Can I file acomplaint against my wifes doctor?

Question

My wife has FMS and her doctor continues to prescribe alot of different medications....

This has been going on for eight years now..

Meds I am aware of:

Vicodin
Loricet
Ambien
Flexirral
OxyContin
and a bottle of wine a day


I know she must be terribly addicted by now

She is in complete denial and talking to her is sensless

Signs I have seen

Depression
Sleeps alot
sweats during sleep
figits feet to fall asleep
Refuses to get up in the morning and at least
perform wife duties -- housework.. etc..

Basically a non functioning person until later in the day

After bieng married 8 yrs, i have yet to ever see her medications nor am I ever allowed to go to her doctor with her

I really believe she does not tell him about the drinking
and pill taking combo...

Anyways --- How can I go about doing something about this doctor without him confronting her and then coming to me..

I know he does not live with her, but he is the professio

She would probably leave

FMS means FibroMyalga

Answer 1

It doesnt sound good, it sounds like he should at least be investigated. I really hate it when a doctor gives these prescriptions out like they are candy. They are only adding to the problems today with patients becoming addicted and moving on to more drugs. Its very sad. Plus the bottle of wine a day, thats a little extreme. I have read where a glass of wine a day might help for certain symptoms, but not even sure its safe to drink all that with the type of medication that your wife is taking. If it were me, definitely sounds like the red flags are going up. I really hope that its not true and your wife finds the help that she needs and gives up the pills. Good Luck.

Answer 2

This sounds like an issue the Board of Medical Examiners would be concerned with---if nothing else---over prescribing strong narcotics. He sounds like one of those "Feel Good" docs who basically gives their patients anything that they want. They wind up having lots of messed up stoned people who keep returning time after time to get their fix(prescription).

Another avenue you may explore is to go to the pharmacy where she gets these meds and discuss this with the pharmacist. If she is getting 3 major narcotics, a sleeping pill and muscle relaxant he also assumes some responsibility for filling it.

I work with docs and pharmacist in this situation all the time in my job. Sometimes the docs have a deal with the pharmacists----where they will refer patients. If she is going to multiple pharmacies, then the issue is not there.

If you do not get your answers from the pharmacist or he becomes angry--
Report him to the Board of Pharmacy

Both of these boards are often listed at the beginning of their profession (MD)
(Pharmacists) in the yellow pages.

I don't think you want your wife to end up like Anna Nicole Smith. Take Action

Answer 3

i dont personally think that filing a complaint against the doctor is fair.A doctor can only do what they can with the information that they are given.Just because the doctor has perscribed different medications there is nothing wrong with hat sometimes doctors need to try different ones to see what works with the individual patient.
As for your wife well she is not being homnst with you or the doctor which does indicate an addiction problem.What you do with your wife from here is completely up to you, what amtters more to you, your wife addresing her problems,and you being able to help her address these problems, or you did mention the fact that she doesnt even get up to do wifely duties such as housework.....but the you add that she will leave you...you seem rather confused as to what you want to do or want to happen...perhaps some marriage coucilling.

Answer 4

In the UK you can write to any doctor- you can tell him your concerns and highlight issues. He will not be able to discuss any issues with you (unless you lacks capacity and you are her Lasting Power of Attorney/ Nearest Relative). He may contact you, but this is not common practice as it is your wife that he is treating-

What he will most likely do is to discuss the points raised by your letter with your wife directly when she next goes in for an appointment.

If she is unwell and mixing alcohol and meds and is suffering because of it then I personally think that the caring confrontation would be worth it, regardless of how your wife reacts. I think this could bring things out in the open rather than you being concerned and possibly resentful of the situation- and your wife becoming more unwell...

Honesty is the best policy- especially when it comes to health-

Good luck

PS- if she does leave then you may have helped to save her life- and yours!!!

Answer 5

wife duties? did she sign a contract, to love, honor and clean? sorry.
i have fibromyalgia, and it sucks. depression is normal for fms, by the way. fatigue is a symptom of fms. night sweats are a symptom of fms...you should know these things. that does sound like a lot of medicine, but before you talk to the doctor why don't you learn about your wife's disease-which you can't have done or you would have known that these were symptoms of the disease, having little or nothing to do with the medicines.
she probably isn't telling him about the bottle of wine a day. no one should drink a bottle of wine a day, especially someone taking benzos. however, the meds she is on are fairly normal for fms-though the combination of oxy and loracet loses me, is one prn for when the pain is especially bad, perhaps? prn means as needed.
calling your wife's doc is liable to be useless, as he can listen but can't talk to you unless she allows it. this is her right. it is also her right to go to her doctor by herself. and she's not "refusing" to get up in the morning, she's in too much pain and is too exhausted...people with fms have a hard time in the morning, as you would know if you had educated yourself.
it might be worth it to call him to inform him how much she is drinking. but you are then concerned that it will rebound on you...maybe you'd just be better off married to someone who can keep the vows to honor wife duties, so you won't have to honor the in sickness and in health part?
biggest problem i see is the alcohol problem. if you're telling the truth....after all, i can't see the bottle of wine anymore than you can go to the doctor with her...but seriously. decide what's really bugging you here. because every symptom you've named is a symptom of fms, and unless she goes into remission that's what you've got to live with. ever considered how it feels like to be her, living with those symptoms, and that that might have something to do with why she drinks a bottle of wine a day?

Answer 6

Well if you feel that the doctor's behavior warrants investigation by your state's board of medicine you can file a complaint with them. I'd do an internet search for "board of medicine" with the name of your state in front of it for information about how to go about filing a complaint against a doctor. Every state medical board has different filing requirements, so be sure to find out whether you have to be the actual patient.

Answer 7

Sounds like the wife needs to go to rehab. for 30 days. She's going to wind up killing herself unintentionally. All these meds combined with wine can backfire one day and put her in a coma.
Get her family involved.
I would report the doc for overprescribing narcotics.

Answer 8

You can tell the doctor you think she's abusing the medication. If he doesn't do anything, you can try contacting the medical board.

I don't know what you mean by "FMS."

Answer 9

Report him...I don't know what state you are in but Google the Medical Board of your State.

here is California

http://www.medbd.ca.gov/

Answer 10

If she is preventing you from talking to him, and hides medication....its likely she is lying to the doctor as well.

The doctor may be enabling her med seeking behavior.

Maybe write the doctor and express your concerns...or visit the doctor......what she gonna do ..leave you?