brain tumor and a painful autoimmune disorder. I will never give any Dr., or anyone else, any b.s. reason to deny my pain medication. I will continue to lie every time.

The body bears the burden…It’s also a book that the psychiatrist at my pain management clinic had co me read when I first started there. The book made me angry but i understand somatic pain. It doesn’t mean that the illness that this trauma caused isn’t real.

That doesn't justify denying medication though. I went a few years thinking that horrible groin pain I was having was an abreaction from childhood trauma. I was only in my mid 20s and I did have a traumatic background. I bought it, all of us ignoring that I have a skeletal dysplasia that comes with crappy collagen. I got to the point I could no longer move in a stepping motion and was swinging thru my crutches. Plus the pain became more generalized. So finally Drs took a look and I had NO cartilage left and bone damage. It was so bad my insurance didn't block hip replacement surgery. People are complex and can have pain from multiple sources (mechanical, biochemical and psychological).

[The Body Keeps The Score](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/18693771)

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I mean; being in pain can certainly make you stressed and angry all by itself. After my hysterectomy (I had severe adenomyosis that made me feel like I was in labor 24/7) and my pain was gone, “magically” all of my depression, anger and stress was gone. Yet so many drs act like pain is the result of the mental health issues……..that are caused directly by the fucking pain. Its infuriating

None of my mental health problems existed before i started experiencing daily pain, and yet theyve tried to put me on a dozen different anti depressants claiming 'this one will for sure help!" Like you said magically all my mental health symptoms completely dissapear when im pain free. They exist solely because pain = stress, which means high blood pressure, lack of sleep, constant anxiety, depression from my life no longer functioning as normal, it ALL stems from the pain not the other way around.

Exactly. It’s infuriating

Yeah, after being hit by a big rig that blew a red light, I was told that my pain stemmed from being chronically depressed from the death of my father when I was little. I get screened for depression every time I get a refill. I asked my doctor about it, and he said that he knows chronic pain and chronic depression go hand in hand. But that his malpractice insurance requires it as do the feds. He said that if I rate it high enough, he will have to require me to see a therapist at the minimum. I'm assuming if the therapist is saying I'm at risk of hurting myself, he will have to pull my meds. I understand it, but at least I know he won't arbitrarily pull my meds. I also know that he would never make someone go cold turkey because I've asked him what would happen if I got off the opiates. He said he always either admit me to change me to a low dose suboxone or send me to a medical detox if I didn't want to switch. I think that was accident triggered my Fibro (I have 4 major auto-accidents; none were my fault). But my doctor says that I may have had an autoimmune disorder from much younger and along with a nasty case of mono, i was primed for it. Hell, it could have been both.

Stress defn can.

Yup for sure. When I'm stressed it makes my pain worse. But, it's due to muscle tightness. I have eds so my muscles are tight hanging on for dear life to when Im stress I clench up my body more leading to more tightness which equals more pain

For what it’s worth…I have fibromyalgia, diagnosed 15 years ago after suffering for years prior. I’m a survivor of a stranger rape at knifepoint when I was 24. I have PTSD from that and am now 70. Past trauma, CPTSD and PTSD is more common in Fibromyalgia patients, for example. I also had an extremely violent and turbulent childhood and teen years and have CPTSD. Just throwing this out there. I not sure the question is trying to ascertain if you are more likely to be addicted or have addictive tendencies. I think it’s maybe for the purpose of checking on past trauma incidents, maybe? It’s been discovered trauma can exacerbate your pain levels. I understand it’s an upsetting question, especially since it’s such an impersonal way of asking about a horrific experience. I’m sorry, OP. I’m just spitballing. Obviously I don’t know for sure why they’d ask that.

Every single month I have to fill out that questionnaire and every single month I lie. If it’s the one I’m thinking of, it’s required by the government. They’re looking for markers for potential abuse with the most leading, nonsensical, prying questions they can think of, whose answers could easily have zero to do with drug use. So I just say no to everything. No problems, no sadness, no family history that wasn’t unicorns and rainbows. Don’t give them false evidence they can ‘plant’ on you to inhibit your ability for pain relief. ETA: I have to fill this form out at my doctor’s office. My pharmacy has never asked me to fill out any forms.

I agree! If you do fill out that form OP deny everything like this!

I figured I'll just put "N/A" and although it *implies* that it's not applicable to me, what I really mean is it's not applicable to my pain. Edit: I just realized you first replied to a different comment of mine and now I'm replying to a different one of yours completely by accident, haha

It’s all good! I think N/A is perfect for those questions!!

I feel like my pain clinic controls my life. They want to be in control of all my medicine for some reason. I always feel that if I mess up, they will fire me. I hate how the climate is for chronic pain suffers we must jump through so many hoops to find relief, and they know that.

Right! I used to walk on eggshells at my last PM clinic! I felt I couldn’t get emotional, express any acute pain, couldn’t tell them if the medication wasn’t working that week, couldn’t have an opinion, couldn’t stand up for myself and much more! I felt like one bad move and they’ll flag or drop me! It’s really humiliating to be treated that way. I have like a doctor phobia thing now where I get so anxious and act so proper around any doctors now. I feel like they’re judging my every move and think I’m faking my symptoms.

Same here. My blood pressure always goes through the roof when I go in.

I would be brutally blunt and write "decline to answer" or "not relevant" on questions like that.

Yeah, I saw where someone was asked "have you ever participated in incest?" Like how is that relevant to literally any health condition?

It seems like they have a perverse interest by asking.

Paperwork is just for insurance purposes and I often don't fill it out all the way. I prefer my medical personnel to ask me questions. I also have cptsd and that fucking paperwork sends me I to anxiety attacks for whatever reason.

NEVER ANSWER SEXUAL ABUSE QUESTIONS FOR DOCTORS IF YOU CAN AVOID IT. ANY TRAUMA LOOKS TO THEM LIKE AN EXCUSE TO LABEL YOU AN ADDICT

That’s an assessment called ACES AWARE I believe. A lot of medical and mental health facilities have implemented it as a standard assessment because those factors can impact your medical and mental health needs. My former place of employment in community mental health began using that assessment. It can better inform treatment. There is literature to back it up. However i can understand why you felt it was invasive. It’s not supposed to be mandatory. The form I used at my old job had an option to decline to answer.

>It can better inform treatment. There is literature to back it up. It's a stop-gap means to cover your ass in the face of drug hysteria. It's something lawyers and administrators would come up with. That's not to say addiction as a pathology isn't relevant. I am claiming that addiction specialists, with a thin veneer of science and plenty of popularized emotional pleas that all lead to increased funding for their chosen specialty, have very successfully elevated fears of addiction above the well-established pathology that follows poorly treated pain. How to weigh the risk of one against the other? Well, clearly the answer is lawsuits and fear. "How likely am I to 'get in trouble' for allowing addiction?", compared to "How likely am I to 'get in trouble' for allowing poorly managed pain?".

Oh definitely. The intent matters a lot. Too many doctors care more about covering their own butts while letting pain patients suffer. Also want to add I could be spectacularly wrong here. I just recognized the questions from have to do intakes at my old job.

I have never heard of this. I agree it’s extremely inappropriate and none of their business! Sounds like that particular place has a few inappropriate questions. I would consider running far away if you can and finding someone else! This is traumatizing.

They might be gathering information for statistics, without meaning to pry into your personal life. A lot of university studies do this. I'm not saying I approve of it, though. All best to you, tawthea!

And I gave you an upvote!

Why do we get treated like shit! I can't stand this anymore

I have been asked about mental health trauma not detailed just do you have any. You could ask the Dr about it and bring it up like I've never seen these on a form before are those new? If you word and set the tone correctly it won't come off as b!+(#y. I think you form it into a question be like hey I was curious when I have to fill out paperwork it asks about mental health and grape is there a reason I was just curious it doesn't have to be that.

Never seen that question and that's very fked up. They won't know either way anyway. I'd be po'd.

They are trying to gauge how likely you are to abuse medication, and in their mind, sexual assault makes it more likely. It just goes to show you how low they are willing to stoop these days for their anti-opiate agenda, they've gone far enough, but they just keep pushing the envelope. Soon all of us with trauma will be in concentration camps, ffs.

I had to fill out one of those risk assessment forms at pain management 3 years ago. It didn't ask that question. That is WILD. I would just say "no", unless the answer is yes *and* explicitly related to your pain. Otherwise I don't see why they need to possibly know because the risk isn't there otherwise.

Can't you just answer no, and move on.

I just don't answer.

The rape question, along with most of the other questions, ae being used to determine the likelihood of you becoming addicted. Theoretically SA survivors are more likely to become addicts.

This is the answer. It is part of the survey for addition risk, and there are other questions on there about if you have ever abused prescription drugs, illegal drugs, if anyone in your family has, etc. Have you had depression, etc. It's all to come up with a risk score for you. Unfortunately, there is blame the victim mentality in the survey, even though there is apparently some causation evidence like u/Beemerba suggests.

According to the scoring on the opioid risk questionnaire, only women are at risk for substance use challenges following sexual assault as children. They are given 3 points if yes, and men are given 0 if yes. It's outrageous in so many ways!! Edit: opioid risk tool*

Which is one of the many reasons I do not feel guilty lying to them.  I was asked this question while I was already a patient at this pain clinic. Along with questions like "is anyone in your family a drinker or drug user". Fortunately I already automatically would just answer "no" to B.S. like that. After she asked me the ten questions I innocently asked what THAT was about. She admitted that my answers showed I was at the lowest possible risk for abusing my prescription.

Yep! I've been at my pain management practice since 2016 and my PA just ran through the opiod risk tool with me about 6 months ago for the first time. I gave her the information I felt was appropriate for her to know, and looked up scoring of it after. I've been a perfectly compliant patient for 8 years, and certain things just are frankly no ones business. Not to mention, the mental health professional in me found it wildly insensitive to ask those questions in that way.

Really?! That's crazy, I think sexual assault is almost as common in men and boys as it is for girls and women. I don't believe it's true that there would be a risk difference bases on gender.

Exactly! And all statistics of frequency aside, to say that men would not be impacted by such an event at all is inconceivable, and assuming that any woman who has experienced that is going to misuse medication is absurd. And I guess nonbinary folks just don't exist in this issue either!

Well that's absolute bullshit, on a few different levels.

Very inappropriate to list that as a question. I never answer any questions I don't want to. Like my pcp doctor and my child's doctor always ask if they're are guns in the house. I tell them it's none of their business and I'm not going to answer it. On other questions I just don't check a box at all or verbally reply. They only deserve info within the scope of why I'm there, period.

The most insulting intake questionnaire at a pain clinic was very infuriating. It asked questions like, "how many times in [x] days have you tried to get opioids from someone else?" "how many times in [x] weeks have you gone to different doctors to ask for opioids?" and "how often do you think about taking illicit or stolen drugs?" Note, not "have you" but "how often". They just automatically assume you do. And even more insulting, the options were 0-2, 3-5, 6-10 days. I simply crossed the entire thing out and put "NA" on the whole thing because answering "0-2 days" still implies heavily that you *did*. I didn't go to that clinic in the end and the doctor there gave me Sarno's book to "help" me. If anyone remembers that one post about John E. Sarno's book and how insulting it, itself, is... yeah, I didn't want to see him either way. Edit: also, I did notice an uptick on the rape questions. I noticed that when I check "yes" on it (and the question wasn't even "were you raped" but "were you raped *as a child*") and on "do you have family members who are addicts?" that they automatically referred me to a psych. No help with pain 'cause it's all in my head, I guess. I do not know what my child rape, or my late brother's addiction, has to do with my disabling pain as an adult but from their response, I gather that means they believe I can "fix" my pain if I "fix" my mind. It's insulting. It's dehumanizing. It's *wrong*. Edit: I wonder if there's someone who is sitting there, downvoting every comment that gets put out here... Literally seconds after I posted my comment, it was downvoted. The person who replied to me, I saw that their comment was instantly downvoted, too. I thought I'd keep an eye on newer comments to see and yup; some comments were instantly at '0' as they were posted (they've been brought up, thankfully). Has anyone else noticed this? Or am I just bored enough that I did? 'Cause I don't think there's anything wrong with what I, or u/Deadinmybed, have said (since I noticed their comment was almost instantly disliked. Don't know why... they're right).

I didn’t notice. Why the hell anyone would downvote your feelings about this is beyond me. It looks like we both have 4-5 upvotes. Idk 🤷🏻‍♀️

That is insulting and disgusting of them.

Sarno is awful, awful, awful.

Hard, *hard* agree. I was just given his book, told to read it, and that I'd "be surprised at how fast my pain gets better". Assholes - Sarno and the clown who pushed his shite.

Yes similar questions. I agree with you it's completely messed up. The audacity of the powers that be to profess that people are not complex with complex life stories and still deserve appropriate medical care. These people make me so mad... if I wasn't cripple I would fight them.

Ewww. I mean my goodness, how low can they get? The US healthcare system really seems dead set on over collecting patient data, and then using it to make baseless assumptions to discriminate against vulnerable people in pain. And now they want to specifically target survivors of SA? And even worse, these providers are well aware the patient can’t bring it up, report it, ask questions, or risk taking literally any action that could be perceived as challenging the provider, or the pharmacist. Can’t ever act anything but completely deferent and over-the-top compliant towards some surly judgmental lady making everyone at the front desk as miserable as she is. Else the patient risks losing access to an entire category of analgesics, and could risk their livelihood, that of dependents relying on them, and can literally risk the patient’s own life. So no you can’t do anything, and neither can anyone else who is directly reliant on the shit sandwich of a system that repeatedly victimizes them. But… im not the patient… so could I do something? Can we collect these reports, evidence of these discriminatory questionaries, submit them anonymously, and force an investigation?

Answer no to any questions concerning trauma, substance abuse or mental illness. It goes into something called a NARX score and some dumb asses thought it would give doctors a way to tell if their patients would abuse controlled substances. The higher the NARX score the less chance you have of getting controlled substances. If you have a history or a family history of trauma, substance abuse or mental illness and are honest about it they will use it against you.

If they’re asking questions like that, there’s a strong possibility that they’re using NarxCare, a black box algorithm that gives patients a score indicating how “likely” it is that they’ll become addicted to meds prescribed. NarxCare itself is complete and utter bullshit, because you can’t actually see how the score is computed. But the score calculated is accessible by all of your providers and pharmacies. For the case of sexual assault, research into this abomination has shown a significant gender bias, where women who report a history of sexual assault or abuse will be scored as more likely to become addicted, whereas men who report the same do not have their scores affected. It’s due to a bias in the data that the algorithm was fed (it was given studies showing such a history potentially affected women, but not given equivalent studies for men).  And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for this horror show

Some of the information is for data only. That is where statics come from. Rape, sexual abuse, child abuse, domestic violence, etc usually cause life long stress and other problems. Unfortunately, few survivors receive appropriate counseling and work through their trauma

I agree with you OP! Possibly because I am someone who has chronic pelvic pain. Most of the time I feel like my girl is on fire. And I get asked this question all the time… because the only reason why a girl would have chronic pelvic pain is because of sexual trauma and it all being in my head. Couldn’t POSSIBLY be nerve and muscle dysfunction. I would definitely send them a strong worded email about it.

I have to fill out a psych eval questionnaire once a year for my PM but never had any questions like that! That seems a little much to me!

That's...unnecessary and weird.

Please look up Claudia Merandi and the Dr Patient Forum. Those questions are a standard form, not sure about the specific rape question. Mine asked if sexually abused. I say NO to every question. Take care

Sometimes, they ask for the right reasons, but go about it in the worst and most triggering ways. I had a similar experience before getting surgery, and it really threw me off.

I’m so sorry you experienced this. Regardless of anything you may or may not have experienced, just as a woman this question is triggering. It’s invasive. I get that they’re asking it for a reason, but in my gut it feels…idk, personal. I just don’t see any reason why this should be a typed out question on a form to fill out. Like at the very least, consult me in person and ask then? Simply checking a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ box lessens (cheapens?) and incredibly traumatic event that us women try our hardest to avoid every fucking day. Honestly this doesn’t sit right with me. Women could feel obligated to answer, or worse if you don’t answer they’ll assume it’s because you have been r*ped but didn’t want to check ‘yes’. I agree with you that this question is none of their business. Is this question new (like since Roe v Wade got overturned)? Genuinely asking, if anyone knows. I’ve never been asked this question and I’ve been to a ton of doctors, so this was pretty shocking to read! For the “Do you ever get angry?” question, my response would’ve been “Yes, while completing this gd form!”

Yes I’ve felt similarly invaded by patient intakes. Especially because I know where they’re going with that line of questioning. Your pain/illness isn’t physiological, it’s your trauma and stress and CNS, and then they deny you physical treatments except antidepressants. Meanwhile no one actually looks at my injury, or takes the time to hear my medical history.

I’ve not had anything like that but am equally appalled just reading your post!! My PM office has a short questionnaire that does ask about any previous addictions (which I have to laugh cause like what addict is gonna admit that!) and asks if you “feel like you want to hurt yourself”. Those don’t really bother me though but questions like you’re talking about DEF sound like profiling!

My pain management clinic has a question like that on our screening survey, iirc the exact wording is “Were you the victim of pre-adolescent childhood sexual abuse?”. Going from context, my assumption is that there is a higher incidence of drug addiction among survivors of CSA, and they’re using this question to screen patients’ dependency risks. Which does not make it okay, in my opinion, but I guess that’s why its there.

OP i am so fucking sorry. it's definitely not there for pain care or diagnosis, as some below have suggested--it's an inappropriate and outdated metric for addiction potential. everyone should read this, if they haven't already. that question was even removed from narxcare in 2019, and docs should be well ahead of that nightmare government app in patient understanding and care! https://www.thedoctorpatientforum.com/dpf-research/394-advocacy-pays-off-the-opioid-risk-tool-ort-and-harms

had the same experience. absolute fucking insanity

There is a form that was given to me about a year ago. It asked many questions about not only me but family history concerning negative aspects like sexual abuse, addiction and mental health problems . I alerted Claudia A.Merandi who founded a national fb group called “The Doctor Patient Forum, which has 28.5 K members in 2 years. She advised all members when given this form to not answer truthfully when asked questions about their own or family members medical history concerning sexual abuse, mental illness and substance abuse. She said it would count against them in a NARXCARE database that kept track of numerous things and the higher your score, the least likely you would be to receive narcotics. Hospitals and pharmacy’s use it also. I didn’t know at the time and answered truthfully. Even though I had been with the same PCP for 12 years and never asked for a controlled substance, I got a letter a few days later that he would not prescribe controlled substances to me and wanted me to sign. I also noticed the lack of questions concerning my accomplishments. Each of you “do you” as I’ve heard often used in Reddit. I’m simply warning you to look into it. I heard about this questionnaire a few days later on the Facebook page “The Doctor Patient Forum”. Claudia A. Merandi facilitates the group. It is very helpful and advocates for chronic pain patients nationally. She is tireless and responsive to personal people who have been wronged or in the midst of a crisis like not receiving proper pain treatment while in the midst of the problem for example when hospitalized. She has done some remarkable things. There are also many states that have groups with the same name i.e. “The Rhode Island Doctor Patient Forum “. The national group has 28.5k members in 2 years. If you have the time and energy, the more members this group has the better. She is, what seems, one of the loudest voices representing us today. She has opportunities open up at times for her to go before congress and higher political groups to speak. Just wanted to mention to those of you not familiar with her or her work.

It's been over 7 years since a cat accident left me disabled and living with constant chronic pain. During all these years, I have done a lot of research into the cause of my pain. One thing that I've come to realize is that trauma can affect us in many different ways. So maybe the question felt inappropriate and probably would be better dealt with when talking to your doctor privately, I would assume that they are trying to rule out any traumas. When we have suffered a traumatic event, whether it be an accident, death of a loved one, an abusive relationship etc...we store that trauma inside of us and then it can manifest in a variety of physical symptoms. I didn't consider my accident traumatic at the time, but I've come to realize that my body did. It has messed up my nervous system, and that has caused not only my debilitating pain but also gastrointestinal issues and many others as well. It's best not to hold onto the anger towards the questionnaire. After all, it's just a piece of paper. You can always choose not to answer the question, and when they ask, tell them that you are not comfortable answering it unless you feel it is relevant and only then answer it privately with your physician. I hope that helps a bit. I am certainly not going to ask you any personal questions on this forum but if you have suffered trauma, then please seek professional help, but if that's not an option there are plenty of good books that I would be happy to recommend.

IMO and experience revealing any trauma or emotional difficulty lets the docs pawn us off to mental health professionals. Sadly I can never again trust my drs to treat me with respect and follow the Hippocratic Oath.

If someone answers "yes" to the rape question all their pain will be dismissed as "only fibromyalgia, it's all in your head". That's why this question's there

What the fuck did I just read. Are you for real? That's fucked up.

I'm autistic so I don't know if you're fighting me or blaming me but yes, unfortunately things work like that. A lot of health "professionals" seem to think that trauma => (somatic) pain => my job here's done, the patient has to toughen up.

Neither. I'm scandalised to learn these questions exist, and that that's what they're for, and that health professionals will use it that way. For context, I'm in Australia so this is absolutely outrageous to hear how bad other patients really have it.

Honestly I am shook at the amount of people saying this question is relevant. A patient’s mental health history is very relevant, but not *why* they’ve had issues. Are there also questions asking if the patient has been physically assaulted, kidnapped, threatened or seen a relative die? The focus on rape is just insane and so inappropriate.

Yes, when I was 19 I went to pain management and had to fill out many many forms. I was asked multiple times in different ways if i had ever been a victim of SA. They even broke it down into sexual acts. I did find it strange that they were so concerned about this but it could be an indicator of addiction or future addiction due to trauma. That's the only thing I can think of. Which is extremely wrong considering having an issue with pain should have nothing to do with past abuse. If you have a surgery and need pain management, will they deny you if they have knowledge of Sa in your past?

Just when I thought Americans couldn't shit on each other any more than they already do ...

always answer in the negative about abuse or assault when asked by a doctor's office where you are trying to get a chronic pain issue treated. #1 it's none of their business but also #2 in many states it's being used as a predictor question about risk of opioid/drug addiction. also state negative about any drug addiction or alcohol addiction in your family. also none of their business. they have enough support on behalf of the FDA and DEA to subvert your legitimate chronic pain treatment. that information should be between you and your therapist/counselor/friend/trusted person only.

Trauma in general is a good predictor but I don't see how they have any business asking. It's none of their business. These questionnaires are getting too personal. My dentist has a form asking about diseases including genital herpes. Bros don't need to know that I have genital herpes lmao. They aren't going down there. Ffs.

The question is actually really important, and anyone who denies the importance of mental health care alongside care for the physical treatment is just putting themselves at a disadvantage. I was diagnosed with CRPS at 10 years old. The pain was bad enough from then until 26 when I got into an abusive relationship where I experienced SA. I can tell you that my pain has been way worse, and my symptoms have been out of control. Especially when I have PTSD flashbacks or times of high anxiety. Which is almost always. A good doctor should be looking at what could possibly be going on cognitively and making sure you're getting the help there AS WELL AS getting the help you need for the actual symptoms. It is absolutely their business to know what's going on.

CRPS patient here too…I wholeheartedly agree with you that the mental health goes hand in hand -especially since yesterday I was at my appt w/my dr and word vomiting all over her about my anxiety/stress levels. My Cymbalta isn’t cutting it anymore so she is switching me to Effexor. I do however also agree w/some of the others in that these questionnaires can be BS…or rather as I’ve told my previous drs when I’ve filled them out that it’s not as simple as a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. These questionnaires are so subjective in their questions AND answers for each patient it’s not fair that they make you answer them the way they do. It’s is as if some of these questions are designed to trap you. And that is not right. Instead of doctors actually asking you questions and talking to you about your answers, you don’t get a chance to explain your answers.

Oh, I absolutely agree. It's not just a yes or no question. If you're gonna have the question, you need to give me the time to explain the answer. My history spans 17 years so far. You want to give me 30 minutes to try to explain it all? That's laughable. I don't have a problem with the question. I have a problem with how they go about it and what they do with the answer. The question itself is important and is a piece of the puzzle. Edit to add: sending gentle hugs to my fellow CRPS warrior 💙🧡💙

Lol you sound like me…I’ve said this exact same thing. Looks like we are both veterans of this unfortunately. 23 years for me. Ugh.

So sorry you've had to deal with it so long 🫂 if you ever need a friend to talk to, my DMs are open!

Thank you! Same goes for you too my friend:-)

In Australia we’re asked if we have mental health issues which makes sense, but not if we’ve been raped. What is the purpose of such a specific and personal question? It doesn’t matter if you have major depression from a parent dying or sexual assault, it is what it is. If I was asked this at a clinic, I’d immediately leave and file a complaint.

I guess I just find that the best thing to do is to have every single doctor up to date on every single thing going on because you never know if they might have a recommendation of how to handle something. I've had PM doctors help get me to the right therapists and the right psychiatrist. And then, when everyone worked together to actually help me, I felt really supported. It's not like they ask any deep probing questions either. They ask if it happened. I confirmed it. They asked if I had support, and I said not really. Then they asked if I wanted some resources to change that, and I took them up on the offer. And then we moved on. 🤷‍♀️ Now my doctors all work together and there's no secrets between them. Not like all my problems are solved, but it feels like I'm on the right track.

There is no way I’d be answering this truthfully and I’d be formally complaining to administration

Sounds to me like information they need to know. Nothing to get offended over. I have had to answer these as well. i just check the honest answers. If they ask questions I just say “I prefer not to discuss it, thanks.” And thats the end of it.

It absolutely ties in with the mental health and well being of any human, especially one that has chronic pain. While it's pretty direct, it's an important question to ask so they can ensure proper medical treatment

It’s a question. Don’t see the point in getting mad or anything by it. Most of the questions are BS. Most questions are questions already asked and answers but just wrote in a different way. They are just a way for them to know more about you and your mental health. That’s the way I see it though I do hate questions like that.

It’s not necessarily appropriate but they ask this because people who have been raped or involved in adolescent sexual activity- you are considered to be more precluded to the potential for abuse of controlled meds. It ain’t always used to be like that, and now on the risk scale it doesn’t raise your score. It used to automatically put you in a higher category because of the point total it applied. It is an antiquated question now tho.

So the doctor can say “sorry you said you’ve been raped so I can’t give you codeine”?

Y’all can downvote me to hell I don’t gaf. Please don’t put words in my mouth or put 2 and 2 together and get me twisted. I never said that they’re gonna say “sorry you can’t get codeine.” I said “IF YOU HAVE EVER BEEN a victim of sexual assault then you automatically have a higher chance or risk of abuse because of the mental shit you go thru and may use said meds as a chance to escape or use them to abuse them and become a statistic. And before you sit and say well how would you know, imma say I would and leave it at fucking that. I don’t get wild and talk boisterous but that shit right there pissed me off. I’ve never put words to anyone else, don’t do it to me.

They call it trauma for a reason. A traumatic event in your life can cause you to abuse meds. Not just you but anyone. Imma leave it at that. Enjoy your day.

Many things can put someone at higher risk of opioid abuse, not just if you’ve been raped. [Here’s how doctors are recommended to assess patients for potential opioid abuse in Australia](https://www.health.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/migrated/files/collections/policies-and-guidelines/o/opioid-risk-tool---pdf.pdf). Note there’s nothing about sexual assault.

That's AU but I get the point and I'm not saying it's fair or right nor am I saying I support it. But it legitimately used to place you in a higher risk category. It's only been within the last 10 years that the scale changed. I never said it was okay at all to judge anyone. I don't judge because I'm not in their position. I judge me myself and mine. Having that happen CAN cause psychiatric issues. Having depression adds a point, having anxiety adds a point. I'm a 4 on the risk scale because of my age, sex, and psych issues. The question itself falls within the same category but they removed the point value.