Drug Abuse Screening Tools
Behaviors that are suggestive of drug abuse exist on a continuum, and pain-relief seeking behavior can be mistaken for drug-seeking behavior. The clinician will need to monitor carefully for evidence of addiction and drug abuse.
Some behaviors which are more predictive of abuse include the selling of prescription drugs, covertly obtaining prescription medications from more than one physician, concurrent abuse of related illicit drugs, repeated unsanctioned dose escalations despite warnings, and events such as prescription "loss."
Other signs of compulsive drug use may be more subtle, including the use of the opioid to treat symptoms other than pain, frequent visits to emergency rooms, and hoarding of drugs obtained from routine prescriptions.
