Is there somewhere I can report a doctor to?
Long story short I know of a doctor who is prescribing hard pain relief to a patient who is addicted to pain killers. The person moved away from the area and no other doctor will give them the pills so now they call their original doctor who issues scripts out and send them off to her without seeing her or doing any examinations. People have spoken to the doctor and told him she is misusing the drugs but he still prescribes them. So is there someone that we can report this to?
14 Replies
How exactly is she misusing them? Are there addiction services in the area? Pain killer addiction isnt a simple answer of just not prescribing.
If they have chronic pain disorders they have chronic pain disorders. Addiction in relation to opiates or opiods isnt the same as ice or alcohol addiction.
The individual remains functional provided their supply is maintained and often the treatment for opiate addiction when they develop migraines from withdrawal mood swings and other withdrawal symptoms to indicate physical addiction IS to actually prescribe stronger opiates.
So it really does come down to how are they being abused.
Also such level of opiates actually require specific eh permits for lack of a better word (can't remember what it is called right now)
I've been prescribed opiods for years used to be opiates....I can only get them from one doctor if I even ask any other doctor it is doctor shopping. He holds my permit. I cant even ask another doctor within the same clinic to prescribe without getting dirty looks and accusations.
He knows I'm not addicted due to how often he needs to prescribe them. rate of consumption is the indicator there not physical exams.
Himself is prescribed suboxone it requires photographs taken by his doctor sent to the pharmacy to make sure it is actually given to him and only him and he is the only individual in the region permitted the maximum possible number of take homes....which makes being mugged a real risk. ....the dodgy addicts in the region have noticed...when he gets take homes he takes me with him now because he is so worried about being mugged he doesn't even come straight home afterward he was vanishing for a couple of hours before telling me why. About three weeks ago one of the guys saw that he could take home 5 12mg days a week....literally followed him from the pharmacy to the local clinic and from the local clinic to coles. He finally managed to lose this follower dodging him in coles....all for the sake of being prescribed the first ever actual effective lain management in 20 years for migraines fibromyalgia treatment resistent bipolar depression symptoms and chronic back pain.
Suboxone is one of many.....basically it is methodone for opiate addicts....most types of addicts don't get to take their methodone home. Because they are more likely to sell it to get the real stuff....
S8 prescribers are rare and most actually do deal with patients from a wide intake. We have one for this entire half of victoria (I kid you not) majority of doctors don't want the paperwork and tbh most doctors don't know enough about pharmacuticals and interactions to go anywhere near those classes of drugs.....they could kill people if they tried.
Most Opiate addicts actually don't match the stereotype of most other addictions. The vast majority are long term chronic pain patients....being addicted doesnt mean the cause of the chronic pain is cured....it just means the one method was used for too long and its time to move to the next.
If she is selling her prescription report her to police. It is a crime.
If she is taking it as prescribed she isnt abusing it.
These drugs are incredibly closely monitored.
I cant even ask for a replaced box if I misplace it. I lost a script once before filling it because it hadn't expired and still existed somewhere even though never filled I basically just had to white knuckle the month with the pain and mine is just a shitty high dose slow release synthetic morphine its not even an S8.
Changing doctors just with my prescription is hell...most wont go near it, to change doctors I basically have to wait til they die or move practice over 3 hours away. Then pray and hope that the next one I decide to visit isnt an arsehole because once they prescribe I'm stuck with them.....til they move or die.
One arsehole tried to kill me twice in a single year.....I didnt know I was gonna get stuck with him though til the first time he tried to kill me the hospital sent him a nasty letter telling him to switch me to what I'm prescribed now and to stop trying to kill me...
Dont play the hero with opiates unless she is selling them you will only make an arse of yourself and give everyone a headache of even more paperwork.
And if it is codeine he is prescribing. .....at least someone is monitoring her use. You can get that crap from a pharmacy there is nothing hardcore about codeine. Its addictive yes it's rubbish pain relief.....its barely the bottom rung.
When my back first went they had me on some weirdo cocktail of panadol codeine ibuprophen and yet another weird one in there it may have even been a low dose tramadol but I knew jack all about which was what back then and unless and until you have been prescribed them for 10 years you really don't know what any of them are. It's just this name or that name...and unless you have been prescribed them for 10 years you don't realise the public barely knows about 1% of what exists. They think codeine and Endone is strong stuff....mate the good stuff doesn't arrive in a pill...and you won't be handed it in a hospital....even me when I go to hospital its not for pain....I have stronger shit in my side table drawer than they can give me...and they admit it too....mongrels wont let me take it myself while in there though....you can take that when you get home unless this doctor prescribes it you can't take it while here we need to know exactly what's in your system while treating you and no we can only give you codeine or ibuprophen......or actual morphine if prepping for surgery.....blah blah blah fkn agony which isn't worth it i only go if dying now which really pisses himself off and my doctor ....the pain isnt worth it.
I cant believe how readily they shoot morphine though. I was sent to the hospital by my GP with acute peritonitis about 12 months back. Because the antibiotic script wouldnt cut it id be dead in 24 hours unless they did the whole IV antibiotic bit to kick start it all....registrar knew I needed the IV GP knew I needed the IV I knew I needed the IV couldve taken 20 minutes.....but no this doctor who had the authorisation rather than putting in the IV kept shooting me with morphine and refused the IV had to wait 8 hours being shot repeatedly with morphine all the while demanding the IV til shift change before the new doc put in the IV and sent me home.....mate was I sick...but no just morphine morphine morphine....barely lasted a couple of hours before the pain of the peritonitis was screaming again I just wanted the IV
That was a little harsh and No one wants to hear ur life story
Wasn't harsh at all actually, what she thinks is abuse is highly unlikely to actually be abuse.
Stop projecting
Oh btw if it is an S8 she is more likely to no longer be prescribed if she doesn't attend the pharmacy daily than anything to do with her doctor poor attendence can indicate they are selling rather than taking. 2 days and they get cut off can't get reinstated without seeing the doctor whether there is more days on the original script or not
"The only individual in the region permitted the maximum possible number of take homes" really?? No... And one for the entire half of Victoria, which part of Victoria are you in because that is not true.
Lol its very true....there are worse stats than that around here.
The number of psych beds available for the number of patients with acute chronic mental illness without even taking into account addiction in the catchment will have you literally shit yourself.
I'm not talking about psyc beds available here, I'm talking about what I mentioned in the first comment. As I know for a fact that is not true at all, as I am going through it myself & have been for quite a while. He is not the one who is allowed the most take homes at all, and there are a fair few places that do it too, I don't know where exactly you live but I live in Vic & there are a lot more than one in this region.
Really? Well you don't know much at all then do you
Wow! Lol
I know people who have abused drugs before and I know people who have needed to take strong pain killers because they where in pain I think u need to do some more research before doing anything
No this is drug abuse. She has a history of drug addiction. She melts down her painkillers to get a purer hit and was even getting them prescribed in other people's names.
She has been reviewed by several doctors and specialists, had every test they can perform and they have all found nothing wrong with her.
She is known for faking illnesses and going to multiple doctors until she gets what she wants. She is so high she can't actually function properly but continues to drive on them.
I have tried several times to get her professional help but with this doctor enabling her she won't get any help at all.
Not much can be done then. Honestly. The doctor has nothing to do with it if he stops prescribing she will just render down OTC and increase her risk of liver failure from over dose or even resort to krokodil (look it up). Unless SHE wants to go into rehab she can't be forced.....
All he is doing is damage control.
You do realise you can't change someone's behaviour unless they are willing to themselves right? If you report this doctor she will find another. If you don't like her behaviour cut ties and move on why stress about it only she can want to change.
You can report a dr to the AMA Australian medical association. Sorry you got not much help and copped abuse, this page was never like this it's really gone downhill with know it alls, negativity and rudeness lately.
I Agree with the previous poster, I was about to post the same advice.
Any breach of medical ethics should be reported to the board and they will do there investigations into it. You don't need solid proof as they will take any allegation seriously and the dr will only be disciplined if it's proved. It's better to make a report and see what they find rather then letting it go.
Good luck with your friend I hope she gets the help she needs