Drug Seeker Antics and Dramas

Specialties Emergency

Published

They are an everyday event in almost every ER around the country. What is the drug of choice in your area? I've noticed around here it is Vicodin.

Our latest little treasure was an ex RN who was a daily event in our ER. She would come in complaining of backpaid and demand a shot of demerol and a script for Vicodin. Her MD's (She had many over the years) refused to see her. We kept a lot of documentation on her antics in order to confront her with her possible little problem. Well the big day came, she didn't take it real well. She stormed out of the ER, went around the building, came in thru the main lobby and straight to a pay phone. She called in a bomb threat to the ER. The police tracked her down, they could hear the hospital pages in the background. She is now in a facility.

Specializes in med/surg, neuro, ortho, cardiol.

This morning I woke up with the most horrendus headache I have ever had, it was actually frightening. (do have a hx of migraines) I was in a cold sweat and throwing up. I took my migraine med, Frova, but threw it up.(this was my first Rx for Frova, don't think it works too well for me) Being a nurse, the last place I want to go is the ER....but this headache was unbearable. I did not care what they treated me with, did not ask for anything specific, except to please stop my head from exploding. My husband drove me to the hospital, stayed with me, rubbed my back and held my hand, bless his little heart! It scared him also. What they gave me was IV Benadryl. IV Solumedrol, and IV Dilaudid (1 mg.) After 1 1/2 hours, they woke me up....headache was gone. The ER doc had asked me what I thought would help my migraines, and I think he was surprised when I asked for Imitrex nasal spray and not for narcotics, and said he would be glad to write a script for that. Maybe he was not surprised..but I know the ER treats lots of drug seekers. I have to say I was impressed with the folks at the ER..and yes I work at that hospital....will have to write them a letter saying thanks. My hat off to all those that work ER !!

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In the States I think Compazine is an anti emetic right? Well here we have Maxeran which is also an anti emetic. I get that all the time. It too makes me jittery but only when mixed with certain things. I seem to be real sensitive to the jitters and I'm talking shaking crawly jitters. It works well at onset but not very much later on. Thanks for the tip :)[/quote']

We have a doc that swears by inapsine. We give benadryl 50 mg IV just prior to the inapsine to off set the extrapyramidal effects that can occur. We usually give a 500 ml LR or NS if they have been nauseated or had emisis. This combo works great for migraine sufferers.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.
We have a doc that swears by inapsine. We give benadryl 50 mg IV just prior to the inapsine to off set the extrapyramidal effects that can occur. We usually give a 500 ml LR or NS if they have been nauseated or had emisis. This combo works great for migraine sufferers.

Inapsine has been pulled as it has some serious side effects

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Just from working in a pharmacy for several years I cannot tell you how many horror stories I have heard from migraine sufferers. People whose migraine are lasting days with no relief. Especially if they don't get started on their meds right away. Because mine are usually alleviated with sleep and Naproxen Sodium I've often doubted that they're true migraines, but the one thing I've learned is that there is no typical migraine sufferer. Yes, there are a lot of abusers of the system, but unfortunately there are also a lot of those who go unbelieved because of those abusers. I'm so sorry you have to go through that on top of your pain.

Thanks for your well spoken and compassionate words. Yes, we all suffer differently AND find relief differently!

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.
Inapsine has been pulled as it has some serious side effects

Despite the black box warning, I miss droperidol - 5 mg plus 2 of Ativan used to be the wonder drugs that worked wonders on our most violent psych pts.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.
Despite the black box warning, I miss droperidol - 5 mg plus 2 of Ativan used to be the wonder drugs that worked wonders on our most violent psych pts.

so true

but now we have geeodon

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Vic-heads are definately the norm in Detroit. They always pretend not to know the name of the pill that helped before...lets' see, vic. ahh. veco, umm vicodan ?yeah.We ha d one woman that pulled so many scams.She would present with a good story,broke a tooth, horrible pain. Allergic to everything, could take Vs, tho. Then she would calll back and say,those made me sick. Can I have something milder, like darvocet? then she came in the next day,grabbed an ED doc in the hall, and claimed she couldn't take the tylenol(in vicodin) so vicoprophen would work. 3 scripts, 3 different docs, 3 days. We were able to track her pharmacy scripts for the last 3 months..you guessed it. Over 120 scripts filled, from 16 different docs and 12 pharmacies!Its' a full time job! And she still came back after a month or so, to try again!

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.
so true

but now we have geeodon

I've been less than impressed with that one over time (and still the potential cardiac side effects.) You had to admire the "Drop" power of droperidol ;).

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Vic-heads are definately the norm in Detroit. They always pretend not to know the name of the pill that helped before...lets' see, vic. ahh. veco, umm vicodan ?yeah.We ha d one woman that pulled so many scams.She would present with a good story,broke a tooth, horrible pain. Allergic to everything, could take Vs, tho. Then she would calll back and say,those made me sick. Can I have something milder, like darvocet? then she came in the next day,grabbed an ED doc in the hall, and claimed she couldn't take the tylenol(in vicodin) so vicoprophen would work. 3 scripts, 3 different docs, 3 days. We were able to track her pharmacy scripts for the last 3 months..you guessed it. Over 120 scripts filled, from 16 different docs and 12 pharmacies!Its' a full time job! And she still came back after a month or so, to try again!

Seems to me if you know the name of a med that works for you WITH the dose after many years of "practice" due to a legit ailment, you still get treated like a drugseeker by most.

So if you don't know it...if you do know it..... :uhoh21: A lot of time I've had to let the ER doc waste time and medication I know would do no good because I was too scared to tell him in case he looked at me like a druggie.

Once in a while the hospital or whoever does the detective work should do some detective work on those they suspect are drugseekers and they'd be surprised that some pts really have only one doctor...one script and one pharmacy.

Maybe an isolated case like that..(like me) would restore some faith. :)

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Seems to me if you know the name of a med that works for you WITH the dose after many years of "practice" due to a legit ailment, you still get treated like a drugseeker by most.

So if you don't know it...if you do know it..... :uhoh21: A lot of time I've had to let the ER doc waste time and medication I know would do no good because I was too scared to tell him in case he looked at me like a druggie.

Once in a while the hospital or whoever does the detective work should do some detective work on those they suspect are drugseekers and they'd be surprised that some pts really have only one doctor...one script and one pharmacy.

Maybe an isolated case like that..(like me) would restore some faith. :)

I wish I could remember the drug that helped my migraine. Not a narc but I think they paired it w/compazine or phenergan. It worked like magic and none of the nasty side affects of narcs. Wish I wasn't so out of it so I could have written it down. When I finally become a nurse I will find out as I usually get one or two really bad migraines per year, except when I am pg or nursing. Never get them then.

Has anyone ever had a bad experience with Imitrex? The one time I used it my head felt like it was on fire. Then my NP told me I shouldn't be taking it due to my medical history. I actually find Exedrin Migraine the best for the "minor" migraines.

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Let me see if I can keep "the rules" straight:

1. Don't be too "familiar" with names of medications (esp. it it's a pain med).

2. Make sure you know the name of the med that works for you; don't be coy and "pretend" not to know.

3. Make sure you puke your head off.

4. Don't puke...if you can puke, that means you were able to eat, so you couldn't have felt that bad.

5. Make sure you wear sunglasses in the ED; you can't have a real migraine if the light doesn't bother you.

6. Please skip the melodramatic stuff like wearing sunglasses in the ED.

7. Please don't bother the ED with something like a migraine...there are people out there with "true" emergencies, and you just hold us up from taking care of them.

8. Stop being so judgemental by assuming that all ED nurses think that migraine patients are a nuisance.

9. It would help to expedite things if you bring in a letter from your primary care doc that outlines a plan for when you have a severe migraine.

10. Please do not do something as lame as bringing in a plan for when you have severe headaches...it's probably bogus, and even if it isn't we still think you're a seeker.

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Can I just say OH MY GOD...one more time?

For all you people who are taking offense to the term "drug seeker"...

Are you in the ER more often then the staff?

Are you utilizing narcotics as your FIRST line of treatment for your migraines?

Are you using multiple docs to gain access to multiple narcotic prescriptions?

Are you utilizing the ER as your primary care physician?

Are you coming into the ER with multiple vague complaints of which you never seem to follow with one doctor?

Are you taking your narcotics at doses that are outside the prescriptive ranges?

Are you bringing in your children with vague complaints of pain...no definitive diagnoses...just to take their narcotics?

No you say?

Then you are NOT who this post is referring to...

So please BACK OFF!!

Those of us who ARE ER nurses, and are trying to provide compassionate care, recognize that by giving non-stop narcotics to patients is MIS-treating them.

And if you are feeling threatened by this post, I would wonder exactly where you fit in?

People in pain are given approrpiate meds and treatment.

People with addictions are given appropriate meds and treatment.

Where do YOU fit in?

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