Envenomations as a novel drug-seeking method.
Drug seekers have often sought narcotics and benzodiazepines through subjective reports of severe pain. We report 2 patients who claimed repeated envenomation to receive narcotic administration; 1 claimed black widow bite on 8 occasions at 7 separate healthcare facilities, the other claimed to have been bitten by a copperhead snake on 7 occasions at 4 separate healthcare facilities. A 3rd patient complained of lionfish envenomation with no tissue reaction and was refused analgesia. Inconsistent clinical presentations of envenomations may signal drug-seeking behaviors.
D000328:Adult; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009110:Munchausen Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000191:economics; D009294:Narcotics; D011039:Poison Control Centers; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders
D009294:Narcotics; D001569:Benzodiazepines