What are some tell tale signs of someone who is abusing presciption meds?
- If the person you suspect has a prescription, check to see if they use the whole bottle before getting refill.
- Sometimes people will fake injuries or illness to get pain killers and other drugs. Pay attention to decide if they are faking it or not.
- Be suspicious if you observe strange behavior or unusual changes in their personality.
- Try to find out how many doctors they have.(A prescription drug abuser usually has several doctors to get different prescriptions.)
- Find out what drugs they are taking, and check on-line or ask a doctor or pharmacist if these drugs have a potential for abuse.
- Determine where the person stores their medication. Although people with narcotic prescriptions are encouraged to store them in a "safe" place. There is a difference between storing medication in a safe place and hiding medication as if stashing drugs. Prescription drug abusers will often go to great lengths to hide medications from everyone, so they are the only one who knows where to find it. Much like stashing marijuana from your parents when you were young, prescription drug abusers will hide medication because they view the medication as a drug, rather than treatment for illness. They will also hide the bottle so know one will be able to count the amount in the bottle, compared to how many should be in the bottle.
- Check the persons wallet. Most prescription medication is abused by the user snorting it. Examine their plastic cards(credit cards, licenses, student ID). Look for powdery residue on cards, and dents in the center of the card, which are formed from crushing pills.
