Doctor shopping

One should advocate for oneself in a very strong way. If that means doctor shopping or if that means ranting to the human rights person at the hospital, [do it] Don t ever sit back and just say this is it. 

DOCTOR SHOPPING A practice in which an individual continually switches physicians so that he or she can get enough of a prescription drug to feed an addiction. This practice makes it difficult for physicians to track whether the patient has already been prescribed the same drug by another physician. 

Laws vary by state, but many have specific laws against the trafficking, possession, and use of drugs that are controlled substances, such as benzodiazepines. In addition, many other states have recently included laws against doctor shopping in attempts to stop prescription drug fraud. 

OxyContin s street value and appeal to drug abusers has led to a rise in a phenomenon known as doctor shopping, in which people visit multiple doctors and attempt to acquire prescriptions for their own use or to sell for profit. 

Teens also cited ease of access of prescription medications as a major factor. Specifically, the majority stated that parents medicine cabinets, and/or medicine cabinets in the homes of friends, are major access points. Some individuals obtain prescription drugs for abuse by doctor shopping, by which the individuals continually switch physicians to get new prescriptions so that they can obtain enough medication to feed their addiction. Individuals may also illegally purchase medications from legitimate patients who... 

However, in this study only 22% saw more than 15 GPs and 40% averaged more than 30 medical services, suggesting that most did not meet the official doctor shopping criteria, even when they increased their use of medical services. The authors suggested that an increase in doctor shopping in the years before heroin-related death while certainly a fiscal issue, may represent an opportunity to intervene and reduce mortality. 

Martyres RF, Clode D, Burns JM. Seeking drugs or seeking help Escalating doctor shopping by young heroin users before fatal overdose. Med J Aust 2004 130(5) 211 t. 

Other clinical signs of drug abuse may be present. These include weight loss, disheveled physical appearance, poor mental status, drug-seeking behavior, unusual imections, repetitive lost prescriptions, burns to hand and face, and doctor shopping. ... 

Two factors that may contribute to the increased abuse of medications are "doctor shopping" to get multiple prescriptions to treat a single physical or psychological ailment and the advertisement of prescription drugs over the Internet. Sales of drugs over the Internet are difficult for officials to track. 

In a commentary on an article exploring the mechanisms of drug diversion among substance users, the authors highlighted the importance of being aware of doctor shopping , the role of elderly people in diversion, the preference for prescription opioids, and the preference for substances such as oxycodone and fentanyl [IT]. 

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