elderly drug addiction
By toaste
@toaste (139)
United States
July 10, 2008 10:20am CST
My mom is 83 years old with 3 broken bones in her back and a crushed tailbone from a fall several years ago that doctors did not treat properly. She is not a candidate for surgery because of her age and has been sent home by several doctors for the past 15 years with the instructions, "there is nothing we can do, just take your pain pills." Now because she is addicted to vicodin and her primary dr found out she had gone to another dr for pills also he is refusing to treat her anymore.
So I took her to the hospital so she could go thru detox, which she was ready and willing to do and they tell us because of her age and pain if they detox her from one drug they will have to give her another so she should just forget detox, go home and take her pills until death or drug overdose!
Problem is whos going to prescribe them for her since her dr quit on her as well as the other one she went to because they worked for the same group.
I am at the end of my rope on what to do for my mother. Can anyone help with suggestions?????
3 responses
@jenseyedea (579)
• United States
10 Jul 08
I would call and talk to someone in management or patient services at either the detox clinic or the medicl facilty. I would explain your concerns with them, and I would make sure you had any documentation with you if available. I work in the chemcial dependency field, and so I would start there. It is obvious that yor mother is going to need to address her pain, but I believe there would be other medication available to treat her that could get her off the narcotic medications. Many anti inflamatory meds, or even steriods can be proven effective. In the begining they may have to be combined with the pain meds until the other take full effect. It is worth a shot. Please call the facility and ask them to help you. If you need anything else, just ask.
@sunkissed (4330)
• United States
10 Jul 08
toaste,First of all. I am very sorry for your dear mother and the pain she is in both physicaly and mentaly. It is very heartbreaking to me to hear a story like this. I have been disabled for 22 years and have been in chronic pain all these years, I too could have been addicted to these pills like your mother is.But I chose to live with the pain, and I am glad I did, the doctors think nothing about perscribing these pills to a person, once you are hooked, you are messed up for life.I wish this on nobody.If your mom was addicted to these pills, of course she was going to go to another doctor to get more pills.
it is her Doctors fault for getting her addicted in the first place.I would take her to the detox center if I were you, that is your best option, she needs help.
@toaste (139)
• United States
10 Jul 08
Thanks for your response. I took her to the detox and they said because she is in so much pain all the time that detox would be a waste of time because when she got off the vicodin she would be on something else. They told her to just go home and take her pills there was no alternative.
@Gargoyle0134 (1257)
• United States
10 Jul 08
Go to a detox clinic and ask for help for her. The elderly are the highest group right now for addictions, sadly. The doctors get them hooked, then boot them to the curb.
See another doctor that specialises in natural medicine! Go to www.PAAM,net and see if one of these doctors are in your area! They are real MD's and insurance wil pay for them. They will help when others won't..and in a natural way.
My best to you and "mom!"
