It can be difficult to admit that you need help when you struggle with substance abuse issues. You may view your need for a particular compound as a sign of a personal failing and worry that it could affect your career or your parental rights.
However, chemical dependence develops because the human body is vulnerable to certain substances. Sometimes, you may become physically dependent on a medication. Other times, you may become mentally dependent as you fear what will happen to you without the medication.
Chemical dependence related to pain medication and similar drugs is often difficult for patients to overcome. People may feel embarrassed admitting that they need help and may blame themselves for a perceived lack of self-control. In reality, at least in some cases, substance abuse starts with a doctor who has improper prescription habits.
Doctors may give someone too much at once
One of these simplest ways for a doctor to set a patient up for chemical dependence on a pain medication is to write them a prescription for weeks’ worth of a drug and then provide minimal, if any, oversight.
A patient can quickly become dependent on that medication for their comfort and daily activities. When they have more than they need, they may take more than they require, increasing the severity of their dependence or the speed with which it develops. If a patient has more pills than they need, the potential for them abusing that medication increases.
They don’t help patients end their treatment
The only thing more dangerous than dispensing too much medication at once is the failure to help someone end their treatment. Tapering off a medication can help someone stave off the withdrawal symptoms associated with a sudden cessation of treatment. They can also integrate other pain management techniques to reduce how much pain they have on a daily basis.
When doctors hand out too many pills at once or simply stop someone’s prescription without addressing the underlying paint or dependents that may have developed, that doctor’s improper practices with narcotic medication may lead to allegations of medical malpractice.
Understanding when drug administration habits cross the line into medical malpractice could help you pursue justice from a doctor who sent you down a dangerous path.