how to talk to a doctor about back pain.

I have really bad back, well actually mostly neck pain. It's been going on for years. A chiropractor helps tremendously...but I cannot afford one right now. Same goes for massages.
My muscles are so knotted and tight, constantly, that when I can get DH to massage them he has to push so hard it hurts him.
I want to talk to a doctor about maybe taking a pain reliever like tramadol and some sort of muscle relaxer. But I don't know how to go about saying this without him/her thinking I'm drug seeking. Which I'm not..I've never been addicted to anything...and I'm not looking to get high. I just don't know what to do anymore...I feel like I've been living like this too long.

Should be fine asking for ultram and flexeril. Don't say the d word though… or they'll laugh ya outta there empty handed

Depending on your doctor (mine in the area are strict because of how bad my area is) I don't think you can just request a specific drug, however you can explain to him how you feel and if he feels that it is something needed he would prescribe it to you.

Quoting V & E's Mom! [37 weeks]:" Depending on your doctor (mine in the area are strict because of how bad my area is) I don't think you ... [snip!] ... drug, however you can explain to him how you feel and if he feels that it is something needed he would prescribe it to you."

well i wouldn't be trying to get all specific, i'd see what he suggests. but i don't want him to give me anything really strong either. hydrocodone makes me sick and well, i'd be taking the muscle relaxer in the evening anyway because it would probably make me drowsy.

Im in the same boat. im 25 weeks pregnant and have unbearable pelvic pain to the point it hurts to lift my leg or walk. i told my doc and she prescribed me tylenol 3 which has codine in it. i took tramadol 50mg when i first got pregnant well before i new and told my doc and she said it wouldn't harm the baby but it wasn't prescribed so i stopped taking it but this codine makes me tired and nauseous and i want to ask her about getting on tramadol instead because it helped the pain a lot and didn't give me any weird effects.

Have you ever seen a Dr about your back? Going in and asking for drugs from the jump isn't going to get you far.

Quoting StinkyPossumLover!:" Should be fine asking for ultram and flexeril. Don't say the d word though… or they'll laugh ya outta there empty handed"

what d word? darvocet? i don't know what you mean lol.
i thought they didn't prescribe darvocet anymore..not sure why but i'm pretty sure my nursing instructor said that once.

<blockquote><b>Quoting SaraSaraBoBara:</b>" what d word? darvocet? i don't know what you mean lol. i thought they didn't prescribe darvocet anymore..not sure why but i'm pretty sure my nursing instructor said that once."</blockquote>




Dilaudid

Quoting A❤T=P&W:" Have you ever seen a Dr about your back? Going in and asking for drugs from the jump isn't going to get you far."

no i haven't. i don't mean just walk in and be like hey i just want some ___ and ___. i can see how you may think that from the OP. I'm sure they'd do an xray or something. my old chiro did a few and never really said anything about them. i have a family history of scoliosis but once he said 'your spine is 'alllmost completely straight'. although, a chiro isn't a doctor so maybe a doctor could see something he couldn't. so i don't know what the cause of it is...like i said it's been going on for years. i do stretches but all that does is sometimes pop my neck which isn't getting me anywhere myself.

Quoting StinkyPossumLover!:" <blockquote><b>Quoting SaraSaraBoBara:</b>" what d word? darvocet? i don't know what ... [snip!] ... darvocet anymore..not sure why but i'm pretty sure my nursing instructor said that once."</blockquote> Dilaudid"

oh hell no. i don't need anything like that.

They want you to tell them you're in pain, or else how would they know?

Just come and ask, "Can I please have something for pain? I just want to feel okay and like I can do things, without it killing me." As a doctor, it's his job to rid your pain as best as he can. He won't think you're a drug seeker unless you continuously ask for more and more drugs.

Any type of pain reliever and muscle relaxer is just really the call of the doctor. You can go in and say that you feel like you're dying and get some 800mg ibuprofen.

I'm not saying that it won't happen, it honestly depends on your doctor. Maybe you can try asking for something and a pain reliever; if there is anything else you could try. But tramadol is usually something dr's prescribe after trying some other things first.

Quoting Tiger Lily ♥:" They want you to tell them you're in pain, or else how would they know? Just come and ask, "Can I please ... [snip!] ... to rid your pain as best as he can. He won't think you're a drug seeker unless you continuously ask for more and more drugs."

yeah...well i would at least want him to do an xray just to check it out on that level as well. and i'm sure they'd agree. i guess it really does all depend on the doctor. i've just never really had to get anything for chronic pain, only acute so i feel like saying 'chronic back/neck pain' to some doctors is a red flag...but i have no history of abuse and hell, i will give them my urine if they want to see themselves. i suppose i should just ask around and try to find a good doctor that will understand and hopefully isn't a quack.

Quoting SaraSaraBoBara:" yeah...well i would at least want him to do an xray just to check it out on that level as well. and ... [snip!] ... themselves. i suppose i should just ask around and try to find a good doctor that will understand and hopefully isn't a quack."

Maybe it's just me, but every doctor I know shells out pills. I've never left the ER without a prescription for hydrocodone, tramadol, or flexerill. They also always give me demoral or morphine while IN the er. I've gotten like....4-5 different prescriptions of hydrocodone in the last 3 months because of my gallbladder.

My sister had lupus and her doctor gave her so much pain medicine, it eventually killed her.

So, the doctor you see will probably give you them right off the bat, as well as doing x-rays and checking to see what is happening and to see if something could give you a more permanent pain relief. Unless he/she is against giving pain relievers. But I see what you're saying.

Quoting Tiger Lily ♥:" Maybe it's just me, but every doctor I know shells out pills. I've never left the ER without a prescription ... [snip!] ... could give you a more permanent pain relief. Unless he/she is against giving pain relievers. But I see what you're saying."

see, i guess they're just not like that around here. i've left ERs or surgery with hyrdocodone but i've only been to either a few times. never had morphine in the ER even when I was in a lot of pain. I guess our hospitals around here just really suck because they never even really tried to find out what was wrong with me which again, is why i've only been a few times..
I just don't want to sound like an addict, even if they want to give me the pills.