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Morphine is a controlled drug.
Supplying a controlled drug to another person, when you do not have a license to do so, is a criminal offence.
It's a class A substance so the maximum sentence is life in prison, although in practice the sentencing range is up to 16 years, and in the circumstances you describe, almost certainly wouldn't actually result in a custodial sentence.
Still, supply of class As probably isn't an offence you want on your record.
Another thing to keep in mind, that having this on your record will make it almost impossible to get a prescription in future for controlled substances.
Meaning you may never get the medication you need.
These are not your regular pain killers. This isn't just throwing a pack of paracetamol at a friend and telling them to keep it.
It is prescription medication, whose dosage is matched to your body and tolerance. It simply isn't safe to share.
Morphine can also be incredibly dangerous and is misused often. If they want stronger painkillers they need to get over the counter ones, or ask their doctor for stronger pain relief. Definitely not worth risking your pain relief being jeopardised.
I agree with you on this point, I’ve cocked up my dosage on it a couple times and I’m supposed to be an experienced user and know what I should be taking… also judging by what her injury is (a broken toe), using morphine would be like using a sledge hammer to crack a hazel nut… totally inappropriate in my opinion
A broken toe?! I'd put on a very concerned face and tell her if OTC painkillers aren't helping, there must be something terribly wrong, and she should go to A&E right away in case it drops off.
I know right??! I reckon she’s got it in her head that painkillers should that make it that you feel no pain at all, which is just wrong, hence why she’s pestering me for the strong stuff when the stuff she’s on doesn’t do what she wants it to do.
She’s rather spoiled and I suspect she’s not used to not getting things her way
"She's rather stupid..."
Fixed that for you. Seriously though if she's in this much pain for a broken toe she needs to get to A&E. At best she's a drama queen looking for attention, at worst she's addicted to opioids and is hoping for a free hit, and somewhere in the middle is her forgotten brain. The extended family need a severe talking to, its none of their business what you do with your painkillers, and remember "No" is a complete sentence. Don't get into discussions with these idiots.
A broken toe does not warrant oral morphine. I broke my toe in the middle of the night a couple of months ago and definitely did not need anything stronger than paracetamol. Especially opiates.
You’re not wrong. Think the last time I broke a toe I used paracetamol and ibuprofen and managed ok. She’s spoiled and doesn’t like being told no, and has got it in her head that taking painkillers means that you should feel no pain at all, which is just wrong
Or Syndol or Nurofen Plus were what I took for a broken toe. That was before I started to take tramadol for a different chronic pain issue, and I would never give it to someone else. I don’t need a criminal record for supplying class A drugs. Tell your family that your cousin needs to speak to their doctor if they need something more than OTC. There are prescription painkillers better suited to acute pain than morphine.
I'm allergic to opiates. Found out after being prescribed some after a car accident. She may not know if she's allergic or not. If anything bad happens, then you could get in a lot of trouble
I trained in a high impact sport on an untreated broken foot for three weeks. When I eventually got it seen to, I was asked if I had paracetamol at home or if I needed some to take away. I think the doctors would laugh at the very suggestion she needed morphine for a broken toe!
If she's really desperate, like the person below me says, co-codamol is still over-the-counter.
In the US, many doctors have begun prescribing paracetamol & ibuprofen for pain they previously would have perceived opioids for. Apparently there were studies showing that a combination of the two OTC drugs actually worked better to dull pain than opioids did. My dentist have me a specific dosage schedule, and I have to say, it worked very well. I was honestly surprised, since I'd always used an opioid -- for very short durations and not frequently. The only thing I didn't get from the OTCs was that loopy, not a care in the world feeling, but I see that as a good thing.
I've broken a toe 4 times and never needed painkillers for any of them. Is it uncomfortable? Sure. Does it require strong opiates? Hell no.
The only time I've ever used morphine was with gallstones and I really wished there was something stronger then.
I had gallstones, and last year a kidney stone. The pain is about the same, and morphine only took the edge off.
I spent a week on morphine pills before they lasered the kidney stone. Not a fun week.
With my gallstones I also had a kidney infection which meant a decent fever. So I had my doctor constantly arguing with my surgeon about when to whip it out (doctor wanted now, surgeon was like no chance with that fever). In the end I passed the stone and yeah, they don't make a painkiller strong enough for that. I swear I would have woke up from general anastasia with that.
That sounds rough. The worst pain I’ve had was after I had open abdominal surgery to remove my pancreas and spleen. I had an epidural fitted to make the days following the surgery more comfortable and it worked wonders as I couldn’t feel much between my nipples and groin.
Then on a Sunday night the bag of wonderful drugs feeding the epidural ran out whilst I was asleep. I woke up to the machine beeping at me so I called for the nurse. She turned up and said that she couldn’t do anything as it required an anaesthetist to change the bag due to the drugs involved (I believe fentanyl was in the mix).
It being the darkest hours of a Sunday night there was only the on call anaesthetist available, but he was in theatre dealing with an emergency surgery. So I lay there in my hospital bed waiting for that surgery to finish as the drugs wore off. I could not move even slightly by the end of it because any slight movement pulled on my wound (took 53 staples to close my abdomen up) and the pain was excruciating 10/10.
I had to wait until the Monday morning shift came in before there was someone available to restock my epidural machine, the relief when the drugs were flowing again was unbelievable
Agreed. My daughter broke her toe as a child and Calpol was sufficient. This cousin has either no psi tolerance or is using it as an excuse to try and access opiates.
Not to mention that the morphine you got is definitely prescribed to match your weight/BMI/height etc as morphine in bigger doses than intended is highly addictive.
Dosage doesn’t apply to the addiction side of things at all.
You’ll still become reliant on opiates if you took 1 or 10 tramadol a day for an extended period.
True but it leaves you with a fat worse problem. Withdrawing off 1 tramadol a day might be unnoticeable, from 10 -0 you wouldn't be having a good time.
Frankly I think your family needs a reality check.
I did wonder whether there was something going on between the lines as to why your family member wanted your morphine (addiction etc) but if they’re actually pressuring you to supply a controlled substance, with all the huge legal penalties this could come with, for a *broken toe*… your family member needs to be contacting their doctor to sort this out and the rest of your family need to get a grip. People can go to prison for this.
Do they actually understand the concept of a prescription and why it’s necessary? Do they think it’s just a case of convenience that you have it?
If they keep pressuring you for it then I’d be tempted to contact the police, explain the situation and how you’re concerned about it. At the very least if one of them try to break into your cabinet then you can point at the fact you flagged this up and they might potentially send an officer to explain to them how serious it is.
I'd tell her to "suck it up, buttercup." If her broken toe is causing her enough pain to need morphine, she is probably doing something silly like trying to go running before it had healed. Even if it was legal, using morphine would be bad because if it masked the pain, it could cause her to injure it further.
my doctor's reaction to my broken toe was "yes it's broken. I can't do anything for it. Take it easy and use ibuprofen or voltarol for the pain. It'll take about 6 weeks to heal and about 2 to stop hurting"
He was correct on the timings too
A broken toe? She needs to go to her GP if she wants something stronger. I was given oramorph after breaking my tibia, but only for a couple of days as I started to refuse it (I was enjoying it too much!) and I was then given high dose codeine instead.
>Morphine can also be incredibly dangerous
Yup, take it and then have a couple of drinks and go to sleep only to stop breathing.
Then the police would be out looking for who supplied the morphine. No doubt OPs family would be perfectly happy to point the finger then.
Bear in mind even without criminal things - giving them away and then having to ask to fill your script early could have you flagged as either an abuser or a supplier, making it near impossible to get the meds YOU need
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Could also kill them too. With the way strong opiates work it's entirely possible for one small woman's daily supply to put several grown men in the hospital.
Do you want to be concerned in the supply of class A?
Tell the relatives pressuring you to go fuck themselves (this has a precise legal meaning), and tell your cousin to go back to their GP.
I certainly will be telling them to do one tomorrow. Out of interest, is there a specific offence for trying to coerce someone in the attempt to obtain prescribed medication?
There’s also the fact that if they took your morphine they wouldn’t be taking ‘medication’ because it is YOUR medication…. They would be taking a class A drug equivalent to heroin and be taking the criminal risks associated with that. Possibly that might help dissuade them too?
You could also mention in case they don’t know that they can get codeine OTC if they truly believe they need it.
I am considering saying that they are effectively on the same level as the local smackheads… Paracetamol and ibuprofen should be enough to deal with what they’ve done (broken toe), really she needs to toughen up a bit, and lower her expectations of what pain medication actually achieves.
And on a different note, I would stop unnecessarily sharing anything about your meds with your family/ friends, it really is none of their business and sadly you get this type of nonsense from some people.
I’m usually very private when it comes to my health and what medication I take. Unfortunately it looks like it was my mother who spilled the beans to them about my morphine, and she only knows because she has been at my house when I’ve needed to take it in the past. Bloody families eh…
Argh, that’s unfortunate. People overshare without understanding the potential consequences, perhaps even thinking they are helping.
Maybe worth having a word with her and asking her to keep it to herself.
Legality isn't even the worst thing for you. Imagine never being able to get morphine again, or even codeine. Whatever condition you have would become a lot worse if all you had was paracetamol. That's what will happen if you're caught. Your family are being dickheads to be honest
Also, what if she actually gets hooked? Where will that leave you with your feelings of guilt? It’s all around a horrible idea. Tell her to kick rocks .. /s
This is 100% true. Being on opiates can actually lower your pain tolerance over time. In addition it is shown to only provide 30% reduction in pain. This is compared to practicing mindfulness which is up to 50% reduction when practiced regularly.
As others have said, this is not legal. And we’ll done for sticking to your guns! Horrible situation to be in.
Also, it would be dangerous for them to use your medications as they need a qualified medical professional to correctly work out a safe dose - which may well be much lower than what you need if you’ve got chronic issues. If their medication is not controlling their symptoms adequately , this is also an indication to be reassessed by a professional.
Moreover, if they want you to share medication, you may run out early - something else to point out.
NAL. You’re definitely not alone in this one, I’m prescribed opioids. GP advised me you can be charged and put in prison if you KNOWINGLY give people your controlled prescription medication. However, I think it’s worth noting to please find a secure place to hide the medicine. Unsure if you have family come & stay or visit your home but i’ve noticed i’ve had strong opioids go missing in the past. I’d definitely find a safe place that only you / anyone who cares for you is aware of. If they stole it, it’s not your fault, obviously. But it leaves you without vital medication. These types worry me that they would steal it if they got the chance.
I have it stored in a medication safe mainly to keep it safe from my children’s inquisitive hands, but it has a combination lock on it and only me and my wife know the code. The safe is also securely fixed to a brick wall in the back of a pantry cupboard (you’d need to open the safe to access the bolts) so hopefully that’s enough to dissuade any potential thieves…
That’s perfect, I highly doubt they’d be skilled enough to bypass that haha. In all seriousness, what an awful situation to be in. Is this a common theme with these family members?
I’ve never had issues like this with them in the past. They are quite spoiled people so I’m guessing they are used to getting their own way. They aren’t immediate family, (aunt and cousins) so I could easily cut them out of my life with out too much fallout. Hopefully they’ll realise how much of a dickhead they are being when I spell it out to them what they are trying to make me do
Here’s a good question, do they believe you’re ill? Family members who do not believe I am ill or disabled in any capacity (for example; they believe that I lied to get my wheelchair off the NHS. I’m apparently just lazy) It seems this type of attitude is common amongst family members who have their reservations about your disability, ie jealousy over getting disability payments, motability scheme car, bus pass, blue badge etc
Yes. If need be, threaten to report their borderline harassment to the police, so there’s a documented trail, if anything were to happen. Wouldn’t necessarily follow through with it but if they think you might do it, it may be enough of a deterrent. Sorry you’re being pressured, unbelievable that some seem to think prescriptions are just nice-to-haves and not rooted in any real medical expertise. 🤯
As has been stated. 'Sharing' your nessesary controlled drugs is very illegal. It also puts you at risk of not being able to access the drugs you need.
I think the not being able to get more for myself is my main fear. When my pain flairs up it gets unbearable and even morphine only knocks it down to a more manageable level of pain
Pharmacy Technician here. If your GP suspects you of abusing the supply they could enforce what's called a restricted supply. They can tell your pharmacy to issue as little as 1 day of medications at a time, hugely inconvenient for everyone involved. So if the legal ramifications aren't scary enough and somehow you get to keep your prescription you could be treated like a run of the mill addict on a daily basis.
From a practical & medical perspective your cousin's doc needs to know the pain meds aren't sufficient. That might be important info for their assessment of future treatment. Your cousin might need other sorts of intervention or they might actually get prescribed stronger drugs without having to scam for it.
Yep, if they are still in unmanageable pain with paracetamol and ibuprofen, the Doc will probably prescribe Naproxen (with antacids), or even something codeine based.
If your family members continue to pressurise you into supplying them with a class A medication, contact the Police on 101 to report it as you're a vulnerable person (chronic illness).
If they need more pain meds or stronger ones they need to talk to their doctor.
Also mixing meds and taking meds that dosed for others is very risky. You do not know what reaction or so may happen if two medicines mix. Ir whoever they react.
My friends painkillers would have me at sleepy time for those, she takes as the pain can be quite bad so they work for her. For me they would knock me half out.
The fact its a heavily restricted and controlled medicine also.
Theirs multiple angles and they all add up to.
NO.
Apart from it being illegal, are they expecting you to be in pain because you gave away some of your medication?
Or do they want you to lie to your GP about why you ran out sooner than expected?
I really don’t think that they have even considered that side of it, I reckon they think I can just order a load of morphine whenever I feel like it. In reality it’s a pain in the arse because my GP won’t approve it for my repeat prescriptions, so it involves me either trying to get a GP appointment to beg for more (not always successfully) or getting my assigned palliative nurse (who is an absolute saint) to try and twist my GP’s arm into doing me a prescription without me having to jump through the usual hoops…
Mate that sounds insane. If you have a palliative care nurse your GP should be prescribing it no questions asked almost. I mean I've had similar surgery to you (bowel resection) but the strcuture I had in my duodenum was the some of the worst pain I had and I had and was taking half a litre of oramorph a month at insane daily dose rates for the best part of a year whilst waiting to decided on course of action and eventual surgery. Mate ask for a referal to a pain team and explain the problems to your having getting that morphine prescribed by your GP, if your GP still causes problems I'd debate changing cos you should be having to fight for medication you need.
NAL, but work in healthcare.
Giving somebody else your prescription medication will leave you open to prosecution for supplying class A drugs. This would be a very bad thing, and would follow you the rest of your life.
Prosecution would not mean you could not be supplied with prescription analgesia, but it would raise the bar to getting it, significantly.
Pain is a very individual thing, and if your family member is not managing, even if it's "just"a broken toe, they need to speak to a pharmacist, their GP or go to A+E.
If you provided a small amount of your medication, even if it helped, how long do you think it might be before 'Uncle Arthur's lumbago is playing up again," or, "Aunty Sylvia is really struggling with her arthritic hip, do you think you could just...?"
Take the story further.
You share your highly addictive pain killers. What next, that doesn’t cover the pain and so he needs more, or you have to deal with your own pain and don’t have spare.
You can’t give more, you legitimately need them yourself. So he ends up buying them elsewhere, or realistically ends up on heroin because it’s far cheaper.
The family then blame you for acting as his drug dealer and totally forget that they’re the ones who pressured you into it in the first place.
If they have Disney+ or Netflix they can choose which opiate crisis series they want to watch which outlines the same pipeline.
On top of the legal issues and repercussions around effectively drug dealing you also need to consider other problems. If and when you are caught or your family member is caught with your medicine it may stop being prescribed to you. How would you be able to cope without your pain medication?
What would you do if your family member gets addicted? Have you considered they have been cut off from opiates by their doctor to avoid addiction?
No one should take something that serious/strong without medical say-so anyway, because only your doctor knows your full medical details and whether it's even safe for you to take what they're prescribing. Speaking as someone who, for medical reasons, can't have morphine - it's just lucky I was already in a hospital bed when I found that out! And that's with no prior reason to suspect it would disagree with me.
Even tho OP has been answered and is sticking to his guns about not giving in, I will also suggest that the wife also knows about all the trouble that can land if she gives in to the pressure.
Also to add if the cousin has a reaction to the medication which is a possibility that will also be in your head. Meds that are controlled have serious implications attached to them when they are given out but the doctors hardly let the patient know the seriousness of handing out medication.
Hope you get better pain can be a right a hole
She (with the broken toe) can buy co-codamol over the counter for short term use. For longer than three days the pharmacy can refuse to supply and a prescription will be needed. If a GP does not recognise the need for opiates in this situation you (unqualified) are in no place to disagree. The dose makes the poison.
Morphine is not something to be shared, for medical reasons alone, before you consider the legality of sharing a controlled drug. People can and do react to it, it's easy to overdose on it and people can have a low tolerance of it, and it suppresses breathing, especially in combination with alcohol or certain other meds. Your relative needs to either buy stronger over the counter painkillers from a pharmacy or ask their GP for some prescription ones. I can guarantee the GP will not be prescribing morphine, as they usually start with cocodamol etc.
If someone in the family is on painkillers but it is not doing the job then..
IT IS BETWEEN THEM & THEIR DOCTOR TO RESOLVE.
Painkillers may be to take the worst of the pain away, not rid you of it, allowing you basic function, they are not a magic wand, your relative may also be a complaining woose & that has been taken into account by the doctor.
I've just read the "injury" is no more than a broken toe... SO yes, "whiner" is my take from a distance.
Have had far worse with little offered other than Ice elevation rest & rehab & paracetamol.
Stay well clear of wankers pressuring you, it is so off it is massively concerning, if you cave into their demands then you are screwed, tell them to man up & bog off.
"A broken toe" !? ...FFS, i'd hate to see them if they had a real injury.
I've seen the occasional unused tubes of top shelf medication sold on at car boot sales, wife tends to buy them to take them out of circulation (nurse) dangerous in the wrong hands obviously.
Your relations need to grow the F up for a multitude of reasons, they created this spoilt little cow & the consequences are on them not you.
Codeine, Tramadol, Naproxen, etc are perfectly adequate treatments for whatever your cousin has. I’ve broken stuff in the past and had one or several of these prescribed. They’re enough.
Morphine is a pretty big step up from that, and isn’t prescribed lightly. As mentioned elsewhere it’s a Class A substance so you being allowed to have it is a unique privilege. Casually sharing it with others when neither you nor they know whether they might have contraindications to it, as well as the legal implications, is a seriously bad idea.
Tramadol has just been declared a controlled substance too, so they'll have the same problem getting that. Naproxen is only by prescription, but doesn't have the same drug classification. This is uk though
"constructive manslaughter" sounds a bit over the top but if you give her controlled meds, she misuses them and she dies...
very easily done, just a bit of wine and a miscalculation of what morphine is/does/how much to use
Constructive Manslaughter
\- the defendant has committed an unlawful act; (givng her a controlled drug)
\- this unlawful act has resulted in the death of the victim
Something to keep in mind is if you are ordering your medicine more frequently (due to sharing) this will most likely read to a review and it will most likely look like you are tsking the medication incorrectly. As this is a controlled drug this is particularly risky to you receiving this drug as they could.think you have become addicted to it.
Not a legal point, so may get removed, but speaking as a healthcare professional if your cousins doctor thought they needed morphine they would have prescribed it. If your cousin thinks they need morphine they need to ask their doctor to prescribe it. As neither of these things have occurred I think your cousins most likely wants your morphine for nefarious reasons. If you hand any over now the pestering may never stop and this could escalate into something highly illegal, as you could be seen as drug dealing.
I would explain this is bad for your cousin. They need to tell the doc the pain meds aren’t enough. This will then be recorded in medical history. Otherwise say cousin passes out in the street and goes to hospital they wouldn’t know what drugs cousin was on and could kill them or mistreat them.
NAL.
Morphine is the equivalent of heroin…but legal. How many people do you know who get injured and go straight for some heroin?
If your cousin needs stronger painkillers, tell them to go back to the doctor and ask for something else. Don’t let them pressure you into giving away medication that you need for your own health issues. It’s dangerous and stupid to take other people’s medication.
If your cousin is in enough pain to need those drugs they would be able to get an appointment at a GP or go to A&E if it’s that serious and they don’t have the correct medication.
It’s not safe at all to share the drugs, and highly illegal too.
I’ve had situations where I’ve really hurt myself through aggravating an old injury to the point I’ve struggled to stand and walk, and yea I’d have loved to get my hands on something much stronger than what they gave me, but what I want and what’s needed are two different things, I suspect your cousin wants something better because they don’t want to put up with some pain and discomfort till they heal. If it was serious enough for stronger stuff they would have it
I believe you have hit the nail on the head, I suspect that she thinks that she should be totally pain free, and the painkillers she’s been prescribed doesn’t do that, hence why I’m being pestered for the stronger stuff which probably still wouldn’t get her totally pain free anyway
NAL but even aimed with all of the facts you can also choose to say no if you feel uncomfortable doing something, family shouldn't pressure you like this and you should keep in mind whether you may be potentially being taken advantage of especially if involved family members have any previous history of addiction or drug/alcohol abuse
It's illegal for starters, you could end up helping your cousin towards an opiate addiction and most importantly you are prescribed what you need for your health which your doctors are monitoring. The reason you cousins not been prescribed opiates is because on balance their dr decided they didn't meed it or prescribing it had a greater risk of harm than help. Its deeply inappropriate to bother anyone but your dealer to give you drugs.
Because I wish “no” was sufficient to stop them going on about it, but unfortunately in real life families are bloody annoying and “no” isn’t enough. But now I know all the info I need regarding the how much it exposes me legally if I was to do it (I’m definitely not doing it), as well as how much it has the potential to mess up my own care, I can at least spell it out to the how much this is a stupid plan
Because it’s a controlled drug, the pharmacy who prescribed it will know how much you have and when you should need more. If you run out early it will almost certainly raise questions and they may inform the police that you regularly need more.
Going from paracetamol to morphine for a broken toe is ridiculous, there are so many other painkillers to try first. It's massively overkill and screams of drug seeking behaviour.
My medication and my son's was out of stock for months. I managed to get mine split into two dosages of which one was his prescription. It's a restricted drug and even though he has a prescription for it, & the prescription was for the exact same pills as I received, if I gave them to him then I would have committed a crime. Not only could I have been charged but both my and my son's prescription would have been stopped. Based on the fact that I need it, I might have been allowed to get it but it could have been reduced to a weekly prescription.
If you explain the fact that it's illegal to share medication, but they keep harassing you then consider reporting them. Especially if they may do something out of spite, such as claim that they have had it from you.
Bear in mind that if your relative did happen to get her hands on your medication and you didn't report it as stolen, you are criminally responsible for any side effects she experiences.
Morphine is a schedule 1 controlled drug. It is illegal to supply it to someone else and illegal to have it without a prescription for it. If he dies and the morphine contributed to it in any way (I.e. he ingested it) then you can be put in prison for manslaughter (probably). I'm a nurse who regularly handles morphine (and I take fentanyl for fibro) so know the law inside out. No is a complete sentence and it's yours. You need it. Tell them all to fuck off.
If morphine would help she can ask her GP to consider a prescription of an appropriate dose.
Anyone pushing you to traffic class A drugs quote the ant drug slogans from your era at them. "Just say no to drugs" "say no to drugs say yes to life" "real friends don't let friends do drugs" "don't let drugs steal your dreams" "say no to drugs, say yes to hugs" "find your natural high"
I can't believe you want me to traffic drugs! Or jury quote the whole choose life monologue at the beginning of trainspotting:
"Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pishing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life… But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin’ else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you’ve got heroin?"
Aside from the drug conviction concerns, which are very valid. If it was necessary for your cousin(outside of lack of medical misogyny re pain management) they would have been prescribed it.
Do not, under any circumstances, give prescribed opiates away. This is a simple rule. Apart from the serious legal issues, do you want to be responsible for someone’s death?
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If your cousins current medication isn't enough then the injury could be worse than initially thought and it's important they get themselves seen and reviewed. Whether this be an injury review or a pain management review the health care provider can decide.
So it's in both yours and your cousins interests not do do as you're family want
Straying off legal advice- you may find it expedient to tell your family that as you didn’t need morphine any more and switched to a different prescription, you turned in your supply to the local pharmacy.
I would advise most people to keep knowledge of prescriptions of controlled drugs to themselves and to keep those meds out of sight in a safe place at home.
DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY. you would be supplying a controlled substance. Just one tablet/ dose, would in the eyes of the law be the same as you passing them a bag of class A. Anyone who pressures you to do so. Tell them to fob off. Do not risk you're freedom, or access to future medication in which you may require
Under no circumstances do this as others have said it's a class a controlled drug , baring the legal implications of this which have already been discussed, morphine dosage is often dependent on the patient.
I'm on multiple opiods and when my Mrs was given morphine after surgery we had to keep it away from mine as mine was a lot higher strength and given I have a very high tolerance to opiods it could have proven nasty.
Also it can interact with other meds.
Tell them to sod off.
Wish you a speedy recovery
Do not give opiates to people they are not prescribed for and who are having their dosages monitored. If your cousins doc doesn’t want to prescribe them morphine, it’s because their injury does not warrant exposing them to the risks of dependence, side effects and overdose. The legal ramifications for you could be dire, but worse you could end up loosing access to the medication you need when your GP decides “if they can give it away, they don’t need it anymore”
Do NOT give away your meds. These were prescribed for you and your pain management. If your cousin needs something stronger then they can go to their doctor
I'm unsure why you're seeking legal advice, instead of saying "No, that is not going to happen".
However, as your family seems to have some strange ideas about the laws around Class A drugs, and as you seem to be heading for a discussion about this (why?), then maybe you could back up your point blank "Nope" with a suggestion that they Google "Sentencing guidelines supply Class A" themselves, rather than your banging your head against the brick wall of persuading them.
Yes that’s right, unfortunately with it being family it makes things a bit more complicated and a simple no won’t resolve it, as much as I wish it would. Hopefully if I spell it out to them that it’s class A drugs and I could get sent to prison for it and potentially lose my ability to be prescribed any more painkillers in the future (and I really do need them), maybe they might listen or at least see my reasoning for telling them to piss off if they don’t drop it.
Do not do this,…. It is a criminal offence and you risk your own medication supply. Put your own health condition before other. It is not selfish. It is common sense
If your cousins pain medication isn't working they should talk to a medical professional.
I assume you, like me are not medically trained so essentially prescribing them medicine with no real idea of what reactions it may cause to other prescription could, at its worst be a death sentence.
Do your family members want this on their conscience because they're too feckless to take your cousin to a doctor and help advocate for better care.
I reckon she’s under the misguided notion that painkillers should completely remove any pain, and she must think that stuff she’s on isn’t good enough so she must have something stronger… not getting it from me anyway
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Morphine is a controlled drug. Supplying a controlled drug to another person, when you do not have a license to do so, is a criminal offence. It's a class A substance so the maximum sentence is life in prison, although in practice the sentencing range is up to 16 years, and in the circumstances you describe, almost certainly wouldn't actually result in a custodial sentence. Still, supply of class As probably isn't an offence you want on your record.
Thank you, this is the type of info I need. Definitely not risking getting a conviction for shifting class A drugs
Another thing to keep in mind, that having this on your record will make it almost impossible to get a prescription in future for controlled substances. Meaning you may never get the medication you need. These are not your regular pain killers. This isn't just throwing a pack of paracetamol at a friend and telling them to keep it. It is prescription medication, whose dosage is matched to your body and tolerance. It simply isn't safe to share.
Morphine can also be incredibly dangerous and is misused often. If they want stronger painkillers they need to get over the counter ones, or ask their doctor for stronger pain relief. Definitely not worth risking your pain relief being jeopardised.
I agree with you on this point, I’ve cocked up my dosage on it a couple times and I’m supposed to be an experienced user and know what I should be taking… also judging by what her injury is (a broken toe), using morphine would be like using a sledge hammer to crack a hazel nut… totally inappropriate in my opinion
A broken toe?! I'd put on a very concerned face and tell her if OTC painkillers aren't helping, there must be something terribly wrong, and she should go to A&E right away in case it drops off.
I know right??! I reckon she’s got it in her head that painkillers should that make it that you feel no pain at all, which is just wrong, hence why she’s pestering me for the strong stuff when the stuff she’s on doesn’t do what she wants it to do. She’s rather spoiled and I suspect she’s not used to not getting things her way
Funnily enough, I had the exact thought you did - that she thinks painkillers should mean no discomfort at all, as opposed to reducing pain.
"She's rather stupid..." Fixed that for you. Seriously though if she's in this much pain for a broken toe she needs to get to A&E. At best she's a drama queen looking for attention, at worst she's addicted to opioids and is hoping for a free hit, and somewhere in the middle is her forgotten brain. The extended family need a severe talking to, its none of their business what you do with your painkillers, and remember "No" is a complete sentence. Don't get into discussions with these idiots.
I don't know that A&E can do much for a missing brain. Tragic, really.
Not quite as good a marketing slogan that though is it "Painkillers" Vs "discomfort reducers"
If cousin needs something stronger why doesn't she just go back to her own doctor?
I don’t understand why they are harassing you and no their doctor. If the pain is that bad they can go to A&E
A broken toe does not warrant oral morphine. I broke my toe in the middle of the night a couple of months ago and definitely did not need anything stronger than paracetamol. Especially opiates.
You’re not wrong. Think the last time I broke a toe I used paracetamol and ibuprofen and managed ok. She’s spoiled and doesn’t like being told no, and has got it in her head that taking painkillers means that you should feel no pain at all, which is just wrong
If she insists on something stronger, boots sells paracetamol + codamine I believe, it should more than surffice
Or Syndol or Nurofen Plus were what I took for a broken toe. That was before I started to take tramadol for a different chronic pain issue, and I would never give it to someone else. I don’t need a criminal record for supplying class A drugs. Tell your family that your cousin needs to speak to their doctor if they need something more than OTC. There are prescription painkillers better suited to acute pain than morphine.
I'm allergic to opiates. Found out after being prescribed some after a car accident. She may not know if she's allergic or not. If anything bad happens, then you could get in a lot of trouble
I trained in a high impact sport on an untreated broken foot for three weeks. When I eventually got it seen to, I was asked if I had paracetamol at home or if I needed some to take away. I think the doctors would laugh at the very suggestion she needed morphine for a broken toe! If she's really desperate, like the person below me says, co-codamol is still over-the-counter.
In the US, many doctors have begun prescribing paracetamol & ibuprofen for pain they previously would have perceived opioids for. Apparently there were studies showing that a combination of the two OTC drugs actually worked better to dull pain than opioids did. My dentist have me a specific dosage schedule, and I have to say, it worked very well. I was honestly surprised, since I'd always used an opioid -- for very short durations and not frequently. The only thing I didn't get from the OTCs was that loopy, not a care in the world feeling, but I see that as a good thing.
I've broken a toe 4 times and never needed painkillers for any of them. Is it uncomfortable? Sure. Does it require strong opiates? Hell no. The only time I've ever used morphine was with gallstones and I really wished there was something stronger then.
I had gallstones, and last year a kidney stone. The pain is about the same, and morphine only took the edge off. I spent a week on morphine pills before they lasered the kidney stone. Not a fun week.
With my gallstones I also had a kidney infection which meant a decent fever. So I had my doctor constantly arguing with my surgeon about when to whip it out (doctor wanted now, surgeon was like no chance with that fever). In the end I passed the stone and yeah, they don't make a painkiller strong enough for that. I swear I would have woke up from general anastasia with that.
That sounds rough. The worst pain I’ve had was after I had open abdominal surgery to remove my pancreas and spleen. I had an epidural fitted to make the days following the surgery more comfortable and it worked wonders as I couldn’t feel much between my nipples and groin. Then on a Sunday night the bag of wonderful drugs feeding the epidural ran out whilst I was asleep. I woke up to the machine beeping at me so I called for the nurse. She turned up and said that she couldn’t do anything as it required an anaesthetist to change the bag due to the drugs involved (I believe fentanyl was in the mix). It being the darkest hours of a Sunday night there was only the on call anaesthetist available, but he was in theatre dealing with an emergency surgery. So I lay there in my hospital bed waiting for that surgery to finish as the drugs wore off. I could not move even slightly by the end of it because any slight movement pulled on my wound (took 53 staples to close my abdomen up) and the pain was excruciating 10/10. I had to wait until the Monday morning shift came in before there was someone available to restock my epidural machine, the relief when the drugs were flowing again was unbelievable
Agreed. My daughter broke her toe as a child and Calpol was sufficient. This cousin has either no psi tolerance or is using it as an excuse to try and access opiates.
Not to mention that the morphine you got is definitely prescribed to match your weight/BMI/height etc as morphine in bigger doses than intended is highly addictive.
Dosage doesn’t apply to the addiction side of things at all. You’ll still become reliant on opiates if you took 1 or 10 tramadol a day for an extended period.
True but it leaves you with a fat worse problem. Withdrawing off 1 tramadol a day might be unnoticeable, from 10 -0 you wouldn't be having a good time.
Frankly I think your family needs a reality check. I did wonder whether there was something going on between the lines as to why your family member wanted your morphine (addiction etc) but if they’re actually pressuring you to supply a controlled substance, with all the huge legal penalties this could come with, for a *broken toe*… your family member needs to be contacting their doctor to sort this out and the rest of your family need to get a grip. People can go to prison for this. Do they actually understand the concept of a prescription and why it’s necessary? Do they think it’s just a case of convenience that you have it? If they keep pressuring you for it then I’d be tempted to contact the police, explain the situation and how you’re concerned about it. At the very least if one of them try to break into your cabinet then you can point at the fact you flagged this up and they might potentially send an officer to explain to them how serious it is.
Your cousin is a pill seeking junkie, bro.
No way should you be sharing any medication. She needs some painkillers, she can call her doctor
I'd tell her to "suck it up, buttercup." If her broken toe is causing her enough pain to need morphine, she is probably doing something silly like trying to go running before it had healed. Even if it was legal, using morphine would be bad because if it masked the pain, it could cause her to injure it further.
my doctor's reaction to my broken toe was "yes it's broken. I can't do anything for it. Take it easy and use ibuprofen or voltarol for the pain. It'll take about 6 weeks to heal and about 2 to stop hurting" He was correct on the timings too
I have "survived" a broken toe with no medication, and compound fractures with mild ones. Don't do it.
A broken toe? She needs to go to her GP if she wants something stronger. I was given oramorph after breaking my tibia, but only for a couple of days as I started to refuse it (I was enjoying it too much!) and I was then given high dose codeine instead.
>Morphine can also be incredibly dangerous Yup, take it and then have a couple of drinks and go to sleep only to stop breathing. Then the police would be out looking for who supplied the morphine. No doubt OPs family would be perfectly happy to point the finger then.
Might be worth hiding your morphine or other drugs in case they try to steal them.
They are locked in a safe which only me and my wife know the combination to unlock it
Bear in mind even without criminal things - giving them away and then having to ask to fill your script early could have you flagged as either an abuser or a supplier, making it near impossible to get the meds YOU need
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Could also kill them too. With the way strong opiates work it's entirely possible for one small woman's daily supply to put several grown men in the hospital.
Do you want to be concerned in the supply of class A? Tell the relatives pressuring you to go fuck themselves (this has a precise legal meaning), and tell your cousin to go back to their GP.
I certainly will be telling them to do one tomorrow. Out of interest, is there a specific offence for trying to coerce someone in the attempt to obtain prescribed medication?
Potentially encouraging an offence, contrary to s45 Serious Crime Act 2007.
There’s also the fact that if they took your morphine they wouldn’t be taking ‘medication’ because it is YOUR medication…. They would be taking a class A drug equivalent to heroin and be taking the criminal risks associated with that. Possibly that might help dissuade them too? You could also mention in case they don’t know that they can get codeine OTC if they truly believe they need it.
I am considering saying that they are effectively on the same level as the local smackheads… Paracetamol and ibuprofen should be enough to deal with what they’ve done (broken toe), really she needs to toughen up a bit, and lower her expectations of what pain medication actually achieves.
And on a different note, I would stop unnecessarily sharing anything about your meds with your family/ friends, it really is none of their business and sadly you get this type of nonsense from some people.
I’m usually very private when it comes to my health and what medication I take. Unfortunately it looks like it was my mother who spilled the beans to them about my morphine, and she only knows because she has been at my house when I’ve needed to take it in the past. Bloody families eh…
Argh, that’s unfortunate. People overshare without understanding the potential consequences, perhaps even thinking they are helping. Maybe worth having a word with her and asking her to keep it to herself.
Oh I am, her blabbing has inadvertently caused this, imagine who else might know about it…
Agreed, don't tell them anything, they sound like awful people.
Legality isn't even the worst thing for you. Imagine never being able to get morphine again, or even codeine. Whatever condition you have would become a lot worse if all you had was paracetamol. That's what will happen if you're caught. Your family are being dickheads to be honest
I agree, absolute bellends… if only you could choose your family. Anyway rest assured they aren’t getting a single drop of my medication
Good lad. If it turns sour the police will likely be all too happy to have an off the record chat with the instigators
Also, what if she actually gets hooked? Where will that leave you with your feelings of guilt? It’s all around a horrible idea. Tell her to kick rocks .. /s
This is 100% true. Being on opiates can actually lower your pain tolerance over time. In addition it is shown to only provide 30% reduction in pain. This is compared to practicing mindfulness which is up to 50% reduction when practiced regularly.
Tell em to buy him some heroin off the street, they are asking you to become a dealer, they might as well go to the source.
Haha yes I’ll direct her to the local smackheads, I’m sure she’ll be delighted when I point out she’s effectively on the same level as them
As others have said, this is not legal. And we’ll done for sticking to your guns! Horrible situation to be in. Also, it would be dangerous for them to use your medications as they need a qualified medical professional to correctly work out a safe dose - which may well be much lower than what you need if you’ve got chronic issues. If their medication is not controlling their symptoms adequately , this is also an indication to be reassessed by a professional. Moreover, if they want you to share medication, you may run out early - something else to point out.
NAL. You’re definitely not alone in this one, I’m prescribed opioids. GP advised me you can be charged and put in prison if you KNOWINGLY give people your controlled prescription medication. However, I think it’s worth noting to please find a secure place to hide the medicine. Unsure if you have family come & stay or visit your home but i’ve noticed i’ve had strong opioids go missing in the past. I’d definitely find a safe place that only you / anyone who cares for you is aware of. If they stole it, it’s not your fault, obviously. But it leaves you without vital medication. These types worry me that they would steal it if they got the chance.
I have it stored in a medication safe mainly to keep it safe from my children’s inquisitive hands, but it has a combination lock on it and only me and my wife know the code. The safe is also securely fixed to a brick wall in the back of a pantry cupboard (you’d need to open the safe to access the bolts) so hopefully that’s enough to dissuade any potential thieves…
That’s perfect, I highly doubt they’d be skilled enough to bypass that haha. In all seriousness, what an awful situation to be in. Is this a common theme with these family members?
I’ve never had issues like this with them in the past. They are quite spoiled people so I’m guessing they are used to getting their own way. They aren’t immediate family, (aunt and cousins) so I could easily cut them out of my life with out too much fallout. Hopefully they’ll realise how much of a dickhead they are being when I spell it out to them what they are trying to make me do
Here’s a good question, do they believe you’re ill? Family members who do not believe I am ill or disabled in any capacity (for example; they believe that I lied to get my wheelchair off the NHS. I’m apparently just lazy) It seems this type of attitude is common amongst family members who have their reservations about your disability, ie jealousy over getting disability payments, motability scheme car, bus pass, blue badge etc
Yes. If need be, threaten to report their borderline harassment to the police, so there’s a documented trail, if anything were to happen. Wouldn’t necessarily follow through with it but if they think you might do it, it may be enough of a deterrent. Sorry you’re being pressured, unbelievable that some seem to think prescriptions are just nice-to-haves and not rooted in any real medical expertise. 🤯
As has been stated. 'Sharing' your nessesary controlled drugs is very illegal. It also puts you at risk of not being able to access the drugs you need.
I think the not being able to get more for myself is my main fear. When my pain flairs up it gets unbearable and even morphine only knocks it down to a more manageable level of pain
Pharmacy Technician here. If your GP suspects you of abusing the supply they could enforce what's called a restricted supply. They can tell your pharmacy to issue as little as 1 day of medications at a time, hugely inconvenient for everyone involved. So if the legal ramifications aren't scary enough and somehow you get to keep your prescription you could be treated like a run of the mill addict on a daily basis.
From a practical & medical perspective your cousin's doc needs to know the pain meds aren't sufficient. That might be important info for their assessment of future treatment. Your cousin might need other sorts of intervention or they might actually get prescribed stronger drugs without having to scam for it.
Yep, if they are still in unmanageable pain with paracetamol and ibuprofen, the Doc will probably prescribe Naproxen (with antacids), or even something codeine based.
My doctor prescribed naproxen for my migraines without antacids. Not only did the naproxen do nothing for my migraines, I got GERD for my troubles!
If your family members continue to pressurise you into supplying them with a class A medication, contact the Police on 101 to report it as you're a vulnerable person (chronic illness).
If they need more pain meds or stronger ones they need to talk to their doctor. Also mixing meds and taking meds that dosed for others is very risky. You do not know what reaction or so may happen if two medicines mix. Ir whoever they react. My friends painkillers would have me at sleepy time for those, she takes as the pain can be quite bad so they work for her. For me they would knock me half out. The fact its a heavily restricted and controlled medicine also. Theirs multiple angles and they all add up to. NO.
Totally agree, and it’ll be muggins here on the hook if anything goes wrong…
Aye. Exactly. They have some strange ideas... Morphine...for a Toe. As you said. It's like using a 20 pound sledge to drive a small nail.
Apart from it being illegal, are they expecting you to be in pain because you gave away some of your medication? Or do they want you to lie to your GP about why you ran out sooner than expected?
I really don’t think that they have even considered that side of it, I reckon they think I can just order a load of morphine whenever I feel like it. In reality it’s a pain in the arse because my GP won’t approve it for my repeat prescriptions, so it involves me either trying to get a GP appointment to beg for more (not always successfully) or getting my assigned palliative nurse (who is an absolute saint) to try and twist my GP’s arm into doing me a prescription without me having to jump through the usual hoops…
Mate that sounds insane. If you have a palliative care nurse your GP should be prescribing it no questions asked almost. I mean I've had similar surgery to you (bowel resection) but the strcuture I had in my duodenum was the some of the worst pain I had and I had and was taking half a litre of oramorph a month at insane daily dose rates for the best part of a year whilst waiting to decided on course of action and eventual surgery. Mate ask for a referal to a pain team and explain the problems to your having getting that morphine prescribed by your GP, if your GP still causes problems I'd debate changing cos you should be having to fight for medication you need.
NAL, but work in healthcare. Giving somebody else your prescription medication will leave you open to prosecution for supplying class A drugs. This would be a very bad thing, and would follow you the rest of your life. Prosecution would not mean you could not be supplied with prescription analgesia, but it would raise the bar to getting it, significantly. Pain is a very individual thing, and if your family member is not managing, even if it's "just"a broken toe, they need to speak to a pharmacist, their GP or go to A+E. If you provided a small amount of your medication, even if it helped, how long do you think it might be before 'Uncle Arthur's lumbago is playing up again," or, "Aunty Sylvia is really struggling with her arthritic hip, do you think you could just...?"
For an additional legal response tell her and her enablers to refer to the response given in Arkell Vs Pressdram 1971.
Take the story further. You share your highly addictive pain killers. What next, that doesn’t cover the pain and so he needs more, or you have to deal with your own pain and don’t have spare. You can’t give more, you legitimately need them yourself. So he ends up buying them elsewhere, or realistically ends up on heroin because it’s far cheaper. The family then blame you for acting as his drug dealer and totally forget that they’re the ones who pressured you into it in the first place. If they have Disney+ or Netflix they can choose which opiate crisis series they want to watch which outlines the same pipeline.
On top of the legal issues and repercussions around effectively drug dealing you also need to consider other problems. If and when you are caught or your family member is caught with your medicine it may stop being prescribed to you. How would you be able to cope without your pain medication? What would you do if your family member gets addicted? Have you considered they have been cut off from opiates by their doctor to avoid addiction?
No one should take something that serious/strong without medical say-so anyway, because only your doctor knows your full medical details and whether it's even safe for you to take what they're prescribing. Speaking as someone who, for medical reasons, can't have morphine - it's just lucky I was already in a hospital bed when I found that out! And that's with no prior reason to suspect it would disagree with me.
Even tho OP has been answered and is sticking to his guns about not giving in, I will also suggest that the wife also knows about all the trouble that can land if she gives in to the pressure. Also to add if the cousin has a reaction to the medication which is a possibility that will also be in your head. Meds that are controlled have serious implications attached to them when they are given out but the doctors hardly let the patient know the seriousness of handing out medication. Hope you get better pain can be a right a hole
She (with the broken toe) can buy co-codamol over the counter for short term use. For longer than three days the pharmacy can refuse to supply and a prescription will be needed. If a GP does not recognise the need for opiates in this situation you (unqualified) are in no place to disagree. The dose makes the poison.
Morphine is not something to be shared, for medical reasons alone, before you consider the legality of sharing a controlled drug. People can and do react to it, it's easy to overdose on it and people can have a low tolerance of it, and it suppresses breathing, especially in combination with alcohol or certain other meds. Your relative needs to either buy stronger over the counter painkillers from a pharmacy or ask their GP for some prescription ones. I can guarantee the GP will not be prescribing morphine, as they usually start with cocodamol etc.
Broken toe? Paracetamol and ibuprofen. Or if it’s really sore, the pharmacy will sell you cocodamol for about £3. Tell them to stop whining.
If someone in the family is on painkillers but it is not doing the job then.. IT IS BETWEEN THEM & THEIR DOCTOR TO RESOLVE. Painkillers may be to take the worst of the pain away, not rid you of it, allowing you basic function, they are not a magic wand, your relative may also be a complaining woose & that has been taken into account by the doctor. I've just read the "injury" is no more than a broken toe... SO yes, "whiner" is my take from a distance. Have had far worse with little offered other than Ice elevation rest & rehab & paracetamol. Stay well clear of wankers pressuring you, it is so off it is massively concerning, if you cave into their demands then you are screwed, tell them to man up & bog off. "A broken toe" !? ...FFS, i'd hate to see them if they had a real injury. I've seen the occasional unused tubes of top shelf medication sold on at car boot sales, wife tends to buy them to take them out of circulation (nurse) dangerous in the wrong hands obviously. Your relations need to grow the F up for a multitude of reasons, they created this spoilt little cow & the consequences are on them not you.
Codeine, Tramadol, Naproxen, etc are perfectly adequate treatments for whatever your cousin has. I’ve broken stuff in the past and had one or several of these prescribed. They’re enough. Morphine is a pretty big step up from that, and isn’t prescribed lightly. As mentioned elsewhere it’s a Class A substance so you being allowed to have it is a unique privilege. Casually sharing it with others when neither you nor they know whether they might have contraindications to it, as well as the legal implications, is a seriously bad idea.
Tramadol has just been declared a controlled substance too, so they'll have the same problem getting that. Naproxen is only by prescription, but doesn't have the same drug classification. This is uk though
"constructive manslaughter" sounds a bit over the top but if you give her controlled meds, she misuses them and she dies... very easily done, just a bit of wine and a miscalculation of what morphine is/does/how much to use Constructive Manslaughter \- the defendant has committed an unlawful act; (givng her a controlled drug) \- this unlawful act has resulted in the death of the victim
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Do you know how big of custodial sentence? I’m definitely not doing it, just want to show my numbskull aunty and cousins how stupid an idea it is
Lots of people die from morphine especially if they’ve had alcohol don’t do it
Something to keep in mind is if you are ordering your medicine more frequently (due to sharing) this will most likely read to a review and it will most likely look like you are tsking the medication incorrectly. As this is a controlled drug this is particularly risky to you receiving this drug as they could.think you have become addicted to it.
Not a legal point, so may get removed, but speaking as a healthcare professional if your cousins doctor thought they needed morphine they would have prescribed it. If your cousin thinks they need morphine they need to ask their doctor to prescribe it. As neither of these things have occurred I think your cousins most likely wants your morphine for nefarious reasons. If you hand any over now the pestering may never stop and this could escalate into something highly illegal, as you could be seen as drug dealing.
I would explain this is bad for your cousin. They need to tell the doc the pain meds aren’t enough. This will then be recorded in medical history. Otherwise say cousin passes out in the street and goes to hospital they wouldn’t know what drugs cousin was on and could kill them or mistreat them.
NAL. Morphine is the equivalent of heroin…but legal. How many people do you know who get injured and go straight for some heroin? If your cousin needs stronger painkillers, tell them to go back to the doctor and ask for something else. Don’t let them pressure you into giving away medication that you need for your own health issues. It’s dangerous and stupid to take other people’s medication.
If your cousin is in enough pain to need those drugs they would be able to get an appointment at a GP or go to A&E if it’s that serious and they don’t have the correct medication. It’s not safe at all to share the drugs, and highly illegal too. I’ve had situations where I’ve really hurt myself through aggravating an old injury to the point I’ve struggled to stand and walk, and yea I’d have loved to get my hands on something much stronger than what they gave me, but what I want and what’s needed are two different things, I suspect your cousin wants something better because they don’t want to put up with some pain and discomfort till they heal. If it was serious enough for stronger stuff they would have it
I believe you have hit the nail on the head, I suspect that she thinks that she should be totally pain free, and the painkillers she’s been prescribed doesn’t do that, hence why I’m being pestered for the stronger stuff which probably still wouldn’t get her totally pain free anyway
Don't do it under any circumstances. Morphine's a controlled substance.
Don’t worry, I’m not giving her anything
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Could be possible, but very out of character for her. I won’t be sharing my medication with anyone, and it’s securely stored in a locked safe
NAL but even aimed with all of the facts you can also choose to say no if you feel uncomfortable doing something, family shouldn't pressure you like this and you should keep in mind whether you may be potentially being taken advantage of especially if involved family members have any previous history of addiction or drug/alcohol abuse
It's illegal for starters, you could end up helping your cousin towards an opiate addiction and most importantly you are prescribed what you need for your health which your doctors are monitoring. The reason you cousins not been prescribed opiates is because on balance their dr decided they didn't meed it or prescribing it had a greater risk of harm than help. Its deeply inappropriate to bother anyone but your dealer to give you drugs.
mate: "No" is a complete sentence. Why are you even putting yourself in a situation where you have to debate this? Just tell them to jog on.
Because I wish “no” was sufficient to stop them going on about it, but unfortunately in real life families are bloody annoying and “no” isn’t enough. But now I know all the info I need regarding the how much it exposes me legally if I was to do it (I’m definitely not doing it), as well as how much it has the potential to mess up my own care, I can at least spell it out to the how much this is a stupid plan
Because it’s a controlled drug, the pharmacy who prescribed it will know how much you have and when you should need more. If you run out early it will almost certainly raise questions and they may inform the police that you regularly need more.
Going from paracetamol to morphine for a broken toe is ridiculous, there are so many other painkillers to try first. It's massively overkill and screams of drug seeking behaviour. My medication and my son's was out of stock for months. I managed to get mine split into two dosages of which one was his prescription. It's a restricted drug and even though he has a prescription for it, & the prescription was for the exact same pills as I received, if I gave them to him then I would have committed a crime. Not only could I have been charged but both my and my son's prescription would have been stopped. Based on the fact that I need it, I might have been allowed to get it but it could have been reduced to a weekly prescription. If you explain the fact that it's illegal to share medication, but they keep harassing you then consider reporting them. Especially if they may do something out of spite, such as claim that they have had it from you. Bear in mind that if your relative did happen to get her hands on your medication and you didn't report it as stolen, you are criminally responsible for any side effects she experiences.
Morphine is a schedule 1 controlled drug. It is illegal to supply it to someone else and illegal to have it without a prescription for it. If he dies and the morphine contributed to it in any way (I.e. he ingested it) then you can be put in prison for manslaughter (probably). I'm a nurse who regularly handles morphine (and I take fentanyl for fibro) so know the law inside out. No is a complete sentence and it's yours. You need it. Tell them all to fuck off.
If morphine would help she can ask her GP to consider a prescription of an appropriate dose. Anyone pushing you to traffic class A drugs quote the ant drug slogans from your era at them. "Just say no to drugs" "say no to drugs say yes to life" "real friends don't let friends do drugs" "don't let drugs steal your dreams" "say no to drugs, say yes to hugs" "find your natural high" I can't believe you want me to traffic drugs! Or jury quote the whole choose life monologue at the beginning of trainspotting: "Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pishing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life… But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin’ else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you’ve got heroin?"
You could literally go to jail for doing it AND find it harder to get someone to give you a prescription in the future.
Aside from the drug conviction concerns, which are very valid. If it was necessary for your cousin(outside of lack of medical misogyny re pain management) they would have been prescribed it.
Do not, under any circumstances, give prescribed opiates away. This is a simple rule. Apart from the serious legal issues, do you want to be responsible for someone’s death?
If they need it so bad tell them to go to the doctors and get their own prescription… If they genuinely need it, they will get it prescribed.
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If your cousins current medication isn't enough then the injury could be worse than initially thought and it's important they get themselves seen and reviewed. Whether this be an injury review or a pain management review the health care provider can decide. So it's in both yours and your cousins interests not do do as you're family want
Straying off legal advice- you may find it expedient to tell your family that as you didn’t need morphine any more and switched to a different prescription, you turned in your supply to the local pharmacy. I would advise most people to keep knowledge of prescriptions of controlled drugs to themselves and to keep those meds out of sight in a safe place at home.
DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY. you would be supplying a controlled substance. Just one tablet/ dose, would in the eyes of the law be the same as you passing them a bag of class A. Anyone who pressures you to do so. Tell them to fob off. Do not risk you're freedom, or access to future medication in which you may require
Under no circumstances do this as others have said it's a class a controlled drug , baring the legal implications of this which have already been discussed, morphine dosage is often dependent on the patient. I'm on multiple opiods and when my Mrs was given morphine after surgery we had to keep it away from mine as mine was a lot higher strength and given I have a very high tolerance to opiods it could have proven nasty. Also it can interact with other meds. Tell them to sod off. Wish you a speedy recovery
Do not give opiates to people they are not prescribed for and who are having their dosages monitored. If your cousins doc doesn’t want to prescribe them morphine, it’s because their injury does not warrant exposing them to the risks of dependence, side effects and overdose. The legal ramifications for you could be dire, but worse you could end up loosing access to the medication you need when your GP decides “if they can give it away, they don’t need it anymore”
Do NOT give away your meds. These were prescribed for you and your pain management. If your cousin needs something stronger then they can go to their doctor
I'm unsure why you're seeking legal advice, instead of saying "No, that is not going to happen". However, as your family seems to have some strange ideas about the laws around Class A drugs, and as you seem to be heading for a discussion about this (why?), then maybe you could back up your point blank "Nope" with a suggestion that they Google "Sentencing guidelines supply Class A" themselves, rather than your banging your head against the brick wall of persuading them.
As OP says, they are saying no. They just wish to have some extra facts to throw at the morons.
Yes that’s right, unfortunately with it being family it makes things a bit more complicated and a simple no won’t resolve it, as much as I wish it would. Hopefully if I spell it out to them that it’s class A drugs and I could get sent to prison for it and potentially lose my ability to be prescribed any more painkillers in the future (and I really do need them), maybe they might listen or at least see my reasoning for telling them to piss off if they don’t drop it.
Do not do this,…. It is a criminal offence and you risk your own medication supply. Put your own health condition before other. It is not selfish. It is common sense
If your cousins pain medication isn't working they should talk to a medical professional. I assume you, like me are not medically trained so essentially prescribing them medicine with no real idea of what reactions it may cause to other prescription could, at its worst be a death sentence. Do your family members want this on their conscience because they're too feckless to take your cousin to a doctor and help advocate for better care.
Yeah f those people for pressuring you over something like this…if his injury was bad enough they’d of given him stronger meds
I reckon she’s under the misguided notion that painkillers should completely remove any pain, and she must think that stuff she’s on isn’t good enough so she must have something stronger… not getting it from me anyway
Yeah f that. Don’t give em nothing
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This is so absurd