• FreeAdvice has a new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our Terms of Service and use of cookies.

i changed the date on an aderall rx. is my life over?

Accident - Bankruptcy - Criminal Law / DUI - Business - Consumer - Employment - Family - Immigration - Real Estate - Tax - Traffic - Wills   Please click a topic or scroll down for more.

lola22

Junior Member
So today I changed the date on a rx for adderall. It was prescribed to me by my doctor but I forgot to get it filled in the 3 month time period. My dr always post dates them so I didn't see an issue with changing the date. When I went to pick up the rx the lady at walgreens told me she believed that it had been altered then showed me a fax she's sending to my dr complete with a photo. It was not until I got home and googled it did I realize I had just committed a felony. I'm not sure what to do. Do I go see my dr in the morning and explain to him since the rx was post dated I didn't think it was a problem? I don't have a drug issue and have never been in trouble at all. I'm afraid my life is ruined. If I come clean to him is he required to have me arrested? The script sat in my car for 3 months and I forgot I had it. Can I say it wasn't me? Should I just be honest and beg for mercy? Turn myself in to the police? I'm scared.
 


CdwJava

Senior Member
No matter what might happen, NEVER ALTER A PRESCRIPTION again!

If you "forgot" to have the prescription filled, then you did not need it. Perhaps you should consider some form of drug treatment prior to any police contact. Going into treatment for addiction might benefit you later on if you are charged with a crime.

If contacted by the police, politely refuse to speak with them prior to speaking with an attorney. If they have enough evidence to arrest you, they will. If not, then they might seek an arrest warrant.

If arrested, and if the matter goes to court, speak to an attorney before admitting anything or agreeing to any deal.

There is not much you can do now except to cease any criminal activity and clean up your life as best as you can.
 

FlyingRon

Senior Member
If you "forgot" to have the prescription filled, then you did not need it.
In the case of Adderal forgetting to have it filled my indicate that you very much need it :)

But still the proper solution to having stale prescriptions is to let your doctor know you didn't take what he prescribed so he can determine whether you should get a new script or something else.
 

swalsh411

Senior Member
I cannot emphasize enough that you should not under any circumstances speak to the police except to say "I'm not talking without a lawyer". They can and will lie to you to get you to confess. They may say it's not a big deal or that you are betting off coming clean. They may say they know the DA or the Judge and they won't charge you with a crime if you admit to it now. They may say they will start asking your family or employer questions if you don't answer theirs. Whatever they say, don't buy it.
 

HomeGuru

Senior Member
So today I changed the date on a rx for adderall. It was prescribed to me by my doctor but I forgot to get it filled in the 3 month time period. My dr always post dates them so I didn't see an issue with changing the date. When I went to pick up the rx the lady at walgreens told me she believed that it had been altered then showed me a fax she's sending to my dr complete with a photo. It was not until I got home and googled it did I realize I had just committed a felony. I'm not sure what to do. Do I go see my dr in the morning and explain to him since the rx was post dated I didn't think it was a problem? I don't have a drug issue and have never been in trouble at all. I'm afraid my life is ruined. If I come clean to him is he required to have me arrested? The script sat in my car for 3 months and I forgot I had it. Can I say it wasn't me? Should I just be honest and beg for mercy? Turn myself in to the police? I'm scared.
**A: next time go back to the Dr. and get a new script. Good grief, what's so hard about that. Or go to the pharmacy and they can call your Dr. for renewal confirmation.
 

xylene

Senior Member
Why did you think that committing an act of forgery would ever be the solution to an expired prescription?

A controlled substance prescription at that.
 
Last edited:

CdwJava

Senior Member
As a note, Adderall is a commonly abused substance and has a lucrative black market because of the length of the boost it gives people who do not require it - and it appears to have a better and longer "high" than Ritalin making it a more popular product particularly among students and those who work long shifts or who want to party longer.

If the OP had been taking the proper dosage as required, and if needed, then the prescription would not have run out as it would have been issued at about the time of need. This scenario lends itself to a very typical abuse scenario that may involve the sales of the substance as well. I have found that ADHD patients might stop taking the meds as they don't need it, and then start selling it to friends and family. Because they can often get refills or new prescriptions with nary more than a phone call, it can be a very lucrative supply chain that can last for years.
 

xylene

Senior Member
I have found that ADHD patients might stop taking the meds as they don't need it, and then start selling it to friends and family. Because they can often get refills or new prescriptions with nary more than a phone call, it can be a very lucrative supply chain that can last for years.
This is a pantload and you know it.

ADD / ADHD or other condtions that call for stimulants does not turn someone into a drug dealler any more than a ski mask turns someone into a bank robber.

"Nary more than a phone call"

I call the hugest possible BS.

You could not possibly have gotten a controlled substance prescription refilled in the last 5 years and believe that whopper.

Doctors are just not willing to lose their license and face criminal charges with the ease you suggest.

Yes, diversion happens. Demanding a ever stricter regulations on useful medicines is more of the same prohibitionist crap that has proven so utterly to be a failure.

Perhaps legal users of controlled substances should be forced to waive their 4th amendment rights and be logged into a "sex offender style" database and be subject to random home inspections and pill and financial audits...
 

CdwJava

Senior Member
This is a pantload and you know it.
Gee ... huh ... guess those people trafficking in the stuff don't know that it's a pantload. The only clarification I will say I should have made is that SOME ADHD patients do this ... a few, but enough to make it a problem.

ADD / ADHD or other condtions that call for stimulants does not turn someone into a drug dealler any more than a ski mask turns someone into a bank robber.
Never said it did. Please point out where I EVER stated that was the case ... I'll wait ....

....


....

Okay, now that we are clear on that, calm down.

What I SAID was that this action is indicative of this sort of behavior. It is consistent with dealing behavior that we have seen in the trafficking of this substance. I never stated - at all - that people who take ADHD medicine are drug dealers. Please respond to what is actually written, and do not read imaginary accusations into what I write.

"Nary more than a phone call"

I call the hugest possible BS.
That's how many of them get new prescriptions around here. A phone call to their primary physician. That may not be how they SHOULD get refills, but that is how it frequently happens. Your neck of the woods may be much more on the ball.

Doctor visits are more frequent in adolescents or when the meds are not working, but less frequent after adolescence. At least that is how it appears. I have family members that take this stuff and I know a great number of people who are on it, and there is really very little involved in renewing the prescription ... which is one reason why it has a high potential for abuse - and is said to be on the rise in college communities.

You could not possibly have gotten a controlled substance prescription refilled in the last 5 years and believe that whopper.
Clearly you are not in California.

Doctors are just not willing to lose their license and face criminal charges with the ease you suggest.
You would think.
 
Last edited:

nathan.

Junior Member
If you "forgot" to have the prescription filled, then you did not need it. Perhaps you should consider some form of drug treatment prior to any police contact. Going into treatment for addiction might benefit you later on if you are charged with a crime.
Are you implying that someone who is prescribed and takes Adderall is a drug addict? What's the drug treatment gonna do?? lol.

Dude, if you're correctly prescribed adderall - it doesn't give you any high! Oh, except for the pink elephants.

Someone with ADHD forgot to have a prescription filled....OMG, that's so weird...who with ADHD would forget/fail to do something...
 

CdwJava

Senior Member
Are you implying that someone who is prescribed and takes Adderall is a drug addict?
Nope. Only that people can and do abuse these prescriptions like many others. And the manner in which the OP "forgot" to fill a prescription and then changed the date is consistent with those that do engage in funny business with their prescriptions.

Dude, if you're correctly prescribed adderall - it doesn't give you any high! Oh, except for the pink elephants.
That's why there is a black market ... the people that do NOT need it, want it.

I understand what Adderall is and what it is. I have a tiny bit of training and experience in this area. :cool:

Someone with ADHD forgot to have a prescription filled....OMG, that's so weird...who with ADHD would forget/fail to do something...
Huh ... you're running out of your needed medication ... you see the doctor ... you get a new prescription but don't fill it. That tells me one of a couple of things happened: (1) You did not need it all that much since what little you had remaining was sufficient to last for months, or, (2) you don't need it at all and hoard the prescription as a means to earn an extra buck.

Most people I know that have Adderall take it daily or nearly so. Not needing it for a few months just ain't gonna happen. Are there people that might only need it at certain times? I suppose there are. I would suggest they relate that to their physician as there may be alternatives to Adderall if it is not necessary so often, but it is not a common occurrence in my experience and indicative of criminal behavior. As with any act that is consistent with a criminal act, it is not 100% certain that the person is engaged in an ongoing criminal enterprise, but the actions certainly lend one to believe that is a serious possibility.

And, of course, in this case the OP DID commit a crime, didn't they? It is the true motivation that seems to be a matter of speculation.
 

nathan.

Junior Member
Nope. Only that people can and do abuse these prescriptions like many others. And the manner in which the OP "forgot" to fill a prescription and then changed the date is consistent with those that do engage in funny business with their prescriptions.
Well, ok, I guess it's your job to be suspicious.

It also could be an impulsive thing.

That's why there is a black market ... the people that do NOT need it, want it.

I understand what Adderall is and what it is. I have a tiny bit of training and experience in this area. :cool:
I was kidding about the pink elephants.

Huh ... you're running out of your needed medication ... you see the doctor ... you get a new prescription but don't fill it.
That's like 4 steps. I know it's not an excuse. But in reality, ADHD - that's 4 steps! People with ADHD are really bad at constructively 'doing stuff'. (Like me - now I make lists, but I forgot to put on a list - remember how someone dropped a grinder one day and no-one looked for it properly - remember to look for it - sooner rather than later)

Most people I know that have Adderall take it daily or nearly so. Not needing it for a few months just ain't gonna happen. Are there people that might only need it at certain times? I suppose there are.
You're too suspicious. Adderall is not a medication that's a matter of life and death. I ended up only taking it on school days, and could go for months without it (until some adult made me take it). And I did that before discussing it with a dr so there was this giant lag where I had way more than I needed (because my mom remembered to fill the prescriptions - not cos I did!). And in addition to cutting it down to school days, there were all the other days of: "did you take your pill?" "...yeeees ma'am" "how come we're sitting outside the principal's office?" "dunno mom that's weird". Yeah, I had the stuff stacked everywhere. You probably would've called me a dealer if you'd looked in my room.

And it's not about "maybe you don't need it so much". It's not a "needing" it thing. It's an I'd like to eat and sleep properly thing (personally I hate Adderall - well, they're all irritating). I'm pretty sure no-one in history ever took Adderall and went to an all you can eat buffet. And I like food (more than listening to teachers).
 
Last edited:

xylene

Senior Member
If the OP had been taking the proper dosage as required, and if needed, then the prescription would not have run out as it would have been issued at about the time of need. This scenario lends itself to a very typical abuse scenario that may involve the sales of the substance as well. I have found that ADHD patients might stop taking the meds as they don't need it, and then start selling it to friends and family. Because they can often get refills or new prescriptions with nary more than a phone call, it can be a very lucrative supply chain that can last for years.
There is no way to read your above paragraph except for the very clear statement that those with controlled substance prescriptions are going to engage in diversion should their medication needs change.

And that once they start diverting they will be so wrapped up in it they will engage in fraud and drug crimes, added and abetted by negligent doctors.

For good measure you throw in the notion that these medications are not really needed or effective.

I am quite sure the OP is not on the up and up, just based on her story. Even if her motives were innocent, that does not matter really to the law.

But the perception you are advancing are only hurting those who need treatment; adding financial and social costs to a serious mental illness.

You attitude is typical of the police and DEA. Hence my comment that people sharing your view won't be satisfied until users of control substance prescriptions are 100% regulated, with even more egregious costs & substantial abrogations of civil rights. And yet even will that, the rate of abuse and diversion will not be meaningfully impacted and the broad drug trends will continue - as it has despite all the FDA & DEA regulations along with increasingly draconian Fed and State law.
 

CdwJava

Senior Member
There is no way to read your above paragraph except for the very clear statement that those with controlled substance prescriptions are going to engage in diversion should their medication needs change.
Sorry you read it that way, because that is not what it says. The behavior is consistent with criminal behavior associated with such activity. That is hardly a statement that people will engage in the behavior or that many or even most do.

I suspect you have an axe to grind in this area for some reason as you seem to be unable to view what I had to say objectively.

For good measure you throw in the notion that these medications are not really needed or effective.
Where did I write that? Hmmm ... oh yeah, I didn't.

But the perception you are advancing are only hurting those who need treatment; adding financial and social costs to a serious mental illness.
The "perception" I have added is that people do abuse these prescriptions, and Adderal and Ritalin have become somewhat popular commodities in the illicit marketplace. Sorry if you read more into it then was intended or explicitly stated.

You attitude is typical of the police and DEA. Hence my comment that people sharing your view won't be satisfied until users of control substance prescriptions are 100% regulated, with even more egregious costs & substantial abrogations of civil rights.
Ah, poppy****!

You continue to imply motives or imagine statements that I never made. Nor is this "typical" of the DEA or any police officers that I am aware of.

My "view" is that some people abuse their prescriptions and sell them for profit. Hmmm ... oh yeah, some people do that with most any prescriptions - narcos, benzoids, psych meds, uppers, downers, etc. If that is a view that you feel is wrong, please show me how it is false.
 

Find the Right Lawyer for Your Legal Issue!

Fast, Free, and Confidential
data-ad-format="auto">
Top