-=+=-

"REFILL TOO SOON," GUYS. That means, in pharmacy lingo, your insurance will not pay for your prescription until the resubmit date. One late night at the pharmacy, which by the way is in the ghetto, a woman comes in to refill her son’s prescription. As I processed the prescription I explained to her that it is a REFILL TOO SOON and the insurance wouldn’t pay for the refill until tomorrow morning. She obviously wouldn’t accept that answer and went into a rant against me (a technician), the pharmacist working with me, and our drug store. As I recall it went something like this:

“My baby needs his medication! He is sick! He needs it NOW!!!!! You stupid white bitch you had better fill my prescription or im going to kick your ass! Her's too. That other bitch pharmacist! What you think yous better than me? I want it now! Ima get me suma that shit now and my momma gon' pay for it! Make it now! Get it ready, Bitch!”

I looked at her, looked at the pharmacist, and explained to the woman that if she would WAIT ONE MORE DAY [less than 18 hours, actually], the prescription wouldn’t have copay because this woman was on state assisted insurance.

I told her that the medication would be $45 and if she wanted it, she could pay for it, but that amount wouldn’t be refunded the next day. Her response, although not responsive to the information, went something like this:

“What you think I’m broke, bitch? I can’t pay for my babay's medicine? Fuck you ima just buy it ima just buy it you can’t tell me what to do, this my babay, THIS MY BABY AND HE NEEDS HIS MEDICINE NOW GET IT READY DUMB BITCH.”

You're not broke? Oh, okay. Then I guess you’re just one of those lazy folks who doesn’t work and just expects the government to pay for your prescriptions. I can safely assume you are probably on food stamps too? Welfare? You're yelling at me, and I am partially paying for your prescription by paying taxes? I have no choice but to have my tax dollars used to pay for “your babay's medicine,” and I have no choice but to abide by your every wish and want because 'the customer is always right,' right? So, I swallowed my insults, and I bottled my anger, and filled the prescription.

By this time, her mom (the "babay's" grandma) came to the counter and apologized profusely with the accurate explanation that woman was mentally retarded. MENTALLY RETARDED. And she has children? What the fuck. You can draw your own conclusions on that one. And by the way, after all that, she didn’t, or better yet, her mom didn’t buy the medication because she, having some sense about her, WANTED TO WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT DAY. By the way, the drug was for SEASONAL ALLERGIES. Not seizures, not juvenile diabetes, not horrible psoriasis, not dangerous asthma, not epi or glucagon. SEASONAL ALLERGIES. Couldn't wait 18 hours, and *I'm* the dumb bitch.

-=+=-

Do you want to submit a guest post [since I don't post nearly enough]? Type it up and email it to me via the same contact page. Also, let me know if you want your name/email address shared publicly, what POLL question you would like to accompany it (if any), and anything else you think is important. Guest Posts will be edited for grammar and spelling. I may also add emphasis, clarification, funny links, or other silly stuff [I might remove inappropriate stuff as well]. I will NOT alter the content/message of your post.

"Prescription for Cal Ripkin. Zpak. No Refills. This is Dr. Johnson."

Luckily, I knew who Dr. Johnson was because he did not say his first name. I could just hear it in his voice that Mr. Ripkin called him at home or through the exchange acting as if he would absolutely die without a ZPAK STAT! And, rather than tell Mr. Ripkin to stop being a pussy and take a nap and some Tylenol, he just called in the prescription. Is antibiotic begging becoming some sort of weird variation of drug seeking?

Mr. Ripkin called me moments later and arrived mere minutes later. He needed that fucking ZPAK...

As I'm ringing him out, he doesn't ask about cough medicine. He doesn't ask about Advil or Tylenol. He doesn't ask me any REAL questions at all. He does hold out his hand and show me his palm. He's got a giant blister -- looks like it was from fighting a push mower without gloves.

"Will this ZPAK help with this blister?"

"I don't think it will. It's not super-red. It's definitely not infected. I wouldn't have torn it open -- maybe you could cover it with some super glue or Nu-skin to keep it from hurting."

"Oh. I kinda thought.....well....okay...thanks...."

So, let's recap here. Patient calls doctor for antibiotic. Doctor doesn't ask why, what for, or any questions. (It's for a blister, by the fucking way) Patient doesn't tell doctor what it's for. (It's for a blister, by the fucking way) Pharmacist fills it, patient comes to pick it up and pharmacist discovers patient wanted it for a blister, BY THE FUCKING WAY.

What a waste of time, money, resources, and my patience. This is one of the biggest examples of problems within our healthcare system -- WASTE and MISUSE OF ANTIBIOTICS. Super bug, anyone? This is how we are going to create it....

From: pat <d********y@yahoo.com>
Subject: Pain Contrtact
Title: Technician

Message Body:
Dear Sir,
it is with deep shame, and not a little fear, that I compose this message. I'm a woman in her late thirties, and I'm a Pharmacy Tech. I also suffer agonizing migraines. I have a PCP that I see, weekly, and I receive Rxs for #14, 40mg. Oxycontin, and #42, 20mg. Roxicodone, for BT pain. My visits are always EIGHT days apart, NOT seven. But, no matter how many times I explain the numbers to my M.D., she won't up the Script #. Tonight, I found a several months old Rx for "Percocet", 5/325, literally in a cookie jar. I KNEW it was wrong, as I have an Iron-Clad contract w/ my doc, but I did it anyway. I went to a NEW Phramacy, paid cash, and got the script. I feel like even lower dirt, b/c the RPh was SO nice and understanding; I felt like a heel misleading him. I have a question for you, sir: will this Rx show up on my profile at my reg. Pharmacy, since I didn't use my usual insurance?  I asked my DAd, who is an RPH, and couldn't get a straight answer (he refuses to touch, or even discuss my meds). If my doc finds out, she'll kick me out of her practice-- and narcotic meds are the ONLY thing that make life bearable for me right now. I KNOW I should have thought of that BEFORE I did this, but, now, I need a truthful answer from someone I truly respect. Am I in horrible trouble? I am SO SCARED.
Thank You, PAt

Had a lady call me for a refill (on we'll say 3/19) on her (surprise) Norco 10/325 last week because she was (surprise) going out of town. It had been 9 days since we had refilled it. The prescription was for 50 tablets taken every 6 hours. I put it in as a 13 day supply. I told her that it would be "a few more days" before it could be filled. She, of course, did not agree with me. She tried to tell me that it was a 12-day supply and we, meaning my pharmacy, "always fill it three days early." Well, she's wrong...maybe two days early...on a 30 day supply...if the patient isn't a problem....

The fact that she argued with me about filling it early, about it being a 12 day supply versus a 13 day supply, and told me what MY pharmacy always does got me interested in her profile.

I booted up my trusted internet browser and navigated to my state's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, plugged in her information, and I was quite shocked at what I found.

Date                        Drug                                       Qty/Days    Prescriber   Filled by:
3-14         Hydrocodone/APAP 10/325     90/30          J. Smith          CVS
3-14         Alprazolam 1mg                               90/30          J. Smith          CVS
3-10        Hydrocodone/APAP 7.5/325    50/13          B. Jones          MY PCY
3-10        Alprazolam 0.5mg                           30/10         B. Jones          MY PCY

And this shit continued for the last 3 months or so. Let me share the most SHOCKING piece of information -- there was another column titled "Payee" which will say Medicaid, Commercial, or CASH. Usually, we would expect this to say CASH at one pharmacy and COMMERCIAL or MEDICAID at the other when we encounter doctor shoppers. In this instance, THEY ALL SAID COMMERCIAL!!!

This lady was doctor shopping using her insurance card...from her benefits at work! WOW! I can only assume the insurance company didn't catch it because the strengths had different NDC -- maybe even different manufacturers? Not sure....

I called and confirmed all of this with my friend Remy at CVS, and we each canceled all of her refills. I then printed all of this out and faxed it to the physicians involved (and every pharmacy in town). I heard back from both offices very quickly -- and they were pissed. They canceled the refills (of course) and each fired her as a patient.

When she called back the next day, it was precious. She said, "Well, will it go through today? It's been 10 days and it's a 12 day supply."   I said, "No, it's still a 13 day supply, and it has come to our attention that you have been getting the same drugs in different strengths at CVS."

"That's just not true!"
"Oh, yes it is. And this has been going on for several months now."
"Well.......(long, awkward pause)......how do I fix this? I'm not sure I know what's going on...."
"Well.......yesterday, I fixed it by faxing this information to both doctors and every pharmacy in town. The doctors then called me back and canceled all remaining refills and wanted me to let you know you were released as a patient. Now, what they are going to do? I don't know. For your sake, I would hope they don't call the police because it appears crimes have been committed here..."
"Eck..." [Really odd sound she made here. I'd say it was the sound of disbelief.]
"If you really and truly have no idea what's going on, you need to call and talk to CVS and both of these doctors immediately...." [I said this in a really shitass tone]
"Okay. Thank you very much!" [Being nice...praying *I* don't call the police]

Now, this young lady didn't say that -- it was a variant that can be equally suspicious, "How much does this cost? Cash Price. I no longer have insurance." The fact someone says this isn't always suspicious, but the fact she said it twice (and awkwardly at that) did set off my bullshit detector. She told me that she wasn't on file -- luckily she was -- and lookie there....A MEDICAID CARD! I, of course, didn't tell her that I had this information.

I ran it, and low and behold, it rejects. I call up Medicaid to inquire about doses, quantities and where. They tell me a Norco 7.5/325 #90 (30 day supply) filled at a nearby CVS about 14 days ago. [The Medicaid agent gave me the Fraud Line and urged me to call. She also said that the new Rx could be filled in NINE DAYS based on carryover days, etc.] The Vicodin prescription was written 4 days ago. I called CVS, verified Name, birthday, medicaid ID number, and made sure it was picked up. Now, we have a problem.

I wrote her Medicaid ID number right next to her name (very big). I also wrote a note explaining the entire situation on the face of the full page prescription. When she came back to pick up the prescription, we had the following exchange:

[The most unfortunate thing here is that while the following is occurring, there is a 4 or 5 year old little girl stumbling around in front of the pharmacy munching on a cherry Dum-Dum I had given her...unable to comprehend the gravity of what was going on in front of her...the mistakes her mother was making before her eyes.]

"We have a bit of a problem here. We had you on file, and we happen to have your Medicaid Card and ID number on file. As we ran this it came back that it was a refill too soon and duplicate therapy."
"I don't have any insurance or medicaid. I didn't fill anything at CVS..."
"Stop lying to me. I called Medicaid and they told me that #90 Norco 7.5/325 tablets were filled at CVS 14 days ago. I called CVS and verified this information. They also checked the signature logs and found your name signed to the electronic pad. Now, if you genuinely have no idea how this prescription got filled or what is going on here, I can pursue this matter further. However, if you are lying to me, of which I have ZERO reason to believe you are telling the truth, this will end very badly for you."
"No Sir. That won't be necessary."
"I was told by Medicaid that you can fill that in 9 days. I wrote that date on the prescription along with a little note in case you decided to try and take it anywhere else. I've also notified the area hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies through our area 'doctor shopping fax tree.' I also have no choice but to call the Medicaid Fraud Line and notify them of this. I hope these measures prevent you from making any more attempts to acquire controlled medications. Up to this point, you haven't been caught. In the future, you will get caught, and what you are doing is a felony, and it's fraud. Now, for your young daughter's sake, I would hope you turn over a new leaf."
"I will. I promise. You don't have to worry about me ever again. You don't have to call anyone about me. I'm sorry. Thank you. Have a nice day...." [And she scampered off as quickly as possible with her daughter in tow.]

For what it's worth, I did not call any hospitals, doctors, or clinics, and we don't have a "doctor shopping fax tree" (but now that I invented the idea of it, it sounds like a great idea!). I also have no yet called the Medicaid Fraud Line because I was on hold for more than an hour (I left it on speaker), so I gave up and hung up. I said all that stuff in an attempt to scare a 23 year old girl back onto the straight and narrow path. Maybe it was too harsh. Maybe I was wrong in doing all of that. What do YOU think?

The title of this post really says it all, amiright? If you've worked in service of customers/patients, in any field, some jackass has uttered (or hollered) these words in an outlandish attempt at getting their way by bartering all of their money for future services rendered in exchange for instant gratification in the form of (most likely) you compromising your better judgment.

Obviously, this has happened to me quite recently...and it pissed me off royally because I was the nice guy being lied to and this fat bitch was the fat bitch that altered her prescription and lied to a(nother) pharmacist.

She presented a prescription from a doctor for that read as follows:

Pt: Janice Sanveritas

Hydrocodone/APAP  5/500
Sig: 1-2 tabs po q4-6h prn pain.

Dr. Ima Schmuch, DDS

Now, most reasonable people can see that this prescription LACKS A QUANTITY. She brought this to me at, we'll say 1pm on Sunday. After I IMMEDIATELY pointed out that it lacked a quantity and would require a phone call the next day, she remarked that she thought that this was the case, but she convinced herself that the word "SIG" which was scribbled was in fact the word SIXTY. Of course, this would be ridiculous because it is very UNcommon for a dentist to write for SIXTY FUCKING VICODIN. So, we argued about this a bit and decided that she was mad at the dentist for not writing a quantity and not me, but she was pretty sure he told her sixty....considering this lady had been a problem in the past, I didn't care what she thought, I wasn't even gonna give her 1 or 2 for that night (which I might CONSIDER, for a second, if she was a consistent, good, nice, polite patient).

So, she left script in tow. She came back at about 3pm. Now, the script had a convenient #60 written in right beneath the Sig. The ink didn't match. The hand writing didn't match. The story made no sense. She told me the drove over to this dentist's office and caught him just as he was leaving and he apologize profusely as he wrote in that #60 in a different handwriting from 6 or 7 days prior. I called his office the first time she came in and of course, nobody answered. In fact, it went straight to voicemail as if no one were in the office. I left a message at that time, but I knew no one would get it until Monday. Luckily he was there, right?

I told her, right when she handed it to me that I was going to have to call and verify the quantity...and the drama and bullshit began. You all know how this went.

"I have to call and verify this."
"Why? He wrote the quantity in plain as day. You can see it right there."
"Yes, but you must understand why I have to verify this. It's Sunday afternoon. I've seen this script without a quantity and you bring it back and now it has a quantity written on it. If your dentist DID write this in, he should have called or at least initialed next to the quantity that he wrote it in a different colored ink. He knows better. He knows how things are these days with all those druggies out there."
"Ohh so now you're calling me a druggie?"
"I don't recall saying that specific phrase. Did I say that?"
"Well, you might as well. I'll tell you what I'm fucking sick of this place. Every time I have fucking problems because you're a fucking idiot. I'm NEVER COMING HERE AGAIN!"
"And that's completely fine with me. I just want you to at least accept that you know where I'm coming from. I have to verify that quantity on that script. You've had it for several days. What's 18 more hours? I can call in the morning before I even open."
"No, just give it back to me. I'm going somewhere else. This is ridiculous. I've been coming here for 10 years. [Note: this pharmacy has only been open for 4-5 years] I'm going somewhere else, and I'm transferring all my meds away, and I'm never coming here again. Someone else would be more than happy to accept my business."
"Okay...fine...good bye" [and good fucking riddance]

-=+=-

I wanted to say, "Do you really think, for one second, that I'm not going to call every pharmacy in town the SECOND you walk out of here and let them know that you are leaving here with a prescription that I believe to be altered?"    But, that would ruin all the fun of wasting her time! I WANTED her to take it to another pharmacy -- or several if possible -- only for her to be turned away for the EXACT same reasoning. I also wanted to write something on the prescription, but that would've also kept her from mustering up the gaul to take it elsewhere.

So, I took to calling all 8 pharmacies in my vicinity. Turns out this fat bitch was already BANNED from Wal-Mart, a Medicap, and a Medicine Shoppe.  Now, she can add one more pharmacy to that list for her bullshit.

The winner of the "where this bitch ended up" contest was CVS. I'd talked to their pharmacist Remy, and she politely called me back. She let her drop it off and return 30 minutes later. Remy told her that the quantity's ink did not match the rest of the prescription and that she had no choice but to call the next day and verify it. This bitch politely said, "Okay, thanks a lot!" and putted her ass right on out of there...after showing her ass real good right in front of my eyes!

Today rolls around and I head in there and first thing call that dentist's office and apprise them of the situation. I told them that I believe that she modified the prescription, but CVS currently possessed the hard copy and would be calling. I just wanted to tell them my side of the story. Their side of the story? He intended on giving her 20 tablets and was nowhere near the office on Sunday.

Cut ahead to Remy calling me later on...She verified the script was altered by someone, and the DDS intended on 20 tablets. However, he went ahead and AUTHORIZED TWENTY TABLETS TO BE FILLED! I could not fucking believe it. Remy couldn't believe it. Hell, the fucking patient probably couldn't believe. This was the only doctor in the fucking NATION that would approve that script. He is enabling her addiction -- no doubt about it. This fucking doctor is a problem. I am debating whether or not to call the Board of Pharmacy and the Board of Medicine. I'm not sure if there's grounds for any sort of investigation -- or if I would just end up looking like a tight ass, punk pharmacist...

What are your thoughts?

I recently got an email from someone giving out tips on how to ensure pharmacists have the best chance of busting the scam-artist. It all makes complete sense, but it may not be things that we would think of in the spur of the moment.

I've reposted the "scenarios" below with the permission of the author, but I have edited them somewhat to make them more clear/applicable. My thanks go out to the author -- Michelle.

-=+=-

Suggestion 1: Someone brings in a fake prescription. After they leave, you call the doctor and verify that this is a fake prescription. The office confirms that it is fraudulent, altered, or illegal for whatever reason and instruct you to not fill it and have the person arrested. So, you call the police, and they tell you to notify them when the person arrives and stall the scammer when they come in to pick it up. You wait until they show up. Here's a tip: tell your employees that when the customer walks into the store and announces their name, NOT TO STARE AT HIM LIKE HE HAS THE PLAGUE!! Your behavior gives you, and your intentions, away. Scammers will pick up on this -- noticing the attention and bolt.

Suggestion 2: The patient will call you to see if their prescription is ready. All fake scripts will be called on by the scammer first to "test the waters" depending on your (or your tech's) response here dictates whether they ever come in. DO NOT ASK "What exact time will you be here?"  RED FLAG. Under normal circumstances, you wouldn't care what exact time it was picked it up. If you ask, the person will know that the police will be there to meet them, and he/she won't show up. This will remove the gratification you so desperately need to see the person leave your pharmacy in handcuffs.

Suggestion 3: Don't tell them over the phone that they shouldn't use the drive-thru. Scammers know it is easier for you to arrest them in the store, so when you tell them"Uhhhh, just come in the store, something is wrong with our drive-thru," or "We need you to come in the store to sign something," they will know you are lying, and they won't show up. Another thing about this that will backfire is when they do show up and the supposedly broke drive-thru is full of customers.

Suggestion 4: For the purpose of this suggestion, we'll call our prescription forger Sally Smith." If you work in a big chain, you have lots of customers. They know this -- that's why they frequent the busiest stores. You cannot possibly know all your patients by name immediately. So, let says Sally Smith walks into your Walgreens at 11:00am with a fake prescription for Xanax. She gives it to you and leaves. You call and verify that it is indeed a fake prescription. You alert all of your employees that when Sally Smith comes back in they are to call the police. You and your employees anxiously await Sallys arrival. Did Sally show up yet? Watch for Sally to some in! Well, Sally has been at this for awhile and before showing up, she decides to call you and see how you react on the phone, most often zealous pharmacists give themselves away when trying to get someone arrested. Its 3:00pm. Sally calls Hello, my name is Sally Smith. Is my Xanax prescription ready yet? If the pharmacist immediately responds with Um, YES! It is ready She immediately knows the jig is up because you knew who she was without checking the Will-Call-Bin or the computer system. What you should say is, Sally who? What's your birthday? Okay. Hold on. Let me check.....When did you drop it off? Oh, yes, Sally, yea thats ready for you. This is much more believable. If they sense anything, they just won't come in -- they can just forge another one and drop it off somewhere else.

Suggestion 5: Someone comes in with a prescription that you suspect is xeroxed. Medicare/Medicaid is slowly rolling out measures to counteract forging of prescriptions like watermarks, heat sensitive ink, and separate pads for controlled drugs. Anyway, you think its copied/altered. The customer gives you or your technician the prescription and leaves the counter but walks around the store pretending to be shopping. If you, as the pharmacist, are going to hold the prescription up in the air under a light like its evidence from a murder scene to see if it is copied, here is a tip, go somewhere where the customer cannot see you do this! They will be watching/waiting. If they see this followed by you grabbing the phone in an adulterous rage, they are going to bolt. In addition, go somewhere out of the pharmacy and call on the Rx. The patient might hear their name or see you say their name and assume you are going to find out it's fraudulent...and bolt.

Suggestion 6: If someone comes in late at night to fill a controlled substance, right before closing time, there is a reason. They know you cannot contact the doctor at that hour and you just want to go home so some pharmacists will just fill the prescription as is. Some pharmacists may decide to not fill it until they can call tomorrow and verify it. Just tell them that rather than give them the drugs or lie to them. And definitely don't blatantly lie to them by saying something like, "The pharmacist-in-charge already left for the night and took the narcotic key with them. I can't fill anything until she gets back tomorrow morning at 9am. You can come back then." These types of people have usually worked in a pharmacy or are very familiar with pharmacy workflow due to the frequency of their pharmacy visits. They will know that every pharmacist has access to the narcotic cabinet and just because one pharmacist leaves does not mean that narcotics cannot be filled -- how retarded does that sound? Turning away all prescriptions...yeah right! Assuming they are ignorant of the ins and outs of pharmacy is wrong, and it will keep you from catching them and seeing them punished for their crime(s).

-=+=-

The readers of this post are going to have varying degrees of opinions on this matter. We can all agree that is illegal, and we discourage it. Where we will have differing opinions is on what is done after the prescription has been determined as fraudulent.
1. Some will always call the cops.
2. Some will just tear the script up and tell the patient they know it was fake and tell them to not come back to their store (and make notes in the computer on the patient's profile).
3. Some will just write fake on it in sharpie and give it back to the patient when they come in.
4. Some will leave the script alone and tell the patient they don't have the drug and will give the script back to them.
5. Some will call the cops and have them come pick up the fake rx and make no attempt to have the person arrested in their store.
6. Some just fax the Rx to every pharmacy/doctor in their area and then give it back to the person and see what happens when they try and go to the pharmacy down the street.

None of them are wrong, necessarily. I am a big fan of Number 6. It's really quite humorous to hear the stories from fellow pharmacists when the person continues to peddle a forged Rx to every pharmacy in town, and they ALL know it's fake in advance.

Some employers refuse to allow their pharmacists to call the authorities or have an arrest made within the store -- as it might scar the store's reputation or bother the other customers/patients. I think this is a punk ass cop out. But, in this case, pharmacists are restricted to numbers 2, 3, 4, and/or 6.

So, what's the right way to handle the situation? What do you do? What have you done in the past? I realize that stories are sometimes pertinent to show what you have done in the past, but try and keep them short and to the point.

UPDATE!!!

Read the Fraudulent Prescription Writing Guidebook at:
http://deadword.com/site/stripmall/hogshire2/bottom.html
If we know the rules and tricks they pull, we can counter them.

That's a mouthful, eh? I know that opiate withdrawal (and any withdrawal for that matter) can be a complete bitch to go through. I do also know, however, that opiate withdrawal is not fatal. Dying from it, especially a 20-something year old man that *wants* to get his life straight, is unlikely.

Here's what I told him (ad-libbed here, of course): I would urge you to try and find a methadone clinic or a doctor that could prescribe you Suboxone. I know that they are not cheap, but the doctors that deal in this would know of the avenues for you to find financial assistance. I can find you those numbers, those doctors, and I will even call them and speak with them before you go and meet with them. [He responded negatively here] Okay, well, my official position is that you need to seek a physician's assistance with this, and you are refusing to do so due to the cost aspect. [Affirmative] So, I will help you with this because if I don't, you would be lost at what to do. [Affirmative] Here's what you need and why:

1. Diphenhydramine 25mg taken every 4-6 hours because your nose will run like crazy and it will keep you drowsy and sleeping through most of it...hopefully
2. Ibuprofen and Tylenol alternating full doses of the two drugs every 2 hours. Every little ache and pain is going to feel like a compound fracture until your body begins producing the endogenous opioids such as enkephalin and endorphins at normal levels again.
3. Loperamide at near double doses of what the packaging says. You're going to have diarrhea, and it's going to be bad. You've been flooding your system with a drug that stops you from pooping, now your going to to have diarrhea many, many times a day after every bite of food you take. You can easily ween off of this over the coming days to weeks as you feel better.
4. Exercise. It's often been noted that exercise produced endophins with a strenuous amount of exertion -- perhaps you've heard it called the 'runner's high.' While I've never read any literature to corroborate this (because I've never looked), it makes sense that it will help. It will also make you tired and help you sleep through this.
5. Alcohol. I know it sounds horrible and as if I'm saying to trade one drug for another, but you might consider drinking a little bit to help you transition through the rough spells. Of course, you don't want to become an alcoholic, and most people know their limits. But, it may help for the first you days to use it as a 'sedative' so to speak. NOTE: I did go into how EtOH and Ibuprofen over the long term can cause ulcers and to skip the pain meds whilst drinking.

Overall, I think the guy really wanted my help and listened intently. He understood what I was talking about. I, of course, wrote all this shit down in a notebook I keep. I write down everything I think is important (Thank, Jim!) and tuck it away in case I ever need it again.

So, my judging readers. Was my advise wrong? Was I wrong to instruct him on what to do? I know it was wrong to suggest alcohol, but I honestly think that it will help more than hurt over the next two weeks or so. I doubt the likelihood that he would get an ulcer in two weeks along with Ibuprofen. If so, it's no worse for him to be pumping heroin into his veins.