Guest Author - Bonnie Sayers

Prescription Fraud - what exactly does this mean?

These charges can range from trying to fill a fake prescription, obtaining a fake prescription, seeking a prescription from a Physician when you have already obtained same medication within thirty days from another Practitioner, illegally obtaining prescription drugs, impersonating a Doctor and calling in a Prescription to a Pharmacy, stealing blank prescription pages from a Doctor's Rx pad, creating a fictitious patient, and altering a valid prescription. There is also a growing problem with prescription rebate fraud.

Jeb Bush's daughter charged with prescription fraud

Limbaugh Signs Deal to end prescription fraud case

These two high profile cases occured in the State of Florida.

The maximum penalty for this offense varies from State to State and could include five years in jail, $5,000 fine. A first offense could be drug treatment or probation.

The reason behind these actions is usually an addiction to certain medications, most often pain killers. Just this past week U.S. Representative Patrick Kennedy announced he had an addiction and decided after crashing his vehicle in Washington, DC and not remembering this accident, that he would seek treatment at the Mayo Clinic. Anxiety and stress medications are also prevalent among those committing Prescription Fraud.

This past week there was a segment on the News about more robberies at pharmacies. They showed people brandishing weapons in the middle of the day at these pharmacies where families are milling about. One instance had two men enter the store with masks on. I advise using caution when in the pharmacy section of a drug store.

I was not aware that seeing two different Doctors for the same medication was a crime, but if done within the same thirty days and the medication is a serious one than this is possible. I saw one Doctor for my eczema and received some cortisone cream, went to Emergency Room and got a shot and then a week later was at a Dermatologist office to get cortisone ointment.

We should all be careful when going to various Doctors for our medications and make sure we are abiding by the laws and regulations. This site explains it all and was an eye opener for me.

Center for Problem-Oriented Policing also known as COPS.

They state that women are more prone to commit Prescription Fraud.