WARNING
BEWARE OF DRUG SEEKERS
From the Executive Director of Narconon of Georgia
You may know a prescription “seeker”. These are individuals who try to get prescription medication that is either not medically indicated or prescribed for them. In other words, they want to abuse it.
If you are a dentist, you probably get calls from time to time from the seekers. These are the individuals who are not your patients, but hope that you don’t realize it. They are likely to call on holiday weekends because they know that during the holidays, dentists, like everyone else, are preoccupied and might be covering for someone else. The holiday weekends are longer, requiring a larger prescription.
A typical conversation from a prescription seeker might go like this: “I was in your office a couple of weeks ago and I was supposed to have that tooth taken out.” Acting as though you are sure to remember who they are, the seeker will try to steer you towards writing the pain prescription.
If you have not recognized them as a seeker by this time, other indicators in the conversation might be statements to the effect that they have tried Motrin in the past and it didn’t work or that they are allergic to pain medication of lower potency. The prescription seeker only wants “enough to get through the weekend” promising that they will make an appointment with you the following week to get the dental problem addressed.
Chances are that if you have a big practice, you won’t remember the names of all your patients. Here are some tips to avoid inadvertently writing pain prescriptions to persons seeking to get high:
- If you can’t remember having ever seen the patient, then ask them what you look like, or what the office looks like if they say they have seen your associate. Wrong answers to these simple questions are sure tips that something is amiss.
- Arrange to have access to your office computer from wherever you are so you can log in to your patient database to see if a caller really is a patient.
- If someone comes to your office that you think might be abusing pain medications, learn the signs as listed below.
A seeker may also be someone living in your household. You can recognize them as the family member who needs to take some of your prescription medication because they are in pain. They may go to the doctor frequently, or from emergency room to emergency room describing fabricated up symptoms that require medication. You might recognize a seeker in your household by the fact that some of your prescription medication has come up missing.
Be compassionate. If you see someone trying to get pain medication inappropriately, chances are they are addicted. Recommend rehab to them and give them our phone number: 1-877-413-3073. WE ARE THE NEW LIFE PROGRAM!
A person on an opiate such as heroin, morphine and prescription drugs will have constricted pupils that will look like pinpoints or small dots.
Someone on opiates usually itches and you can see the person lightly and frequently scratching himself.
If the method of ingestion is sniffing, his nostrils may appear raw and red.
If the method of ingestion is by injection there will be needle marks in arms, behind the knees or ankles.
Heroin users have been known to inject themselves under the tongue, or directly into open sores. These locations are not as easy to detect.
They may get very pale and sweaty or extremely thirsty.
Opiates affect people in different ways: some may get very "hyper" (active or frantic) and run around working or looking busy while others get very lethargic (nodding or doping off). The person may go around asking others for money. This will not be small change for cigarettes, but more like $20 or $40 here or there.
For more information on Percoset, Dalaudid, Lortab or other drugs of abuse please visit drugsno.com.
Don't take any chances. Narconon of Georgia staff members are here to help.
Call our 24 hour hotline 877-413-3073.
We are the NEW LIFE PROGRAM
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