What's you're best drug seeker?

imanedrn · Aug 19, 2014

I love that you called the cops. I get so many people who I'm sure are FOS. But I play their game and kindly inform them that we have to be cautious about prescribing narcotics in the ER because, although you're in acute pain, a lot of people abuse the system.

Etone LPN · Aug 21, 2014

Heard this from one of our ER MDs. Pt. presents to ER with an obvious and real forearm fracture. Xray, casting, sling and script for pain med. Hydrocodone/Oxycodone ... whatever. Then leaves and apparently manages to remove the cast and presents to another ER to be treated for the same ... more xrays, casting and pain meds. Heard that there was a 3rd ER ...

This man obviously had a plan. Just shows that some will go to any lenghts to get those meds.

poppycat, ADN, BSN · Aug 21, 2014

I'm going to have to remember if I ever need to have my gall bladder removed to make sure they take out both of them!

sissiesmama, ASN, RN · Aug 21, 2014

I know that this thread is all over the place, but there are none that have anything from this year, and since I had possibly my best & worst attempt today (yes, all in one day!) I thought I would start a new one.
Best: Lady comes in and says that she had her gall bladder removed 2 weeks ago and was still having a lot of abdominal pain. So we examine her and see pink scratches that really just looked like she scratched herself and then put neosporin or something to make it shiny. But, I decide to give her the benefit of the doubt & not completely write her off yet. Dr comes in, examines her & says that he wants to do an U/S to "make sure that there is nothing major going on" and of course she asks for pain meds & so him feeling generous I suppose (or maybe trying to give her the benefit of the doubt still too) agreed to give her something before U/S. He comes to me & says "I don't think she just had her gallbladder removed, in fact I kinda still think it's there, but you can give her 1/2mg morphine for pain before she goes to U/S." I go to give her the medicine & say the doctor has ordered morphine for you, have it ready, diluted and all (not that 1/2mg will do much anyways) And of course she says "That won't do anything for my pain, It has to be 4mg dila-something. I forget the full name. You know. Dulidad, dilantis, Dilantin...something like that, and if it doesn't help my pain I go into anabalactic (her word!) shock." Somehow I was able to not laugh in her face at that and explained that if she didn't one that I could just discard it and see if the doctor would give anything else but it was unlikely. She got all snooty and started complaining and I said I would tell the doc, and hold the morphine. But of course she quickly said "I'll try that in the meantime. I'll make myself stay out of anabaltic shock." (Again, her word for anaphylxis) So she went for U/S and the tech called us to ask what we were looking for because her gallbladder was still there! So once she came back the doctor went in and said "ma'am, it looks like they never did the surgery. Your gall bladder is still there, and there are no stones, so we don't see anything." She goes "they only removed one of my gallbladder a, not both. You don't know what you're doing. I just had surgery and I'm in pain, whether you are stupid or not you have to fix my pain." He explained that her scars were not at all surgery scars and more like scratches, and not consistent with the location of gallbladder surgery. She continued with "that's because I told the hospital I'd open myself up to save money since I have no insurance and they agreed to." The doctor walked out because he couldn't control himself & left me to do the discharge instructions with a straight face. She signed her papers and asked "where's my prescription for the morphine?" "Ma'am that was given to you IV, you are not being given any more to take home." "You have to! It's law that if I'm in pain and you give me IV meds you have to give me something equal or better to take at home." "Sorry, no it's not. Have a fantastic day."
And the worst try? A frequent flyer who was at another ER yesterday as she states, and they "forgot" to write her a prescription for fentanyl patches for her back pain, and they told her that if she came to us that we would take care of it, no questions asked. So we asked the doctors name, couldn't remember but of course she knew that he "wasn't working that day" and that's why they sent her to us. So I ask the hospitals name and she "couldn't remember" but it was one if the ones in San Francisco. Of course! There's like 8 different hospitals in San Francisco. I explained that if she wanted to see the doctor she could, but that we could not just write her prescription "no questions asked." She checked in, took history and of course she's trying to make tears form and pain us 15/10. Take her back to the room and say the doctor will be in soon. As the doctor goes to knock he hears her on the phone so decides to listen before preceding and she says "I don't think I'll get the fentanyl like you wanted, but I'm sure I'll score some vicodins or something. And I'll sell you those at a cheaper price." The doctor did not go in, the only folks that went in were the cops.
Sonetimes these folks are so ridiculous you couldn't make up these stories if you tried. Hahaha.
What are your best stories?
Forgive my spelling errors I'm on my phone!

Are u serious! Yours were hilarious!!!

Anne, RNC

dsb_fam · Aug 24, 2014

I learned last week that a man in our state was caught repeatedly being treated for rattlesnake bites at different hospitals. Apparently he would receive pain meds after each bite and thought the initial pain and treatment was worth repeat venomous bites. All bites in our state are reported to a central toxicology office and they intervened. OUCH!!!!!!!

Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN · Aug 24, 2014

Young lady known to us arrives by ambulance reporting that some house guests had stolen her prescription. Naturally, it's a Saturday, so her prescriber's office is closed. Doc comes into the room while I'm settling in said patient, she sees who it is and says "I don't want that doctor, I want that doctor to get fired. I want ________ (doctor)."

I explain to her that we have only one doctor on duty, so this is the doctor that will be treating her today.

Doctor does a very good job maintaining a professional composure but states that he will not prescribe the medication she is requesting. He offers alternatives, which the patient declines, and requests to have her IV removed and be discharged and that this RN call 911 to get an ambulance to take her to another hospital.

I discharge her to the lobby, explaining that calling 911 for this nonemergency is inappropriate, and that I will not call 911 for her, but she is welcome to call a taxi.

She uses the phone in the lobby to call 911. The same EMS crew that brought her here arrives and explains to her that they will not transport. Police are called and she is escorted off the property.

livingthedream77 · Aug 25, 2014

Guy with transverse myelitis. No feeling to speak of waist down. Well known to all local ERs. Look up drug seeker in the dictionary. There is his picture.

To get pain meds: Has cut off the majority of the sole of his foot with a knife.

Has ripped out stitches of said injury.

Has let said injury become infected with maggots.

Has thrown himself down from wc into sewer drains.

Has pulled out his own Foley, bulb inflated.

He has screwed 5 one inch screws into his own foot with the story that some guys he owed money came and did that to him. No, he didn't call the cops, he's not a squealer.

Oh, yes. He will ask you how many "mikes" of Fentanyl you are giving, tell you it's not enough. Then tell you he knows you are busy and it's OK to "slam it" because he can take it, and if you don't, will reach over and attempt to do this for you.

sissiesmama, ASN, RN · Aug 25, 2014

Guy with transverse myelitis. No feeling to speak of waist down. Well known to all local ERs. Look up drug seeker in the dictionary. There is his picture.
Oh wow! That gives me the "willies"
To get pain meds: Has cut off the majority of the sole of his foot with a knife.
Has ripped out stitches of said injury.
Has let said injury become infected with maggots.
Has thrown himself down from wc into sewer drains.
Has pulled out his own Foley, bulb inflated.
He has screwed 5 one inch screws into his own foot with the story that some guys he owed money came and did that to him. No, he didn't call the cops, he's not a squealer.
Oh, yes. He will ask you how many "mikes" of Fentanyl you are giving, tell you it's not enough. Then tell you he knows you are busy and it's OK to "slam it" because he can take it, and if you don't, will reach over and attempt to do this for you.

Anne, RNC