Millions of Americans live with chronic pain every day. This can impede on their ability to be productive on a personal level as well as at work. Chronic pain can be as a result of an accident, illness, or may sometimes have an unknown cause.

Doctors frequently prescribe opioids (such as Oxycodone or Hydrocodone) to these types of patients, which do a great job of dampening pain receptors in the brain. Unfortunately, they’re also very addictive and extremely dangerous when over-prescribed. As sad as it is, in today’s world, many doctors are more-concerned with boosting their profits than they are with a person’s health and well-being.

If your child, spouse or family member overdosed on prescription opioids that you believe were negligently over-prescribed by their doctor, we urge you to call us today at 1-800-ATTORNEY for a free consultation. Our attorneys may be able to help you and your family hold the doctor liable for their negligence through a wrongful death claim, even if the police are uninterested in pursuing criminal charges.

The Opioid Crisis in America

The opioid crisis is at an all-time high. Statistics say that the prescription of opioids has grown by hundreds of percentage points since the turn of the millennium, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Part of the problem has to do with the aggressive marketing and advertising of these medications by the pharmaceutical companies that make them, as well as doctors receiving kickbacks for prescribing them from these same companies.

Opioids are highly addictive, and they have been known to cause a myriad of health complications. They were originally intended for short-term use only, and were only prescribed for serious or chronic cases. However, pharmaceutical company greed and a general culture of permissiveness in the medical community have meant that almost any individual can be prescribed these dangerously addictive drugs in unsafe quantities.

Here’s a list of some of the most commonly prescribed opioid drugs:

• Hydrocodone
• Vicodin
• Percocet
• Oxycodone
• OxyContin
• Fentanyl
• Methadone

Opioid Prescriptions and a Doctor’s Standard of Care

Doctors are held to a certain standard of care, which requires them to only prescribe a safe dosage of addictive or dangerous drugs when necessary. At the same time, they should be monitoring the patient’s condition on an ongoing basis, and making needed changes to their treatment plan as their symptoms improve.

On top of that, medical professionals should never leave a patient on opioid medication for an extended period of time. Pain killers lose their effectiveness over time, which leads to increased intake and abuse. If the pain is intractable and/or isn’t getting better with time, the solution is NOT more pain killers.

Should the doctor fail to meet their duty of care to a patient, they can be held accountable for their actions through a civil claim.

Most opioid medications are considered class II controlled substances due to their propensity to cause addictions and accidental death. Therefore, prescribing doctors should always tread with care and make sure that a patient’s overall well-being is their number one priority.

The goal should always be to wean the patient off pain killers and address the root cause of the pain. For patients who are not improving in terms of pain relief, the best course of action may be to refer them to a pain-management specialist who can recommend safer treatment options.

Discuss Your Family’s Options with an Attorney

If a doctor negligently prescribed opioids to a loved one who died or was seriously injured as a result, you have every right to seek justice and hold the responsible parties liable for their negligence. Call us today at 1-800-ATTORNEY for a free consultation. We’ll listen to the facts of your case and advise you of your options moving forward for no cost.

If we feel as though we can help you with your claim, you can hire us to begin working on your case today for no out-of-pocket cost. Our personal injury attorneys work on contingency, meaning you never pay unless we win your case.