The majority of us have heard of doctor shopping but do you understand what is and why it is done?
What is doctor shopping
Doctor shopping is when a person visits multiple doctors during one illness or to get prescriptions to use or sell.
This often happens after a patient has become addicted to prescription opioids. Addiction can start after a person has been prescribed an opioid such as Oxycodone, Vicodin, or stimulates such as Concerta, Strattera, and Dexedrine. There are other drugs that are addictive too. These include:
- Xanax
- Klonopin
- Ketalar
- Oxandrin
- Anadrol
- Durabolin
These medications range from opioids, hallucinogenic, anabolic steroids, and depressants.
Doctor shopping requires the patient does not disclose prescriptions they are currently taking, doctors they have seen, or lying about pain or other symptoms in order to get the doctor to write the prescription. Then they can take it themselves or sell it.
Reasons doctor shopping is dangerous
There are reasons doctor shopping is dangerous. Some of these reasons include:
- Fatal overdose
- Side effects
- Interaction with other drugs the person is taking
- It is illegal and you can be arrested
- Developing serious health problems
- Serious health complications from the drugs
- Making conditions worse
Those are just a few reasons doctor shopping is dangerous. Another reason is like the fable about the boy who cried wolf too many times. Eventually, word gets around and when you do have a real problem the doctor is not going to believe you or give you drugs you need to treat the problem.
Another thing to remember is that the patient is not the only one who can be arrested or face legal penalties, so can the doctor.
Results of doctor shopping
Doctor shopping has made it harder for those who have chronic illnesses that require these types of medications to actually get them. It also cost the country more in overdose treatments at the ER, EMTs being called out to overdoses, making and maintaining a database that monitors prescription drugs, recovery programs, and more.
Family members also pay the price in lost days of work to deal with the patient’s overdose, sickness because they abuse drugs, cost of recovery programs and more. On top of the financial costs, there are also the physical costs of stress, anxiety, and embarrassment to the family.
If you or a loved one has been caught doctor shopping or even if you have not been caught, you may want to consider joining a recovery program.
At 449 Recovery it is our goal to help each client overcome all the challenges on the road to recovery. Call us at (855) 435-7449 to gain more understanding into our comprehensive alcohol and substance addiction treatment program today! 449 Recovery can provide you with an environment that is conducive to recovery and teach you the tools you need to reduce the risks of relapse. Our treatment plans include family therapy, group therapy, and one on one therapy.