Psychiatrist Not Liable for Patient’s Car Accident, Pa. Court Rules

June 26, 2007

  • June 26, 2007 at 2:40 am
    Chad Balaamaba says:
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    Was Ickes towing a U-Haul at the time? Maybe the plaintiff can refile the suit, as U-Haul should have asked if the renter was depressed, using anti-depressants, methadone, propane, butane, glycerin, or any haircare products that may contain eggs.

  • June 26, 2007 at 4:39 am
    Melissa Zuppardi says:
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    Methadone is now the #2 Killer Drug in the U.S. This is a legal drug that has been thought to be safe for the past 40 years. Only recently when its use became approved for pain management patients has the cardio toxic risks emerged. Previously methadone has been used exclusively for replacement therapy for heroin patients and death was thought to be an effect of the accumulation of many years of drug abuse. With the surge in pain medication misuse and abuse more patients are being referred to methadone clinics and physicians treating pain who believe the myth that methadone is safer or non addictive because of it’s use with weaning addicts from heroin. Methadone is more addictive then any other pain medication including heroin and because of it’s extremely long half life, cardio toxic risks, numerous fatal drug interactions, dosages based on tolerance, and small margin of error. Up until Nov 2006 the government and pharmaceutical companies have been suppressing the numerous health and fatality risks related to methadone.

    there are between 800,000 & 900,000 (some stats give diff numbers) heroin addicts in the U.S and 1,881 people died from heroin in the U.S. in 2004.

    there are 200,000 people on methadone for drug treatment and I don’t have the number of people on it for pain but even if we double the 200,000 and assume it’s 400,000 total people on methadone there were 3,849 deaths in 2004

    It looks like the “gold standard” is killing more then the drug its supposed to save people from!!!!

    Every day 10.9 people die from Methadone (according to 2004 stats)

    We (the families of methadone victims) are requesting new laws surrounding who can prescribe Methadone, clinic rules and regulations as well as stiffer penalties for those caught selling their take home doses. The whole methadone maintenance system needs an overhauling. We cannot continue to allow a legal medication to be killing more people then the illegal drugs. Our government cannot be allowed to use tax dollars to fund their legal drug dealing operations.

    We are asking government agencies to enact stricter guidelines in prescribing methadone for any reason. It must be mandatory that all doctors be certified and trained in the pharmacology of methadone; inpatient stays must be required during induction to methadone; all staff be extensively trained in monitoring methadone patients for symptoms of toxicity. Clinic patients should be tested weekly for legal and illegal drugs that are taken with methadone to get ” hi gh” or experience “euphoria” such as benzodiazepines, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, marijuana etc… and face severe consequences or mandatory detoxification from the methadone program after 3 dirty urines. Selling of take home doses must result in termination from methadone program permanently throughout the U.S. When presenting inebriated at clinic, clinic should also document such activity as well as prevent client from driving. Take home doses for all patients receiving methadone should be eliminated thus preventing the risk of diversion or precautions such as pill safe should be implemented. http://www.thepillsafe.com/

    Current statistics show that nearly 4000 people a year die from methadone. These deaths are mostly happening to pain management and detoxification patients’ wit hi n the first 10 days of taking initial dose. Most of these deaths are related to methadone prescribed with other medications that react as additives with the methadone. Diversion of methadone is a serious problem because it lands t hi s most deadly drug on streets. Statistics also state that methadone is contributing to more deaths nationwide then heroin and only second to cocaine deaths.

    The potential of abuse, diversion, and overdose to new patients being prescribed methadone is overwhelming. The unique properties of methadone, it’s long half life, and it’s negative interaction with numerous drugs make it an optimal choice as a last result treatment for chronic pain and addiction.

    Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

    Sincerely

    Melissa Zuppardi

  • June 26, 2007 at 5:13 am
    Mike says:
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    Great Article Melissa!

  • June 27, 2007 at 12:05 pm
    Stat Guy says:
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    I read your letter and I am empathetic to your plight but I have to disagree about how to address what essentially is a simple problem of people acting irresponsibly. I have no use for methadone but I do know that there are too many people who are taking it who never should have access to it. I think there are already enough laws on the books to deal with this; if methadone gets too hard to get, these people will just switch to something else. This is the age old problem of “better living through chemistry”….it will take years of resocializing our population to stop using drugs for recreation…if it ain’t methadone, it will be heroin or fentanyl…and by the way, I had no idea how easily oxycontin can be gotten, no matter how many laws there are or how difficult it is to get even a valid prescription. I am sorry for your loss but it isn’t methadone but the people who use it….

  • September 15, 2007 at 5:16 am
    Cathy says:
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    Hi My son died on Feb 16th 2007 from an “Accidental Menthadone Overdose” thats what they are saying. Yes it was Methadone that killed him there was nothing else in his system according to the coroner. We saw the Toxycology report and he is right he stated that it was the first time my son had taken Methadone thats why it killed him. How he got it really pisses me off it was from His girlfriend who was going to a methadone clinic she hid it and brought it home with her and She even sold it to other people. My son left her 2 days before he died he stopped at her house the night he died to get the rest of his things I dont know if she slipped it in a drink and it was planted on him or if he took it home with him. What was left of it was in his pocket half of a 40mg The scene was suspicious and people new he died 3 hours before we did and know one even called us. But the police continue to ignore this. Well I think these Methadone Clinics need to be closed these people who are addicted to drugs should be put in a detox where they have to beat their addiction without another drug to help them along maybe then they will learn not to do it again

  • September 15, 2007 at 5:56 am
    Melissa Zuppardi says:
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    Hi Cathy

    I am so sorry for the loss of your son. Please contact Marti at diversion@harmd.org she lost her son the same way and can help you get justice.

    lots of love
    Melissa
    http://www.HARMD.org

  • September 17, 2007 at 2:44 am
    John lestavelt says:
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    I am very sorry for your loss but it is not methadone that is to blame, it could have been a number of other prescribed drugs out there that could have killed your son like Xanax, OxiContin, Vicodone, or a whole host of other drugs. I read the post of the boy dieing from over dose from a girlfriends dose. Maybe the question should be why was he dating a girl who was on a methadone clinic in the first place.

    As to you statistics but they are wrong, I work in the drug addiction treatment field and I had to study these numbers over and over. Alcohol is the worst drug out there. It has the worst statistics then all other drugs put together, if you do not believe me do some research: http://drug-statistics.com/alcohol.htm

    Alcohol made for consumption has no real medical use at all but it has never been the target of a witch hunt. Methadone is one of the best pain relievers ever invented. I know this because I use it for pain management since I was blown up in Afghanistan and lost two limbs. I have tried several other treatment options but for me Methadone works best, other pain killers actually got me high but never have I felt high on methadone, I did however feel very tiered the first week.
    Please do not try and make life harder for people like myself because people need something to blame for their loss. Remember it takes a person to take a drug other wise it can’t get into a person’s system.



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