Part II: The Difficult Patient Detecting Drug Seekers in Primary Care.

Prescription drug diversion is a growing problem facing practitioners, pharmacists, and law enforcement officers in Canada. Prescription drug diversion leads to excess morbidity and mortality. Prescription drug seekers waste the physician's time through unnecessary visits and-should they get caught-through court appearances. The physician's office remains the drug seekers' favourite place to obtain prescription drugs. This article outlines the categories of prescription drugs and the relevant federal laws governing their use. Drug-seeking individuals are described, as are the diseases they feign and the ruses they use to obtain drugs. Finally, ways of circumventing drug seekers are described.