Telling your GP you take drugs recreationally - yes or no.

[《Plasticity》]

To answer the question, fuck no. When doctors find out your a user not only will you guarantee that you never get effective medications and be stigmatized but your diagnoses may be affected as well, doctors like to blame every negative on your drug use. I used to have asthma as a child before starting marijuana and yet my doctor insisted that MJ was the root cause of all my problems 8)

 

[Bman2]

what's fucked about this whole conversation is how insanely stupid the premise is - the fact that you have to actually worry about telling your doctors about past drug use, especially if the info. is relevant to your future health. Of course, I do agree, though, you should be very careful about what you tell to your doctor...but goddamn society, if doctors actually wanted to 'make a difference', none of this would ever, ever be an issue.

I think a lot of them want to make a difference, but their idea of what makes a difference is construed with some. If an ex-opiate addict truly needs a painkiller, they shouldn't be denied. Or at the very least, the doctor should really do his best to assess your pain level while keeping your past addiction in mind. Then make a decision on whether to actually give you anything. Nowa days, a lot of these doctors just black list you from certain meds altogethor when you tell them some of this stuff.

 

[legalizeall]

I don't see any valid reason why you should tell your regular doctor about potentially reckless drug abuse. In the US we have doctor patient confidentiality. The patient has the privilege of the physician abiding by professional ethics standards (AMA) mandating the physician keeping his patient's confidence, except in rare cases such as when compelled by the law or a court order; or, when the physician believes the patient poses a harm to himself or others with a reasonable probability. Additionally, a physician can disclose information in certain exceptions deemed justified because of predominant considerations.



thats not really true and quite vague when actually its really very specific in the U.S. when it comes to this topic. this is what a doctor sent me and told me i could post this anywhere i felt helpful. enjoy;

As a medical professional I know the rules regarding patient confidentiality (we have to take refresher courses every couple of years---no joke), and the consequences for breaking them are very serious (lose your license, get fired, etc..). There are only 5 situations when a doctor can disclose ANY information about your visit (besides to people directly involved in your care), and even then it is only the specific info they are required to report.

Only 5 situations
1) suspected child or elder abuse (spousal abuse laws vary state-to-state; fucked up I know)
2) gunshot or stabbing injuries
3) diagnoses of a reportable communicable disease (they only report non-identifiable info)
4) threatening to harm yourself or others
5) suspected intoxication + driving

Taking drugs would not fall under child abuse. For a report to be sent to child protective services there has to be well documented, suspicious findings in a child.

Going to a doctor and telling them about any type of illegal usage will NEVER get you in trouble, or find its way to the police. The system is specifically set up that way, because doctors need to full picture to safely and accurately treat you. Please do yourself a favor and be honest with them.

 

[Nicholai]

Hmmm. ^^ OP was from the UK, different system.

I think if you were in such bad shape that you needed emergent medical assistance(like when my kidneys shut down, hurray!), yes, tell them, but a doctor isn't going to be able to do jack shit for side-effects from MDMA aside from symptomatic treatment of things like anxiety, etc.

 

[omnipresenthuman]

^ (this is going to the post with the 5 situations listed) Even so, are you saying you wouldn't be at least blacklisted for telling your doctor about past drug use?

Like, let's say a person goes in and says they were on a certain scrip medication for 4-5 years without a prescription at all - they had just picked it up at open air drug markets. Are you telling me that the doctor is not going to blacklist that person? Regardless of getting in trouble with the law.

 

[legalizeall]

Not a chance. I have this little quirk where I always think I know better and don't trust anyone and need to be in control. So for better or worse I only tend to tell doctors what I want them to know to get them to do what I want. Not that I enjoy manipulating them, I just would rather screw myself over than have them do it for me.

exactly and my point of view as well. there job is to treat me the best they can with the information i give them.

 

[Cuzie]

^ Thanks for your posts.

 

[staytrippy]

There is such a thing as Physician-patient privilege and most healthcare providers do abide by it and respect your privacy (I work for various hospitals and abide by this concept myself). Now, if you're taking MDMA and your knee hurts, there's really no need to tell your doctor that. That more than likely has nothing to do with MDMA and is therefore none of his business. If you're having chest pain and constantly snorting cocaine, then I would definitely disclose that to him. But please don't think your doctor is going to turn around and call the police the second you step out of his office!

 

[treezy z]

if you want the best possible treatment tell him but be wary that, in the US at least, he'll probably avoid prescribing drugs that have nothing to do with your mdma use such as painkillers for injuries.

in a lot of doctors eyes there's no such thing as responsible drug use.

 

[HippieChick]

Um, hell no ... does valium (even generic) come in a yellow color? 2 mg?

 

[legalizeall]

In that whole irrelevant part that I cut out, you don't seem to mention specific examples of how the doctor ultimately compromises his patient's best interests. I'm under the impression a lot of junkies see this issue in junkie terms. Will I be able to get my junkie fix or not... That's fine and well. But don't substitute your junkie lenses for actual substantive input about how disclosures relate to whether a doctor will treat a broken leg, or monitor your pulse and blood pressure to make sure you're all right after overdosing on cocaine. Of course doctors have a duty to protect themselves too. Junkie-ness will incentivize them to make sure they don't facilitate FURTHER junkie-ness. That does not compromise a patient's best interests. If you're hurt and can't get pain meds, maybe that's all for the better. Sure you're in pain, but maybe getting pain pills REALLY is not in your best interest. The doctor doesn't operate on hypotheticals like you'll go out on the street and manage your pain with china white heroin. He deals with his duty to the patient in a medical setting.

If you're a veritable junkie, your opinion is useless on this thread. Anything you say operates on a general conflict of interest.

@snarky the d-bag. why are you a part of a drug website if you dont like junkies. your comments make you sound like a pretentious prick. like it or not there sparky, junkies make the world go round and there also the reason that you can drive your nice car that your parents bought for you to your dealers house to get your little monthly sac of whatever. they create the demand. your the type of dude i would love to smoke a big ol load of meth and make you disappear in my big ol cloud.

im assuming that you partake in some kind of drug use cause your on this site. if you think that your immune or that you cant become a "junkie" one day, you are very naive and clueless about drug addiction which is a very dangerous way to think

 

[Snarky91]

Alright, legalizeall I hear you. And you're right. Almost nobody wants to be an addict from the get go. So I'm sorry if I came across in a condescending manner. The only reason I pointed it out was because it obscured the discussion. I have a habit of getting a little bit personal when I'm arguing a point that I believe is true. I don't know why really. I try to keep a cool head but when I feel like the dialogue is being misled I get a little single-minded in trying to assure myself I'm not imagining things - and I also overreact. I could have made the same point without disparaging anyone who's going through strife. But where I was coming from is the same. I just feel like it's shady not to state your motivations for why you're so vehemently opposed to something; at the end of the day, people who worry about getting cut off from pills have a valid concern. I think it makes sense to give context to the situation though, or it's we're not on the same page. Like we're talking about different things, and there's a danger of confusion because of those who don't understand the subtext.

 

[RTrain]

I just want to throw in my 2 cents. I made the mistake of telling my primary care physician that I was addicted to oxycodone. I caved after 2 days of no sleep and saw him, he Rx'd Lorazepam, which helped a lot. I regret going to him though. It sucks how that is in my medical record with the doctor. Plus I rarely actually see the PCP, but usually one of his nurse practioners. I have seen 3 different ones since I started going to this doctor and I assume I will see more. It concerns me because I do not know what kind of opinion future NPs will place on me for the history of opiate dependence.

I would suggest anyone in the position where they need to see a physician regarding a drug addiction go to a clinic or urgent care center, one that is out of your doctors network, too. Then you can get something to help but not have to be labeled a drug user, which could affect your treatment down the line.

 

[zombiesarepeaceful]

I never tell a dr unless it pertains to why I'm there. If you're there for a drug overdose, yeah fucking tell them. If you're having a panic attack because you took too many drugs, yeah fucking tell them. It's in your best interest in those cases. But if your drug use doesn't pertain to the reason you're seeing the dr, then no I never tell them. It's none of their business

 

[legalizeall]

^ (this is going to the post with the 5 situations listed) Even so, are you saying you wouldn't be at least blacklisted for telling your doctor about past drug use?

Like, let's say a person goes in and says they were on a certain scrip medication for 4-5 years without a prescription at all - they had just picked it up at open air drug markets. Are you telling me that the doctor is not going to blacklist that person? Regardless of getting in trouble with the law.

i do agree with what you said. the main reason for that list is to let people know they can go to the doctor or ER safely without the worry of having the police called on them. but ya i believe if you tell your doctor about drug use esp if you abused them, then could do what you mentioned