tranquilizers

hi guys,

my sister is borderline and bi-polar, her doctor has been prescribing her benzos (that are meant to be used short-term) for years. she is an alcoholic and self-medicates with weed and other drugs, and is often suicidal. I want to contact her doctor however I am not legally allowed to do so.

I am wondering if anyone knows if there is ANY way to get a doctor to stop prescribing meds to an abuser.

Thanks

Hiya,
Sorry to hear your sister is in that postition, its not a good place for anyone involved. As you have said she has been prescribed benzos for years, stopping them completely could be potentially dangerous with serious withdrawal side effects.
Have you talked about any of this with her? Maybe she needs someone to tell her how bad things are, she most probably cant see it for herself right now and needs someone to reinforce the situation to her.

supressedemotions wrote:Hiya,
Sorry to hear your sister is in that postition, its not a good place for anyone involved. As you have said she has been prescribed benzos for years, stopping them completely could be potentially dangerous with serious withdrawal side effects.
Have you talked about any of this with her? Maybe she needs someone to tell her how bad things are, she most probably cant see it for herself right now and needs someone to reinforce the situation to her.

Thanks so much for the reply,

yes, she has been in and out of rehab. i know she would need to get off of the meds slowly, but her tolerance is very high. she has often taken a whole bottle of the strongest benzos with alcohol and drugs, and she hardly reacts. she is often without meds because she overtakes them. i feel like if she was not abusing drugs and alcohol, she may have better control over her life. she is fully aware of her condition, i have taken her to rehab, things just unravel once she's out. i think the biggest problem is she very much wants her life to end, so she has no desire to change her ways.

I want to contact her doctor however I am not legally allowed to do so.

Unless there is a court order forbidding you to call her doctor you can contact him. There may not be a release for him to be able to talk back to you, but you can always leave a message.

interesting, i will have to look into it. because we wrote letters and called, and they refused. maybe there is a loophole..

thanks

Maybe point out the direct danger she is to herself, i know here in NZ professionals will act on this regardless where the source of information came from.