Overprescribing Prescription Painkillers

Fighting for Victims of Spokane's Opioid Epidemic

Thousands of parents and family members have lost a loved one to a prescription painkiller overdose. Other families have suffered devastating losses like the one you may be going through right now. The truth is that America has a severe over-prescription problem and, unfortunately, Spokane is no exception.

Over the last 15 years, over half a million Americans lost their lives due to prescription drug overdoses, 78 new graves every single day, according to the Center for Disease Control. In Washington State, research from the University of Washington shows that drug deaths involving opioids have increased over one-third. “Pill mill” doctors, including reckless Spokane prescribers, are facing intense scrutiny from local and national authorities as the rate of drug overdoses in Washington continues to rise.

Getting Answers from Prescribing Doctors after Painkiller Overdoses

Sweetser Law Office is committed to fighting the opioid crisis that has afflicted our family members and community. If you suspect your son’s or daughter’s death was the result of over-prescription, you need answers. Grappling with the sudden and unexpected loss of your loved one is never easy.

Of all the unanswered questions, the most haunting are:

• How did this happen?
• How could have this been prevented?
• Who, if anyone, failed your loved one?

Let's make one thing clear:

• It is not your loved one’s fault.
• It is not your fault.

The only person with something to hide is the doctor who may have been overprescribing powerful and addictive prescription pills without medical justification. While that doctor was raking in profits, they might have put your loved one on a deadly path. If you call Sweetser Law Office, we will get to the bottom of any information the doctor might be concealing.

If you suspect your family member’s death was the result of over-prescription, we will seek answers about what caused his or her death. We will investigate and get the truth because your love one’s life mattered – and if another senseless death can be prevented we want to do our part. Medical practices that have recklessly prescribed painkillers will be held accountable. We will employ our legal and financial resources to make certain overprescribing physicians face the consequences. Moreover, we will fight for every dollar your family is entitled to.

Over-Prescribing Painkillers Is Medical Malpractice

Using caution when prescribing narcotic painkillers is something the whole medical community agrees upon. Doctors who fail to do that, who knowingly prescribe dangerous medications without regard for their patients’ health, are straying from the acceptable standard of care.

It is no secret among the medical community that opiates have a tendency to lead to dependency and addiction:

• Prescription painkillers such as Vicodin and OxyContin are from the same drug class as heroin – and are just as addicting and dangerous.
• Doctors know the risks, which is why most doctors are cautious when it comes to prescribing high doses of painkillers that can derail a person’s life.
• The possibility of an overdose, addiction, or physical dependency even among patients who are taking opioids as directed for legitimate medical conditions, is very real.

What the opioid epidemic shows us is far too many doctors are prescribing painkillers who are not careful, who fail to monitor their patients, who keep writing prescriptions, at higher and higher doses, without even ordering tests to determine why the painkillers are not working. Sometimes these doctors are not even trained or certified in pain management and have no business prescribing long-term opiates. Over-prescribing painkillers is negligent and reckless, and doctors in our community must be held accountable for the devastating impact this form of medical malpractice causes.

Get Sweetser Law Practice On The Case

At Sweetser Law Office, our founding attorney James R. Sweetser has more than 30 years of legal experience and has been at the helm of numerous high-profile civil and criminal cases, in both State and Federal Court. You need an attorney who possesses the breadth of experience necessary to handle your case. You can benefit from having our Spokane personal injury attorney firm fighting on behalf of your family.