How can you tell if someone is diverting drugs?
Table of Contents
- 1 How can you tell if someone is diverting drugs?
- 2 What happens if a nurse is caught stealing narcotics?
- 3 How do nurses divert narcotics?
- 4 How do you tell if a nurse is stealing drugs?
- 5 What should I do if my controlled substance prescription is stolen?
- 6 How can I prevent pharmacy emplyees from stealing my meds?
How can you tell if someone is diverting drugs?
Medication diversion is all too common and can be difficult to spot, but look for these signs:
- Strange stories. Be wary of new patients with stories that don’t seem quite right.
- Reluctance to cooperate.
- Unusually high (or low) understanding of medications.
- Strange symptoms.
- Specific drug requests.
What happens if a nurse is caught stealing narcotics?
As if losing your job and facing losing your RN license were not enough, the DEA or DA may press criminal charges against you for felony diversion of medication. That’s right, stealing medication is a felony and if the DEA or DA can prove you diverted, they will issue a warrant or arrest you.
How do nurses divert narcotics?
Nurses may divert drugs by using false documentation, such as a medication doses not actually administered to the patient and instead used by the nurse. Theft of diverted controlled substances can occur from a medication dispensary, narcotic cabinet, or pharmacy.
Which potential behaviors are associated with diverting medications?
Behaviors
- Wasting complete doses, wasting no doses, or heavy drug wasting.
- Failure to document waste.
- Frequently wasting drugs that never reach the patient (dropped medications, patient refusal, discontinued orders)
- Repeatedly wasting with the same person as a witness (called a “waste buddy”)
Can nurses steal meds?
The drugs are often due to a habit, or they may find their way onto the black market. Most often, nursing home employees steal prescription drugs from the people supposedly in their care. These steps are motivated by addiction or by an intent to sell the pills for profit.
How do you tell if a nurse is stealing drugs?
Signs that a Nurse is Stealing Drugs
- Volunteering for overtime.
- Coming to work on days off.
- Missing or broken vials.
- Medication and charting errors.
- Discrepancies in narcotic and/or patient records.
- Failure to document wastage.
- Paying extra attention to patients receiving opioids.
What should I do if my controlled substance prescription is stolen?
If your controlled substance prescription is stolen, file a police report. Discuss the situation with your doctor and provide the police report if necessary. They may be able/willing to write a ‘replacement’ prescription for you.
How can I prevent pharmacy emplyees from stealing my meds?
Pharmacy emplyees sometimes steal drugs, so count them before leaving the pharmacy or have the person helping you count them. 1 If you get your meds by mail, consider a locking mailbox. Consider a drug safe. They’re available online and in drug stores and many are small enough to conceal in a drawer or cabinet.
What should I do if my clonazepam prescription is stolen?
The most important thing to do if your controlled substance prescription (e.g. clonazepam in this case) is stolen is to file a police report. It is extremely important to have this documented and retain a copy of the report. It stands to reason that if your prescription was stolen, you will need a replacement fill from your pharmacy.
What to do if you find illegal drug sales on the Internet?
Report Suspected Unlawful Sales of Pharmaceutical Drugs on the Internet Report illegal sales/distribution of prescription drugs (i.e., oxycodone, hydrocodone, etc.); doctors and pharmacies Report an incident with Synthetic Drugs (i.e., Green Giant, Joker, N-Bomb, Flakka, etc.)