“Stopping my teenage son's addiction to prescription medicine?”

It depends on severity of addiction. He may need detox.,addiction counselor, AA and possibly Suboxone to maintain sobriety.

Yes, see a pain doctor and a psychiatrist please. They will help wean him off and get him treated appropriately. If at all confused with this medical process, then simply start off with the primary care doctor.

Hope that helps,

Dr. Sangra

Thank you for your question at FADT. Generally speaking, it is advisable that children, adolescents and young adults do not use narcotics for any reason, even after surgery, due to the high risk of addiction. It is advisable that doctors do not prescribe this in most cases, and also it is advisable that if it is absolutely necessary to prescribe, that it is only a very short course of medication, e.g. a week or less at very small doses. Of course there are exceptions. I would advise in your specific case that your son, under your support, seeks the advise of a psychiatric team. In addition it would be beneficial to seek psychotherapies that treat pain via mindfulness strategies, and cognitive behavioral therapy. I hope this helps, thank you! Dr. Dodd, MD.

He should see a psychiatrist.

There are thousands of kinds of "prescription medications," but I assume you mean prescription painkillers (opioids). Nationwide, this is a huge problem and extremely risky for anyone entangled in opioid addiction. You should find a physician who SPECIALIZES in addiction. If your health insurance covers it, research various rehab facilities. Quality and competence vary enormously, so buyer beware. There's a lot of ideology and misinformation among people who treat addicts, so research is essential.