Oftentimes, people will have surgery and be prescribed a drug that is highly effective, but also likely addictive. If you or someone you know became addicted to prescription drugs after surgery, it is incredibly important to get help fast. More often than not, prescription drug abuse begins after someone has been prescribed a medicine for a certain ailment, and then becomes addicted and will do anything to obtain more.

Arizona is ranked 6th in the United States for Prescription Drug use and as these drugs become more attainable, the problem continues to rise. Prescription forgery can be done by doctors, physicians, and patients in a variety of ways. There are a good amount of consequences that come from being charged with prescription and every charge is different based on the severity as well as the person creating the fraud.

Prescription fraud is an ever-growing problem in the United States and knowing how to protect yourself from prescription fraud as well as what steps to take if you are charged with prescription fraud is important. We have compiled information below about what exactly prescription forgery is, the consequences, as well as the steps to take if you are charged with prescription fraud.

What is Prescription Forgery?

Prescription forgery means that someone is falsifying a prescription in order to obtain prescription drugs. People can get a false prescription by either creating a fake prescription or having a doctor do so. Prescription Forgery is an ever-growing problem in the United States and if you are a victim of or charged with Prescription Forgery it is important to know what steps to take.

No matter how you get illegal prescription drugs, there are multiple consequences that can get you into a lot of trouble. There are multiple ways people can be charged for Prescription Forgery and include a variety of offenses. If you change your prescription, forge a signature, alter the dosage, or have forged prescription documents, you could likely be charged with consequences that come with Prescription Forgery.

What consequences can you face for Prescription Forgery?

In Arizona, consequences for prescription forgery range from paying fines as well as jail times. Prescription Forgery is often labeled as a class 1 misdemeanor and charges will vary based on the severity. You can incur additional charges by also selling prescription drugs to others.

Arizona laws typically send those that commit prescription fraud to jail for 6 months as well as make them pay at least a $1000 dollar fine. As always, if there are other charges such as selling prescription drugs, you can face harsher consequences.

In Arizona, if you sell and distribute a drug that has been misbranded, you could face more than 3 years in prison. Different charges and consequences also come for those that are doctors and who are illegally overprescribing drugs to an addict. Doctors who are caught forging prescriptions can lose their license, along with other fines and charges.

There are also a variety of prescription drugs that are labeled as narcotics or dangerous drugs such as Xanax and Oxycotin. If you are caught with possession of these types of drugs you could be charged with a Class 4 Felony.

How can you tell if a prescription is forged?

Those that forge their prescriptions often do so in a variety of ways. If you notice anything added to the prescription that does not fit or is written in different handwriting, then it has likely been forged.

Many law enforcement officers as well as pharmacists know the common medications that are often prescribed or forged illegally. These prescription drugs include drugs such as Valium, Xanax, and Adderall. Most times, the prescription drugs that patients are trying to obtain illegally are to fuel an addiction that they have had for years.

You can also tell if someone has forged a prescription by looking for handwriting over the original writing. Oftentimes, those that forge prescriptions try to change the original prescription to be a higher dosage or stronger drug.

You can also spot someone using illegal ways to obtain prescription drugs by the frequency they return to get more prescriptions. It is also very common to use the older population to buy their prescription drugs or use their prescription to obtain drugs.

What are the different ways that prescriptions are forged?

There are a variety of ways that those who commit prescription forgery can obtain prescription drugs.

• Prescription writing pads are stolen from Doctors Offices and prescriptions are forged by thieves.
• Patients change the prescription from doctors in some way to allow them to obtain a higher number of pills or prescription drugs.
• Patients who are abusing prescription drugs have even been known to write their own number on the forged prescription, so the pharmacist will call them instead of the doctor.
• Faking an injury or illness to obtain prescription drugs
• Doctors who overprescribe or prescribe prescription drugs to those who do not truly need them.

There are multiple ways that prescriptions can be forged to allow patients to obtain an abundance of prescription drugs which many abused, leading to a prescription drug problem.

What to do if you are charged with Prescription Forgery?

If you or a loved one are charged with prescription forgery it is important to take steps to know how to get help quickly. Contacting an attorney will help to guide you with what steps to take first and ensure you have a solid foundation to fight for your case.

If you are a pharmacy or doctor, Arizona also has a way to report suspicious prescription activity to allow you to keep everyone safe. You can report any activity that you see as suspicious such as an altered prescription or fake prescription to the Arizona Drug Diversion website.

There are also multiple treatment programs that you can sign up for to get yourself on the right path to not need prescription drugs anymore. You can also call the SAMHSA National Hotline to get help with substance abuse and know what steps to take next.

Conclusion

Prescription drug addiction and distribution are becoming a rampant problem in the United States. One way people obtain prescription drugs is by committing prescription forgery. Prescription forgery comes in a variety of ways such as altering a prescription, stealing, and using prescription notepads, as well as calling in fake prescriptions.

More often than not, people become addicted to prescription drugs after surgery that requires drugs that are highly addictive. Initially, patients aren’t addicted, but as time goes on they become addicted and will do anything to get prescription drugs.

It is important to reach out to an attorney who knows the Arizona laws surrounding Prescription forgery and how to get you help in the best way. You can also reach out to addiction therapy programs to get advice on what steps to take to begin to heal and break your addiction.

No matter if you are someone who has been charged for prescription fraud, or you are trying to help a loved one who has committed prescription fraud, knowing your options and where to find help is incredibly helpful. Contacting an Arizona attorney will set you up for success and help guide you on what important steps to take first.

Arizona Attorneys are incredibly knowledgeable about what is available to help you and will fight on your behalf time and time again.