Patients in Drug Abuse/Addiction in the Hospital Setting

A memory of mine has been re-lived about one of my high school buddies who once was admitted to a hospital for a fractured right leg he sustained from motorcycle racing practice. In one of my visits to him in his room he mentioned about his one experience of getting high with valium, a regulated drug he was prescribed with for pain. He said he felt good, and on later days, pretended to be in pain and attempted to request the nurse to administer him the drug. Per pain evaluation by the nurse he was turned down and instead was given an analgesic tablet. He was later on downgraded by the doctor for “per orem” (mouth) pain medication instead of the injectable valium sensing drug-abuse or an eventual development of drug addiction during his hospital stay.





That memory popped in my mind when my Nursing classmate, Ms. Carmelie Albarece RN, who currently works in a hospital in the U.S. posted verses on her Facebook wall. Her extensive experience caring for patients in the hospital had her develop instinctive ways to identify patients who might be addicted or might be starting to abuse intravenous pain medications. I am re-posting the excerpts from her post with her permission. It read:

Facts about your "Pain"

1. When you tell me to wake you up at 2 in the morning for your Dilaudid...you are not in pain.

2. If you set your alarm every 3 hours, so you can't miss a minute of your pain med... you are not in pain.

3. When you are in your phone talking or texting and eating your Big Mac, when I ask for your pain level... your pain is not at 10.

4. If Percocet and Vicodin don't work for your pain, but you can say, “Dilala” 10 x faster... then you are not in pain.

5. If you can walk out AMA (Against Medical Advice) because you didn't get your Dilaudid and Phenergan.., you are not in pain.

6. If I have to shake you, snap my fingers or yell to wake you up for you pain meds... you are not in pain.

And oh! our vanilla ice cream doesn't come with whipped cream.

Drug abuse is said to be rampant in U.S. Hospitals with patients thinking otherwise because, they say, the meds are prescribed by their doctors. Well, the medical professionals work what’s ethically good for the patients. A nurse, being one of those professionals who do actual hands-on care with the patients day in, day out knows best.