Endone oxycodone... my son was in a serious accident and now addicted

[starheartfish]

My son two weeks before Christmas Day snapped his Tibia and Fib, plus his growth plate and shattered his leg from the knee down.  He had three surgeries.

He's been on Endone oxycodone for 8 weeks now.  He's totally off his head 24/7.  He self administers.  I contacted the drug addiction hotline last night and was advised to when his off slowly.  My biggest problem is he's taking Endobe with Panadol every four hours.

I've been advised he is fully addicted if on that lethal concoction of drugs for 8 weeks.  

He has kidney problems already prior - I do not want these lethal GP prescriptions that are being administered constantly to wreck my sons life.  He has never touched drugs, tobacco or alcohol.  But now he's fully addicted due to a serious accident. A very concerned mother.

[TOM-RO]

Hi @starheartfish 

Welcome to Reach-Out and thanks so much for sharing what's going on for you. 

It must've been really hard to watch your son in pain after his accident/ surgeries. It sounds like you're really worried about him becoming addicted to his pain medication. It's good that your such a proactive parent and it's clear that you really care about your son, which is great. 

From my personal experience, doctors are usually careful when prescribing these sorts of medications, and are very cautious about patients becoming addicted, so I'd surprised if they were prescribing medications too often or for too long unnecessarily. But I understand your concerns - it would be uncomfortable to watch your son "off his head" all the time, and I think it's only natural to become worried about potential addiction. 

I'd really encourage you to speak to the prescribing doctor about your concerns. Do you think you would feel comfortable doing this? It might also be good to get a second opinion from another medical professional who knows your son/ his condition. 

Also,  just thought I'd let you know that I moved your thread to the "concerned about my teen" section as it was posted in the incorrect section. I also had to edit out some descriptive content as it might be distressing for some readers. We have a set of guidelines that we ask users to follow, which can be found here. 

Thanks again for sharing 

[compassion]

Hello @starheartfish (I love your username)

I echo @TOM-RO 's sentiments. It must have been so difficult watching your son in pain, and it must be so scary witnessing how the accident and oxycodon are affecting your son's life.  

Your concern is absolutely understandable.  As you already know, oxycodon is not a low risk drug,  and the potential for misuse and abuse is high.   I don't say these things to alarm you more; it seems you already know the risks, and your awareness and concern has led you to reach out for help.  

I, too, would be nervous if a doctor prescribed an opiate for my child, since the prescription of oxycodon has been limited in many jurisdictions.   However, you're also at the earlier stages and you're trying to encourage early action.  This is good. 

@starheartfish .... How old is your son?   And, at this point, what are the indicators that your son is mis-using his prescription (is he taking more than necessary? was the course of medication supposed to be complete at this point?  is he taking the medication more frequently than he should be? Is he seeking alternate sources of the drug?  Or, perhaps he is not tapering as he should be?)

I am not from Australia.  Perhaps you, the moderators, or someone else on the board can fill me in here...

In Australia, at what age can a child/teen make medical decisions for themselves?  Similarly, at what age does a doctor/counsellor etc. stop sharing information about a child's medical/psychological treatment  with a child's parent or guardian?

I would, as @TOM-RO  suggests, chat with the prescribing medical doctor.  Depending on the laws/policies in your jurisdiction and your son's age, you may have to prepare for the fact that the doctor will not share information with you.  BUT, you should be able to share information, concerns with them.   If there are different medical providers (for example, if your son is being followed by a mobile or walk in clinic or team of doctors), I would follow up and make sure your concerns are being communicated with others  on the team. 

However, there is no guarantee that your son's doctors will keep your concerns from your son. In other words, they may tell your son that you have called.  I don't know how this would unfold for you...to what degree would this compromise your relationship with your son?   Maybe this is an easy answer for you,...I don't know. You could always ask them to keep your concerns confidential (and not share with your son) but I don't think there could be an expectation that they will do so.  And, if they mention your concerns to your son, maybe this opens up more communication between the two of you?

Please keep us posted. Your son is fortunate to have your concern, and I hope there is more peace of mind soon for you.  

[Jess1-RO]

Hi @starheartfish

My heart goes out to you- such a difficult experience your son is going through recovering from what sounds like a very painful accident.

Just to add to the question from @compassion , in Australia young people are able to make medical decisions and choose who has access to information about their care from the age of 14. That being said, it sounds like you are very aware of the issue your son is experiencing, the medications issued and the duration of the prescription.

I am going to have a look around online and see what supports we can recommend as a starting point for you and your son. Has he been open to seeking help at the moment?

Check back in soon

[Jess1-RO]

Hi @starheartfish,

So I have had a bit of a look for resources in your area that might be helpful. If your son is open to seeking help for the addiction, there are programs such as SMART Recovery which can be really helpful program based on peer support. Local public health programs are also available in your state.

Has your son visited a pain clinic at all? This might also be another option to explore pain management options that don't include addictive pain medications. Your local doctor or specialist your son is seeing may be able to provide more information about this. 

If you want to speak to someone over the phone, there is also a national Drug and Alcohol Counselling helpline (1800 888 236) 

Is your son's doctor still overseeing his recovery?