Is It Legal To Carry Your Controlled Medications With You?

This question has been posed to me in emails, and this deserves a post on the subject; obviously many people are interested in this, and need a bit of teaching to understand this question.  There is much to know if no one has bothered to instruct you.  This subject has also been heavily searched.  What is most interesting is that these are pain patients, managed by pain doctors.  The doctor ‘should’ instruct each patient regarding carrying these meds, what needs to be done to keep everyone comfortable and safe; talk about the laws related to prescriptions; and answer your questions.  Ask your doctor any and all questions related to these subjects.   

Carrying Your Medications With You—The Basics

Keep each medication in the original bottle it came in.  Do not place the pills in one of the generic pill holders, labeled each day of the week, or times in one day, etc.  These are great for home use.  Actually, they are convenient to carry with you, filling what you think you will need for the time you will be out that day.  Here's what is wrong with not having your meds in labeled bottles:

#1.  The medications are not labeled in any way, and you cannot prove that they are yours, or not yours.  You may have your meds confiscated simply for not keeping them in their own bottle.  These are hard to replace, and it shows what level of understanding and commitment by the patient of keeping their meds safe.    

#2.  You may lose the meds if the top of the plastic holders decide to open, and yes, this does happen.  On the other hand, the top may be very hard to open, especially with Arthritic hands; and in doing so, the pills can fly all over.  They do go everywhere.  Keep them away from the bathroom--then you are really stuck with nothing.

 #3. What happens if you are gone longer than you had planned?  Life sure gets in the way, so any car trouble, traffic jams, missed flights, longer than planned evenings that somehow turn into the next day, all these issues must be thought about so that you are always prepared.  Possibly the unmarked meds you brought for a day are not going to be enough. 

What Do The Police Require If Your Medication Is With You?  

Having a very close friend who is a law enforcement officer, I was able to sit down and clear up others questions.  It was a great conversation, and I learned what I had not already been taught or learned on the job in nursing, or from my pain management doctor.

If you need to show your medication bottles to the police, for whatever reason, please remember-- you have the right to carry these needed medications.  Kind of ties in with the Medical ID Bracelet too, in that you are a serious and responsible patient; you are learning to balance the need for pain relief, with the fact that MEDICATIONS MUST EACH BE IN THEIR  PROPERLY LABELED CONTAINERS-- PER LAW ENFORCEMENT.

Security Prescriptions are so hard for your doctor to re-prescribe again if they are lost, spilled, get wet, etc.  Treat those Prescriptions like gold, filled yet or not.  I don't want to bring everything I have with me, but I bring three days extra at all times with me.  Raised in Southern CA, spending lots of time directly on top of the San Andreas fault....which by the way, is considered extremely 'overdue’ for a large quake, having lived through many earthquakes I must take this seriously.  I respect Earthquakes, and have enormous respect for the Ocean.  I’ve lived in Southern CA all my life (minus Expatriate time in Taiwan), and I have learned to keep 3 days of basic supplies in my car as the experts suggest it will take that long for help to arrive to stranded motorists.  Sad to say but right now, my E-kit contains: Jumper cables, flashlight, water, collapsible dog water bowl, sneakers, and a blanket.  Not a full kit per CA quake standards!  However, it’s much better than nothing.  Next, I need to focus on some nibbles for my little kit.      

Sometimes it is so much easier to just put what we know we will be taking like clockwork that day or two, into one pill bottle.  I'm like every other woman with a 10 lb. purse, and the less I have to stuff in my handbag, the better.  Yet if some policeman was going through your things and found one bottle with a lot of different pills, they don't like that.  It is illegal.  There is no proof of a prescription in your name, even if the bottle is for one of your meds, it is certainly not for any of the other ones.  It could also point to drug-dealing, on either side—you the seller, or you the buyer, believe it or not.  Oh, we know we're innocent, and simply trying to be able to live some semblance of life.  If medications are of benefit to you, you must have them with you everywhere you go.  In the pill bottle each medication originally came in.  

How To Transport Your Security Medications Safely & Legally

Keep all pills in the bottle they came in.  That is THE ONLY place that you are legally allowed to carry your medications.  The original bottle must have all the normal information on the label that is printed by your pharmacy.  Sometimes the size of the bottle changes from month to month, and I simply use the previous month's smaller bottle to carry that certain medication only, if the newest bottle is too large to carry with me.  That bottle has exactly all the information on it that the police require, just the fill date is one month behind.  No worries using that bottle if it is smaller and works better for you.   

"Can I carry them in my purse legally to my pain doctor's appointment?” asked one curious person.  Sure, you can!  This is not an open container of liquor, like an open bottle of wine from dinner needing to be carried home in the trunk, separated from the driver.  We are just fine to keep our medications, in the correct bottles; in our purse, backpack, etc.  We don't have to be separated from these medications.  This is not just regarding going to your pain doctor, either.  You can go anywhere with these medications.  These are YOUR medications.  They are prescribed by a physician who manages your pain issues.  They are legal.  Just make sure to follow the tips above, and there should never be any problem with carrying your medications, especially your security prescriptions.  They are simply part of the arsenal in the treatment of chronic pain.  We should feel fine in carrying the chemical part of that arsenal with us if we need to do so.  It is our responsibility to carry them according to the laws governing controlled medications. 

If you have further questions or concerns about this subject, please discuss it with your treating doctor.  It always comes down to the relationship you have, it must be very open, and you should feel safe talking to her or him about anything to do with your Chronic Pain.  Not just how to carry your medications under the law; everything that you feel affects your pain and your doc must know these extenuating circumstances.  As this post shows, treating pain is a multi-factorial issue between your physician and you; the treatment does not stand alone with just taking medications.

Educate Yourself!!  Learn how to protect yourself and your medications!

Gentle Hugs...

For The Best Pain Relief; No Chasing Your Pain Allowed

We all do it.  Have a headache?  Menstrual cramps?  Is that knee acting up and aching?  Then it's time for a few Advil, Tylenol, whatever.  And we try to take something to help our pain and discomfort, but it's not easy to always have something with us.  Meanwhile, time is passing by, the headache is double in nature and is becoming a migraine, simply because the issue was not addressed chemically when it was at it's most receptive: When Your Pain First Begins.

I am addressing the issue of taking medications to alleviate/lessen your pain, with the spotlight on medication management of Chronic Pain.

When you first feel pain, that is the optimum time to take your medications.  If you have a 'BTP' medication prescribed, (Break Through Pain), usually you have some leeway in how it has been prescribed by your doctor that manages your pain.  Break through pain is felt at times, despite being on a controlled release medication; the pain literally breaks through that medication's effectiveness, which then requires the Breakthrough Pain Medication--which is usually an instant-release in it's chemical makeup.      

Using your BTP medication, along with a long-acting one; (these can be labeled as: Long-Release-LR, Slow Release-SR, Controlled Release-CR), is the most effective way to battle your chronic pain.

Usually, these BTP meds are written to take every 4 to 6 hours.  When the pain hits, try to take your BTP medication ASAP.  Don't wait to unload the groceries, finish that sinkful of dishes, attend to that stack of paperwork.  Put yourself and your pain issues first.  If you do not have your pain under control, you won't be of much use to anyone; especially yourself.  The entire process should take you less than five minutes, a mild trade-off for ignoring your pain and then suffering needlessly for hours.     

This is a situation in which taking your medication immediately means exactly that--right away.  Waiting will only serve to perpetuate the entire pain cycle.  You must take your main medication if that has been forgotten and skipped, and/or focus on your breakthrough pain medication as your next line of defense.

Keeping on top of that pain is imperative.  If you wait to take your meds at the first sign of BTP, you will experience the terrible seeming non-response of your BTP meds.  They are in there working, but they are now fighting a battle much bigger than when it first began.  The time for meds is when it starts to hurt.

Called-'Chasing The Pain', failing to address your pain immediately will only result in the never ending cycle of pain, medications and other modalities you use to help such as heat and ice, pain that is not responding, waiting in more pain until it is time for another dose, and the cycle continues.

If you take medications for your pain, keep them with you if you aren't at home; and the most important to remember is that taking them at the first twinge of pain is the answer to better pain control.  Keep on top of your body's signals.  Pain is always the indicator of something wrong.  Tend to your pain.  Pay attention.  No Chasing allowed!   

 
 Gentle Hugs...

***NEXT POST--IS IT LEGAL TO CARRY YOUR SECURITY MEDICATIONS? ***

How Obtaining Your CNA Training Can Help You Become a Nurse

I am pleased to offer this guest post, written by Sandra Stevens from CNA Training Help.  As a nurse, what she says is so true, in many of the aspects of looking at how becoming a CNA can benefit a person; on their way to possibly continue towards nursing.  This is an excellent post.  Enjoy!

 

You can benefit by including CNA training in your plan to become a Nurse.  Training to become a certified nursing assistant will provide you with the skills you need to assist patients in a variety of healthcare settings.  You can complete CNA classes in just a few weeks and with an investment of $1000 or less.

If you decide to work as a certified nursing assistant before becoming a nurse, you will gain a great deal of valuable experience.  This experience will help you to successful complete your degree to become an LPN or an RN.  The experience working in the healthcare field will be valuable when you complete the clinical portion of your nursing course.

When working as a certified nursing assistant, you will learn to help patients maintain dignity even when they are very ill.  You will learn to protect the privacy of each of your patients.  Your work as a CNA, will teach you how to provide compassionate care to your patients.  You will be able to develop a good bedside manner which will be equally important when you become a nurse. 

If you want to become a nurse, starting out as a CNA will be able to prepare you for working in a variety of healthcare settings.  You will learn how to work and interact with other healthcare professionals in order to provide ideal care for your patients.  Your work will provide you with the opportunity to observe the many tasks and duties of a nurse.

If you decide to obtain your CNA training before applying for nursing school, you will get a taste of what it is like to work in the nursing field.  Of course, your duties as a CNA will be different than those of an RN or LPN.  You will, however, still get an idea of whether or not a career in nursing is really right for you. 

When you train to become a CNA, much of what you learn can be carried into your classes to become a nurse.  You will learn basic patient procedures in your nursing assistant classes.  The class will teach you a basic overview of the organ systems and how the human body works.  You will even learn some medical terminology.  All of this knowledge will help you to better be able to successfully complete your coursework when the time comes to enter nursing school.

In order to be a CNA, you will need to demonstrate your ability to maintain the safety of your patients and to protect their privacy.  You will learn to receive instructions from your supervisor.  All of these skills will come in handy when you do your clinical rotations for nursing school. What you learned in your training and work as a CNA, can also be carried into your career as a nurse.

There are many ways in which obtaining your CNA training before enrolling in nursing school can benefit you.The CNA Salary and payscale structure isn’t so bad and can be a good career on its own. You should give this option a chance if you want a career as a nurse. 

This is a guest post by Sandra Stevens who is a blogger over at http://cnatraininghelp.com She writes about all topics related to becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant.

 Thank you Sandra for such an informative and very true article.

Pain Blog Carnival at How To Cope With Pain

Over at How To Cope With Pain, an excellent dot org site concentrating on the subject of Chronic Pain; March 2010's Pain-Blog Carnival  is hosted.  Spotlighted are various blogs that focus on writing about the subject of pain; from migraines to gastrointestinal pain.

I am thankful for also being included in this Carnival!  They chose my post about the reality of filling monthly medications.  I received a lot of emails from those that understood exactly what I go through every month, and shared some interesting experiences related to the filling of medications.     

Humanity is bound by the issues we have personal experience with; and usually these are issues relating to some type of struggle in our lives.  Those that share the same struggle are immediately understanding of our lives.  By coming together, such as in these blog Carnivals, we have the opportunity to read others' words and feel something inside ourselves that we recognize.  By reading and keeping in touch with those that do suffer from the same issue as yourself, you create a support system outside of family and friends.  Online relationships built on common human struggles, are fantastic to find, and just need attention like anything else in our lives that we value.

I value my online relationships.  Thank you all for giving of yourselves to me.  For opening up to me and sharing your personal struggles and successes. 

Gentle Hugs as always...  <3