Can You Bring Your Physician Prescribed Medications to Rehab?
Medically reviewed by
Isaac Alexis, M.D., AAMA, AMP-BCJanuary 23, 2019
If you’re seeking a recovery program but are worried about bringing along your legitimately prescribed medications, rest assured, many treatment programs will work with you to make sure you get through rehab without having to sacrifice the personalized medical care you need.
What’s Allowed And What Isn’t?
According to information provided by many rehab center websites, the most commonly permitted medications are those for diabetes, high blood pressure, and even some anti-depressants and anti-psychotics. Addictive substances like narcotic painkillers, on the other hand, are almost always not allowed, even if they carry an official prescription. These are the substances that may have brought one to rehab in the first place, and must, therefore, leave the body for recovery to take place.
Whether allowed or disallowed, it’s important to let your treatment specialist know of any medications you’ve been currently or recently prescribed. This is especially true if you’re headed into a detox treatment unit, where it’s crucial to prevent any potential interactions with medications given to ease withdrawal symptoms.
Getting Approved
Just about every treatment center that allows you to bring prescription medications requires that you get the medication approved ahead of time, before your check-in date. The first step in the approval process is simply to contact an admission counselor or medical staff member directly. Many treatment programs provide the appropriate contact numbers on their websites.
After the medication is approved, the next step is to have it inspected and cataloged when you check in. In most cases, the substance is then stored in a secure location and dispensed by medical staff according to your doctor’s instruction.
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Safe, Secure Packaging
One important thing to remember is that most inpatient rehab centers require all approved medications to be brought to the facility in their original, unopened containers with full pharmacist information. The goal is to prevent anyone from sneaking in a banned substance by hiding it in already opened packaging. This means getting the prescription filled immediately before you begin recovery and filling it enough to last you the entire time spent in rehab (usually 30 days). Addiction treatment is most effective as an uninterrupted process, and having to put that process on hold to refill a prescription can be an unwelcome and unproductive distraction.
Let Us Guide Your Search
Of course, when it comes to the exact policy details concerning prescribed medications, no two rehab centers are perfectly alike. If you’re in search of the right facility to accommodate your particular medical needs, we can help. Contact us today at RehabCenter.net for more information.
