Dodgy Doctor

LegacyUser

I recently moved to a new area and after couple of weeks, I got sick. It was a lung infection type of thing so went looking for a doctor in my area. I went to my local pharmacy and got a list of all the doctors surgeries in the area.

After checking out a few, I settled on one which seemed like a nice family practice.

Long story short, it was a nice clean surgery, the doctor examined me and confirmed it was a lung infection... He said I looked a bit down to which I replied that I had been feeling sick for about 4 or 5 days and was having trouble sleeping as I couldn't really breath properly etc etc.

So he says he is going to prescribe me antibiotics for the lung infection and also anti depressants and sleeping tablets.

I said that I only needed the antibiotics as I was not feeling depressed or anything, just run down and sick but he insisted that it was standard practice to prescribe sedatives & anti depressants for lung infections....

I asked him how much the prescriptions would come to roughly (didn't want to get to the pharmacy with not enough money & I don't have a medical card)

Now this is where I was shocked and confused! He said it would be expensive enough but not to worry! So he went to his computer, searched for a minute, then printed out the prescription in another girls name (someone attending his clinic who has a medical card) and hey presto I didn't have to pay for it....

I have not idea why he did this, its not like I was bemoaning not having enough money for the prescription, I was just wondering how much I would have to take out of the atm before going to the pharmacy!

I went to the pharmacy and only collected the antibiotics as I still have no idea why he gave me sedatives & antidepressants to begin with! Either way the antibiotics did the job and I'm feeling much better!

Sorry I know I have ranted a bit but even 2 weeks later I still feel creeped out by it all, the anti depressants, the sedatives and the doctor giving me the prescription in some other girls name.... Anyone out there ever have a similar experience? Should I report him and if so to whom?

Many thanks!

mike65

Report the incident with details (do you have any documentary evidence?)
to the Irish Medical Council.

http://www.medicalcouncil.ie/professional/complaint.asp

Mike.

Caliden

maybe he was just being nice and welcoming you to the community?
Such people do exist!

PeakOutput

sounded a little dodgy until you said he gave you the prescription in the wrong name that puts it over the top imo

it has to be some sort of scam him and the pharmacy have set up he probably knows that prescribing anti-depressants to someone who dosnt want them they wont take them but the pharmacy still gets the money

maybe i just have a suspicious mind but if it is not your name on the bottle of medicine then as far as i know it is illegal for you to have it so even though nothing will happen he has put you in a bad position un knowingly i would defo report this

Cancer-chick

Completely and utterly illegal not to mention against medical code of ethics..

I would say you have a duty to report this guy. You got the meds you needed in the end but if he is prepared to leave himself wide open like this then my worry would be what else he is up to..

spurious

That's very strange.
Did you not have to show 'your' Drugs card (in the other person's name) at the pharmacy?
Did you sign? In what name?

The_Conductor

There were newspaper reports recently about doctors in some areas prescribing sedatives and anti-depresants like smarties. The implication in the article was that doctors surgeries in what would be considered working class areas are far more likely to have a disproportionately large percentage of their patients prescribed (particularly anti-depresants).

Re: a prescription in someone elses name- if you have documentary proof of this, it would most probably be sufficient to get the doctor hauled up before the IMC's ethics committee, if not worse. You obviously have the prescription he/she gave you- keep it, and forward it along with details to the Irish Medical Coucil. You'll find their details here

Shane

Victor

You might also consider talking to the HSE and / or the garda.

WindSock

unreg111 wrote:

I went to the pharmacy and only collected the antibiotics as I still have no idea why he gave me sedatives & antidepressants to begin with! Either way the antibiotics did the job and I'm feeling much better!

Did you still buy the pills in the other girls name? Why didn't you say to the doctor at the time that you had a problem with this?

LegacyUser

'the worst kind of doctor - a drug pusher.... Make a complaint.'

Miss Fluff

Victor wrote:

You might also consider talking to the HSE and / or the garda.

I wouldn't bother with either. Go straight to the IMC http://www.medicalcouncil.ie/ who will deal with the complaint in an appropriate fashion. HSE or Gardai complete waste of time.

angeldelight

PeakOutput wrote:

it has to be some sort of scam him and the pharmacy have set up he probably knows that prescribing anti-depressants to someone who dosnt want them they wont take them but the pharmacy still gets the money

Just as an aside, the pharmacy only gets money for items they've actually dispensed, lots of people don't finish scripts or lose them etc and pharmacy doesn't get paid.. only for what they actually give out.

maybe i just have a suspicious mind but if it is not your name on the bottle of medicine then as far as i know it is illegal for you to have it

That bit's not true don't get stressed, you won't be in trouble!

It is a bit weird that you didn't have to sign for anything though, there's normally a form that people on GMS have to sign everytime they pick something up

marathonic

i'd agree with Caliden... he may have just been trying to be nice.. i doubt there was anything dodgy about it (apart from the whole making the government pay for them instead of you).. these tablets may be quite expensive too so I would just appreciate his gesture and not bother reporting him --- I'm not a doctor by the way

N8

marathonic wrote:

i'd agree with Caliden... he may have just been trying to be nice.. i doubt there was anything dodgy about it (apart from the whole making the government pay for them instead of you).. these tablets may be quite expensive too so I would just appreciate his gesture and not bother reporting him --- I'm not a doctor by the way

Sorry but these are prescriptive drugs for a reason, they have nasty side effects (which may include suicide), they are generally addictive and as you point out, are at our expense, i.e. trial it for free (on someone else's medical card...) if it was cocaine there would be no question this would be described as drug pushing.

URL http://www.pritchettcartoons.com/cartoons/pusher.gif

Contact The Medical Council. Contact the principle in the practice because if he is game to 'push' to you what is he doing with the local community under the guise of health care from that practice?

dirtyirishhooer

I'm not sure about prescribing anti-depressants willy-nilly, that seems a bit irresponsible. Probably something to do with Pfizer bringing him and his buddies golfing.

Anyway, that's not the issue. Don't shop the guy for being nice for ****'s sake.

These mundane ****ers, with their boring lives and their cookie cutter ideas don't have a clue. They're the neighbours who call when the music's too loud. The snuffling little peons that mumble under their breath when someone skips the queue. Well groomed citizens who bought into the "keep your head down and play fair" bull****. I'd say don't listen to them or me. Do whatever you think is right.

N8

dirtyirishhooer wrote:

I'm not sure about prescribing anti-depressants willy-nilly, that seems a bit irresponsible. Probably something to do with Pfizer bringing him and his buddies golfing.

Anyway, that's not the issue. Don't shop the guy for being nice for ****'s sake.

These mundane ****ers, with their boring lives and their cookie cutter ideas don't have a clue. They're the neighbours who call when the music's too loud. The snuffling little peons that mumble under their breath when someone skips the queue. Well groomed citizens who bought into the "keep your head down and play fair" bull****. I'd say don't listen to them or me. Do whatever you think is right.

Well groomed I am not, cookie cutters I don't have and I love AC/DC. What I also am is part and parcel of the health care system and what has happened here is very much frowned upon given the addiction rate and side effects of anti depressents including their part in an increasing rate of suicide in this country. Personally I would contact the principal by letter (they deserve to know) and drop a line to the Irish Medical News (www.imn.ie).

BTW dirtyirishhooer I liked the analogy of the big drug dealer Pfizer taking the GPs to golf to discuss pushing tactics...;)

qwertyphobia

In one vist to this doctor he broke medicial ethics and good practise put a patient at risk, was involved in fraud. This guy is a danger to patients and a criminal. Certainly report him to the medicial counsell.


But personaly after the way they handled the case in the Lourdes hospital I would also report it to that garda and the HSE as well

Esel

N8 wrote:

Sorry but these are prescriptive drugs for a reason, they have nasty side effects (which may include suicide), they are generally addictive and as you point out, are at our expense, i.e. trial it for free (on someone else's medical card...) if it was cocaine there would be no question this would be described as drug pushing.

URL http://www.pritchettcartoons.com/cartoons/pusher.gif

Contact The Medical Council. Contact the principle in the practice because if he is game to 'push' to you what is he doing with the local community under the guise of health care from that practice?

Almost all drugs have side effects. Which nasty ones are you referring to here?

Can you cite scientific proof for your statement that anti-depressants are 'generally addictive'?

Your implication that the doctor is 'pushing' drugs would be laughable if it wasn't so serious.

All we have to go on here is what the OP said. It is eminently probable that the doctor had very valid reasons for prescribing an anti-depressant to this person, based on how the patient presented and the information the doctor gleaned during the consultation.

RainyDay

esel wrote:

It is eminently probable that the doctor had very valid reasons for prescribing an anti-depressant to this person, based on how the patient presented and the information the doctor gleaned during the consultation.

Do you reckon it is eminently probable that the doc had very valid reasons for issuing a prescription in someone else's name?

Rev Hellfire

Sounds to me like the doctor was trying to keep the cost down for you.
As for if you needed the additional drugs or not only a doctor can say, certainly no one here should be advising you on that matter.

It seems odd to me that you didn't notice the name on the prescription before you went to the pharmacy or even when in the pharmacy.

If you had cause for concern at that stage you should have returned to the doctor and asked if there was a mistake. And if you had concerns about additional drugs prescribed you should also have queried those before accepting them, you have a responsibility to know what you are accepting and why.

If there was intend intent to defraud, I'm afraid from where I'm looking its appears that you are also guilty your willingness to accept and use a prescription in another’s name makes you also complicit within the fraud.

eviecarwash

OP,
The same thing happened to my sister a couple of weeks ago. She had a chest infection and went to the local doctor. He said she seemed down and prescribed her sleeping pills and anti depressants too.. She's only 22 for God's sake..Very irresponsible and shocking to be honest. I mean of course she was feeling down - chest infections do that to you! He didn't even examine her.. I'm disgusted by the whole thing:mad:

Moojuice

No question, report him. Also you dont have to take what he presecribes or even listen to the guy. I cannot believe that people think there may be legitimacy to his actions. The guy is clearly unfit to be a doctor (based on the OP's post) Dont do the typically Irish thing and keep the head down and say nothing. Make the complaint. If he is innocent or everything is above board then he has nothing to worry about.

PeakOutput

eviecarwash wrote:

OP,
The same thing happened to my sister a couple of weeks ago. She had a chest infection and went to the local doctor. He said she seemed down and prescribed her sleeping pills and anti depressants too.. She's only 22 for God's sake..Very irresponsible and shocking to be honest. I mean of course she was feeling down - chest infections do that to you! He didn't even examine her.. I'm disgusted by the whole thing:mad:

the issue is not what he was prescribed its the way he prescribed them.......ie in someone elses name

the fact that another doctor prescribed the same thing to your sis for what seems to be the same reason kinda reinforces that he was not advised to take the wrong drugs just something dodgy going on between the doc and the pharmacy

N8

PeakOutput wrote:

the issue is not what he was prescribed its the way he prescribed them.......ie in someone elses name

the fact that another doctor prescribed the same thing to your sis for what seems to be the same reason kinda reinforces that he was not advised to take the wrong drugs just something dodgy going on between the doc and the pharmacy

eh perhaps it reinforces the idea of drug pushing following a complementary round of golf?

The issue is what he 'pushed' and the fact we are paying for it. Anti depressants are addictive drugs, most with serious side effects.

Are we the tax payer willing to subsidise this illicit, immoral and unethical drug pushing whilst monies are needed for more important and desperately required services and medications in this country??

esel wrote:

Almost all drugs have side effects. Which nasty ones are you referring to here?

Suicide

esel wrote:

Can you cite scientific proof for your statement that anti-depressants are 'generally addictive'?

Google it lazy bones – they induce a chemical feel good factor – they are addictive mentally and physically. Remember Seroxat?

OP report him to his principal at least, and consider the medical council, this is all too common.

PeakOutput

N8 wrote:

eh perhaps it reinforces the idea of drug pushing following a complementary round of golf?

The issue is what he 'pushed' and the fact we are paying for it. Anti depressants are addictive drugs, most with serious side effects.

Are we the tax payer willing to subsidise this illicit, immoral and unethical drug pushing whilst monies are needed for more important and desperately required services and medications in this country??



Suicide



Google it lazy bones – they induce a chemical feel good factor – they are addictive mentally and physically. Remember Seroxat?

OP report him to his principal at least, and consider the medical council, this is all too common.

id love to see your medical qualifications that back up your over reactionary opinion on what should and should not be prescribed to certain people.

only thing i agree with you on is that he should be reported to the medical council as he appears to have some sort of scam going on

Esel

N8 wrote:

Suicide

Google it lazy bones – they induce a chemical feel good factor – they are addictive mentally and physically. Remember Seroxat?

Google it? I am quietly confident that I am somewhat more knowledgeable than you in relation to anti-depressants. Let us leave it at that.

JC 2K3

eviecarwash wrote:

OP,
The same thing happened to my sister a couple of weeks ago. She had a chest infection and went to the local doctor. He said she seemed down and prescribed her sleeping pills and anti depressants too.. She's only 22 for God's sake..Very irresponsible and shocking to be honest. I mean of course she was feeling down - chest infections do that to you! He didn't even examine her.. I'm disgusted by the whole thing:mad:

1. What medical knowledge do you have that gives you the authority to say anti-depressants and sleeping pills are unsuitable for a 22 year old?
2. She was feeling down due to a chest infection, hence the prescription of anti-depressants and sleeping pills - what's the problem?

OP, the doctor prescribed what he thought was right for you and being nice got them free for you. There's no harm in taking the anti-depressants or sleeping pills despite all the scaremongering associated with them. You're not going to become dependant on them after one box of them. If you really don't feel you need them then don't take them. If you do take them and experience side effects then stop taking them.

PeakOutput

JC 2K3 wrote:

1. What medical knowledge do you have that gives you the authority to say anti-depressants and sleeping pills are unsuitable for a 22 year old?
2. She was feeling down due to a chest infection, hence the prescription of anti-depressants and sleeping pills - what's the problem?

OP, the doctor prescribed what he thought was right for you and being nice got them free for you. There's no harm in taking the anti-depressants or sleeping pills despite all the scaremongering associated with them. You're not going to become dependant on them after one box of them. If you really don't feel you need them then don't take them. If you do take them and experience side effects then stop taking them.

i agree with parts one and 2 in general as i tend to trust the doctor over anyone else but he was not "being nice" getting them for free it is a blatant scam for the pharmacy and him to make extra cash from the government scheme

JC 2K3

Whatever his motives, she still gets her medicine for free. Now perhaps I'm a bad person, but if I was in that situation I'd take advantage of it and keep quiet. Medicine is expensive....

Miguel_Sanchez

Just read this thread and I have to say it seems crazy to me that a doctor would think anti-depressants would be warranted because of a chest infection? And to say that this is normal practice?

How bad was this chest infection that it led to depression? There is a normal level of depression that is healthy when someone is sick or is getting over a bereavement or relationship ending. It's natural and it is something that people get over themselves. This idea that all depression needs to be treated with medication is extremely worrying to me.

If someone's feeling a bit down because they have a chest infection then cure the chest infection and they'll get over the depression. There is NO NEED to get them on Seroxat or Cipramil or the like. For ****'s sake.

Also to those who are saying that anti-depressants aren't addictive - they're ****ing hard to come off. I've lived with someone who was trying to come off Seroxat and it was worse, much worse than someone giving up cigarettes.

Anyway the guy sounds not only dodgy but also slightly inept. Report him.

kmick

Miss Fluff wrote:

I wouldn't bother with either. Go straight to the IMC http://www.medicalcouncil.ie/ who will deal with the complaint in an appropriate fashion. HSE or Gardai complete waste of time.

This is wrong. Do go to the Gardai. False prescription is a very serious offence. He will be finished.

Elphaba

boreds wrote:

Did you still buy the pills in the other girls name? Why didn't you say to the doctor at the time that you had a problem with this?

Exactly what I was thinkin. Did you just take the prescriotion without questioning it and then go an buy drugs in someone elses's name??

Jumpy

esel wrote:

Google it? I am quietly confident that I am somewhat more knowledgeable than you in relation to anti-depressants. Let us leave it at that.

Well 'that' doesnt get left unless you clarify a fair bit there.
If you are a GP then I reserve the right to laugh at your claim that you are 'knowledgable' in regards to SSRIs. If you have had direct experience with actually taking them, then your opinion matters.
The damage they do to a person who doesnt actually need them is phenomenal.

JC 2K3

Someone's only going to get addicted if they have a constant supply of them and what is this "phenomenal damage" of which you speak?

Look, I know that there are issues with anti-depressants. But I really don't think doctors would still prescribe them if they were so dangerous. And I don't see the problem with a short course of anti-depressants if someone is feeling down for whatever reason. Perhaps the antibiotics he prescibed have depressant properties and the anti-depressants were prescibed to counter this.

Jumpy

JC 2K3 wrote:

Someone's only going to get addicted if they have a constant supply of them and what is this "phenomenal damage" of which you speak?

Look, I know that there are issues with anti-depressants. But I really don't think doctors would still prescribe them if they were so dangerous. And I don't see the problem with a short course of anti-depressants if someone is feeling down for whatever reason. Perhaps the antibiotics he prescibed have depressant properties and the anti-depressants were prescibed to counter this.

Oh christ.

They ARE dangerous. Anti-depressants are not a depression cure. They hide the effects. There is no such thing as a short course, if you dont require them for medical depression you dont require them at all.
EVERYONE gets depressed. Its part of being human, how you deal with its cause is the important thing.
Anti-Depressants are not for someone feeling upset or suicidal, counselling is.


"So far, the tools used to manipulate serotonin in the brain are more like machetes than they are like scapels--crudely effective, but capable of doing plenty of collateral damage."
Time magazine 9/29/97

boffin

Jumpy wrote:

Anti-depressants are not a depression cure. They hide the effects. There is no such thing as a short course....Anti-Depressants are not for someone feeling upset or suicidal, counselling is.

Depression is usually treated with medication and councelling - but medication can aid in reliving the symptoms in order for the person to take part in counselling. The reason medication may be given is that if depression is left untreated it can get to a stage where the person is unable to deal with everyday situations and unable to take part effectively in counselling. If someone is very depressed then medication can help to relieve some of the symptoms to allow the person to actively participate in councelling.

I do not agree with this situation where it would appear that the medication was given without a full assessment but to suggest that medication should never be used is incorrect imo.

LegacyUser

Thanks to everyone who has replied! I am kinda relieved by the replies recieved as at least I know its not just me being odd by thinking the whole thing was dodgy. The way the doctor treated the whole thing was as if it was just normal and perfectly acceptable to print prescriptions in someone elses name...

As for some peoples suggestions that anti depressants & sleeping pills were warranted, all I can say is, this was my first visit to this doctor, he did not enquire as to my general state of mind, just that I was looking down, to which I reassured him it was due to being sick as I have already stated. I am only 23, have no history of depression or anything like that and since taking the antibiotics I have felt much better. This clearly would indicate (as far as I'm concerned anyway) that the sleeping tablets and antidepressants were completely unwarranted.

As for the prescription being printed in someone elses name, I was not asked to sign anything in the pharmacy at all, and yes, even though I knew the prescription was in someone elses name I still collected the antibiotics, tbh at that stage I just wanted to go home to bed.

I honestly still don't know at the moment if I'll report him or not, the replies seem to be fairly split on the subject.

Elphaba

unreg111 wrote:

I honestly still don't know at the moment if I'll report him or not

Wouldnt you want it reported if somebody was claiming anything in your name?

JC 2K3

Jumpy wrote:

Oh christ.

They ARE dangerous. Anti-depressants are not a depression cure. They hide the effects. There is no such thing as a short course, if you dont require them for medical depression you dont require them at all.
EVERYONE gets depressed. Its part of being human, how you deal with its cause is the important thing.
Anti-Depressants are not for someone feeling upset or suicidal, counselling is.


"So far, the tools used to manipulate serotonin in the brain are more like machetes than they are like scapels--crudely effective, but capable of doing plenty of collateral damage."
Time magazine 9/29/97

Why are they commonly prescribed if they are so ineffective and detremental to one's mental health?

I honestly don't believe that there is a big conspiracy going on and doctors are all in on it.

And 1997 is 10 years ago, surely there have been advances in anti-depressant medication since then.

The OP also never actually specified that they were SSRIs. Not saying they aren't, but SSRIs aren't the only type of anti-depressants.

dudara

Right, I want people to stop posting their opinion on anti-depressants right now. If anyone continues to do so, they will be banned for a month.

This is not a medical forum. We are not qualified to offer opinions on this subject. If you have any doubts, please read the charter.

The fact that he wrote you a prescription in someone else's name is serious. You know what you should do.

dudara

Jumpy

Ah bugger. I didnt even notice I was doing it to be honest. That topic gets me riled up.