To what extent can doctors treat themselves?

“For, even if the rule is justified and codes of ethics are explicit in this regard, the rule doesn’t hold up in everyday life, as most physicians have already broken the rule at one time or another during their careers. Proof of this came in a survey3 conducted in 2006 among physicians in Montreal, which revealed that most of them had already prescribed laboratory tests (80%) and medications (60%) for themselves. And as it is unlikely that this was always only in emergencies or for minor illnesses, it is plausible that the phenomenon of self-treatment occurs much more frequently than we think and much more often than we admit.”

Pub Med

My dermatologist ia a vitamin D3 nut. He draws his own blood to check the D3 levels.

There’s an old saying: A doctor who treats himself has a fool for a patient. It isn’t necessarily unethical. Self-treatment (in the most general sense) is one the perks of becoming a practicing physician. I’d say most doctors have enough medical knowledge & judgment to know their limitations by involving other doctors whose specific expertise is needed, as no doctor can handle all medical situations. Obviously any condition requiring surgery cannot be self-treated. yeah, I saw 127 Hours.

Whether doctors may write prescriptions for themselves may depend on state law. Some pharmacists have discretion as well, whether to fill or refuse. Online vendors like Henry Schein will only ship controlled substances to the address matching what’s on the prescriber’s DEA certificate.

Obviously large and frequent amounts of controlled substances, such as to sustain an addiction, are red flags to pharmacies who fill the prescriptions, who might then alert state authorities (the doc could lose his license to practice) and/or Drug Enforcement Agency (the doc could lose his license to prescribe anywhere in the US). Class II narcotics (opiates like morphine) involve special DEA triplicate forms, so they’re closely monitored anyway.

I once worked for a big wholesale drug company. Each day, I would have at least a million dollars in narcotic drugs to be delivered to various pharmacies. I must admit that I was armed, while making these deliveries and I did not care who knew it. Ampules of morphine, oxycodone and your name it, I delivered it.

In one of my drugstore deliveries, I began to see a pattern of possible abuse, by one medical doctor. Once a week, he would write a prescription for a bottle of 50 mg demerol. I asked around at the pharmacy he was using and some of the workers told me that they thought he had a drug habit and he was ordering the demerol for himself. I did some backtracking and discovered that this MD was ordering the demerol for himself.

Catching him was no big deal. His own prescriptions, written for himself, was self-incriminating. He was arrested and lost his license to practice.

Yes, this does happen. In this incident, I just happen to “catch on” to his illegal routine.

Ethically? No. Most will anyway. It’s generally less of a big deal if you’re writing an Rx for, say, compazine (anti-nausea) than for narcotics (BIG no-no).

I stumbled upon a thing yesterday about a guy who removed his own appendix! I guess he fainted a few times in the process.

If a doctor discovers his or her own blood pressure is running high, why shouldn’t s/he investigate with some basic tests & then start medication? That’s neither illegal nor unethical. Ditto if their kid is sick and they diagnose & treat a common ear infection. Ethical behavior is discretionary to a point.

There’s an ethical gray zone that includes self-invasive (skin-penetrating) procedures and self-prescribing for drugs that produce mild altered states of consciousness (e.g., Xanax for anxiety / panic disorder; Adderall for adult ADD). Prescribing 10,000 OxyContin for oneself, however, is outside this gray zone. Also illegal and criminal. And I should think that prescribing medical marijuana for yourself is bound to land you in trouble.

Self-treatment also implies lack of proper documentation & disconnection from mainstream medical care if the condition worsens & requires referral. See first sentence previous post.

@gasman You can’t prescribe medical marijuana. You can only recommend that it would help.

I’ve seen video of a Doctor performing liposuction on himself. I’m sure he had a saddle block administered beforehand, but there he is on the operating table just a jabbin’ away at his belly with the suck stick…

Plus, this reminds me of a joke (Mods, please don’t remove this!)

A doctor is undergoing an appendectomy when the anesthesia wears off too soon and he wakes up just as they are about to “close”. He says “well, as long as I’m awake, I might as well finish up here” The other doctors reply “Suture self!”