Help! difficult child left medications that are controlled substance at hotel

FlowerGarden

Active Member
Hi everyone. We just got back from a nice relaxing vacation and then BAM! Late last night, difficult child realized he left his suboxone films in the bed at the hotel. The pharmacy had it in a plastic ziploc bag with the script adhered to the front of it. He had a craving during the night so grabbed the bag while he was in bed and left it in there. He had a 2 weeks supply. His regular psychiatrist is in the hospital so this is a brand new doctor he went to. He gave him a 2 weeks supply of film. Besides not having the medications to help cope, the film has numbers on it. If anyone sells it, they can trace it back to him! I believe difficult child because he has been doing so well with responsibilities, being more mature, etc. I saw the panic as he was tearing through suitcases trying to find it. Besides contacting the hotel today, anyone know what I should do? Do I call the police because of the numbers being able to be traced? How do we explain this to the new doctor that he can't find the medications, he is going to think he sold them. I feel like I never went on vacation now!
 

Mattsmom277

Active Member
I would call doctor for sure. Ask specifically for it to be noted in difficult children file and dated with details of where it was left (hotel info). I would also call hotel. Probably before calling doctor. If it is not in hotel lost and found, manager should be told by you personally as it could mean a housekeeping staff member made off with the forgotten medications. The manager should be able to know the person who cleaned the specific room. Then again, it may be waiting to be claimed. A good hotel manager should be happy to overnight express post it in secure packaging since difficult children prescription info is attached. When calling doctor, if hotel hasn't found it, be sure to ask doctor what can be done to ensure difficult child is not left without medications. Assure him or her that you vacationed together and can personally ensure it wasn't abused nor given away nor sold. And that if it had been, you would be first person to tell truth to save difficult child from himself. Be firm that you know difficult child simply left them behind accidentally and hunted high and low in a panic for them.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
well Im sorry to say I dont have high hopes about hotel staff. Unless they simply dont know what it is they are, Im afraid the medication will be stolen. I am terrified when I take my medications to a hotel and never let the staff in the room to clean while I am there. I know they think I am strange but I dont stay long enough to need it and I just ask for clean towels and tell them we dont need cleaning. But it wont hurt to call and check anyway if you were in a good hotel.

Do call the doctor. I know my pain clinic wouldnt help if he was a new patient but possibly there is something they can do. Suboxone is different though so maybe.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
After calling the hotel, if the medications are not found and if the doctor cannot write new rx's, then difficult child will start going into withdrawals. When it gets bad, go to the ER with him. Tell the ER doctor what happened, chances are they will give him a shot of something to stop the withdrawals. I had to do that when my rx's didn't arrive back when the dr was mailing them to me (I insisted the dr look up to see if they were filled or not - they were not and that helped me prove I hadn't gotten them.) and once after I had a week's worth stolen from my purse. I made what I had left stretch, but I didn't have enough, so I ended up in the ER.

The trick is to be HONEST and up front about why he is on the medication and what the reg doctor wants him to do. Hopefully they will be willing to work with him if this is a one time thing and he has not had other problems with his medications.
 

FlowerGarden

Active Member
Thanks for the advice. We have called the hotel and they rechecked the room. They didn't find his medications. They gave my son the name of the linen company for him to call. The linen company said they will check around. difficult child is freaking out. He is so mad at himself. He feels like a jerk, too. He feels the new doctor is not going to believe him at all. I don't even know if he would be able to get it refilled until the 14 days are over since it is a controlled substance. The pharmacy gave him a hard time when he got it filled 3 days early one time. His doctor appointment happened to be 3 days earlier and he just automatically stopped at the pharmacy on his way home. He dropped it off and I went back to pick it up the next day. They had a big note on it and the clerk made it known to me that it was early and they would only fill it this one time. Next time it had to be the exact days! difficult child just called the new doctor's office. They gave him an appointment for later this afternoon. We will see what happens then but I don't feel very confident that he will believe difficult child. He'd only give him a 2 week supply and it had to be the film because he felt he didn't know difficult child well enough and that he might be selling it. The film has numbers on it so they can track it if they find it was sold to someone. I just got home from work and he literally was going through my car like crazy looking to see if I missed spotting them when I looked. Never a dull moment with a difficult child!
 

chloedancer

New Member
The er here can give emergency scripts that cover a few days of SBX. It is strongly regulated, I hope the regular doctor is able to help. How many days until his next appointment?
 

FlowerGarden

Active Member
The dr gave him a new script but at a lower dose. He said the pharmacy would red flag him now. If the medications are found as being sold by someone, the authorities would call the dr. The dr. would then fill them in with what happened. Thanks again for all the responses and advice.
 
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