Stealing Meds From Grandma

Both my parents are 70. My dad is on Coumadin (blood thinner for angina - he recently had a heart attack). Mom's on Lipitor (cholesterol medication). They're both on high blood pressure medication (not sure which one/s) but you could google one of those.

ETA: I have no idea if these are appealing to a drug addict.

I knew of someone's husband who was addicted to pain killers. You might not find these in "grandma's" cabinet. Your character could steal from anyone's medicine cabinet for those.

Vicodin (Hydrocodone), OxyContin (oxycodone). Both are pain-relievers and narcotics. My mother-in-law took these after hip and knee surgery. Ativan or Temesta (Lorazepam) is a anti-anxiety drug. Then there's always the old standby Valium (Diazepam). In fact, just about any sedative would be a good fit.

OK - rememberd something else.

My father-in-law had Vicodin in his cabinet, but I'm not sure why. He died at 84 of leukemia. I remember when we were dividing up his things how irritated we all were that my mother-in-law had thrown that one out. ;P

Gramma might have Vicodin or OxyContin from hip or knee surgery or something.

ETA: HA! Cross posted with Roger AND vixey!

You could always have 'em stealing the Robotussin. This is usually for younger teens, but Robotripping is another way kids get high.

Vicodin is scary for a couple of reasons. First of all, it's a narcotic. But secondly, it has acetaminophen (Tylenol) in it, which when used in excess can damage the liver and kidneys.

Percaset made my mom a TRIP. She was wandering around the grocery store with me practically on top of the world one minute and then almost crying another minute. And she wouldn't stop talking about my wedding, even though I wasn't engaged or anything yet.

She told me afterwards she would never take it again. lol. She only had it becuase she had to have a root canal and they couldn't get her in fast enough.

Yep. Percocet can do weird things to people. The one most kids use around here is OxyContin. Get it from their parents/grandparents. Unfortunately, two of the suicides came from using Oxy and alcohol. Were near the RR tracks (two separate incidents). One's response time was too slow and couldn't move fast enough, the other purposefully threw himself in front of the train.

I have a real estate license. When I have open houses, I tell my clients to get all their prescription drugs out of the house, or at least locked away. It's not just the 'fun' drugs people are looking to steal. Drugs are very expensive. Even blood pressure meds or other 'benign' kids of drugs can bring money on the black market, sold to the uninsured who need the drugs for their health but who cannot afford them.

This, of course, doesn't happen in places outside the USA, where there is some sort of universal health care.

gophergrrrl said:

I feel weird trying to get this info on the net because I'm afraid the government will line tap me and think I'm doing my homework for other reasons.

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LOL!--*no worse than when I queried several different boards (not here at AW) about an effective way to kill a person with a ball point pen. (A sharp jab to the temple.)

ETA: *For a story I was writing

If Grandma has Alzheimer's, she might be on one of the benzodiazepines--Ativan, Valium, etc.--for agitation. Those could have some value for an addict.

stormie said:

LOL!--*no worse than when I queried several different boards (not here at AW) about an effective way to kill a person with a ball point pen. (A sharp jab to the temple.

ETA: *For a story I was writing

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Or when I commented on the use of an ordinary light bulb filled with gasoline as an incendiary device!

Seriously folks, are any of you Al Quida?

"They" are probably watching me, considering all the weird Google searches I do to research my crime novels. Poisons, sniper rifles, anatomy, bombs, etc.

I can't think why anyone would want some of the more common drugs Gran might take. I'm on Lipitor, and it doesn't do a thing except lower your cholesterol. I feel no different when I forget to take it, than when I remember.

But any of the more common oral prescription psychoactives (Valium, Halcion, Ambien, Abilify, Percocet, Darvocet) might attract a teenager. Painkillers are always popular because of their tranquilizing effects.

If you need more detail, there is an online version of the Physicians' Desk Reference or PDR that will give you drugs by class and by name. Warning:it's very technical but should help you decide if a drug is oral (p.o.), injectable (i.m.) or intravenous (i.v.).

Roger J Carlson said:

Vicodin is scary for a couple of reasons. First of all, it's a narcotic. But secondly, it has acetaminophen (Tylenol) in it, which when used in excess can damage the liver and kidneys.

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There are MANY drugs (over the counter as well as prescription) that when "taken to excess" or taken over a period of time can damage internal organs, especially the liver (which is where many "foreign substances" are filtered from the bloodstream and broken down into simpler substances to be excreted from the body). Liver problems are common among long-term drug abusers as well as long-term heavy drinkers.

But such detrimental health effects usually only occur after years of use.

If the grandmother is disabled and in chronic pain for something she might be prescribed Methadone. It's a very strong pain medication. It's also used sometimes with people who are drug addicts to manage their addictions while they're weaned off of the drugs. Because it's so strong itself, though, it holds it's own possibilities for addiction.

StephanieFox said:

I have a real estate license. When I have open houses, I tell my clients to get all their prescription drugs out of the house, or at least locked away. It's not just the 'fun' drugs people are looking to steal. Drugs are very expensive. Even blood pressure meds or other 'benign' kids of drugs can bring money on the black market, sold to the uninsured who need the drugs for their health but who cannot afford them.

This, of course, doesn't happen in places outside the USA, where there is some sort of universal health care.

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Stephie-

I want universal health care too, but that sort of off-hand generalization is best left to the Sarah Palins of the world.

Even in those few countries that do have adequate universal health coverage (basically, the EU, Canada, and a few other developed countries) patients often still have to pay for prescription drugs. Or they may not be covered for the drugs that are best for their condition, because there's an older, cheaper, less effective one available.

So there are black markets in other countries. Even full National Health systems often have a lot of problems - doctor availability, drug availability, facilities availability. Often there's a second tier of care for customers with ca$h. It's much better than what we've got right now, but it's not perfect.

Some older people with mild cognitive impairment and/or dementia are prescribed Ritalin and related medications, and those tend to be a hot ticket as well.

If granny ever had any kind of surgery, including dental, it's likely she's got the most popular painkillers. Doctors just love handing that crap out like candy and granny either won't take it at all 'cause she's tough, or she'll take one or two and have two dozen or so stuck in the medicine cabinet.

Folks often save drugs that they were prescribed but didn't use.
Your character could be stealing Darvocets from ten years ago.

Come to think about it, we have several hundred tabs of codeine kicking around. It was prescribed by our vet for our border collie for pain during her last few months of terminal cancer. That's a lot of codeine.

So vet meds are also a quirky option.

^^Yep, good one!^^