Prescription Drug Misuse Signs: Early Refills and Doctor Shopping

… more less Prescription misuse means taking a medicine in a way the doctor did not direct. It also means taking someone else's pills. The kinds most often misused are pain pills (opioids), anxiety and sleep pills (sedatives), and pills for attention problems (stimulants). Signs show up in how a person handles the medicine. They may run out early or ask for refills too soon. Pills may be 'lost' or 'stolen' again and again. They may see several doctors or use several drugstores to get more. This is called doctor shopping. They may take more than directed, crush or snort pills, or ask for a certain drug by name. Pills may go missing from others in the home. Some of these signs have other causes. A person whose pain is not well treated may run out early and ask for more. Older adults may mix up doses because of memory trouble or many medicines. Someone else in the home may be taking the pills. Ask how the medicine is working and how they take it. With the person's consent, share concerns with the prescriber. Never tell a person to stop these medicines all at once, since stopping some of them suddenly can be dangerous. After this Concept you can recognize signs of prescription misuse and list other reasons a person might run out early.