Blood Pressure

So I'm going to tell you a little story about my Dr.'s office - The Dr. is part of a medical association and I have been going there for almost 10 years. This is the reason I am looking for a new Dr.

Using the wayback machine: I go to the Dr. for pain in my back and legs - Dr. runs tests and finds arthritis and bone spurs in my spine. Dr. tells me there is no cure for these things but that with medication I can control the pain. Dr. puts me on pain med (as needed-not narcotic - no Oxycontin for me), muscle relaxer, and arthritis anti-inflammatory (may cause stomach problems so make sure you tell us if it does and we'll put you on something else).

Flash forward to last month: I go to Dr. because I have migraine. I get them once in a while and it's been so long since I had one my medication is expired. Also my scripts for the other meds are expired so I need to get refills. Nurse tells me my blood pressure is a little high but that it may be caused by the migraine. Also tells me that MY migraine medication is no longer available.

Dr. asks me why do you get so many migraines?
ME: "I don't get so many - which is why my meds are expired..."
Dr.: Why do you take these meds? looking at the refill requests
ME: for the arthrtis in my spine
Dr.: who told you that you have arthritis - you're awfully young
ME: you did - see the tests in my medical records?
Dr.: Oh yeah

See a pattern here?

So as I already had a migraine and this was helping so much I foolishly approached the fact that I don't take my anti-inflammatory because it bothers my stomach, and could he prescribe something else instead? And I've been noticing that I'm swelling (retaining fluids) so is there something that can be done with that?

Dr.: well your blood pressure is a little high and it was the last few times you were in - so I'll give you a water pill that will take care of the blood pressure and the water retention. But for the anti-inflammatory we better look to see if any damage was done to your stomach before I prescribe anything else.

So I went through an endoscopy which showed no problems with my stomach. Next comes follow up visit:

ME: Endoscopy showed no stomach damage - and the water pill is helping.
Dr.: Yes your blood pressure is down too - I will keep you on this med. Have a good day see you at your next follow-up."
ME: Are you going to give me something for the arthritis?
Dr.: Oh I could but they are VERY expensive - just take Tylenol

TYLENOL? Are you kidding me? So he refuses to give me anything - which is why I went through the whole scope business in the first place....I'm upset and leave the Dr. Office...

A couple of weeks later I'm noticing my regular meds are low and I need to call in for refills - only one problem - HE DIDN'T GIVE ME ANY REFILLS! So now I have to call the Dr. office and see if I can pick them up - Oh and they charge you a fee if you get prescriptions without an office visit.

So I call the office and leave a message - mentioning that he didn't give me my usual refills and I was just in there a few weeks ago so it's not time for a follow up visit. I get a call back from the Dr. office - yes he will give me refills on the pain and muscle pills but he gave me 5 refills on the blood pressure med. So she tells me to have the pharmacy look up the original script.

Getting a little tired of the runaround?

I call the pharmacy - "pull the original"? Yes the original has no refills.

Call the Dr. "we'll give you a copy to show the pharmacy" (copy shows script for blood pressure med with 5 refills)

I take the copy to the pharmacy - "Can you show me the original? " OH the scripts are different? The prescription the Dr. gave me was for 3 medications all on the same script...the pain med, the muscle relaxer and the blood pressure med...with NO REFILLS"

The script they gave me a copy of at the Dr. office - I never received!...

So shouldn't be a big deal - just give me another script - with the refills and we'll call it a day? NO not that easy - the Dr. office won't call me back and NOW I really am going to need a blood pressure medication because this is causing my blood to boil.

What is the big deal? This is not a controlled substance - no one buys blood pressure / water pills on the streetcorner - Do they?