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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffYour family doctor may be able to help you overcome a prescription drug abuse problem. However, if you have an addiction your family doctor may refer you to an addiction specialist or to a facility that specializes in helping people withdraw from drugs.
What you can do
- Make a list of all the medications you're taking, including the amount of medicine in each dose and how often you take each one
- Write down any symptoms you may be experiencing
- Write down key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes
Questions to ask your doctor may include:
- What are my treatment options?
- Should I see a specialist?
- How can we manage my other health conditions during treatment?
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor will perform a physical exam and may ask some of the following questions:
- How long have you had this problem?
- What, if anything, prompted it?
- How severe are your symptoms?
- Do you have a past history of drug abuse or addiction?
- Has anyone in your family had a history of drug abuse or addiction?
- Parran TV. Prescription drug abuse. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 11, 2010.
- NIDA InfoFacts: Prescription and over-the-counter medications. National Institute on Drug Abuse. http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/PainMed.html. Accessed May 11, 2010.
- Prescription drugs facts and figures. Office of National Drug Control Policy. http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/prescrptn_drgs/rx_ff.html. Accessed May 17, 2010.
- Prescription drug abuse chart. Office of National Drug Control Policy. http://www.drugabuse.gov/DrugPages/PrescripDrugsChart.html. Accessed May 11, 2010.
- Preventing and recognizing prescription drug abuse. National Institute on Drug Abuse. http://www.drugabuse.gov/researchreports/prescription/prescription6.html. Accessed May 11, 2010.
- McCabe SE, et al. Motives for nonmedical use of prescription opioids among high school seniors in the United States. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 2009;163:739.
- Prescription drug abuse. Nemours. http://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/drugs/prescription_drug_abuse.html. Accessed May 17, 2010.
- Youth risk behavior surveillance - United States, 2009. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/ss5905.pdf. Accessed June 8, 2010.
- Proper disposal of prescription drugs. Office of National Drug Control Policy. http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/pdf/prescrip_disposal.pdf. Accessed May 11, 2010.
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