From Article:
Allegations that a northern Indiana physician over-prescribed dangerous drugs to patients led to a raid of a northside Muncie pain clinic late Monday afternoon.
Officers served a search warrant for records relating to the possible over-prescribing of medications as well as “possible forgery and fraud,” according to the Indiana attorney general’s office.
Since a few months before the Muncie office opened, the DEA said, eight Hedrick pain clinic patients had died of drug overdoses. Craig said he didn’t know if any of the overdoses or fatal drug intoxications, which occurred from January 2013 to July 2014, were of patients from the Muncie clinic.
A search for obituaries under the names of any of those people who authorities say died of overdoses – the most recent in August – seemed to indicate the deaths were not of patients from the Muncie clinic.
Although the state maintained that several of Hedrick’s patients had died, Hedrick argued that the state hadn’t conclusively linked their deaths to his pain treatment
The affidavit also noted that a Muncie pharmacist had raised concerns with authorities about Hedrick’s prescribing practices. The pharmacist noted that most of Hedrick’s patients received two types of opiates even though they were young and appeared to be in good health. The pharmacist’s chain eventually refused to fill any of Hedrick’s prescriptions. Other pharmacies followed suit.
Another pharmacist said he often was asked by customers to fill 100 prescriptions a day written in Hedrick’s Muncie office. Former Hedrick employees also spoke to investigators about their concerns.
IMO… this is what you get when you have a AG – like Indiana’s Greg Zoeller – that is either ophiophobic or seeking a higher public profile to assist him in running for a higher office.
I wonder how many legit chronic pain pts that have now been thrown into withdrawal… because of over zealous actions by law enforcement.. More COLLATERAL DAMAGE of this war on drugs.?
Filed under: General Problems
“The pharmacist noted that most of Hedrick’s patients received two types of opiates even though they were young and appeared to be in good health. The pharmacist’s chain eventually refused to fill any of Hedrick’s prescriptions. Other pharmacies followed suit.
As most know two types of opiates are pretty much standard practice in pain management. As far as age and appearance? In my case, I was just 28 when I first started taking pain medication due to systemic autoimmune disease.I looked like a million dollars (at least compared to how horrible i look now after 15 yrs of being ravaged by disease). AND age discrimination is a horrible roadblock for those patients with legitimate pain issues.
-Its nice to know that pharmacists can tell if a patient is sick or in pain after just a quick glance. Perhaps I’ll go to the pharmacy and save myself some money the next time I need to see a doctor. No testing, no waiting around, no co-pay, sounds good to me.
*Patients might want to think about putting in a request for their medical records ‘just in case’ something like this happens @ their pain clinic.
I visited my clinic Monday to receive the last of a series of injections (Euflexxa) for my knee, no med visit, and noticed a sign posted on the wall in the waiting room. It said that the office was no longer prescribing oxycodone 30mg IR or oxycodone 15 IR. Below it read, please do not discuss this with anyone other than the doctor.
Keep in mind that I go to clinic located on the grounds of a well respected major medical center NOT some strip mall pill mill. The doctor that runs it (and a couple more in the city) has spoken at pain conferences and even consulted with state authorities (FL) in ways to identify characteristics setting legit pain clinics apart from your avg pill mill. My first thought was why the need to post this if it was only between patient and do
ctor. Secondly, what is the purpose of this action. The clinic is a comprehensive practice with procedures of all types including EMGs, massage, injections, and medication available; everything right there in office if needed, if not the main hospital is a stones throw away. They do NOT write one standard Rx for all their patients.
I concluded they didn’t want the dozens (hundreds?) of phone calls from patients saying they cant get their Rx filled then having to re-write another for them. They don’t want the hassle of being reviewed by the DEA. Why the sign though? I guess they didn’t want the patients thinking they were being singled out.
Though I do not use oxycodone myself I thought about the patients who for them this is the medication that works the best. Then I wondered which opioid would be next, most likely methadone. For me, this is the best pain medication by leaps and bounds. I have not required increases for it to be effective. (same dose for 3+ yrs) When combined with a tricyclic antidepressant my nerve pain is almost totally eradicated due to its special properties and actions. It also works for other pain such as with joints and muscles as well. I would be in a real pickle if they decided not to Rx methadone anymore. I have considered this scenario and was given a recommendation to a doctor who was closer to me (currently I travel quite a ways)
I have not done so because in the 4+ yrs I have been receiving treatment for pain I have had 2 doctors leave the practice, most recently a great doc who after she had her baby decided not to come back. I was given another (of my choice) from the clinic to replace them. I considered the alternative of all the searching around for a new one who was taking patients and the long wait for new patients and decided it was best to stay put. At any rate, it seems the signs keep leading to stricter and stricter control over legitimate patients. That our government can put people in such a bind as those being seen at the clinic in this thread is unconscionable.
My guess is many of them, and from most other pain clinics, are disabled citizens.
The officials say that opioid withdrawal is not life threatening and pretty tame when compared to abruptly stopping benzodiazepines or alcohol. In the case of addicts or those with failed surgeries this may be so.
BUT for those disabled by incurable systemic disease(s)(lupus) they most likely have many other issues in addition to pain. For them, the implications of combining opioid withdrawal and untreated pain to their other issues can be much more unkind than a week or two of flu like symptoms, it can be DEADLY.
Get ready for a huge spike in job losses (for those whos COT allows them to hold a job), in suicides, over-run emergency departments, and methadone/suboxone cliics.
I’ve also thought about how many patients who are suicidal may have these thoughts turn ideas of violence against those in the healthcare system who they feel are depriving them of any quality of life.
With all the shootings going on in the country I am surprised there hasn’t been more incidents of this.
Without medical records and with doctors reluctant (understatement of the year) to take on new patients with chronic pain issues (no matter how legitimate they may be) I am surprised there haven’t been more incidents of violence against those in the healthcare system. I fear this is the next big issue and will be the final nail in the coffin for those suffering with chronic pain. Imagine the field day the media will have when/if this happens (almost inevitable IMO). All patients will be deemed drug addicted lunatics.
With up to 75-80% of the American public supporting some sort of easing of laws against marijuana why is there no outcry over how our disabled citizens are being treated by the DEA? I cannot figure this one out.
You said EVERYTHING that I was thinking about saying, so no need for me to say it again.
I’m another FL resident dealing with pain management issues and fighting the pharmacies to get them filled.
Like you, methadone has been my life-saving grace when it comes to my pain.
It works the absolute best for me, hands down, and now I’m having to have he fight of my life with pharmacies to get it filled.
What’s next for me if I am no longer able to get it filled?
I’ve been on everything that you can imagine since my disabling back problems, failed spine fusion surgeries, and degenerative inherited spine diseases have started.
My vertebrae are literally, crumbling one by one, slowly. It’s causing the titanium screws that are attached to those vertebrae, to start popping up and almost come through my skin.
I give one screw about another 3 months before it comes through my skin, and my doctors? They don’t know what to do.
They don’t know what’s facing them if they open me up again to take that one popped up screw, out.
They’re terrified basically, so imagine how I am.
Hi Kat. I read your facebook entry. I am sorry to hear you are still having problems but am happy to hear you finally ‘got the goods’ on WAGS..
Not to minimize others suffering but to hear they have been yo-yo-ing you on and off of METHADONE really pisses me off, withdrawal from this medication, yes medication, is particularly harsh even compared to other opioids so my heart goes out to you. The pharmacists cannot be ignorant of this fact. One cannot simple replace it w/ hydrocodone all of a sudden and expect things to just ‘even out’.
There is such a stigma associated with this medicine too that I dread any time I have to see anyone outside of my main ‘team’ of doctors. Yes, a ‘team’ that includes (Pulmo,PM,rheumy,PCP,GI,Neuro, and,Psych), put together by tireless vetting over several years (w/ many firings). I have been most fortunate and have largely avoided problems until this year when i was denied medication from a pharmacy I had been a regular customer of for years ON THE DAY OF MY THROAT SURGERY no less! Then turned away from the medical center’s pharmacy where I had been a patient of their Reumatology Dept for 5+yrs.
You did the right thing. Unless you fight back and get ‘in their face’ you will be steamrolled. These nincompoops just expect you to respect whatever BS sandwich they are serving up for the day w/out question.Your pal Bruce the moron is a prime example.
I hope things take a turn for the better now that you have them by YKwhat.
*I gleefully envision a ‘best of’ compilation of videos like yours assimilated on how CPPs are treated at chain pharms and then seeing it go viral.
*Dont know if anyone saw it but there is another link in ‘other stories’ in right hand column of the page about the doctor and his clinics.
Im begInning to think their goal is to have ALL narcotics/opium based meds removed from the market and we go back to the stone age of pain control….zip, zero, none
The DEA will eventually put all pain clinics out of business.