medical confidentiality and alcohol use

[ohshit]

hi.

so my mom took me to a dermatologist a couple months ago for my acne. the derm prescribed something called doxycyclene.

now, i never drink. like, never. seriously. but one night my parents were gone and i was bored so i tried a bit of rum. got a bit light-headed and sleepy, fell asleep, no problems.

except that shortly thereafter the doxycyclene stops working. completely. upon researching it i find out it's because the alcohol makes it ineffective.

i have a follow up appt with the derm in a few days, and it'll be pretty obvious that the meds aren't working because my skin is just as terrible as it was when i went the first time.

should i tell the derm about the alcohol? if i do, will she go and tell my mom? help. :/

thx.

[Zeus.]

You be openly honest with her..... She can't do her job correctly if you aren't.

[ohshit]

Originally Posted by Austin..

You be openly honest with her..... She can't do her job correctly if you aren't.

well, sure. i'm mostly worried about whether or not the doc can (legally speaking) or will tell my parents. on the one hand, it's all "oh noes, underage drinking " but on the other hand, it seems like i should have some degree of confidentiality as far as what i tell medical professionals...

[Zeus.]

Originally Posted by ohshit

well, sure. i'm mostly worried about whether or not the doc can (legally speaking) or will tell my parents. on the one hand, it's all "oh noes, underage drinking " but on the other hand, it seems like i should have some degree of confidentiality as far as what i tell medical professionals...

Well techincally if you are under 18 he can discuss anything with your parents if he or she chooses too. Now, if they do is the question. I think it's best to just take honest way out.... So what If you tried a little rum at 16. I mean shit, I got way worse then that at 16 on New Years Eve at my friend's lakehouse.... And my mom found out because I forgot to do my own laundry ( yea I puked big time)...... She didn't make a huge deal because she knows teens and I am responsible anyways.

[andrew lucas]

even if they told your mom, tell your mom what you told us it was a one time thing..its not the end of the world

[Sic]

I did a bit of research in to the confidentiality contracts between doctors and minors but most of the stuff that came up was abortion/contraceptive related.

I did read (here: http://www.enotes.com/everyday-law-e...eatment-minors) that the only thing that you MUST have parental consent for is surgery.

That means you could have set up an appointment with a dermatologist and gotten prescribed doxycyclene without your parents even knowing.

I don't think it's legal for her to go and tell your parents you've been drinking.

You can also just ask your doctor on appointment day. Just ask her if what you say legally stays between the two of you. If she says that it's an honor-code type of thing and you don't trust her then don't tell her. If she says she's legally obligated to keep what you say between the two of you, then go ahead and tell her.

You've only been on the drug for a month right? I took acne medication when I was about 15 and it didn't kick in until about 3 months anyway.

It's not like the alcohol can be in your system forever. Even if you decide not to tell her, she'll just say that it's not working and maybe you should be on a higher dose and then you just say that you'd rather keep with that you're on for another month and see if it starts to work.

[El Badass]

well the doctor patient confidentiality is mostly the same for minors. anything you talk about with your doctor they legally cannot tell your parents (and i see no reason why they would). If you have ever visited a doctor for a physical they will send your parents out of the room and they ask questions about drugs and alcohol and they say that "what is said in that room will not be told to your parents". I would imagine it is the same for a dermatologist because that is just a kind of doctor.

With that said, I think yes you should tell your doctor so that he/she can do his/her job correctly

[cody15]

Since you are a minor he can, but it is more important that he has all the information about what is going on with you medically.

[And?]

Originally Posted by cody15

Since you are a minor he can, but it is more important that he has all the information about what is going on with you medically.

This is true.

The only time the doctors will swerve from the confidentiality - I suspect - is in cases where parental guidance or permission is needed. Surgery, life-threatening disease, blah, blah. It seems incredibly unlikely that you would drink once and he'd tell them. There's no point to it.

[ohshit]

cool, thanks for the advice everybody. if my parents were reasonable i'd have no problems with just being straight with the doc, b.c it wouldn't much matter if she told them... but my parents have no sense of normal teenage behavior. i was grounded for a year when they found out i looked at pr0n every now and then, and i'm sure it'd be similar if they found i tried alcohol.

anyway. haven't decided on a course of action yet. i'll let you guys know how it goes. thanks again