Nurse Asked to Buy My Vicodin
Replies
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I have 4 degenerated discs in my lower back and am on pretty heavy opiates for the pain. Last month, my doc gave me some 10mg vicodin for breakthrough pain I've been having from exercising. I went to the doc for the monthly checkup on Wednesday and the nurse asked how the vicodin was working. I said it really wasn't, so I stopped taking it. She then asked me if she could buy the leftovers from me. I was SHOCKED. I couldn't believe she was asking me this.
What would you have done in this situation?
Was she hot?0 -
i'm a pharmacist and most of the responses disgust me.
i don't care if it was for her, her loved one, a friend, a stranger - NO health professional (actually, no person in general) should take another person's prescribed controlled medication. period. i don't care if she bought it or got it for free - it is illegal to take medication not prescribed to you.
look at your prescription labels, most states have something to the effect of "CAUTION: Federal law prohibits transfer of this drug to any person other than the patient for whom prescribed." written on the bottom of every prescription label.
drug abuse, misuse, and trafficking is a huge problem and i would never support it in any way.0 -
i'm a pharmacist and most of the responses disgust me.
i don't care if it was for her, her loved one, a friend, a stranger - NO health professional (actually, no person in general) should take another person's prescribed controlled medication. period. i don't care if she bought it or got it for free - it is illegal to take medication not prescribed to you.
look at your prescription labels, most states have something to the effect of "CAUTION: Federal law prohibits transfer of this drug to any person other than the patient for whom prescribed." written on the bottom of every prescription label.
drug abuse, misuse, and trafficking is a huge problem and i would never support it in any way.
I agree with you 100%. The Fitness to Practice and Gross Professional Misconduct issues bother me!0 -
Hoping half of these responses are jokes; quite disgusting. As a nurse I would report her.0
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i'm a pharmacist and most of the responses disgust me.
i don't care if it was for her, her loved one, a friend, a stranger - NO health professional (actually, no person in general) should take another person's prescribed controlled medication. period. i don't care if she bought it or got it for free - it is illegal to take medication not prescribed to you.
look at your prescription labels, most states have something to the effect of "CAUTION: Federal law prohibits transfer of this drug to any person other than the patient for whom prescribed." written on the bottom of every prescription label.
drug abuse, misuse, and trafficking is a huge problem and i would never support it in any way.
^^^I was most surprised at the person who claimed to be working in a pharmacy and said to give her 2 weeks and then turn her in. Do you realize how many people could be affected in 2 weeks?
And, BTW, not to be snarkly, but MOST of the comments are NOT condoning the giving of the med's, they are from RN's or other's in the Healthcare Field who know the ramifications to these actions.
Oh, and to the "gentleman" who thought it was ironic that the turn in advice would be given by someone named "Snitch1", I wrote him a sweet note about how my PROFOUNDLY DEAF older sister could not hear/pronounce my given name:Nicolette Ann, so she pronounced it Snitchy Haan for years, then it evolved into Snitch, and since that name was already taken on MFP, I used Snitch1.
BTW, that sister is now a Physician's Assistant, using a very high tech stethoscope given to her by our state. YaHoo!0 -
I have 4 degenerated discs in my lower back and am on pretty heavy opiates for the pain. Last month, my doc gave me some 10mg vicodin for breakthrough pain I've been having from exercising. I went to the doc for the monthly checkup on Wednesday and the nurse asked how the vicodin was working. I said it really wasn't, so I stopped taking it. She then asked me if she could buy the leftovers from me. I was SHOCKED. I couldn't believe she was asking me this.
What would you have done in this situation?
$10 a pill; get a new script
0 -
I have 4 degenerated discs in my lower back and am on pretty heavy opiates for the pain. Last month, my doc gave me some 10mg vicodin for breakthrough pain I've been having from exercising. I went to the doc for the monthly checkup on Wednesday and the nurse asked how the vicodin was working. I said it really wasn't, so I stopped taking it. She then asked me if she could buy the leftovers from me. I was SHOCKED. I couldn't believe she was asking me this.
What would you have done in this situation?
$10 a pill; get a new script
hooo this is never going to end.0 -
i'm a pharmacist and most of the responses disgust me.
i don't care if it was for her, her loved one, a friend, a stranger - NO health professional (actually, no person in general) should take another person's prescribed controlled medication. period. i don't care if she bought it or got it for free - it is illegal to take medication not prescribed to you.
look at your prescription labels, most states have something to the effect of "CAUTION: Federal law prohibits transfer of this drug to any person other than the patient for whom prescribed." written on the bottom of every prescription label.
drug abuse, misuse, and trafficking is a huge problem and i would never support it in any way.
^^^I was most surprised at the person who claimed to be working in a pharmacy and said to give her 2 weeks and then turn her in. Do you realize how many people could be affected in 2 weeks?
And, BTW, not to be snarkly, but MOST of the comments are NOT condoning the giving of the med's, they are from RN's or other's in the Healthcare Field who know the ramifications to these actions.
Oh, and to the "gentleman" who thought it was ironic that the turn in advice would be given by someone named "Snitch1", I wrote him a sweet note about how my PROFOUNDLY DEAF older sister could not hear/pronounce my given name:Nicolette Ann, so she pronounced it Snitchy Haan for years, then it evolved into Snitch, and since that name was already taken on MFP, I used Snitch1.
BTW, that sister is now a Physician's Assistant, using a very high tech stethoscope given to her by our state. YaHoo!
So long as there is a "war on drugs" there will be a black market. Get used to it until the U.S. government comes to its senses.0 -
personally before you report her, it might be nice to confront her about the problem. maybe she has an addiction, or maybe there is some other reason.
would be pretty crap to possibly ruin someones life over an assumption.
This is the perfect example of how the drug war destroys lives. People get "holier than thou" and pretend that it's ok for the government to make decisions about what you can or can't put in your own body. It makes me sick to see all the brown shirts in here saying to report her. So sad!0 -
Do her a favor and report her. She is far gone when she would go so far as to ask a patient for drugs knowing it would jeopardize her job. They have a special rehab program for medical professionals due to the fact that they must be able to work around drugs. You will be doing her a favor turning her in, before she is so far gone she cant come back.0
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REPORT HER!!! Either she is using or she is selling illegally. Imagine what all she is getting, either buying or being given, from other patients. Scary.0
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As another nurse, I'm going to agree with the report her. She could be a perfectly lovely person, but that was not only unethical and illegal, but could put her and her patients (and family, and strangers) in a downright dangerous position. Although there are many, many good nurses, unfortunately there are also nurses who become addicts -- just like anywhere else. And factor in the high stress levels, etc and yeah.....
I knew a nurse who was an addict, and working under the influence -- it started out with pills, and progressed to IV stuff, and to IV street drugs. She was given another chance by her local board of nursing (she was a friend who lived out of state) -- rehab, rehab, rehab, and then when she *was* allowed to start practicing again she did have to have random drug testing to ensure the safety of at least her patients. She was able to get a new job, even after all of that (she did lose her job, but she was also stealing from them to feed her addiction)0 -
personally before you report her, it might be nice to confront her about the problem. maybe she has an addiction, or maybe there is some other reason.
would be pretty crap to possibly ruin someones life over an assumption.
This is the perfect example of how the drug war destroys lives. People get "holier than thou" and pretend that it's ok for the government to make decisions about what you can or can't put in your own body. It makes me sick to see all the brown shirts in here saying to report her. So sad!
As a recovering addict I only wish someone would have reported my actions sooner. When other people are involved it's not being holier than thou. It's doing the right thing. If she is the one taking the pills, and not selling them or giving them to someone else, she is a nurse for crying out loud! Think about it, if your grandmother, grandfather, mother, children etc had to have some medical care would you want them getting the care from someone who is hopped up on pills all day? I sure as hell wouldn't.
*smdh*0 -
personally before you report her, it might be nice to confront her about the problem. maybe she has an addiction, or maybe there is some other reason.
would be pretty crap to possibly ruin someones life over an assumption.
This is the perfect example of how the drug war destroys lives. People get "holier than thou" and pretend that it's ok for the government to make decisions about what you can or can't put in your own body. It makes me sick to see all the brown shirts in here saying to report her. So sad!
As a recovering addict I only wish someone would have reported my actions sooner. When other people are involved it's not being holier than thou. It's doing the right thing. If she is the one taking the pills, and not selling them or giving them to someone else, she is a nurse for crying out loud! Think about it, if your grandmother, grandfather, mother, children etc had to have some medical care would you want them getting the care from someone who is hopped up on pills all day? I sure as hell wouldn't.
*smdh*
How can you claim that its "doing the right thing" when you don't even know this nurse? You know *NOTHING* about her. You are making assumptions based on your experience.
There are tons of people in the medical community that buy and sell prescription meds on the black market to help people who can't afford it. So yes, it's "holier than thou" to assume that she's an addict.0 -
I have 4 degenerated discs in my lower back and am on pretty heavy opiates for the pain. Last month, my doc gave me some 10mg vicodin for breakthrough pain I've been having from exercising. I went to the doc for the monthly checkup on Wednesday and the nurse asked how the vicodin was working. I said it really wasn't, so I stopped taking it. She then asked me if she could buy the leftovers from me. I was SHOCKED. I couldn't believe she was asking me this.
What would you have done in this situation?
$10 a pill; get a new script
hooo this is never going to end.
I've been working to end the drug war my whole life. I will keep working to change public policy until sanity returns to America.
0 -
personally before you report her, it might be nice to confront her about the problem. maybe she has an addiction, or maybe there is some other reason.
would be pretty crap to possibly ruin someones life over an assumption.
This is the perfect example of how the drug war destroys lives. People get "holier than thou" and pretend that it's ok for the government to make decisions about what you can or can't put in your own body. It makes me sick to see all the brown shirts in here saying to report her. So sad!
As a recovering addict I only wish someone would have reported my actions sooner. When other people are involved it's not being holier than thou. It's doing the right thing. If she is the one taking the pills, and not selling them or giving them to someone else, she is a nurse for crying out loud! Think about it, if your grandmother, grandfather, mother, children etc had to have some medical care would you want them getting the care from someone who is hopped up on pills all day? I sure as hell wouldn't.
*smdh*
How can you claim that its "doing the right thing" when you don't even know this nurse? You know *NOTHING* about her. You are making assumptions based on your experience.
There are tons of people in the medical community that buy and sell prescription meds on the black market to help people who can't afford it. So yes, it's "holier than thou" to assume that she's an addict.
You also do not know what she is doing with them. You are also assuming. It is not only a legal issue, but an ethical one and a nurse should know better. Saying that she may be giving them to patients who cannot afford them is a stretch. It's more likely she is taking them herself or that she is selling them. There are a lot of organizations that you can actually turn in your unused prescriptions to. A lot of those places do use them in programs for patients who can't afford their pills. If that is what she is doing, why didn't she just tell her about the place?0 -
personally before you report her, it might be nice to confront her about the problem. maybe she has an addiction, or maybe there is some other reason.
would be pretty crap to possibly ruin someones life over an assumption.
This is the perfect example of how the drug war destroys lives. People get "holier than thou" and pretend that it's ok for the government to make decisions about what you can or can't put in your own body. It makes me sick to see all the brown shirts in here saying to report her. So sad!
As a recovering addict I only wish someone would have reported my actions sooner. When other people are involved it's not being holier than thou. It's doing the right thing. If she is the one taking the pills, and not selling them or giving them to someone else, she is a nurse for crying out loud! Think about it, if your grandmother, grandfather, mother, children etc had to have some medical care would you want them getting the care from someone who is hopped up on pills all day? I sure as hell wouldn't.
*smdh*
How can you claim that its "doing the right thing" when you don't even know this nurse? You know *NOTHING* about her. You are making assumptions based on your experience.
There are tons of people in the medical community that buy and sell prescription meds on the black market to help people who can't afford it. So yes, it's "holier than thou" to assume that she's an addict.
You also do not know what she is doing with them. You are also assuming. It is not only a legal issue, but an ethical one and a nurse should know better. Saying that she may be giving them to patients who cannot afford them is a stretch. It's more likely she is taking them herself or that she is selling them. There are a lot of organizations that you can actually turn in your unused prescriptions to. A lot of those places do use them in programs for patients who can't afford their pills. If that is what she is doing, why didn't she just tell her about the place?
Reporting her is making an assumption. Having a talk with her is obtaining more information. DUH!
It is NOT a "stretch" to think she may be giving them to people in need. It is much more common than you think. I would never turn in prescriptions. I would give them to someone in need. As far as "legalities," I say the drug war is unethical and I do what i can to end it.0 -
Reporting her is making an assumption. Having a talk with her is obtaining more information. DUH!
It is NOT a "stretch" to think she may be giving them to people in need. It is much more common than you think. I would never turn in prescriptions. I would give them to someone in need. As far as "legalities," I say the drug war is unethical and I do what i can to end it.
Luckily, it's not a patient's obligation to obtain more information! It is a nurse's to not put her patients in illegal and uncomfortable positions.Whether or not the war on drugs is legit, medical professionals don't get to put their patients in these kind of ethical and legal binds. Hurray!
(Holy typos Batman. Lots of edits.)0 -
Reporting her is making an assumption. Having a talk with her is obtaining more information. DUH!
It is NOT a "stretch" to think she may be giving them to people in need. It is much more common than you think. I would never turn in prescriptions. I would give them to someone in need. As far as "legalities," I say the drug war is unethical and I do what i can to end it.
Luckily, it's not a patient's obligation to obtain more information! It is a nurse's to not put her patients in illegal and uncomfortable positions. Duh! Whether or not the war on drugs is legit, medical professionals don't get to put their patients in these kind of ethical and legal binds. Hurray!
(Holy typos Batman. Lots of edits.)
I agree that the nurse should not have asked. Clearly it made the OP very uncomfortable. Again, I point to the drug war. If it were not illegal to obtain Vicodin without a prescription, then it would have been a perfectly legitimate question. My point is that it used to be perfectly legal in this country to walk into a drug store and make a purchase without any government involvement. It's too bad that prohibition has inserted so much emotion into the situation that it makes people uncomfortable to even talk about it. Before the William Harrison Act, there was actually slightly less drug abuse than there is now. And before the Controlled Substances Act, it was perfectly reasonable for an addict to simply go get help, without fearing the additional law enforcement problems that now come with addiction issues. I submit that if we were to eliminate the law enforcement variable, and allowed addiction to be treated as a medical issue rather than a criminal one, then the black market would be eliminated, attitudes would change, and drug-related violence would disappear. There was *NO* violence associated with drugs before drug prohibition was enacted. And the "war on drugs" is actually just a war on people.0 -
I agree that the nurse should not have asked. Clearly it made the OP very uncomfortable. Again, I point to the drug war. If it were not illegal to obtain Vicodin without a prescription, then it would have been a perfectly legitimate question. My point is that it used to be perfectly legal in this country to walk into a drug store and make a purchase without any government involvement. It's too bad that prohibition has inserted so much emotion into the situation that it makes people uncomfortable to even talk about it. Before the William Harrison Act, there was actually slightly less drug abuse than there is now. And before the Controlled Substances Act, it was perfectly reasonable for an addict to simply go get help, without fearing the additional law enforcement problems that now come with addiction issues. I submit that if we were to eliminate the law enforcement variable, and allowed addiction to be treated as a medical issue rather than a criminal one, then the black market would be eliminated, attitudes would change, and drug-related violence would disappear. There was *NO* violence associated with drugs before drug prohibition was enacted. And the "war on drugs" is actually just a war on people.
Even if it were legal, it would not have been a legitimate question. I don't get to ask my patients for anything. It's part of the ethical code for most medical and healthcare professionals. You don't take or give gifts (small tokens of affection are ok), you don't solicit. Bartering is strongly discouraged unless you live in a small town where that's the standard practice.
You also don't get to break the law consequence-free because you think the law is stupid. If she was willing to break the law and involve one of her patients, then she also accepted that a consequence is getting reported.0 -
However, I agree that addictions should be medical issues and not criminal issues (meaning that I don't think people should be incarcerated and black-marked for life, not that government should not be involved in any way). People need help and support, and I'd rather have my tax dollars go to that than to them sitting in prisons and relapsing the instant they get out with no support and repeating the cycle all over again. Even if an addicted person spends her whole life fighting the addiction, I'd rather support the struggle than the punishment.0
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Haven't read the previous responses...
Are you sure this person was a nurse and not a medical office assistant? Most of the people who pass themselves off as nurses in doctors offices are actually medical office assistants.
If the person was a nurse, you should immediately contact your state board of nursing and file a complaint.
If the person was a medical office assistant, you should immediately contact the doctor who's license she practices under and make them aware, as well as notifying the office manager.0 -
I am a nurse and the only correct choice is to report her. She will be offered help and if she meets all of the requirements set by the state she will be able to work again. There is never an excuse for asking for a meds from a patient. The only way to get her help is to notify the Board of Nursing for your state. It is not too late to notify someone.0
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I agree that the nurse should not have asked. Clearly it made the OP very uncomfortable. Again, I point to the drug war. If it were not illegal to obtain Vicodin without a prescription, then it would have been a perfectly legitimate question. My point is that it used to be perfectly legal in this country to walk into a drug store and make a purchase without any government involvement. It's too bad that prohibition has inserted so much emotion into the situation that it makes people uncomfortable to even talk about it. Before the William Harrison Act, there was actually slightly less drug abuse than there is now. And before the Controlled Substances Act, it was perfectly reasonable for an addict to simply go get help, without fearing the additional law enforcement problems that now come with addiction issues. I submit that if we were to eliminate the law enforcement variable, and allowed addiction to be treated as a medical issue rather than a criminal one, then the black market would be eliminated, attitudes would change, and drug-related violence would disappear. There was *NO* violence associated with drugs before drug prohibition was enacted. And the "war on drugs" is actually just a war on people.
Even if it were legal, it would not have been a legitimate question. I don't get to ask my patients for anything. It's part of the ethical code for most medical and healthcare professionals. You don't take or give gifts (small tokens of affection are ok), you don't solicit. Bartering is strongly discouraged unless you live in a small town where that's the standard practice.
You also don't get to break the law consequence-free because you think the law is stupid. If she was willing to break the law and involve one of her patients, then she also accepted that a consequence is getting reported.
Yes, she did accept the consequences. But at the same time, if everyone would stop reporting "drug crimes," then prosecutions would pretty much cease. 0 -
However, I agree that addictions should be medical issues and not criminal issues (meaning that I don't think people should be incarcerated and black-marked for life, not that government should not be involved in any way). People need help and support, and I'd rather have my tax dollars go to that than to them sitting in prisons and relapsing the instant they get out with no support and repeating the cycle all over again. Even if an addicted person spends her whole life fighting the addiction, I'd rather support the struggle than the punishment.
:flowerforyou:
I'm glad someone gets it! Adding the criminal element to drug addiction does much more harm than what the drug addiction itself creates.0 -
Yes, she did accept the consequences. But at the same time, if everyone would stop reporting "drug crimes," then prosecutions would pretty much cease.
I think you and I are probably arguing different issues here. I'm more worried about her unethical behavior toward her patient, and when I say report, I mean to her professional board, not the police. I also wouldn't want someone undergoing addiction to be treating people medically, but that's an issue for her licensing board, again.0 -
:flowerforyou:
I'm glad someone gets it! Adding the criminal element to drug addiction does much more harm than what the drug addiction itself creates.
Back atcha! A lot of the legal system's costs could be reduced by better treatment for people with mental illness and substance abuse, where there's a lot of overlap anyway.0 -
Sold them to her
This.0 -
Sold them to her
This.
MINE0 -
My mom is a nurse and has been addicted to prescription meds since I can remember. No one, outside of family, ever knew and wouldn't notice easily because she was well put-together, good at her job and...usually careful. Meh. You need to report her.
You will be doing her, her family and her patients a favor. I'm surprised this one was brazen enough to offer to purchase them. My mom worked with geriatrics and, thanks to her addiction, her patients were never over medicated, but I'm pretty sure she never asked them to share.
Updated to add: I don't think these people are 'bad', but they are in a situation out of their control and need help.0
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