Are you supposed to tell your doctor if you smoke weed?

[Portasaurus]

Always wondered if you're supposed to tell your doc if you enjoy dope or not.

I figure this community is probably a good place to ask for real-life experience with this dilemma.

I've attached a poll to help collect the responses. I briefly considered adding a "Bush smoked some asmag before knocking down T1 and T2" option, but then people would just vote for that and effectively not answer the poll. So yeah.

Thanks for your input!

[loramin]

I do all the time (and not just to the doc who gives me my weed prescription).

Let me put it like this:

A) the doc is bound by law (patient confidentiality) not to tell anyone (unless maybe it's a felony or something ... not sure about the details, but don't tell your doc you deal heroin and you'll be fine)
B) would you want to die because you didn't tell your doctor about a drug that interferes with the one he just prescribed to you? (not sure such a drug even exists, but I'd rather be safe than sorry)

Usually when I tell the doc it's because he/she asked "Do you smoke", and when I reply "Just weed" they laugh and move on to the next question.

[Big_Japan]

Pro tip: there is virtually nothing useful medically about knowing someone smokes weed. If you're going in for respiratory or psychosomatic problems, or you're older with cardiovascular issues, then maybe at that point. But you shouldn't be smoking weed daily at that point, you fucking degenerate.

Telling your doc you use drugs is wayyyy more likely to affect his judgment in prescribing drugs with abuse potential than to improve the care you get.

And if you think that shit stored in electronic medical records is actually confidential I've got a bridge to sell ya.

[Swish]

Just finish with "snitches get stitches" and you'll be good.

[khanable]

Don't lie to your doctor or your lawyer

Everyone else is fair game

[Greegon]

yeah... don't tell your doctor you smoke weed while it's still illegal, unless you're there about lung problems.

lollol, ur info ain't private dawg

[Darkatar]

If your doc has a problem with you smoking weed (excluding the fact you're inhaling plant matter combustion byproducts) you should get a new doc.

You should probably tell him if you're taking any meds, especially if you take respiratory meds. He's your doctor, not the police.

[myriverse]

Originally Posted by khanable [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Don't lie to your doctor or your lawyer

Everyone else is fair game

Yes. It's important that a doctor know these things for diagnoses.

Just know that the Feds do not recognize doctor-patient confidentiality. Generally, it's an ethics thing, not a legal one, but many jurisdictions do honour it, as long as there's no threat to others.

[Skittlez]

Originally Posted by Big_Japan [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Pro tip: there is virtually nothing useful medically about knowing someone smokes weed. If you're going in for respiratory or psychosomatic problems, or you're older with cardiovascular issues, then maybe at that point. But you shouldn't be smoking weed daily at that point, you fucking degenerate.

Telling your doc you use drugs is wayyyy more likely to affect his judgment in prescribing drugs with abuse potential than to improve the care you get.

And if you think that shit stored in electronic medical records is actually confidential I've got a bridge to sell ya.

Spoken like a true addict.

[feanan]

If you want the fact that you smoke pot to be permanently in an electronic file somewhere that the government has access to...than yes.