Is This a Drug Addiction?
Question by pmuzzy58: Is this a drug addiction?
I have a coworker that suffered a minor back injury a year ago. The doctor gave her a low dose non-narcotic pain prescription for her back. She was off work for about 7 weeks. She was put through a battery of physical tests with all the tests coming back negative. So she wasn’t facing any real health problems.
In the course of the year her back pain became worse and the doctor put her on vicodin 5 mg. She didn’t have much pain while she was on the low dose. She complained about her back and the dosages went up. The dosages and medication got higher and higher. The vicodin wasn’t working any more so she went to another doctor and she was prescribed oxycotin for pain. She asked for a leave of absence from work because of her pain. She lost a considerable amount of weight, could barely walk and slept all the time.
She was suppose to go back to work part time but our company’s doctor said no narcotic drugs while she is working. She called back and said that she was unable to work unless she had the prescription drug. I’m convinced that she is addicted to the drugs. She is one step from being fired at work. She is in her late 60s and I’m not sure why she hasn’t retired yet. Our boss is covering for her job because he’s a really nice guy. He recently told me that if were up to him he would have fired her long ago. It is the HR department that makes that decision and the company is worried about being sued for firing an older person. She has missed almost 15 weeks of work and I don’t see her returning anytime soon. She’s affecting the whole department. Everyone is working overtime because of her not being there. The bad thing is that we’re all salaried! I’m convinced she needs to either quit or get fired. It’s not fair to her other co-workers. Any ideas what the company should do?
Best answer:
Answer by Josh W
You guys should yell at the HR people….Those guys aren’t doing their jobs either….
Answer by Erica
She sounds like she is addicted…the good news is that she is still employed and probably has health insurance. This site shows specific programs for elderly and older adults who are addicted…
https://passporttorecovery.com/
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