Many Houston residents know how hard it is to deal with chronic physical pain. Pain brought on by accidents, chronic diseases, and many other reasons can cause extreme discomfort. Physicians often prescribe painkillers for these patients, but when a failure to follow acceptable standards occurs, these medications can cause more harm than good.
A prominent doctor at a pain management clinic is now being investigated by the DEA and is facing medical malpractice claims due to his excessive use of painkillers. Several deaths of patients who visited his clinic have been recorded due to alleged overdoses.
One patient became a patient of the pain clinic after she was involved in a serious auto accident that resulted in several spine surgeries. While at the pain clinic, she received prescriptions for painkillers that steadily became higher and higher. Her husband claims that soon after her first visit she became hooked on the pain medicine. A year after her first visit to the clinic, she was taking over 100 pills per month. At the time of her death in 2009, her husband says she was prescribed seven medications totaling 600 pills a month. Ultimately, this resulted in the patient dying from an overdose.
Prescription pain medication abuse and overdose is a common problem in the United States. These pain pills have an incredibly high rate of abuse, and most physicians know the dangers of prescription pain medication and are careful in prescribing them to their patients. However, there are still doctors who are negligent and overprescribe these medications, which then causes more harm to their patients and in some cases, even causes death.
Houston residents know how prevalent prescription pain abuse is. Physicians who overprescribe these drugs may be held accountable for their failure to follow acceptable standards.
Source: KETK, “Prominent pain doctor investigated by DEA after patient deaths,” Dec. 20, 2013
