Would contacting my mothers doctor about her prescription drug addiction do any good?
Question:
Answers:
Absolutely! Your doctor should know everything she is taking. Good luck to you!
Absolutely! Do it right away.
make an appointment and take all her meds with you.
Well, it certainly couldn't hurt to try. IF your mothers doctor will even talk to you. She may consider it a matter of patient privacy. Be sure you actually talk to the doctor, and not to the assistant.
His name should be on the label of her medicines. Tell him that you are very concerned about the type and amount of drugs she is taking. Don't put any blame on the Dr. Act like you think he doesn't know how bad it is.
If he refuses to change, contact the AMA or the medical board in your state.
With the "patient/doctor confidentiality" the doctor can't tell you anything about your mom BUT I would make an appointment with the doctor and have a serious conversation about your fears concerning your mom.
I had to do this when my dad was so sick with Parkinson's disease. The doctor listened to me and then really talked to my dad. Dad never knew about our conversation so he listened to the doc.
You could write a letter to the doctor. List the medications you know she is taking and what you have observed. Make it brief and stick to facts.
That way you have a record of what you said and when you said it.
Your mom could find out about it, so be prepared for some anger. I'd strongly advise attending a support group like Alanon before you do anything. They can help you deal with any fallout and keep you on course if you are determined to be persistant about getting help for her (and yourself). Addiction hurts everybody, not just the addict.
The doctor will not be able to discuss anything specific about your mother with you due to privacy laws. However, you can call her office and inform her of your suspicions. The doctor may already be aware of it, and your mother is actually lying to her about it as well. You will most likely have to go through the nurse or assistant to the doctor before being able to speak to the her directly, but don't let this discourage you. It's matter of protocol with regard to patient doctor privacy. Most doctors will not speak with non-patients but don't think that she won't get your message because she will. Unfortunately, there are laws doctors' offices must follow so just be calm and precise with the message you want the doctor to receive and she will get it.
It will be easier and probably more informative to talk to the pharmacist who issued the drugs (in the drug store or whereever.) They are supposed to monitor what drugs people are taking and have a database of all the drugs the person gets which their Doctor does not have access to! If you tell the pharmacist, then they can probably contact the Doctor and deal with it, with you staying anonymous! I guarantee you her Dr. doesn't have time.
Yes, it would. Legally, her doctor isn't even allowed to acknowledge that she is a patient of his/hers without her consent. However, if you were to write some sort of statement and drop it off at the office and ask that it be given to her doctor it would help.
I work at a clinic and this sort of thing has actually happened. If you call up and ask to speak to the doctor, you probably will not get as far unless there is something in your mother's medical record that she has signed saying that it is OK for the doc to discuss her treatment with you.
Check the medicine bottles for the doctor's name and phone number. Yes you should tell the doctor so that she will be aware of the situation and be able to help her properly.
Your moms doctor is not allowed to discuss anything with you. You can call her doctor, but he/she may not listen to what you have to say, and certentaily won't answer any questions or concerns you may have.
Call her up on the telephone and ask to make an appointment to see her in person. Because of the HIPAA laws, she will not be able to discuss anything with you about your mother's condition unless you have a Durable Power of Healthcare/Attorney for your mom, but she does have to and will listen. Are all these prescriptions coming from this doctor, or is your mother seeing multiple physicians? Exactly by what route is she getting her drugs, how many is she taking, and exactly how many conditions is she being treated for and by how many doctors? If she's seeing multiple MD's, I would call them all. How old (or young) is your mother? Is there any dementia, or Alzheimer's, or inability to care for herself going on w/ your mom? If so, you might want to consult w/ an attorney to CYA, as well.
More Questions & Answers...