Mother in law gives my husband her pain pill perscription

This is really dangerous.

As in scary dangerous.

This **** needs to stop yesterday.

It's not just addiction and enabling. It's not just lying to you and going behind your back. It's also that his reaction time is probably shot to hell. How is he at work (does he operate heavy machinery at the mill?) when under the influence, or driving a car? If he is pulled over for driving under the influence or, heaven forbid, he gets into an accident, the cops will arrest him just like in an alcohol DUI. He will face the same potential loss of license and jail time for that, too. This doesn't even get into possibly hurting himself, or hurting or killing innocent drivers or pedestrians.

Plus prescription medication is carefully decided on by doctors. Dosage and frequency of usage are calculated. Patients are required to return for checkups before they can reup their prescriptions, or at least are required to call or log on if they want a new prescription after the number of refills has run out. Without these checks and balances, who knows what this is doing to his health?

Oh, and another thing. Vicodin is a Schedule III Controlled Substance. I urge you to read that article as it has good information on the behavior of addicts.

Plus distribution of this drug could be considered felony drug trafficking. I also urge you to read that article, which includes the following sentence:


Your mother in law and brother in law are probably breaking the law by handing over this drug to your husband.

This is no small thing. Your husband needs help. His mother and brother need to cut the crap and stop enabling his addiction.

If you have children, at best, they are growing up witnessing a bad example. At worst, they are seeing someone who has no thought for the morals, livelihood, feelings, or personal freedom of anyone else - all of which is the behavior of addicts.

You might want to read that article, too, while you're at it.

Unfortunately, you are in the middle of this. It has the potential to turn nasty and even abusive if you or anyone else shuts off the drug spigot. For your own personal safety, and that of any children you may have, I urge you to start investigating shelters or talking with your own parents or siblings or friends. The marriage does not absolutely have to end but you need to take care of yourself and get away from this madhouse before you are dragged down with everyone else.

Thank u for the links I will read them. His dad was a hypochondriac and his mother gave him anything and took him to every doct etc. and his brother has had a major pill problem for at least 15 years. I just came in the family 4 years ago. I don't know if I should think it is a huge problem with my husband yet since I only see him taking one a day (but yes he doesn't need to B taking them period) but I'm afraid of the future as long as his mother still feels the need to "take care" and dote on him bc his father isnt here anymore. I know she goes to the doct to get them and keeps enough in her system so they think she is taking them, Bc they test her. I'm hurt that I've been lied to from him and his mom. Ur mom is suppose to b the one to look out for u and do what's best for u. My husband is 37 yrs old!! It's not like we are 19 or 20. The problem is.. They have been around pills their whole life and think it's no big deal!!

What could possibly go wrong?

Put your foot down and stop this.

I disagree with the advise given so far. If he has been medicated for 5 years, is still on the standard dose or less, and you have not noticed that he has been medicated then I dont think that panic is appropriate.

The first thing you do is sit down with him, you tell him that you know, and then you calmly ask him what is going on. As for the next step that depends upon what he says and does not say.

EDIT:

Be sure to ask about this too, about what the risk level is.

This might sound insanely drastic but if talking to him isn't an effective intervention then going to the police or get a city or state social worker involved.

http://www.ehow.com/list_6876637_laws-sharing-prescription-drugs-friend.html

Your mother could get in trouble for insurance fraud (if insurance is used to pay for said pain pills).

Getting the authorities involved now might help bring leniency for your husband. As well as force the issue to get help or suffer the consequences if help is rejected.

Believe me, he's taking more than one a day.

Why doesn't have have his own prescription? Consider an alternative pain reliever, too. You and his Dr. need to get involved with this, Insist on a visit TOGETHER with is Dr. and let him know what's going on.

With his family history of enabling, you are being naïve thinking that this is a little problem of one pill per day.

PS Vicodin users get real nasty if they don't get their pills. Notice that?

Thank you I will do that
, he hasn't taken medication for all 5 years. The doct has told him if he has pain then they can do more surgery so they won't necessary give him pain pills month after month there for his mom gets them from her doct and gives to him, that is my main problem with all this . Then they hide it from me, so it's not like this is someone I can say don't go back around them, bc it's his mom and he is going to to do it. Even if he is honestly not wanting toget them anymore I know his mom will encourage it and will always ask him if he wants any or well u know I have them here if u need any (just encouraging it bc she has to feel needed) I've been told he is he one I need to deal with since its him taking them and who I live with but I feel like I need to have some words with her as well and let her know I know everything!!

His Doctor is well aware of the addiction of pain killers, it does not stop, it will not stop at 1 a day. He more than likely has another bottle stashed somewhere else, you've counted 10 pills in 1 week, so that is more than 1 a day.

After what happened to his Father, one would think that his Mother would not pass out any drugs, sounds as if she is the culprit in this, perhaps it stems from her parents who knows but you are suggesting also that his brother hands them out, that's one bottle hidden one not.

I don't think having a discussion with her is going to work, she's hell bent on giving drugs as a cure to everything and she is enabling it not just to your husband but her other son.

You could slip a note anonymously to her Doctor that she is not taking the drugs but handing them out, he/she hopefully can also contact surrounding Doctors with her name so that she can not get the prescriptions but then, you have to do the same with your Brother-in-laws name and then, there would I am sure be ramifications perhaps via the law.

You could scare the crap out of your Husband from research let alone what happened to his Father and ask him to take 4 weeks off work, go into rehab, he is the one that has to believe that it's wrong, dangerous and want to seek help.

You are in such a position I feel for you.

The hope is that he does not need more pain management, you never know, he could have taken them to make mom feel useful. You gotta talk to him like I said, with compassion, and hopefully you both come up with a workable plan. The plan might have in it you both talking to his mom together asking her to not give him anymore pills.

Are you in America? We have issues here with pain management, Washington tracks pain meds pretty closely and doctors sometimes get into major trouble if someone somewhere decides that they are writing "too many" pain med prescriptions. This started because too many doctors were over over treating. A saw a study about a year ago that says as a result some docs under prescribe out of fear. Something to keep in mind.

This from 2011


http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/18/giving-chronic-pain-a-medical-platform-of-its-own/?_r=0

Bottom line: Everyone seems to agree that the American System does very poorly dealing with pain management. Pacients in pain sometimes have great difficulty getting properly treated.