I noticed that on the show today, the lady who was addicted to pain killers was put in jail for pretty much doctor shopping. What kind of jail time would someone get for a first offense of doctor shopping. Also, how exactly do you get busted for doctor shopping? I have a very close friend who doctor shops and I am extremely worried about him. I tell him that I think its illegal, but he doesn't seem to mind. He's in severe pain and he doesn't think the original doctor who started prescribing the oxycodone was giving him enough, so he gets it from two doctors. So anyway, I am just wondering what the jail time would be if he got caught and how do they catch someone doctor shopping.

Well just remember, pharmacist do communicate with the doctors and with other pharmacist....and the doctors receptionist, nurses and other healthcare workers DO talk to each other........YES I know You say what about the Health Protection Act........Well IF and I do me IF it ever gets to that it will be your word against theirs AND It was to ultimately SAVE YOUR LIFE! OXYCODONE CAN KILL YOU. If you take too much it will make you stop breathing. And if there is anyone with you, I pray they know CPR because that will be your only saving grace.

i need help! my husband doctor shops for what they call the coctail of pills which is xanax, soma, and lorcet. i know hes addicted and he knows he needs help with this problem, but what can i do to encourage him to get help... what do i say. i get so frustrated when i see another script or when i know hes run to the clinic or pharmacy...he thinks i dont find out...if any one can give me some advice. what can i say to give him the extra push or support to get help. we have 3kids and going to detox would be hard financially and emotionally. what do i do?

To "Fallingfromgrce"...Dr. Shopping is a crime, and depending on the laws of your state and what controlled substances your friend is obtaining, there absolutely could be jail time involved if he is caught. Also, not only do Pharmacies and Dr. offices communicate with each other (and forget HIPPA..the law allows for information to be passed back and forth pretty freely for the purpose of investigating criminal activity)..BUT, the Pharmacy usually knows what is going on long before people think...I work in a Pharmacy...any experienced employee can pick up the signals pretty quickly. We are trained professionals..and while patients are out there spending time trying to manipulate multiple Dr's into writing prescriptions...we are waiting for them to come into our Pharmacy again so we can continue to build a case against them! I remember faces, names, addresses and stories...and the SECOND I pick up on suspicious behavior (perceived, or otherwise)...I am passing it along...through my chain of stores and to competitors, as well as to local providers and law enforcement....so tell your friend to be careful...because it's only a matter of time before he is caught.

FallingfrmGrce:
Sorry, when some people see others asking for help and having a week moment they try to crush there spirit to bring them down to your level.

So hears what happens, if whomever is only going to two doctors, your at the bottom of a very, very long list... It is not a good thing and there are several viable treatment options avalible now that make it allot easier for people than having to completely go through withdrawal of whatever substance. He just has to realize it is doing nothing good for him and he has to want to get some help. It's out there and better than ever. But he has to want it..

You have to remember some people see a different Doctor everyday almost!! I have seen script sheets on people where they would have seen 20 doctors in a month getting 20/30 pills from each!! With that being said, they probably did not get to that many the next month...

Despite what people think the majority of detectives are honest detectives, it is there job to evaluate and asses situations. Not through hard working people with no criminal background in jail. If you have an addiction, chances are they want to get you help! If your to the point of breaking several laws, stealing & writing your own scripts thats another issue all together...

Bottom line, people make mistakes, we all have our vices. We have to decide for ourselves what we want, take the steps to achieve those goals.
Good luck with your husband...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mod_kelly,

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that the Federal Govt keeps a national registry for narcotic prescriptions. Every time you get a narcotic filled it gets entered in the registry. It doesn't matter if you go to a different pharmacy every time and pay with cash, they know about it. Also, even if you go to a pharmacy and pay cash, your insurance company stills know that you a got a prescription for narcotics because they get your medical records so they can bill the appropriate people.

If somebody isn't getting adequate pain control from their current prescription then they need to tell their doctor. Many famliy practioners under-prescribe (not strong enough, or for too short a period of time) pain medication because they don't want to be sued if somebody becomes addicted to them.

I was doctor shopping for pain meds, answers, and a doctor who believed me. I was in chronic pain and nobody could tell me why. X-rays. CT scans and MRIs were all normal. I was told that the pain was in my head and to see a Psychiatrist. I was also told that I was making it up just to get pain meds. After 5 years I finally demanded a referal from the doctor I was seeing at the time to a pain clinic. The pain clinic was great. I was finally prescribed enough pain medication so I could live as normal a life as possible while they were searching for answers. They finally came up with a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition for which there is no cure. I will have to take narcotic pain meds for the rest of my life, unless they find a cure.

My recommendation to somebody who has a lot of pain for a long period of time, but the doctor they are seeing isn't listening and prescribing the appropriate dosage of pain meds is to go to a pain clinic. They deal with people who have chronic and extreme pain all of the time and they seem a little more sympathetic to me. I also had to sign a narcotics contract which stated that I wouldn't get narcotics from anybody else and that I couldn't sue them if I became addicted.

If somebody doesn't have pain but is addicted then you may need to "convince" them to get treatment. It may mean having an "intervention", or kicking them out of the house and not letting them see their kids until they get treatment. You can also go to court and have a judge commit them. And check out treatment centers. There are some that charge you based on your ability to pay. If it means that you're going to lose that person's income while they're in treatment you can call a local charity and ask them if they can help pay for treatment or help pay the rent or mortgage, food, utility bills, etc... You can also call your local county office and speak to a social worker and see if you can get taxpayer money to help pay the bills if needed.

More than likely the addicted person and his/her family are going to need help from outside the family to deal with the problem. My father had an addiction and we found that God was a tremendous help and gave us the strength to get through it. He finally got better but it was very difficult.

I wish everybody with an addiction and their family the best of luck and God Bless! I will pray for all of you.