As I am sitting here reading my Sunday paper my blood is beginning to boil and I'm trying to make a plan of what I should do. My state has a very high rate of overdoses this year already 31 since the beginning of 2014 and most have had something to do with fentanyl-laced heroin. I had no idea that fentanyl was so powerful it is 80 times stronger than morphine, I mean I knew it was a powerful and strong but not like that.
When my daughter was actively using her pain management doctor prescribed her this drug, I have to remind you that this is during the time that I was a very stupid enabler, I believed all my daughter's pain stories because she had fractured her back and had 2 failed surgeries. I thought this doctor was helping my daughter, hell I even took her to her appointments, she was also on vicodin prescribed by the same doctor. I'll never forget the day I went to pick up her med's after one of her surgeries and the pharmacist pulled me aside and said "Pat I just want you to know that this is almost a lethal dose" and I said "oh but she needs it she just had surgery" he told me to hold the medication and be careful with it. Fast forward about another year, and my daughter get's pregnant, she's still on the fentanyl and the vicodin I asked the doctor what we should do, how do you get your patient's off these drugs and he looked at me and said "that's not my specialty" I was infuriated and I did have a few words for him. When she saw her OBGYN doctor he said the she was to far along and if she tried to stop now the fetus could go into distress, so we decided to tackle the addiction after my grandson was born. First my daughter wanted off the fentanyl patch, I knew it would be hard so I stayed with her for 2 weeks and watched her throw-up daily and just sweat and shake but she did it and hasn't used it since. However she continued to use her vicodin and Percocet for break-through pain. This is when I really started to see the problem she was always running short and she started using the emergency room too often. She was fighting with her fianc and had a few minor car accidents, it was all coming together for me and I realized my daughter was a drug addict even though she was being prescribed this "medicine" from her doctor's. During the first year of my grandson's life things got really bad she was constantly calling me asking me to come over and help with the baby or would I watch him so she could go the doctor's. During that year her fianc told her it's me or the pills she choose the pills, she lost her job, her car and sold all her jewelry she eventually ended up back home with me. I tried to set boundaries and she broke them and I felt bad because of my grandson but I did insist she go to rehab and she did in and out for almost a year.
I'm sorry this is so long and I'm rambling but I'm not sure what to do now because I am so mad. She has been opiate free for almost 2 years thanks to suboxine, she has been weaned down to a very small dose and should be off completely in a few months.
So here is my dilemma I would like to call the Dept. of Health and have them check up on this doctor, I also have the name of another doctor who just handed my daughter prescriptions without even knowing her, I got him to stop when I called his office 4 times and told him she was a drug addict and if he wrote her one more I would be making some phone call. The next time my daughter went to see him he told her he didn't think he could help her anymore. Where do I start with this or do I just let it be? I'm so mad at myself for being so stupid but I'm also mad because this drug is so easy to get and so may are dying. Please give me you advice, I'm really torn on this.
Thanks,
Pat