Nurse fakes prescriptions to obtain more painkillers
It is a story that, by now, has become familiar to anyone who understands the behavior of prescription drug addicts. An individual will do anything – sacrficing their relationships or careers – to obtain more Vicodin, OxyContin or other painkillers.
Mary “Kathy” Madill, a 55-year old nurse in a Denver emergency room has been caught forging prescriptions and stealing Fentanyl (a powerful painkiller) from the hospital.
This is a common occurence is the world of prescription drug addiction. Glamorized to some degree by the TV hit House, medical professionals addicted to painkillers has become a serious problem in the United States. The unchecked access these individuals have to the medications means that they are likely to be using them in secret over a long period of time before anyone notices.
And with all prescription drug addictions that involve painkillers, the individual develops a tolerance to the drug over time. That means it will take more and more of the substance to achieve the desired opiate effect – which consequently may lead to overdose or other issues.
As for Ms. Madill, she was suspended and the subsequently fired from her job at St. Anthony Central Hospital. While it still remains to be seen whether or not the hospital is going to press criminal charges, one can only hope that the former nurse seeks the help she needs from a drug treatment program before it is too late.
