Help me Dr. Bruce! - Medicine Question

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Relaxed

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So, there I was at my annual check up at the VA. I was having some pretty bad back pain from a pulled muscle and 2 disks that have minor compression. The Dr. ran through the normal VA type questions about PTSD, drinking or drug problems, etc.

The Dr. said that she was going to give me something to help with the muscle spasms and then asked about my personal life and how stressful it was. I explained that my life was pretty busy with 2 kids below 3 years, my wife and I both working and taking some college courses on-line plus both of us being in the Reserves but things were good and everyone was happy. I was told that my pills would arrive in the next couple of days via mail and would include something to help my back muscles relax, Vitamin D and something for my slightly elevated cholesterol. All in all I thought it was a pretty routine visit until I got my pills in the mailbox.....

The Dr sent me Hydroxyzine Pamoate for Anxiety!!!!!

I never asked to be treated for anxiety nor do I think that I need to be. I haven't taken these pills but I feel that I need to talk to my AME and this VA Dr about it soon but don't know how to approach the issue.

My back pain has been reduced via exercise and doesn't require further treatments.
 
Somebody got a kickback from the manufacturer?
 
Bruce is a bit more active on the AOPA forums. And has his private messages open via the AOPA board (they are closed here) if you wish to make contact that way.
 
Request a copy of your VA medical record to be sure it does not contain a diagnosis of anxiety or the like. They don't usually prescribe without a relevant diagnosis, and that's usually based on some reported symptoms. Or something the doctor thought was symptoms. That would be a fly in the ointment.
 
This is one reason why doctors get sued...doing things without consulting the patient. Any cost incurred due to this should be reimbursemed personally from Dr. VA.
 
Circuit Flyer said:
Request a copy of your VA medical record to be sure it does not contain a diagnosis of anxiety or the like. They don't usually prescribe without a relevant diagnosis, and that's usually based on some reported symptoms. Or something the doctor thought was symptoms. That would be a fly in the ointment.
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I asked for a copy of my VA records. I was told I had to list every appointment and test I'd ever had, and they could look them up. Sigh.
 
Jim, I'm sorry to hear you are getting the run-around. Have you asked them to provide at least the record of the visit where the doctor asked about your family? It sounds as though it was recently, and that was likely the visit that triggered the prescription you're talking about.
 
JimNtexas said:
I asked for a copy of my VA records. I was told I had to list every appointment and test I'd ever had, and they could look them up. Sigh.
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Actually, all (or at least nearly all) of a veteran's VA medical history (and optionally, their active-duty medical history) should be available online if the veteran registers for a "Premium" account from MyHealtheVet. Registration is free but requires identity verification, which may require a one-time in-person visit to a VA Service Center.

The veteran can elect to download some or all of his or her medical history, as well as any future appointments or recommended visits, tests, or procedures that have not yet been completed, in any of several formats, using the "Blue Button" function.

Rich
 
Actually, all (or at least nearly all) of a veteran's VA medical history (and optionally, their active-duty medical history) should be available online if the veteran registers for a "Premium" account from MyHealtheVet. Registration is free but requires identity verification, which may require a one-time in-person visit to a VA Service Center.
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Maybe that's true in theory, but it didn't work for me, and the VA people I talked essentially told me that I had to provide the exact date and provider that I saw, in which case they could possibly find a record of the visit.
 
Take that Rx to the VAH and get it in your record that the Rx was either never picked up or the tablets were destroyed.
Get it entered into your record that you were prescribed for muscle relaxation for a back condition, not a psychiatric diagnosis.
sigh.
 
JimNtexas said:
Maybe that's true in theory, but it didn't work for me, and the VA people I talked essentially told me that I had to provide the exact date and provider that I saw, in which case they could possibly find a record of the visit.
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Sorry to hear that. If I download mine, it's several hundred pages long -- and I don't even go there very often. They even made a notation when I called by phone and asked a nurse a question about the colonoscopy prep. They record pretty much everything. Every appointment, every lab test, every phone call... you name it, it's in there.

But like I said, I strongly suspect that there are regional differences.

Rich
 
They do seem to record everything and their computer system, VISTA, appears to be set up to repeat long sections again and again, which multiplies the page count. But I think you are looking for a narrow slice of the record dealing with that one troublesome prescription, and VISTA is organized into sections, so navigating is not too hard. Your state may also have a website that lets you see and print all the prescriptions you receive, whether they were filled, etc.
 
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