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Investigated Or Accused Of A Crime?

What is doctor shopping? Why would you be accused?

If you ran out of the medication that you needed, and your medical provider would not give you a refill, what would you do? For some people, the answer is to stop taking a medication and to take an alternative. After all, many medications are stopped because they no longer provide a benefit after the initial prescribing period.

For other people, it seems more appropriate to seek out a new doctor. That alone is not doctor shopping, but if you have two, three or more doctors prescribing the same medication to you, then you could be accused of shopping for doctors and seeking a greater number of pills than you should be entitled to. You should always inform your doctor if you’ve been receiving prescriptions from others so that you don’t face accusations of shopping for multiple doctors to prescribe to you.

Seeking certain medications, particularly prescription medications, can be a sign of addiction, dependency and tolerance. It is important for you to find one or two medical professionals who you trust and to stick with their treatment plan. Of course, if you need to switch doctors for a legitimate reason, then that should be fine. Just make sure they update your prescriptions to show that they are the new prescriber.

If you are accused of doctor shopping by a pharmacist or other medical professional who is treating you, you could end up in trouble with the law. In that case, it is very important that you have someone on your side to help you defend yourself.

Our website has more information on doctor shopping and what you should do if you’re accused. You deserve a chance to defend yourself and to protect your rights.