Drug Seeker Stories

Well I had one of those lovely drug seekers the other night. Patient said she had a kidney and was peeing prue blood. Well, I had her get a CC urine. When I went back to get her urine, I noticed her finger was bleeding and some blood spots on the sheet. And her urine was a weird pink color. So I told the doc and he had me cath her....her urine was completely clear. Of course, she tried to make up a story about how sometimes she pees blood but sometimes pees clear too. Whatever...sent her out the door...

Also had someone come in 3 times in one week who used a new name everytime. Turns out he was going to ER after ER in my city using differents names for drugs...sent him out the door and to jail.

Specializes in Med-Surg.
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Had a woman come in for "seizures". She had a long list of meds including po morphine. On her allergies morphine was listed. When I asked her about it, she told me she was allergic to IV morphine and had to have dilaudid instead. She then told me she was due for her pain meds and ativan and needed them immediately. I explained that she would have to wait to be seen by the MD prior to getting any meds. A few minutes later, she proceeded to have a "seizure". Another nurse and I went in and did the Oklahoma seizure test on her, which she passed with flying colors. To do the Oklahoma seizure test, have two nurses at the bedside, on next to the patient and the other at the foot of the bed. The nurse at the side of the bed asks the other nurse how to perform the test. The nurse at the foot of the bed explains (out loud) to rub the inside of the left foot (all while actually performing said task) and the right arm will twitch. Yep, my patient's right arm definitely started twitching when her left foot was rubbed. We were laughing so hard, we had to leave the room. Consequently, she received no meds during her stay.

I've been told about a stiff arm test too. Hold the patients arm over their head and let it drop. See if it hits them in the face or if they move it.

Recently really annoyed a patient LOL. She was insisting that her IV dilaudid caused intense pruritis(wow, my phone auto-corrected that to prostitutes!), of course not relieved by P.O. benadryl, had to be IV. Then the dosage wasn't enough. So I got the order changed to tramadol (which was way more appropriate for her pain type anyways). When she asked for pain meds and I brought her tramadol, she flipped. I explained that her increasing pruritis was concerning to me, that it might be an allergic reaction building up, and I didn't want to end up with an anaphylactic reaction.

All of a sudden, the itching wasn't really all that bad, it was tolerable, really. 'I was just a bit itchy, the benadryl wasn't helping, but I need my IV dilaudid back. That really did help my pain a whole lot'

Insert eye roll RIGHT here.

Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.
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What I find amazing is that from California to Boston Montana to Texas and all over the globe these people use the exact same methods and stories. Is there a handbook out there for drug seekers or maybe a website?

Actually there are websites and message boards where they can find out "tricks.". When I took a pharm class we were required to research these sites and write a paper on them, and it was truly amazing the lengths some of these people would go to in order to get drugs and not get caught.

Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot!

Actually there are websites and message boards where they can find out "tricks.".

Yes, that is how I found out about the trick where they come in requesting a refill of their SSRI. People take large doses of SSRIs to combat the serotonin depletion r/t ecstasy use.

Specializes in ER, progressive care.
Yes, that is how I found out about the trick where they come in requesting a refill of their SSRI. People take large doses of SSRIs to combat the serotonin depletion r/t ecstasy use.

Interesting. Definitely learned something new today.

Specializes in ER.

I did a Google search after reading this. "How to get narcotics from an ER" leads to fascinating results.

Ah! the 64,000 dollar question, showing my age, lol. Truly, if we could answer this, we could treat addiction easily, I am thinking different/different ratio, of receptor sites?

Do y'all think that pain med's work differently on everyone? Meaning, do some people get this crazy good feeling from them and others just go to sleep and don't feel the "happy" effects? I just wonder, other than an addictive personality, what makes people seek out that recreational dosage while others just put them down and walk away when they don't need them anymore. I can't help but wonder if perhaps some people (most?) just don't feel any euphoria what-so-ever and If so, why the heck is that?
Specializes in Short Term/Skilled.
Ah! the 64,000 dollar question, showing my age, lol. Truly, if we could answer this, we could treat addiction easily, I am thinking different/different ratio, of receptor sites?

Yeah, I'm thinking that also. If ADHD causes the brain to lack dopamine I would think there are other kinds of chemical imbalances that cause the narcotics to maybe give the brain what its missing resulting in happy happy joy joy. I know in my research for ADHD I found that people with that condition are much more likely to become addicts and to smoke. I don't know, but I find the whole thing very fascinating in a horrifying way.

Every checkout celiac inre ADHD? Some correlation with schizophrenia/depression/bipolar as well. Some straight malnutrition, some direct consequence of autoimmune assault, some from gliadin directly....potentially.

Glycerine82 said:
Yeah, I'm thinking that also. If ADHD causes the brain to lack dopamine I would think there are other kinds of chemical imbalances that cause the narcotics to maybe give the brain what its missing resulting in happy happy joy joy. I know in my research for ADHD I found that people with that condition are much more likely to become addicts and to smoke. I don't know, but I find the whole thing very fascinating in a horrifying way.
Specializes in ER.
"Im allergic to aspirin, ibuprofen, toradol...." Why don't you just say, "I'M ALLERGIC TO EVERYTHING BUT DILAUDID!"

The best is, "what does is this? Oh 1mg isn't enough!" Most legit people don't know anything about doses etc, I just want to say, "can you make it any more obvious!?"

Yesterday I had the significant other ask what dose on Percocet I was giving . I thought of this thread. Then she gave a smoker's laugh and reminisced about some of her own past ER visits.

Specializes in Med-Surg.
I used to be the drug sniffer dog.. Then I realized, just give them what they want, they'll be back but it will be quick. I know they can get better stuff on the street..

Had a pt tonight that continues to sign in with fake names, sickle cell. Couldn't do much before because I couldn't remember her last used name. Tonight I did.

I was amazed at how confident she felt about yelling at me and demanding the doctor order dilaudid and Benadryl every 10 minutes until the police entered her room.

Had a pt recently admitted who threw a poop fit over the fact that no one was doing anything about his sickle cell crisis. Of course, not what he was admitted for, but still, has a history of it. Man, I wish I could have taken a picture of the look on his face when I first acted empathetic, then pulled up his labs on my WOW, and told him no one was treating his supposed SCC because none of his labs indicated he was IN a crisis. Didn't ask for any more pain meds until he got discharged.

\ said:
Do y'all think that pain med's work differently on everyone? Meaning do some people get this crazy good feeling from them and others just go to sleep and don't feel the "happy" effects? I just wonder, other than an addictive personality, what makes people seek out that recreational dosage while others just put them down and walk away when they don't need them anymore. I can't help but wonder if perhaps some people (most?) just don't feel any euphoria what-so-ever and If so, why the heck is that?

I am one of the people who have bad reactions to narco pain relievers. I will fall asleep, then when I wake up I will start feeling dizzy and vomiting. So I have always wondered what is so great about the meds that make me miserable.

Amazing how it affects people so differently.

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