Possible fraud by pharmacist

What is the name of your state? OH

My 33 yr old sister-in-law was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in her teens. She has undergone numerous joint replacements and has been on pain medications for over two decades. She is on medicaid and medicare. This past winter, we began to think that she was overmedicating herself. Her mom called the drs. and told them that she believed that my SIL was becoming a prescription "drug addict". She was sent to a psychiatrist and has continued to go to her regular specialists. Over the past two months, it has become apparent that my SIL was killing herself (unintentionally). She was recently hospitalized several times for pain, but nothing was done to get her off the pain medications.

After a few days of being in a haze, my MIL took all the bottles of medicines she could find and took them to the family dr. When he saw them, he got very nervous and said he told her to quit taking the medicine (even though some of them still have 5 or more refills left). He gave my MIL a list of meds that my SIL should be taking and told her to tell the pharmacist. When my MIL confronted the pharmacist and asked why he was filling prescriptions for the same meds from several drs he said it was the law that he was required to fill all scripts and he couldn't deny his pts. When my MIL continued questioning him, he admitted that sometimes my SIL would "run out" early so he would supply her with extras without a script.

My SIL was admitted to CCU and almost died Wed. night due to respiratory problems. She is under the care of a new family dr. who is taking her off all her meds but three. She is doing better now but is going through heavy withdrawal.

We feel that the pharmacist is committing fraud and an investigation should be done. Do we report this to the police or an agency? Just a note, I don't believe that my SIL was just an innocent victim because she knew (at least in the beginning) what she was doing. Sorry this is so long.

Chronic pain is sometimes treated with long term management with pain medications. Tolerance and addiction to narcotic pain meds is part of the territory sometimes. Regardless -- a pharmacist cannot prescribe medicine. If you want it investigated, report what the pharmacist told you to his licensing agency (his state board). Contact them, and ask them how to file a complaint.

Here's the URL for their web page

[url]http://www.state.oh.us/pharmacy/[/url]


Best of luck. I hope your SIL improves and gets her pain managed appropriately.


hmmbrdzz