Pain medication often is a part of surgical care. Twin Cities Spine Center physicians can prescribe pain medication for a limited time. If ongoing pain management is needed, you will be referred to your primary physician or a pain management physician.
It is important that you share all current medication use (prescribed by any doctor) with your TCSC doctor.
When managing your prescriptions, remember:
- Medications are refilled Monday through Friday during business hours
- Medications are not refilled in the evening or on weekends
- Please allow 48 hours for refill requests to be processed
To process refill medication requests, please:
- Call (612) 775-6284 or (612) 775-6200, option #2 and leave a message
Include the following information
- Patient name
- Patient phone number
- Twin Cities Spine Center physician
- Type of medication
- Amount of medication
- Last time the medication was refilled
- Name and phone number of the pharmacy where medication is to be filled
Messages will be retrieved Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., and Friday between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Keep these suggestions in mind when taking pain medication:
- Call the physician's nurse clinician if you feel dizzy, nauseated or itchy after taking medication.
- If you feel the medications are not adequate for relief of your pain, discuss this with the physician or nurse clinician; do not increase the prescribed amount of medication without a physician's permission.
- Many pain medications contain Tylenol® (acetaminophen). Pharmacists recommend that acetaminophen intake should be limited to no more than 4,000mg (4grams) in 24 hours. Liver damage can occur when these amounts are exceeded. Tylenol may also be found in other over the counter medications such as cough and cold medications.
- Never mix any prescription medication with alcohol.
- Do not drive motorized vehicles while taking prescription medication as they may cause drowsiness.
- Pain medication can be very constipating. To avoid this, eat a well balanced diet including fresh fruits, raw vegetables and other fiber rich foods.
- Drink 6-8 large glasses of water per day.