DEAR DR. GOTT: I greatly enjoy your column and have learned much through it. Some time ago, you ran an article from a reader who asked if body piercings could affect a person’s health, and you gave a list of medical procedures and appropriate tests. I think you missed an important possibility. In my experience, the young lady who would not go for counseling or testing is most likely addicted to prescription drugs. The symptoms described are common in withdrawal from opiates (which feels like the worst flu you’ve ever had). Kidney stones are often invoked ways of getting pain relievers. The frequency of the “illnesses” probably means she’s running out of medicine before it’s time to refill her prescription. The parents should check this out and may want to arrange an intervention to get her into rehab. Her lack of motivation could also be due to amotivational syndrome, not uncommon in longtime marijuana users. I hope this helps.
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