Drug Abuse Among Us??

Nurses Safety

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Am I that nieve?? A nurse on my unit was arrested for"drug diversion" Is this rampant among us?? I know we have all taken the occasional tylenol from work, but controlled substances ??

This might sound "shelfish"..But I will take care of myself..or at least try.:)

Do any of us really take care of ourselfs ? I have to wonder. If we drink or do drug's its to change our mood. Just like playing golf relaxs some of us. I like to walk, its all about coping people use drug and alcohol to cope ( Change there mood). It's sad that we live in a world that we need to change our mood. But I know working in an ED that people are very unhappy with life. Nurses are very unhappy with there jobs and keep coming back for more. I dont know about the rest of the world, But nurses need to stand together and make our jobs better or you will see a lot more turning to drugs and alcohol to cope. :chair:

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Thats one of the sad things about drug stealers, They have no care or concern about anyone around them except for their own little needs. And if they dont care or take concern for you, why should we be concerned for them. Except for the problems encountered by their actions.

True Story here coming up

A nurse at work had a grand mal seizure. Now every nurse in there went to help. One nurse went to the narcotic lock box to get some valium in case. However it turned out she helped herself to other meds as well. Taking advantage of a situation and showing a clear disregard for her co workers.

Very sad

It's true, Tom. We DON'T care about anyone but ourselves when we are in active addiction and are stealing from work. With the crap I pulled when I was diverting it is no wonder that people like you feel the way they do about addicts.

When I read that story about the nurses stealing from the narc box even while the nurse was seizing, my first thought was "I would have done that too". I really did crap like that and worse.

I don't blame you for feeling like you do. I am so very grateful that the BON has given me a chance. I have changed everything in my life and I am 6 weeks away from having one year clean and sober.

The only way I can prove anything to you and people like you is to stay clean. I can whine until I am blue in the face about how you and people like you won't give people like me a chance but the truth is...I deserve every bit of your anger and indifference.

When I first got clean and came to these boards, your comments hurt me to the bone. I know now they hurt me because they are the truth. As an addict I felt like you OWED me something I guess. Maybe I felt you OWED peope like me another chance.

Tom and people that feel like he does do not owe ME or nurses like me jack crap. *I* owe them for what I did while I was working and deserve their anger.

I respect how you feel. The only way I can change anything is to change myself, and that is exactly what I have done. I can only hope that you will at least respect me for that.

Tom gets a bad rap on the boards for his feelings. I don't think it's fair (even though I used to feel the same way, lol). He has a right to his feelings. I really appreciate him having the guts to go "against the grain" and post what he feels. It gives me the opportunity to see how some people really feel because they may not say it to me in person.

I've been lucky that the nurses I work with have all been supportive to me, and for that I love them all and am grateful. I used to think I would never ever want to work with Tom or anyone like him. Wow what a year has brought me! Because now....I wouldn't mind a bit to work with tom! Working with people like him could only encourage me to stay clean...and that is exactly what I need!

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Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
It's true, Tom. We DON'T care about anyone but ourselves when we are in active addiction and are stealing from work. With the crap I pulled when I was diverting it is no wonder that people like you feel the way they do about addicts.

Congratulations on being clean and sober!

I never diverted drugs, I have been in recovery for years and did enough damage... but I have to say it takes guts and committment to go back into nursing ...

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Maybe it's an urban myth, but narc's were going missing from a reputable hospital in Australia. Different nurses got the blame until the mngment put in camera's in the drug room. Found out that it was a senior doctor.... charming hey?

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This is precisely why I hesitate counting meds if I can and let the RN's count (I don't always get away with this). And if I take out controlled meds, I do it with licensed people in the med room with me.

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This is precisely why I hesitate counting meds if I can and let the RN's count (I don't always get away with this). And if I take out controlled meds, I do it with licensed people in the med room with me.

Pardon me for asking, but I fail to understand how you can be "counting, and taking out Controlled, narcotic, drugs" - without being licensed to do so.

Unless you are a government employee, like in the Military ? -

How's this for a sane idea: What if we were to simplify life, and just choose to rely on far less drugs to begin with, like "some immunizations, some antibiotics, some other Emergency meds, and some analgesics". Might that serve to eliminate most of the abuses spiraling out of control now?

What do you think?

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Pardon me for asking, but I fail to understand how you can be "counting, and taking out Controlled, narcotic, drugs" - without being licensed to do so.

Unless you are a government employee, like in the Military ? -

How's this for a sane idea: What if we were to simplify life, and just choose to rely on far less drugs to begin with, like "some immunizations, some antibiotics, some other Emergency meds, and some analgesics". Might that serve to eliminate most of the abuses spiraling out of control now?

What do you think?

I feel so lucky. An occasional aspirin is all that I'm willing to take. But we all know that that can all change as we get older and getting your prescriptions would be as routine as getting your groceries.

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Originally Posted by Cheerfulsong:

How's this for a sane idea: What if we were to simplify life, and just choose to rely on far less drugs to begin with, like "some immunizations, some antibiotics, some other Emergency meds, and some analgesics". Might that serve to eliminate most of the drug-Abuses spiraling out of control now?

What do you think?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I feel so lucky. An occasional aspirin is all that I'm willing to take. But we all know that that can all change as we get older and getting your prescriptions would be as routine as getting your groceries.

Yes, each of us fortunate in escaping life-threatening injuries, can consider ourselves lucky, or Blessed - right.

And yes, like you, I only agree to a 1/2 Naproxyn (otc), rarely for Nurse-related headaches.

but "Chronic-prescriptions"?, you must be joking !

As I am headin' towards 60, my list of new toys keeps right on growing, foremost with 'replacing my iceskates' right on top along with more ice-time with coach. She says "geeze, if everybody lived as a happy eternal optimist like you :balloons: - our world would be lots more enjoyable".

Evidently, *staying perpetually youthfull* is a matter of MIND pretty exclusively. Think about it. And then, while you're at it - determine to live your life so full of FUN, Gloria :)

that you literally will have no time, to waste on the rot of getting "older".

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PLEASE, can someone explain me what is PIXIS system you talk about? How does it looks like? And where it can be applied (in what wards)? What are advantages of it? Disadvantages (if there are some)?

THANKS!

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.
PLEASE, can someone explain me what is PIXIS system you talk about? How does it looks like? And where it can be applied (in what wards)? What are advantages of it? Disadvantages (if there are some)?

PYXIS is a mechanical computerized medicine cabinet in the USA. It limits access to meds in such a way by requiring either passwords or fingerprints as to pinpoint who had access to narcotics and where counts came up in error. Because of that, there are generally fewer narcotic counts required.

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Specializes in most of them.

In tghe Air Force we called this being promoted to the level of your incompetence. I am sure that as an administrator with a substance abuse problem she was just Jim dandy in her job wasn't she.

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I worked with a nurse today who refused to waste/sign off 2 used duragesic patches with me....stated it was her policy not to because she feels it's an insult to her ...??!! I had to ask the unit manager to waste them with me....:confused:

Hmmmmmm??

Wonder why this was an "insult"?:uhoh3::redlight:

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