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brian71_99
Enthusiast
Reged: 05/28/03
Posts: 280
Loc: Sunny San Diego
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Here is my 2 cents...
No matter how many people have success with an OP, there will always be someone who has a bad experience. No matter how many bad experiences people have with a "red flag" OP, someone will get their meds the next day.
What is my point?
If you are in a pinch, you take a plunge. If you have no records, you take a plunge. No matter the track record of an OP, IMO it is always a "plunge," even if you have had success with them in the past. It's a new experience each time, complete w/nerves.
There is no gurantee that your meds will come, so just know that you are taking a chance each and every time. No matter how good the track record, there can always be a mishap.
And don't expect good customer care from the represenatives, even if you do happen to get one on the line. I work as a customer service rep, and let me be the first to tell you that it is NOT a well-paying gig.
Most likely, you are getting someone making minimum wage who doesn't have a single concern in the world about how much you are suffering, or how serious your withdrawl symptoms are. They don't care that you live in San Diego, your meds are still in Florida and you paid $20 + for overnight delivery. They are making $7 an hour and it is just a "job" to them. Do not expect sympathy.
On the other hand, more professional OPS like YOD tend to take better care of their employees, so you can expect a more professional and I daresay "caring attitude!" Again, these are better companies that actually care about their patients. OPS like Tropical have no conscience, no scruples, no ethic and are all about the money. They could care less if they screw up your order, because again, they are all about the money, not the people. I know, it sucks. 
Although I can not do it yet (due to lack of records,) I will be using YOD or NWW as soon as I can. But until then, I expect the worst and hope for the best. It sucks, but this is the reality of our life dealing with these OPS. So yes, do research on the board until you are comfortable enough to place an order through Tropical, Buymeds, ERX, etc. But know that it is ALWAYS a plunge, you will always be taking a chance, and there is no gurantee. It sucks, but this is all that we have. So let's all keep our fingers crossed and hope for a pain-free future.
Regards,
Brian
P.S. Again, this is merely my $.02, my opinion! 
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rex
Enthusiast
Reged: 01/29/03
Posts: 219
Loc: U.S.
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Well put. A plunge it is. I've stuck with the "top shelf" OPs, for the most part, and even then, there have been problems maybe 25% of the time.
But we sure are lucky to have this service available to us (especially if you have good records and can work with a place like YOD). I just hope that the DEA doesn't crush the industry.
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hottiefromky
Member
Reged: 05/29/03
Posts: 149
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Why do I always get so nervous when I make an order or refill? I always feel like the DEA are going to come knocking on my door anyday now? Am I the only one that feels this way? Do you think they read the boards?
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rex
Enthusiast
Reged: 01/29/03
Posts: 219
Loc: U.S.
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It's just a guess, but I don't see why the DEA wouldn't at least assign an intern to surf the boards and look for whatever it is that they are looking for.
They know the OP industry exists, and to my knowledge, they have not decided to do anything about it (yet).
Most people have concluded that the places like YOD (OPs that try their best to establish a doctor-patient relationship via FAXed records and a phone conversation) are not illegal (yet). They must not be illegal right now or else we would not be receiving our orders (I guess ).
I do know that the "regular" doctors frown upon this "loose telemedicine" that is being practiced by the doctors at our beloved OPs.
I haven't heard what the DEA thinks about it, though. I'm thinking that the DEA is more interested in busting Schedule II (ab)users. From what I gather you're not going to get any Schedule II meds through a regular OP.
I wouldn't be too worried. I've done as much research as I could about this OP industry to make sure what I'm doing is legal. I can't afford to do anything illegal due to the nature of my job. I guess I'm trying to say that I try to keep completely straight, and I order from OPs, so maybe that can make you feel more relaxed. Of course I may be totally wrong about everything.
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14stones
Board Addict
Reged: 06/18/03
Posts: 336
Loc: On the beach in California
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I think that it isn't really a plunge at all if you are willing to do some research. I did and found a great OP that was just right for me. Of course, it was one of the top shelf ones but I felt that it was worth doing things right. As it was, I was able to get my doctor to approve of the treatment and my insurance is covering it. In other words, the only time you really make using online doctors a risk is when you gamble on the low rep types. You are better off getting everything right and then ordering. The info is all right here. If you need your records and your doc is unavailable you can go to an ER and get a one page copy of them and a report on your condition.
I hope this doesn't sound preachy as that isn't what I mean. I just want everyone to get the help they need and hate the idea of us wasting our time and money on high risk op's when it isn't necessary.
Ni
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Go that way really fast, if something gets in your way.....TURN! Always look on the bright side of life.
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yawkaw3
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/22/03
Posts: 1193
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Read up on what happened to Dr. Gibbs (I don't have the link handy, but there is a thread on doctor's who've been busted). I think the site was medprescribe.com or something? The DEA is already well aware of what is going on. I think it is difficult, though, for them to prove there is no doctor-patient relationship when they maintain medical records and have spoken to you on the phone. The way they will clamp down on OP's is to bully states into passing laws requiring face-to-face contact for a prescription to be valid, which has already happened in a few states.
I'm not sure what can be gained from surfing these boards, other than a confirmation of what they already know. For many sites, it is obvious what is required and what is not in order to get meds.
Like you said, rex, schedule II meds are a bigger deal. Prescription-monitoring programs are mainly looking for people getting huge amounts of CII's for resale purposes. There are too many people getting CIII's for them to dedicate the resources towards that, but it doesn't mean they won't at some point in the future.
My advice has always been not to rely on OP's for pain management. Just to use them while they are still around and search and search for a PM doc.
-yawkaw
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brian71_99
Enthusiast
Reged: 05/28/03
Posts: 280
Loc: Sunny San Diego
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I was referring to the no record OPS like Tropical, Buymeds, ERX etc. There are reputable top of the line OPS, but a lot of us can't go through them. I know that YOD, NWW and so on are WAY more reliable than ERX. But some of us have to rely on these less reliable OPS until we can get our records together. And some of us can't get records at all.
I posted this because I see so many people asking so many questions about the various no records OPS, and I wanted to stress that there is no gurantee, and it is a plunge and a chance that we take when we are either in a pinch, or have no option but to deal with these guys on a regular basis.
And a plunge could also refer to shipping mishaps, which can be common with any OP, as there are many factors that can cause your meds to be miss-shipped and not arrive. Regardless of whether it is Woody's or Pharmanet, there are all kinds of possibilites that can cause your meds to be shipped to the wrong address, or not shipped at all. I think I should have defined this better, as we are taking a plunge, a chance each and every time we rely on shipping service.
Maybe I use the word "plunge" too broadly, as I refer it to any mishap that can happen from the doc to the pharmacy, and all the way down to FedEx. Since we can't go see a doc, we have to rely on so many people before we can get our meds, and this kills our nerves.
Anyways, I hope that this makes my point a little more clear. 
Good to see so many people reading this post. I just don't want any of us to get "lulled" into any kind of false security with these OPS. Many people have never had a problem with any OP. And some just can't win, no matter how many different ones we try. The posts on this board are very helpful, and this can give us confidence and peace of mind. But nothing is ever guranteed.
Seems like every time we order our meds, we hold our breath, cross our fingers and hit the "refresh" button on FedEx's website watching our package's journey from Florida across the States. It is nerve-wrecking, but it is our life since we can not go and see a doctor in person.
As always, take care and let's all hope for a pain-free future.
Regards,
Brian
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rex
Enthusiast
Reged: 01/29/03
Posts: 219
Loc: U.S.
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I take back what I said about "top shelf" OPs being a "plunge". What I really meant to say is that with all the possible things that can go wrong in the process of dealing with a good OP, something can go wrong (but it will usually not be the GOOD OPs fault - it will be the fault of the pharmacy or shipper). Between FAXing records, receiving an email with your consult time (viruses, worms can pose a hazard), pharmacy shipping you the correct amount of meds at the correct date and not overcharging you (even Woody has made errors on my orders, but they are still the best), and then the shippers sending your meds to another house, city, state (or just running over them), something can sometimes go wrong. But if you go with a good OP, your chance of everything going well is greatly increased.
There is just such a long chain of events from start to finish, and sometimes, even with YOD, something goes wrong (although I've never had a problem with YOD - just problems with the pharmacy and shipper). I'm not complaining, though. We've got it pretty good now. Sure beats going to my primary care doctor.
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brian71_99
Enthusiast
Reged: 05/28/03
Posts: 280
Loc: Sunny San Diego
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Wouldn't it be nice to just go see a doctor, get examined, get a scrip and then drive over to your local pharmacy?
In a perfect world...
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brian71_99
Enthusiast
Reged: 05/28/03
Posts: 280
Loc: Sunny San Diego
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Quote:
I take back what I said about "top shelf" OPs being a "plunge". What I really meant to say is that with all the possible things that can go wrong in the process of dealing with a good OP, something can go wrong (but it will usually not be the GOOD OPs fault - it will be the fault of the pharmacy or shipper). Between FAXing records, receiving an email with your consult time (viruses, worms can pose a hazard), pharmacy shipping you the correct amount of meds at the correct date and not overcharging you (even Woody has made errors on my orders, but they are still the best), and then the shippers sending your meds to another house, city, state (or just running over them), something can sometimes go wrong. But if you go with a good OP, your chance of everything going well is greatly increased.
There is just such a long chain of events from start to finish, and sometimes, even with YOD, something goes wrong (although I've never had a problem with YOD - just problems with the pharmacy and shipper). I'm not complaining, though. We've got it pretty good now. Sure beats going to my primary care doctor.
I agree, just so many things can go wrong that usually have nothing to do with the OPS themselves. Yes, they can mess up and they don't even have to give you a scrip, but once you get past this initial stage, then the "real fun" begins!
As a matter of fact, I need to head over to FedEx's website and hit my "refresh button." It's been about 5 minutes, time to see if my shipment has moved! 
This is our life...Agreed?
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basenji
Journeyman
Reged: 04/26/02
Posts: 78
Loc: Washington state
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Hi Brian,
I just read your post on ERX and the others, and it sure answered my latest problem. I've dealt with ERX for a few months now and never had a problem until now. I have been trying to get ahold of someone there for 3 weeks after I placed an order for a refill and received all the tracking info and confirmation email, but I still haven't received anything. Their customer service, or lack of, is seriously lacking in caring and you put it very well. It really is upsetting to think that someone is sitting there and just going through the motions, or not, just to get through their day when we are depending on them for our health....pretty sad. Anyway, thanks for the enlightening words.
basenji
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