You are preparing to discharge a 43-year-old male patient who has received treatment for a fracture of the right tibia. You provide the patient with a prescription for a narcotic analgesic to be used as needed for pain, along with information about the medication. The patient states, “I don’t need the prescription. My cousin just had surgery and didn’t take all of his pain medicine. I can just use his. That will be cheaper for me, anyway, since I don’t have insurance.” (Learning Objectives 3, 4, and 5)
1. a. Discuss the legal and therapeutic implications related to the patient taking narcotic analgesics that have been prescribed for another person.
b. With these implications in mind, how should you respond to the patient?
2. How should you respond to the patient’s concern about the cost of his medication?