Pain Management Expert Opines on Drug Induced Injuries

Case Overview

This pain medicine case involves a male patient in Oklahoma with a known history of being a poor drug metabolizer. Shortly before the events of the incident in question, the patient sought treatment for abdominal pain from the defendant doctor. During this initial visit the patient was prescribed pain medication. The patient presented back to the defendant with complaints of vertigo, confusion, and difficulties talking and thinking. Nevertheless, the prescription was continued, and the man was told he would merely need a canalith re-positioning procedure to counteract the vertigo. Follow up care was sought by the patient again less than a month later. Medical documentation indicates that he presented in a wheelchair with noted dizziness and trouble walking. The patient then sought treatment from a new doctor shortly after this visit. Once again, his chief complaints were dizziness, nausea, and ataxia. The new doctor assessed the patient as having akathisia due to his use of prescribed medication. At this point he was advised to discontinue any use of the medication. The patient was diagnosed with probable drug induced dyskinesia with a high likelihood of irreversibility.

Questions to the Pain Management expert and their responses

Are you familiar with medication contraindications, side-effects, and possible interactions with other medications?

I am familiar with contraindications, side-effects, and possible interactions with other medications for the drug in question here.

Should a patient that is a poor drug metabolizer be prescribed this drug?

Certainly there is heightened risk of side effect with known poor metabolizers. Informed consent, making the patient aware of potential risks and discerning the benefits are key to guiding the rationale to continue therapy and shared decision making. This said, close follow up and providing the patient with detailed information on concerns to look out for is paramount. Indeed when symptoms appear discontinuing/suspending the medication is critical. Moreover, most use of this drug is for periods of time less than 3 months (incidentally the medication is typically prescribed as needed and not scheduled daily). The cumulative dosing over 5 months is unusual.

About the expert

This highly qualified expert has nearly 10 years of experience in anesthesiology and interventional pain medicine. He earned his BS in physiology and BA in spanish literature at the University of California at Davis before completing his MD from the University of California Los Angeles. Additionally, he earned his Masters in Public Health from the University of California Los Angeles and completed his internship in internal medicine there as well. This expert completed his residency and fellowship in anesthesiology at Columbia University and did an additional fellowship in interventional pain medicine at the University of California Davis. He is dual board-certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine by the American Board of Anesthesiology and is a licensed physician in California and New York. He is a member of many prestigious organizations including the American Academy of Pain Medicine, the American Pan Society and the International Association for the Study of Pain. He has published 13 peer-reviewed journal articles, 6 textbook chapter and a number of abstracts and other publications. This expert formerly served as an assistant professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at the University of California Davis. Currently, he is the director of the Cancer Pain Management and Supportive Care program and the director of the Pain Medicine Tele-Health program at a California medical university. Additionally, he is an associate professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine.

E-033660

Specialties:

Pain Management