Just A Tiny Bit Of Frustration

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If you are a libertarian who likes drugs and thinks they should all be legal you might be offended by this post...
I just need to get something off my chest.
Yesterday I accompanied someone who I will deliberately be vague about the identity of, to an Immediate Care Facility because they couldn't get an appointment with their PCP until later next week. This person had a red rash that itched on localized areas. This person also has a bit of a drug problem, but it's not what you'd think. It involves prescription drugs only that are prescribed by the doctor, nothing illegal but frustrating to be a part of, nonetheless.
Even though I swore to myself I would not be a party to this sort of thing, going to the ER just so the person you are taking only to drive them home, just for them to get high, since my teenage years when I was asked to do so quite often.
I thought this trip would be harmless. It was for a rash and I didn't realize you could get a drug that would get you high for a rash.
I will use the plural pronoun "they" to keep identities vague...all I want to do is express my frustration here, in font form. When I was with this person, they behaved normally. We talked about the rash, they told me it was red and where it was and that it itched but this person never tried to scratch it while I was there. \
So me and my dog and another person all went and did something else since there were a few people ahead of the one who wanted to see a doctor.
I returned to the Immediate Care Facility (not an ER, just a place to walk in and see a doctor the same day) about thirty minutes later. The nurse let me accompany the person seeing the doctor in an exam room. I entered during the examination. The person I was with was talking to the doctor and scratching the rash while doing so, which wasn't happening earlier. The rash didn't seem to be bothering this person that much then. I eyeballed this person (whom I will call "my friend" from now on) a bit suspiciously but held everything in.
The doctor ended up prescribing a shot of Benadryl and a steroid. After seeing the rash, I did wonder how it had gotten there. The doctor said it couldn't have been from something ingested since it was localized.
My friend told me at this time about taking Benedryl everyday since the rash appeared and how it didn't cause drowsiness. I thought that was inaccurate since it always caused it in myself but, hey, everyone's different.
So, by the time I get this person to the drug store to pick up the prescription, they can barely stand from the shot of Benadryl and once again I am a part of something I don't want to be. I seemed to have fallen right into the trap, so was the other person who was with me who didn't really need to see this. What's worse is my friend told us about "not feeling well" when it was the Benadryl that was causing it.
To people reading this, it might seem like much ado about nothing, but if you have had to deal with this sort of situation most your life, you just get weary of it and refuse to participate in any more scenarios such as this.
What I want to know is, why can't doctors prescribe medicines that do not get someone high in situations like these? This would help a whole lot, considering it's a prescription drug problem and not an illicit drug one.
I know it sounds a bit paranoid, but I am wondering if my friend might have sprayed something on the skin to make it red and itchy just to get a shot of this since this person drinks a lot of Nyquil nightime (not the non drowsy Dayquil) and used to drink the liquid Benadryl when it was available (they have since taken it off the market except for children's medicine).
I know it's none of my business what doctors prescribe, but when it involves me how can I not know? That's why I try to stay uninvolved whenever possible.

I'm not sure I understand. Benedryl is sedating, and if someone takes a lot of it, it can produce a sort of 'high', but I've read that it's very unpleasant and more of a delirium. Also benedryl is available without a prescription.

And for a rash a person would be given a corticosteroid, and that is also not known for getting people high (and is also available without an Rx).

she said Benedryl and a steroid, the steroid well could be Cortisol. They probably could not decide wither it was an allergic reaction or a skin disease. Though i don't know, not a doctor.



I think that they will try to do this if a history of drug seeking behavior gets written into his medical file, I think they note drug of choice as well. You could tell this all to a doctor and they would probably add the note, but if they ever really need painkillers it could be a problem.

It would also only be effective if they go back to the same immediate care facility.

Also scratching a rash more when talking about it, sounds kind of natural. Although it sounds like this is not an isolated incident, sorry you had to deal with that situation.

Cortisol is a corticosteroid. Corticosteroids are most commonly used to reduce inflammation. They do not get you high. Hydrocortisone (which is converted into cortisol in the body) is available over-the-counter. If you want to test that, go to the drug store and buy some 10% hydrocortisone rash cream and eat it. You won't get high. (If you do that every day for a month, you may develop mania, severe depression, or "steroid psychosis," however.)

The "classic" drug that people try to scam emergency rooms out of is Demerol, which is used to treat pain. That is why doctors in ER's tend to be very suspicious of people who come in complaining of pain. I've never heard of anyone getting high off of diphenhydramine and hydrocortisone.

If she says that he was given Benedryl as well as a steroid, I had to assume that that was true.

I was just trying to say that the steroid which she mentions could be the Corticosteroid treatment that you expect. To try and say that what you expect and what she described do not seem to directly contradict one another.

I mentioned Cortisol because It was the only example of a Corticosteroid I could immediately remember. I associated it with a cream treatment for eczema, although your right the actual content is Hydrocortisone. I have never been tempted to eat that eczema treatment, can't imagine it would be pleasant.

Oh ok. Well, I just find the whole incident confusing. There are definitely people who fake things or even inflict injuries on themselves to scam doctors out of drugs to get high. I just never heard of it happening with those drugs.

It's a shot of Benadryl, so it's stronger than the pills and the sedating affects, to some, are a high.

I've been through this with ER Demerol and Morphine. Benadryl is the latest round.

Of course, the steriod isn't what's in question. It's the Benadryl. This drug has side effects, no doubt about it.

I just got into an argument with the person in question who wanted to go back to the urgent care place and get more Benadryl. I suggested requesting something else since the Benadryl doesn't seem to be working. The response I got was an angry one. This person claimed it was helping for a few days and started getting bad again last night. I suggested seeing the regular PCP and getting referred to a specialist. That suggestion was met with rejection. I get made into the bad guy because the itching is so bad and I am criticizing the treatment. I wasn't suggesting not get treated, just with something that doesn't produce side effects and if it were me, I would refuse the Benadryl in the doctor's office, saying the side effects are unpleasant.