It's oxycontin... (Long)

[Skoobeedu]

Hey guys, I haven't posted on here in forever but I had a good one today and wanted to share. I guess she was a potential customer so I hope this is the right place.

Background: I work in registration at a hospital. One of the duties of our department is manning the switchboard. Oh how I hate the switchboard. Anyhow, I was working in ER reg tonight and we had a new girl at the switchboard and she kept getting the same crazy lady calling over and over again. She finally asked if I could handle it so I took the phone:

Me: Obvious
CL: Crazy lady who was obviously stoned out of her gourd as she was slurring her words and not retaining a single thing I said.

Me: Ma'am how can I help you?

CL: Yeah, i need to get ahold of Dr. X, he's my doctor and I need to talk to him

Me: Okay, well I see he's not on call tonight (which she had been told 500 times already). What is the problem?

CL: Well, I had surgery in Pittsburgh today and I met my friend halfway and we switched cars and all my pain meds are in the other car on it's way to Pittsburgh. I need him to give me more pain meds. It's oxycontin.

(Side note: there was a doc covering for her doc but the rule is no doctor will prescribe meds for another doctor's patients)

Me: Ok well..

CL: It's oxycontin

Me: Ok, well I cannot call Dr. X because he is not on call. Plus, if your surgeon prescribed the meds (as she had previously stated to CW) then he won't be able to...

CL: No, Dr. X prescribed it. It's oxycontin.

Me: Ok, well...

CL: It's oxycontin.

Me: Yes, you said that. So you have two options. First, wait until morning and call your doctor at his office. Or, you can come into the ER and be seen by the physician and see if he will give you a script to get you through.

CL: But it's oxycontin.

Me: Ok....

CL: Will they give me oxycontin? Because it's oxycontin.

Me: I have no idea what they will do, that's up to the doctor.

CL: But it's oxycontin. Will the pharmacy give me oxycontin?

Me: If you have a valid prescription, I'm sure they will.

CL: Yeah but it's oxycontin...

This went on for ten damn minutes. It was quite clear she had already indulged in something comparable to, if not oxycontin. I finally got her to repeat back to me that she needed to come in if she was going to get anything tonight. And then she never did show up.

[Tithera]

Sounds like to me she either:
A) mixed her prescript with alcohol cause I've seen people fucked up on oxy and alcohol and it sounds pretty damn close to what she was
or B) she's abusing the drug. Most of the people that I know who took oxy like they were supposed would not forget something like that in a car (let alone drive on it!) and definitely wouldn't being calling 500 times in one night to get more. If they forgot it, then they would deal until they were able to get a hold of their doctor, like most normal people.
There's another option C) she's selling the pills and being a retard forgot them and now she's in deep with her customers and freaking out.
Either way you look at it, you should tell her doctor or leave him a note telling him about this experience because he needs to know. If she's abusing it by taking it too much or with alcohol, this woman should not be taking that drug. It is a very HIGH level narcotic and I have seen people's lives ruined by it. If she's selling, then you definitely need to find out because that is vastly illegal, not to mention dangerous depending on who she might be selling to. Those scripts are written for that patient, based on body mass and tolerance of pain medication. What might be good for her might just be too much for someone else.

[Skoobeedu]

Yeah, I wasn't really buying the "I forgot it in my other car" story.

We get alot of drug seekers in the ER and a huge number of them are not only using, but selling. The way her story kept changing about the prescribing doc only made me more suspicious.

In theory, although we are not supposed to call docs who are not on call, had this been someone with a problem like "i lost my script for my blood pressure meds" or "the pharmacist can't read the script" I would have called the doc since it's something really only he could handle. However, the fact that she could have come in and seen another doc if she was really that desperate and then didn't do it made me think there was a whole other situation going on there.

[barainga]

I think I saw this on an episode of ER once.

[ShinyGreenApple]

Yeah, I'd say she 'needs' more oxy because she's already swallowed her supply. People who are on that stuff can be a pain in the ass even when they do need it. The ones we suspect of abusing it are just annoying.

[Sapphire Silk]

I think I saw this on an episode of ER once.

I saw it in real life far too often.

The woman is clearly drug seeking. She didn't "forget" her pain pills. The story is too ludicrous to have happened. Swapped cars? I don't think so.

The on call doc would not have been able to fix this for her. The ER doc would not be able to fix this for her. Oxycontin, because of its high potential for abuse, requires a special type of prescription called a "triplicate pad" because the DEA tracks prescriptions for this. Most physicians don't carry them outside the office. ERs don't use them; they don't want to write for this drug or the drug seeking problem in ERs would be far worse than it is. At best you'd get 15 tablet of Percocet.

Also, it cannot be called in to a pharmacy over the phone. No narcotics can; the pharmacists won't fill it. You have to have a written script.

If you lose your oxycontin, the only recourse is to make an appointment and see your physician.

[Sparky]

This is what jumped out at me on first reading:

Well, I had surgery in Pittsburgh today and I met my friend halfway and we switched cars

She had surgery today? And spent the rest of the day driving halfway to Pittsburg? I don't know where her starting point was, but even if it was the Pittsburg suburbs...

When I've had surgery, I was in no shape to drive anywhere the same day. In fact, I was usually ordered not to drive. Okay, maybe she was actually a passenger. Still, this sounds just ridiculous. Who heads off to meet someone and trade cars on the same day they have surgery? Why? And who is looking after her following her surgery? Why isn't that person on the phone?

This story has holes that Tarzan could ride through on an elephant.

[AccountingDrone]

This is what jumped out at me on first reading:

Well, I had surgery in Pittsburgh today and I met my friend halfway and we switched cars

She had surgery today? And spent the rest of the day driving halfway to Pittsburg? I don't know where her starting point was, but even if it was the Pittsburg suburbs...

When I've had surgery, I was in no shape to drive anywhere the same day. In fact, I was usually ordered not to drive. Okay, maybe she was actually a passenger. Still, this sounds just ridiculous. Who heads off to meet someone and trade cars on the same day they have surgery? Why? And who is looking after her following her surgery? Why isn't that person on the phone?

This story has holes that Tarzan could ride through on an elephant.

I have driven post op. Compared to the absolute panic attacks I would have if husband was driving, it was better for me to drive, and I recover quite quickly. Actually I even went to see Road to Wellsville postop. It was the line about where the yoghurt was going that did it. I spent a week in radiology getting barium *everywhere*. I figured it would be easier sitting in the seat while I was still numbish [given where I had an external slice] so we went from hospital to theater to home. I will admit I was a bit achy when I got home.

[auntiem]

In theory, although we are not supposed to call docs who are not on call, had this been someone with a problem like "i lost my script for my blood pressure meds" or "the pharmacist can't read the script" I would have called the doc since it's something really only he could handle. However, the fact that she could have come in and seen another doc if she was really that desperate and then didn't do it made me think there was a whole other situation going on there.

Things like blood pressure meds aren't narcotics so they are easier to get even if there is a problem - usually when my pharmacy has a question they give me a few days supply and work it out with my dr. the next day to get the whole thing filled. (this happened a lot when I first started taking them 'cause I was on a super high dosage and on several kinds and I'm not that old so they always thought they were reading it wrong).

I always dreaded the "oxy calls" - on the one hand I get that you are in pain and need your meds, but I don't know if it an effect of the drug or the pain but most of the time it was hard to get them to focus on what they needed to do to actually get their meds. I know when I'm in pain my brain function goes out the window, but for me pain meds make my brain "fuzzy" which I hate more than the pain.

Also, maybe someone who works in a pharmacy can confirm this - they don't have a lot of oxy on hand do they - don't they usually keep just enough for their regulars and have to order it for next day pick up otherwise?

[LillFilly]

I'm curious on opinions here:

I've been given Oxycodone, and the bottle said 'warning, use caution when operating machinery/driving, may cause drowsiness, be careful until you know how this will affect you.' So, of course I drove with caution. Now a relative was prescribed the same thing. The label said the same thing. But the doctor told her that she COULD NOT drive while taking it, because if she was pulled-over she could get a DUI. I asked the doctor why then, did the label not say 'do not drive while taking this.' She really didn't have an answer, something about how they couldn't tell people not to, only warn them what might happen if they did I asked what if you weren't experiencing any side effects and were pulled-over for a completely different reason. She said you would get a DUI anyway for having taken the medication. ?

It confused me for sure, because I didn't know you could get a DUI for taking a prescription medication in your name that you weren't experiencing side effects from. Just another WTF moment I guess, or the strange laws where I live.

[EricKei]

It confused me for sure, because I didn't know you could get a DUI for taking a prescription medication in your name that you weren't experiencing side effects from. Just another WTF moment I guess, or the strange laws where I live.

I can only guess, but I'd say that the doc was erring on the side of caution in order to protect her friend (or just to cover his own petard). Methinks that perhaps a former client DID get a DUI citation for driving with oxy in their system AND had visible side effects.

If a driver did not display any "odd" driving behavior or notable drug side effects, I would **guess** that there would be no way to show the "UI" part of the DUI, if one was even issued.

[Seshat]

I know when I'm in pain my brain function goes out the window, but for me pain meds make my brain "fuzzy" which I hate more than the pain.

Also, maybe someone who works in a pharmacy can confirm this - they don't have a lot of oxy on hand do they - don't they usually keep just enough for their regulars and have to order it for next day pick up otherwise?

For me, pain meds make my mind clearer - but then, perhaps it's a function of how much pain and of what type, relative to how much medication and what type. Or just how your brain is wired.

As for pharmacies keeping pain meds on hand: I have encountered situations where the pharmacy just didn't have enough on hand to fill my script, and needed to order it in. And yes, this happens with the strong pain meds, and with some of my best friend's more unusual psych meds.

[MoonCat]

My sister's ex-boyfriend was a doctor and she worked in his office for a few years. She said they had tons of people trying to scam oxycontin and other drugs on a daily basis. That woman's story sounds like total BS to me.

[Sapphire Silk]

Things like blood pressure meds aren't narcotics so they are easier to get even if there is a problem -

Also, maybe someone who works in a pharmacy can confirm this - they don't have a lot of oxy on hand do they - don't they usually keep just enough for their regulars and have to order it for next day pick up otherwise?

Pharmacies are limited in the amount of any drug they can carry. It's like any business: you can't keep too much stock on hand or you get eaten alive.

There are locked containers in pharmacies to prevent diversion, and they do keep sizable stocks of most meds, and can get deliveries very quickly if needed.

Usually if you run out of something, the pharmacy will fax a request to the physician who will phone in approval, and the patient can get a fresh supply fairly quickly. If the patient hasn't been in the office in awhile he might require a visit to evaluate how the patient is actually doing.

I'm curious on opinions here:
It confused me for sure, because I didn't know you could get a DUI for taking a prescription medication in your name that you weren't experiencing side effects from. Just another WTF moment I guess, or the strange laws where I live.

If you drive after taking a controlled substance (which includes sleeping pills, benzodiazapenes like Valium, Ativan, and Xanax as well as opiates like Vicodin and Percocet) then you are driving under the influence. These medications impact your alertness, decision making, and reaction times much the way alcohol does. There is no difference legally or medically between driving on these substances and driving after drinking.

I can only guess, but I'd say that the doc was erring on the side of caution in order to protect her friend (or just to cover his own petard). Methinks that perhaps a former client DID get a DUI citation for driving with oxy in their system AND had visible side effects.

If a driver did not display any "odd" driving behavior or notable drug side effects, I would **guess** that there would be no way to show the "UI" part of the DUI, if one was even issued.

There are ways to tell if someone is under the influence of a controlled substance. The usual field sobriety tests for alcohol work. Also, the pupils will show changes: pinpoint under some drugs, dilated ("blown") under others. If the police officer suspects drugs as opposed to alcohol, he will question the suspect and you'd be surprised how many confess (as I said, these drugs impair judgment and reasoning). To confirm the suspicion, the police office can order a blood draw for drugs (the suspect can refuse in some states, but automatically lose their license for a year).

As for pharmacies keeping pain meds on hand: I have encountered situations where the pharmacy just didn't have enough on hand to fill my script, and needed to order it in. And yes, this happens with the strong pain meds, and with some of my best friend's more unusual psych meds.

Your mileage may vary. I've had that problem crop up . . . I either head to another pharmacy that does have it, or wait. But most pharmacies will usually be able to fulfill a patient's needs with most meds.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Yeah, I'd say she 'needs' more oxy because she's already swallowed her supply. People who are on that stuff can be a pain in the ass even when they do need it. The ones we suspect of abusing it are just annoying.

That or she sold part of them like one of our neighbors is known to do . . .

Even sadder is when they call and want to buy your brother's anti-depressant or anti-psychotic meds. Needless to say, she got a quick "NO" from my mother

Needless to say, we have very little to do with this neighbor . . . and everybody can figure out why but her.