Over Prescription of Pain Medications in the Military

Doctors are required to prescribe pain medications with great care. There are specific guidelines and signs that providers must be aware of to prevent addiction to pain pills. Over prescription of pain medications in the military and VA hospitals is a persistent issue that creates life-altering addiction.

Sue the Military for Over Prescription of Pain Medications

You can sue the military if they are responsible for your addiction to pain medication unless you were on active duty at the time you became addicted. Dependents, retirees, civilian employees, and others that received care at a military medical facility are eligible to sue for the over prescription of pain medications in the military.

Opioid and pain pill abuse has become an epidemic in America. The addiction to these drugs occurs without regard to race, economics, location, or any other factor. Research makes it clear that the over prescription of pain medications is one of the causes to pain pill abuse. Over prescription of pain medication in the military and VA hospitals is often the catalyst to drug abuse by our veterans, retirees, and military dependents.

VA Hospitals Over Prescribe Pain Medications

VA medical facilities are especially prone to over prescription of pain medications. As our veterans and their spouses grow old, they rely on the care of VA hospitals. As these individuals age, so too does their pain from any number of reasons (i.e. old injuries, surgery, arthritis, general weakening of the body).

Too often the providers at VA medical facilities are overworked. One of the quickest ways to remedy ailing patients is with the prescription and frequent refills of pain medications. Even if pain medications were appropriate initially, the continued prescription or the amount of the original prescription may be inappropriate. The more overworked the providers are, the less likely they are to identify pill-seeking-behavior.

VA hospitals are also known to over prescribe pain medication to young veterans that were injured in war or in training mishaps. These young veterans often receive outstanding care in the hours, days, and weeks after their injury, but as the months and years drag on with lingering pain, providers often turn to persistent prescriptions of pain medications which ultimately can endorse addiction.

Abuse of Pain Pills in Military and VA Hospitals

We have seen countless cases of military members that were injured in the line of duty rushed out of the military on medical retirement. These former military members are then often treated for their injuries in VA hospitals or military treatment facilities. As the years go by from their original injury, pain and discomfort often persist. Providers must exercise a great deal of care in the manner in which they treat this pain. Narcotics are not always the right answer, and continued prescription of narcotics is often a sign of malpractice.

If you or a loved one became addicted to narcotics after a military facility or VA hospital prescribed these pills, please call for a free consultation.

Winning Lawsuits for Over Prescription of Pain Medication in the Military

Lawsuits against the military or VA for malpractice regarding narcotic prescriptions are unique to every case. In many situations, merely the number of pills prescribed in a specific time period is enough to establish the provider violated a standard of care. In other cases, a much more thorough analysis must be performed to establish that under the specific circumstances, the providers should not have prescribed medication as they did. Furthermore, in other cases, the addiction may not be the fault of the medical providers.

Settlements or judgments for prescription malpractice could range substantially. The amount could be as low as several thousand dollars, or approach several hundred-thousand for egregious cases with significant life altering impact. Lawsuits could ultimately be in the millions if the malpractice lead to the death of a patient as a result of pain pill addiction.

Initial Consultation for Military Medical Malpractice

Our medical malpractice lawsuits use a “no fee unless you win” policy. That means that if we take your case, you don’t pay us unless you win. Even if you win, our percentage of the settlement or judgment amount is capped far lower than most personal injury attorneys. We believe that is fair for our fees to be lower because we are working for those that served or their families that supported them.

Our initial consultations are also free. After our initial phone call, we often have an in-house medical professional review your case for viability. There is no risk to at least making the initial call and learning more about our services.