Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

Hi Everyone,

My mother just had her prescription medication stolen this week and I immediately thought of our community here because of the difficulty in getting prescriptions filled, let alone replaced. The woman who stole the medication cleaned my mother's and other family member's homes for years now. We're still trying to put together the how exactly but we do know that she went to my mother's pharmacy, assumed my mother's identity (no identification…just name & birthdate), and simply picked up the medication. Unfortunately for her they have it on camera. The thief had to have known the prescription was ready and we figure she used the automated telephone system by knowing my mother's address and complete birthdate and then finding out the prescription was ready and quickly getting there before my mother did. She probably knew my mother's birthdate from paperwork she encountered around the house.

Without the camera footage, I'm not sure anyone at the pharmacy (or doctor's office) would have believed my mother when she told them she hadn't picked it up (there's that doubting mentality nowadays). And she had to encourage them to look up the footage to prove her situation.

Thanks for that.

Fear of theft is why I keep no more than 3 weeks of opioid meds outside of my safe. We live in a building with enhanced security, but this way even if someone managed to get into my flat, all they would find is some mmj, gabapentin, allergy pills and a few methadone pills. Yes, it would be a hardship to lose the gabapentin and allergy pills, but I could survive without them. Getting replacement methadone pills in less than 2 weeks would be almost impossible for me.

Shoot. I had cleaners for a while, and if I could find someone decent I would do it again. I do keep everything locked except a max of one week's worth, but I leave paperwork around that I imagine someone could hunt for and harm me with if they wanted to. Like your mom and like probably many of us, I am way too trusting ... I would never dream someone would do that.

When my husband was sick the pharmacist would actually whisper my address when I picked up his oxycodone and other strong medicines so nobody would overhear where I lived, not that anyone knew what I was picking up anyway. The day he died the palliative care nurse took most of the leftover prescriptions including, at that time, fentanyl, back to the pharmacy on the same. A few days later I rounded up everything that had been missed and handed that in too. Criminals must have a sixth sense as to where opiods are in the community.

Thanks for sharing. I don't think I would have thought about the store security camera, I will now if it ever happens.

Yikes.

I have quite a lot of oxycontin left over from when I gradually reduced my dose last winter. I wasn't ready to get rid of it for a long time - I had such a hard time getting it in the first place but for now I don't seem to need it and it is counter-indicated by my central sleep apnea. I found it while pulling stuff out in preparation for a house move and am not sure what to do with it. I suppose I should take it back to the pharmacist.

That's a hard one, because of the CSA. Risk management - what is the risk of a devastating breathing episode from one night's use of oxycontin, against the benefits of having a single night of sleep in perhaps a rough period that might arise sometime because of stolen or misplaced or otherwise unavailable meds?

I never get rid of Meds unless absolutely sure I will never need them but keep them stored away safe. We may not even have insurance soon and Meds and doctor's are expensive. I suppose the other question is if they will be any good if we do need them down the road as in losing potency but I have had to use some Meds that were years old and they still worked.

I was thinking the same thing after Legsbestill mentioned getting rid of her OxyContin...weighing the risks of use, and even then thinking oh no, don't get rid of extra medication! Never thought this way until this condition started and I became desperate in so many ways.

As far as medications losing potency...we live in an earthquake zone, the Cascadia Subduction Zone one they predict will be the biggest one in recorded history if ever to hit. And after getting past the shock of that lovely tidbit, we went into research mode and preparation. We looked into properly storing medication so we have backup if the big one ever hits. We found an interesting Harvard Health Publication article that states this:

"Most of what is known about drug expiration dates comes from a study conducted by the Food and Drug Administration at the request of the military. With a large and expensive stockpile of drugs, the military faced tossing out and replacing its drugs every few years. What they found from the study is 90% of more than 100 drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, were perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration date."

Drug Expiration Dates — Do They Mean Anything?
FDA study gets to the heart of medicine expiration and safety
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying- ... n-anything

Another thought about keeping prescriptions safe...I installed a safe in my house and I keep all my backup medication (medical marijuana and prescriptions) in there. It was really easy to install. I ordered one off Amazon and attached it to the wall in a closet. I also take the extra precaution of locking the room, where that safe is located, whenever I leave the house. That might be a little excessive but I figure that extra precaution might really help, and it gives me some peace of mind.

yawny thanks for info! We never thought of keeping meds either until RLS and the huge amount of different prescriptions I was given for RLS over the years. Nice to know they last a long time. Also if there is a major catastrophe and we survive I wouldn't be much use to anyone without meds to take care of RLS.

That is exceptionally helpful, Yawny. Thank you.