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 Emergency Nursing.
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.

It's so unfortunate.... the fake sicklers that give a bad name to the people actually suffering!

I also have people who say, " i have pancreatitis but my blood work doesn't show it."

I had one of my frequent sickle cell kids next to a fake sickler....he called her out! Apparently he's seen her a million times there.

Specializes in Emergency Nursing.
Lol 1 of the docs I work with said chronic pancreatitis usually doesn't show in labs

So is this true? I researched a bit and saw enzymes are elevated at first but then drop off. Hmm good to know! The cases I've seen, enzymes are usually abnormally high.

Either way, I get the impression a lot of these individuals are addicts (ie ETOH abuse) and just use it as an excuse to get some narcs.

I saw a seeker last night fake a fall.... he squatted down and then did a swan dive slide across the floor. Me and a clerk witnessed it and were not concerned, but all the families who didn't see what happened came running over to help him up. Needless to say I made sure to make it very obvious by saying to him, "now why would you lay down on the floor like that?" He was in 4 points not long after. Sheesh, what a waste of resources.

I said the same thing as you. I can not attest to it being the 'law' but people have said it to me 'it doesn't show in my labs', but neither does most kidney stones.

I know a young woman with end stage MNGIE who is afraid to ask for pain meds because of being perceived as a drug seeker. Drug seekers make it bad for those truly in pain.

Specializes in PCU.
Had a guy admitted to the inpatient unit for chest pain, to undergo cardiac angiography the next day. On a heparin gtt and everything. He was getting morphine 2mg q 1 hour as well as lorazepam PRN, both of which he was requesting regularly.

Weird thing was, I recognized him. I had taken care of a guy about a month prior for the same thing, and I remembered his tattoos because we had talked about them. I happened to have a bunch of brain sheets in my locker that I hadn't shredded yet, and I found the one from the month before. It had a different name than this guy, but the same birth date.

Turns out it was the same guy, and this was actually his THIRD visit within two months for the same thing. He was about to allow himself to be subjected to an angiogram for the third time.

Of course, once I let the cardiologist know what was going on, the cath was cancelled, because his two previous exams had been negative.

And this here above, my friends, is why a national registry would be immensely helpful to weed out the parasites from the others who really need the care and cannot get it due to funding and/or lack of insurance :/

Specializes in PCU.
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, when looking up Klonopin I did come across a UK site with users giving ideas of how to use the Klonopin for a better high (as well as other drugs) and how to "score" meds for their recreational use :/ I was flabbergasted, but it was there on my screen!

Specializes in PCU.
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?

Thank God not everyone feels the euphoria...I had to have Vicodin for knee surgery...it made me feel icky and nauseated, relieved the pain, but that was about it. Same for Percocet. My heart breaks for the addictive personalities who cannot live without their narcs and other stuff :/

The "stiff arm test" is great for patients with conversion disorders.

Specializes in ED; Med Surg.

Lift the arm up over their head and let it go. See if they control the fall of the arm...

Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.

Ah yes - the "dropsie"

Anne, RNC

Very funny- not sure how I could stay professional and not bust out laughing when they hit their nose!

Specializes in Emergency/Trauma/Critical Care Nursing.
Very funny- not sure how I could stay professional and not bust out laughing when they hit their nose!

Well if they actually hit their nose they pass!

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