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Posted 8/21/2014 5:02 AM (GMT 0)
I need help, I need information regarding doctors over prescribing pain medication to my brother. I am afraid he is going to od. and I need to know what I need to do to get these doctors and clinics to stop writing him pain meds and valium.
Posted 8/21/2014 5:25 AM (GMT 0)
Maybe if you could find a way to talk to the dr's nurse and explain your thoughts and fears to her then she could explain this to the dr. Good luck with everything and hope it all turns out ok.
Posted 8/21/2014 5:27 AM (GMT 0)
I am going to try to do that. I called their office this afternoon but they had already closed. Thank you so much for responding. It means a lot.
Posted 8/21/2014 6:22 AM (GMT 0)
They aren't allowed by law to discuss anything about your brothers medical condition with you. You also need to be aware that if you do this, your brother may not be able to receive treatment for his pain from this dr or any other dr. You should also be aware that even though nothing about your brothers medical condition can be discussed with you, that they can tell your brother than you called and were afraid he was going to OD. I'm not sure how this will affect your relationship with him.

It may help if you explained why you are concerned about your brother overdosing.
Posted 8/21/2014 6:31 AM (GMT 0)
Suazo -

It certain can happen with pain doctors but is fortunately fairly rare. They recently arrested two doctors near me for medical fraud and prescription abuse.

Just talking to nearby doctors and pharmacists can provide you with some insight as whom the doctors to watch for might be. The system is slow but the responsible practitioners do care and know what's up. They all knew about the doctor in Saginaw MI that the FBI recently arrested and I personally know someone who was treated by the Ann Arbor hematologist as well ... it just takes a long time I'm afraid.

Post Edited (bblbt) : 8/21/2014 12:34:49 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 8/21/2014 6:33 AM (GMT 0)
I'm with Mercy and why is your brother on medication to begin with? How old is? Not to make excuses but we're a chronic pain forum for support and I would be lying to you if I said I don't have a problem with people making choices regarding my medication prescribed to me obviously for something if they have never walked a day in my shoes!!

You haven't given enough information for me to say report anything. The majority of people I've crossed path with in this decade long journey has feared what they don't understand.

Know that you reporting him will result in him being cut off,possibly permanently,but cold turkey and that carries a risk of fatality in itself.
Posted 8/21/2014 6:41 AM (GMT 0)
... and what Vickie says is very true too. So please check with the local pharmacists first so you don't jeopardize your brother's care that he may really need.
Posted 8/21/2014 7:04 AM (GMT 0)
Others have given you good advice.

Why does he need the pain meds, and who is prescribing them. A good pain management dr will work out a treatment plan for your brother. If he is a true chronic pain patient, the meds won't give him the "high" others want if he is taking them correctly. Now if he is taking too many or dr shopping, that's another issue.

I'm assuming you are close to your brother since you know he is on pain meds and you care enough to post the question.

A little more info might help. Also, could you go to one of his appointments? That way you will be able to hear the dr's reasoning for prescribing what he/she feels is necessary.
Posted 8/21/2014 2:10 PM (GMT 0)
I completely understand what you guys are saying and I've weighed this information. I have discussed this with my brother, so has my whole family. He is 30 yrs old, lives with my parents, does not work, never has and this isn't just about taking this medication for pain. He is snorting 30 mg roxies up his nose every 2 hrs in addition to taking hand full of valiums at the same time. He has scoliosis. I haves scoliosis, but I choose not to take pain medication. I take a holistic approach to deal with my pain. And it's not that I am against pain meds, but it is people like my brother that ruin it for everyone else. people that are dying of cancer. This is not just Norco. this is 30 mg roxies that he crushed and snorts up his nose. I've watched him do it and I hear him when he does it. My mother is on the break of a mental meltdown because she doesn't know how to help him. If he took his meds as prescribed and was just being over prescribed, it would be different. But it is people like him that make it hard for the rest of you that do need the meds and are responsible enough to take them correctly. He will be completely out of all his meds within 5 days. and the rest of the month he's begging and stealing to find more. He is going to od or he is going to have a heart attack. if anyone agrees with this behavior, please by all means explain why you think this is appropriate. And at this point I am more concerned for his life than whether he like me. I am more concerned for my mother and her health. of course it will ruin our relationship... for awhile until he wakes up one day and realizes I did this to save him.
Posted 8/21/2014 2:20 PM (GMT 0)
And for the record, I have walked in these shoes. I walk in these shoes everyday but I'm not an addict and I will not support an addict. This is more than chronic pain.
Posted 8/21/2014 2:42 PM (GMT 0)
You say your bro doesn't work, where does he get his money to buy this huge amount of Roxis and valiums? Unless he is selling them then it's from family members. Cut off his money, cut off his supply.
Posted 8/21/2014 2:45 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Suazo,

Sorry to hear what's happening.It sounds like your brother is feeding a very hungry monkey on his back.

I would venture to guess that he's doing more than what he's getting from one Doctor.

Some people have had success getting off of opiates using Suboxone but then it's hard to get off the Suboxone.

May God Bless you and Strengthen you to deal with this,

Rick
Posted 8/21/2014 2:49 PM (GMT 0)
Now that you have explained the situation better, I would at least call & speak with the nurse at the clinic & let her know how your brother is abusing his meds. The odds of the dr getting on the phone with you are pretty slim. You are correct its people like your brother that makes it tough on us CP patients.

Let us know if you will have all of this turns out. Good luck.
Posted 8/21/2014 3:28 PM (GMT 0)
You need to worry about your mothers safety. When he realizes you have cut off part of his supply, he is going to get very angry & he may take it out on your mother. Frankly, even if he doesn't know you called his dr, he is going to be angry, plus in pain for the reason he is prescribed the meds, plus withdrawals. Your mother may need to kick him out until/unless he gets help. How does he pay for the drs visits & prescriptions ? Most drs are very careful now days when dealing with chronic pain patients. They do routine urine tests, pill counts, etc. If your brother is taking these large amount, his urine test will show it. It wiil also show if he is taking anything else that is not prescribed, legal & illegal. You may want to ask the nurse about local rehab centers. Although from what you've said, it may be a while before he is ready to go into one, if at all. Does your family have the money to pay for his rehab ?
Posted 8/21/2014 3:55 PM (GMT 0)
You have a drug addict on your hands, in your family, and yet you are blaming the doctor for your brother's problem. That's enabling if I ever saw it. You need to treat your brother as an addict not some poor over prescribed patient. I'm sure that the label on the bottle doesn't say crush and snort on it. Why are you blaming the Dr. As has already been said he probably has more than one anyway.
You need to protect the family, kick him out and let him support himself. I worked construction for 15 years with scoliosis and no meds, so can he. Quit enabling this addict, you and your Mom AND your brother will be better off.
Posted 8/21/2014 6:27 PM (GMT 0)
I do agree that it is patients like him that make it so difficult for real chronic pain patients to get the treatment they need. You do need to sit down with your mother and talk all of this through & find out what she is & is not willing to do. If she has allowed his behavior under her roof, you have no way of knowing if she will be willing to throw him out if he continues to abuse drugs. If he says he won't do it any more, then he needs to go to rehab immediately & that is just the first step in a process that will last the rest of his life. And chances are it won't be his last time in rehab. If he doesn't have the prescription meds, he will steal more money to buy drugs illegally. He doesn't care if your mother has food to eat, a roof over her head or anything else. It may also be a good idea for you & your mother to go & talk to an addictio specialist so they can let you know what is ahead. Even if you & your mother don't believe he will hurt her physically, that doesn't mean he won't nor does it mean that if he owes money to someone for drugs that they won't hurt her. There is one other thing I want to mention. If your mother has a will & she is leaving him anything & he knows it, it is probably a good idea for her to change her will ASAP. You have to remember than when your brother can't get the drugs he needs/wants that he will turn into someone you & your mother do not know. And he will not care who he hurts or how severely because he won't be thinking clearly & he won't be in control of his actions. Please do not make the mistake of believing that he won't do something because he has never done it before or because he ins't that way or because he would never harm you, your mother or your children, husband, etc.
Posted 8/21/2014 8:38 PM (GMT 0)
Quincy you have a lot of nerve saying I am enabling him. I just moved back from California after a divorce. No I do NOT enable him. I am trying to seek help for him. Why do you think I am on here asking you guys for advice. I do not give him money. And I have talked to him, gave him advice and just told him like it is. I just came into this crap. And I'll be darn if I enable anybody including my addict brother. Because like I said, it's people like him that screw it up for the Majority that truly need help. For those asking how he pays for this and drug tests etc.. He has other individuals meet him at the doc office to pay for his visits. He repays them with a couple of roxies. Also, the same thing with getting the script filled. he pays these individuals with roxies. Apparently they have a high street value at 30mgs. Ok, Also on the piss test. He pees in a bottle after he takes his meds. he freezes the bottle and at the time of his next doc appointment he thaws the pee in warm water then uses hot hands to keep it at body temp to pour in the pee test cup. I knew he was on medicine for pain, but I just recently found out the severity of what's going on when I moved back home. I am not enabling him. I'm trying to take the right steps to get him help and do the right thing. And if anybody is saying negative things about me trying to help this boy then obviously there must be something shady going on in that persons life. I'm just a girl trying to save her brother and help my mother keep it together. To everyone, I thank you for your responses, your concern, and your advice. it truly means a lot to me that you would take the time to send a response. Thank you

Post Edited (Suazo) : 8/21/2014 2:55:53 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 8/21/2014 8:46 PM (GMT 0)
Oh and yes, he steals... he has stolen from me, my mother, my dad and has screwed over most every friend he "had". BTW, I am not blaming the doctors. They are not to blame. My brother is the only one to blame. He will not admit he has a problem either, so getting him to seek help... I understand someone has to be willing or at least admit to having a problem.

I came here because this is a chronic pain forum. I seek help from you guys because I just need to know the right thing to do when it comes to how to handle the doctor. If I needed to talk to the nurse to let them know HOW he takes this medicine and HOW MUCH he takes a one time. I don't know.
Posted 8/22/2014 12:01 AM (GMT 0)
Absolutely notify the nurse at the drs office & you need to put all the cards out on the table as well plus what he is doing to pass the UA.

Your mom needs to make some decisions on what she will do about whether he is allowed to continue to live there & abuse his meds. Good luck.....
Posted 8/22/2014 12:28 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry to have upset you with the enabling word, Suazo, it's just a word to my family of former and present alcoholics. We use it all the time, like tough love. Didn't mean to overstep the line. See, you were spot on about having troubles in my life but they don't set me off when people bring them up. . . . Q
Posted 8/22/2014 12:46 AM (GMT 0)
Suazo, this is such a complex serious problem on many levels, perhaps you could contact a professional organization that has the information and resources to help you. I don't know what kind of place that would be in your particular community, but this seems to be way beyond the type of help you could get here.
If i were in this situation, i would search for an organization that handles drug abuse, or a free clinic that is open to helping people no matter what their circumstance. They would be best equipped to advise you.
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