doctor and prescripition drugs?

Question

my wife has been seeing our family doctor since a work accident.the doctor reiazed her pain and prescribed her lori-tabs,for 10 months even though the wife sees her monthly.the doctor also made her sign a realease stating if she got addicted,that it releases her.now catch 22 here, the doctor then wrote her another prescription for the same amount of doseage,this has been like 3 months ago,now the doctor is saying the wife is abusing them,but isn,t the doctor suppose to know what and how many prescription she writes out for her patiants.and now she is cutting her off all togather ,which is like cold turkey.does anyone think that this is negelence on her part,and is there or should there be a recourse her.thanks for any information

Answer 1

1. She may still need the loritabs for pain, but if that is all the treatment she got, she needs to see a *real* doctor and see if this injury can be treated or resolved in a way that gets her out of pain. I would call it negligence to treat only a symptom of an injury, without treating the underlying injury or refering her to someone who can.

2. Addiction is a common side effect of even proper use of hydrocodone, which is what is in loritabs. To 'cut her off' without referal to addiction treatment or evaluation is also not very good care. Some people have serious side effects from heavy use of the things, although even use according to instructions can be uncomfortable to stop suddenly. Just because he is not liable for her addiction (if she has one) does not mean he is not responsible for the good care of referal to an addiction treatment or evaluation.

3. Ask him to refer her for an addiction evaluation, and also to a sports medicine or orthopedic guy to get the injury looked at. I only suggest you get him to refer because you did say it is a work related injury, and sometimes to get it paid for you will need that chain of referals...

Otherwise it sounds like this guy got his degree in a gum ball machine, and has not addressed the problem underlying this pain at all. Your wife should have more sense than to live in pain for this long without any further treatment or evaluation of her injury as well... but then she is a person not a doctor. This problem with masking her misery will probably give her the incentive she needs to go find a real doctor, and perhaps lead to recovery from the injury. Treatment for pain is a patient right that is in constant tension with public concern over addiction or even selling of prescription drugs... But she should be able to get both treatment for her injury AND reasonable relief from pain while she does recover. This guy has unreasonably delayed her recovery from her injury, no matter what happens with the addiction thing.

Focus on getting her better, rather than suing somebody. Sue somebody later if it looks like the guy should have done better

Answer 2

I like WWD's answer. You didn't mention what efforts your wife's doctor made to find out the cause of her pain. And, if stymied, she should have made a referral to a pain management specialist.

Unfortunately, there is a group of patients who are more likely to become dependent on pain medication. Sometimes other family members abuse the drugs. There are also addicts and dealers who "doctor shop," seeking to get narcotics. There are doctors who are not careful about prescribing narcotics and other Schedule II drugs, and alas, more than a few dishonest members of our profession who sell prescriptions for profit.

The DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) agents have a job sorting out the abuse, and they are not warm and fuzzy people. Loss of ones DEA license could result in a suspension of hospital privileges and/or loss of a state medical license. Even a temporary suspension hits a doctor hard in the pocketbook and damages ones reputation. So you see how a doc can become a bit paranoid about the issue. But it sounds that there was poor communication on the part of your wife's doctor.

Answer 3

what kind of work accident? anyway, lortab is a controlled substance so the prescription is only good for 6 months except if the prescription is for a CII drug then it must be filled one time within 72 hours. now if the accident was not extremely serious then 6 months worth of pain medication is more than enough time to ween off this drug so i can see where abuse could be cited. if she signed the release then no the doctor is not liable nor negligent, your wife should have refused to sign...always read before you sign anything.

Answer 4

Find a new medical care provider!!!!!!!

TOO MANY RED FLAGS!!!

Pain that lasts this long from an accident. Needs to be evaluated by a pain specialist.

To become dependent a person has to have the pills. If the doctor felt she was becoming dependent, why did he write an Rx for more?

Cold turkey can be Hell!!!

The whole thing seems to be way off base!!!!

Time to investigate your options?

Answer 5

It isn't best practice; he should have referred her to a pain management specialist at least. If you're in Oregon, you have a real gripe, though probably no legal recourse. In the rest of the US, state governments push just this sort of behavior, and indeed the doctor may be acting this way because of a "visit" from an investigator from the state medical board. This is yet another of those areas in which doctors are pressured in their practice.

Answer 6

For a doctor to prescribe a rx for pain med to last 10 months seems odd. Perhaps it was a rx for 1 month and it "accidently" turned into a "10" month rx? Just wondering...I hope if your wife is still taking lortabs and wants to get off of them, she should see a different doctor who specializes in addiction so they can get her safely switched over to another medication to control her pain.

Answer 7

Migraines are continually on in straightforward terms one area ot the pinnacle. Is it continually on your left area? if so, it relatively seems such as you're having migraines. they're brutal. till you will see a doctor, once you're having a migraine, stay in a gloomy, quiet mattress room. A heat washcloth could desire to sense stable at the back of your neck. Your scientific expert supplies you you migraine drugs that fairly works. Make that appt. the next day! stable success, hon. :)

Answer 8

Get rid of that doctor before she/he kills her.