[Kay]

Whoa Dude!! If doctor shopping is a crime, better lock up most of my state. As if patients don't look for a doctor that will give them the type of care that they want including tests and meds such as Viagra, Vit B shots, antibiotics, and pain killers. Dude!!

[WackyKat]

I think they're really going after the doctors, not Rush

[Indie]

Dr shopping is no crime. I think that's why Rush accuses DA of "fishing." Sounds like a case of thrown out evidence perhaps if the defense is good. Besides, Rush is innocent of any crime.

[PFKEY]

As if patients don't look for a doctor that will give them the type of care that they want including tests and meds such as Viagra, Vit B shots, antibiotics, and pain killers. Dude!!

I think there are a couple of issues here.

Doctor shopping in the sense that he was looking for a doctor who would prescribe pain killers illegally. In that I think they mean that the Doctor was the one that was breaking the law by writting perscriptions that Rush's ailment did not warrent.

Why would a Doctor do that? Cause he was being paid to do it. Either by Rush, the pharmacy or even possibly the manufacturer or distributer.

The second issue as I see it is that Rush might legally and with medical need be prescribed a narcotic pain reliever from one Doctor then go to another to be treated for the same thing and not tell that second Doctor that he is already being treated and has a prescription for a narcotic pain reliever in hopes of obtaining another prescription. I think they call this double dipping.

[LadyDoc]

doctor shopping is not the right word. The correct word is "double dipping"...

When a doctor prescribes a large amount of a narcotic, the assumption is that the patient is using the medication as prescribed...but some people go to two or three or four doctors with the same story, and get a lot more pain medication than is needed...essentially they lie.

For example, you might need Oxycontin 40 mg BID for your severe back pain. This is a class II narcotic, so most doctors would put you on a "pain contract" before prescribing it for a non terminal disease. The pain contract says that you have to tell all your doctors you are on this contract, and let the primary doctor know if you get Lortabs from the local ER or from another doctor...If you got to a couple places, this is "double dipping".

You can get physically "addicted" to pain medication, but most people in pain stay on the same dosage for long periods...(terminally ill people may need quickly increasing dosages to control their increasing pain).

But cancer patients and accident patients whose pain is relieved with other therapy usually can be physically withdrawn off of the medication...

Addicts however use pain medicine to feel good psychologically, and stay on it...the worst cases are people with back pain who overuse narcotics to treat their psychological pain...e.g. depression, low self esteem...

As for Rush, someone might want to look up Betty Ford, who was double dipping and getting her narcs from several doctors, but never went jail---unlike Rush, she "blamed" her doctors for her addiction, even though she was lying thru her teeth to get her narcs...

[Hildy]

If you're an addict, you're either getting your pills from a multitude of Dr.'s or a pusher. It's as simple as that.