Seroquel diabetes lawsuit claimant demands official apology from AstraZeneca in lieu of settlement cash

Seroquel diabetes lawsuit claimant demands official apology from AstraZeneca in lieu of settlement cash

The Seroquel Lawsuit Blog has new documents posted from the antipsychotic Seroquel diabetes lawsuit settlement. The document shown here (copied from the lawsuit blog) is a new one, which shows a significant REDUCTION in the individual's offer, down -$1300.00 from the original offer, which was a smack in the face the first time!

The savvy claimant now has a counter-offer for AstraZeneca that involves ethics, integrity and truth, not cash.....


Read HERE.

The Tylenol Mafia by Scott Bartz & American Fraud blog

hat tip to Pharmagossip with a new blog and book recommendation.


Scott Bartz has written book on the Tylenol Cyanide Murders and authors the blog American Fraud,Covering corporate crime and prosecutorial misconduct.

Bartz on FOX news: from Bartz' blog

Interviewer's Questions

"Q1.) Why are you releasing the book now? Q2,) You worked for J&J, correct? Q3,) Why did you write this book? Q4.) Did you talk to the FBI or J&J about your book? – J&J says it has no merit. Q5) What did the FBI say about your findings? Q6.) What is the one overwhelming piece of evidence in your book? Q7.) You have two pending lawsuits against J&J, correct? Q8.) Some people might say you have a vendetta against J&J. Q8.) What would you like to see happen as a result of this book?"

Former Tylenol Employee Claims Murders Were Inside Job: MyFoxCHICAGO.com

Government busts a psychiatric drug recycling ring: Seroquel & Zyprexa

VIA the LA Times:

"A physician, a pharmacist and 15 others have been charged with bilking Medicare and Medi-Cal out of millions of dollars in an elaborate prescription drug fraud that resulted in the government paying over and over for the same pills.

Using stolen or illegally obtained Medicare beneficiary cards, members of the ring known as "runners" would obtain prescriptions for expensive drugs from Kenneth Wayne Johnson, a Glendale physician, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.


The runners would fill the prescriptions at pharmacies using the stolen Medicare cards and then funnel the drugs back to other pharmacies involved in the scheme, the complaint alleges. Those pharmacies would then repackage, relabel and dispense the drugs, often — again — to ring members using stolen Medicare cards, the complaint says.

The medications favored by the ring were anti-psychotic drugs, such as Seroquel and Zyprexa, for which Medicare pays pharmacies up to $2,800 a bottle.

The 17 defendants, including Johnson and Phic Lim, the owner of Huntington Pharmacy in San Marino, are accused of billing the Centers for Medicare and Medical Services for $7.3 million in drugs that were prescribed and dispensed in the names of beneficiaries who never used them. Medicare officials said actual losses to the program were much higher.

Officials said that it was the first time the government had broken up a psychiatric drug recycling ring, but that such scams are on the rise because the value of such drugs makes them tempting fraud targets.

"This goes way beyond just a problem medical provider," Peter Budnetti, a Medicare deputy administrator, said in an interview Thursday. "This is organized. The allegations in this situation speak to a much broader kind of activity that sweeps a lot of people into it."

Read the entire article here.



What's next? Abilify? isn't this unbelievable? too bad the drugs are worth shit for efficacy.

my photo *those were my daughter's Zyprexa bottles, she gained over 100lbs...

AstraZeneca indicted in Serbian corruption case, it's just business as usual

AstraZeneca business as usual news from the Seroquel Lawsuit Blog , it seems that AstraZeneca, the pharma giant and maker of antipsychotic Seroquel is at it again with DoJ investigations, and indictments for alleged bribery and improper payments to Serbian doctors, that all on the heels of the 3rd quarter earnings report where it states AstraZeneca has spent $759 million dollars in its defense for the Seroquel diabetes lawsuits.

Check out the links for some good, criminal reading!

AstraZeneca: financial interest in HPV vaccines donated $8,000 to CA.Gov Brown's re-election campaign

Gardasil ,HPV

via Sacramento Bee:

"Drug company gives after Jerry Brown signs STD prevention bill

Two days after Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation allowing children 12 and older to seek medical care for the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases without parental consent - including vaccinations against human papillomavirus, or HPV - a pharmaceutical company with a financial interest in HPV vaccines donated $8,000 to Brown's re-election campaign.

Brown's office said the contribution was not solicited, and AstraZeneca PLC said it was unrelated to Brown's action on the controversial bill.

"AstraZeneca's contributions to government officials in California are unrelated to the legislation," a spokeswoman said in an e-mail. "We provided contributions to people on both sides of the issue and did not lobby the measure."

An AstraZeneca subsidiary developed technology used in several HPV vaccines, for which the company receives royalties.

Brown spokesman Gil Duran said Brown decides legislation "on the merits of each bill." He said, "To our knowledge, no one in our office has had any contact with this company."

Brown signed Assembly Bill 499, by Assemblywoman Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, on Oct. 9, hours before a deadline to act on hundreds of bills sent by the Legislature this fall. He acted on dozens of others the same day. Brown's campaign fund received the the drug company contribution on Oct. 11, according to the Secretary of State's Office.

Brown, a Democrat, has done little fundraising since taking office in January, collecting about $45,000 in the first half of the year. He has not said if he will seek re-election in 2014.

Editor's Note: This post was updated to remove reference to AstraZeneca being based in Britain.The company entity that made the contribution is based in Delaware. Updated 6:07 p.m., Oct. 24, 2011."

AstraZeneca U.K. found guilty of race discrimination of sales rep

Giles Marcus, a 35 year old former Luton AstraZeneca sales rep settled a financial agreement with AstraZeneca, makers of Seroquel for an undisclosed amount for racial discrimination.

here's the story-Firm's race shame after 'unfair' exit of sales rep.

Zyprexa patent expires, the damage is done

Refresh your memory with this newscast


Lilly 3Q Net Falls 5% As Co Braces For Zyprexa Patent Loss-Oct 2011

Drugmaker Eli Lilly’s 3rd-quarter profit falls 5 percent as Zyprexa patent expiration nears

"The Indianapolis company loses U.S. patent protection for its top seller, the antipsychotic Zyprexa, on Sunday. Zyprexa generated $1.18 billion in sales during the third quarter, or 19 percent of total revenue."

All of that damage done....

Dirty pharma deal: GSK fined $2.6 million for collusion

VIA Pharmagossip

Drug firm GSK fined US$2.6 million for collusion - Channel NewsAsia

"South Korea's anti-trust agency has fined drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline three billion won ($2.6 million) for conspiring with a Seoul rival over the sale of drugs, an official said Monday.
The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said GSK in 2000 offered Dong-A Pharmaceutical the exclusive right to sell its anti-nausea drug Zofran and an anti-viral medication called Valtrex.

In return, the FTC said the British-based multinational demanded that Dong-A stop selling a cheaper generic version of Zofran which the Seoul firm had introduced in 1998.

GSK also asked that Dong-A never produce or sell any drugs that could compete against Zofran and Valtrex, Kim Jun-Ha, a FTC official involved in the case, told AFP.

"With the cheaper generics made by Dong-A taken off the market, the financial burden on patients and on the government's health insurance budget has increased," Kim said.

The FTC said in a statement it estimated GSK had made wrongful gains of about 16 billion won. It said "the two firms shared benefits that were to go to consumers".

Dong-A was fined 2.1 billion won for the collusion, the agency added."

via channelnewsasia.com

Dead people billed for group therapy: doctor goes to prison

Attorney General of Georgia: Atlanta Doctor Sentenced to Prison for Submitting Fraudulent Bills to Medicaid and Medicare


Atlanta Doctor Sentenced to Prison for Submitting Fraudulent Bills to Medicaid and Medicare

Dr. Robert Williams, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to federal prison today by United States District Judge Richard W. Story on Medicaid and Medicare fraud charges.

“Many of Georgia’s neediest citizens rely on Medicaid for access to healthcare,” said Attorney General Sam Olens. “The Attorney General's office is committed to weeding out fraud so that every dollar is spent on those who need this vital assistance.”

United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said, “This doctor attempted to bilk Medicare and Medicaid for over $2 million for psychological services he never provided to elderly nursing home patients. Some of the patients were dead at the time he claimed he provided services; others never received treatment. Now he's headed to prison.”

Brian D. Lamkin, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office, said, “The much needed assistance available through programs such as Medicare and Medicaid are finite and the FBI has dedicated significant investigative resources in ensuring that those programs are used properly. The FBI will continue to work with its many and varied law enforcement partners in bringing those individuals to justice who would exploit these programs and asks that anyone with information concerning Medicaid/Medicare fraud to contact their nearest FBI Field Office.”

Williams was sentenced to one year, three months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $771,596 in restitution to Medicare and $227,846 in restitution to Georgia Medicaid. There is no parole in the federal system. Williams pleaded guilty to the charges on June 6, 2011.

Williams is a licensed physician, practicing in the Atlanta area. From approximately July 2007 through October 2009, he contracted with a medical services company to provide group psychological therapy to nursing home patients in a variety of nursing homes in the Atlanta area. During that time period, over 55,000 claims were submitted to Medicare using Williams’ provider number for group psychological therapy seeking reimbursement for over $2,000,000, and ultimately causing Medicare to reimburse Williams over $750,000. During the same time period, over 40,000 Medicaid claims were submitted using Williams’ provider number for group psychological therapy, causing Georgia Medicaid to pay out over $225,000.

The investigation of Williams’ claims showed, however, that in many cases, he sought payment for services provided to beneficiaries who were dead at the time he purportedly rendered the care. In two cases, the patient died over a year before he was allegedly seen by Williams in the nursing home. Numerous claims were submitted to Medicare and Medicaid for group psychological therapy when the beneficiary was hospitalized at the time of service and, consequently, could not have received care at the nursing home as Williams had claimed in the documents submitted.

This prosecution was the result of an investigation conducted by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and investigators from the Georgia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Georgia Department of Community Health Office of Inspector General.

Senior Assistant Attorney General Nancy Allstrom of the Georgia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and Assistant United States Attorney Nick Oldham and prosecuted the case."

3rd largest illegal pharmaceutical marketing settlement in history: Abbott's Depakote

VIA Bloomberg

news:

Abbott Said to Agree to Pay $1.3 Billion to End Suits Over Epilepsy Drug

"Abbott executives, federal prosecutors and state officials have reached a tentative agreement calling for the drugmaker to pay about $800 million to resolve civil claims over Depakote and about $500 million in criminal penalties for marketing the epilepsy medicine for unapproved uses, said three people familiar with the settlement who couldn’t speak publicly because the agreement hasn’t been made public. Abbott said earlier this week it was reserving $1.5 billion to cover costs of the potential settlement."

Hat tip to Pharmagossip



Go Abbott whistleblowers

Stanford hosted public mood disorder event with pharma paid KOLs

This is an interesting public event that was held at Stanford School Of Medicine in July 2011, which was held to educate patients and caregivers and anyone else interested in mood disorders.


Among the speakers at the free to the public Mood Disorders Education Day were:

Pharma income takers Manpreet Singh (Pfizer) and Terence Ketter. Ketter received income from GSK, Pfizer and Cephalon



Alan Schatzberg who has the following industry ties reported on the Stanford site:


Consulting: Dr. Schatzberg receives fees of $5,000 or more per year as a paid consultant for the following companies:

EnVivo

PharmaNeuroBoost

Educational Activities: Dr. Schatzberg receives $5,000 or more per year for Continuing Medical Education (CME) or other medical educational activities or talks from the following companies or organizations:

None

Royalty Payments: Dr. Schatzberg consults for and receives royalty payments for inventions or discoveries related to the following companies:

None

Equity: Dr. Schatzberg owns stock or stock options (if the equity is valued at $5,000 or more, and the company is publicly traded and/or equity if the company is privately held) in the following companies for activities as a founder, inventor, or consultant:

BrainCells

CeNeRx

PharmaNeuroBoost


PharmaNeuroBoost is a globally operating CNS Specialty
Biopharmaceutical Company that takes existing medications and gives them a re-do, for a re-market, for a profit. PharmaNeuroBoost is partnered with Emory University and more. The company is described on the website:

"The most advanced product in PharmaNeuroBoost’s pipeline is

PNB01 in the treatment of major depressive disorder. Over its

first five years of life, PharmaNeuroBoost has proved its

innovative fixed-dose combination concepts in preclinical and

clinical proof of concept trials, and has shown support from the

FDA for a pivotal trial that uses a new endpoint demonstrating

superior efficacy over standard of care. During 2011, the

company will initiate phase III trials for PNB01 and phase IIa

trials for PNB02, respectively in the treatment of major

depression and schizophrenia.

PNB’ Business Plan is oriented to collaborate with high value

partners for co-development and/or commercialization of the

late stage products. Like any drug development company,

PharmaNeuroBoost needs to show the efficacy of its products,

and in this case, it faces the additional challenge of that need to

demonstrate superiority over standard of care, rather than

placebo. However, if the products can achieve this, they could

have a potential step up into a large and lucrative market."

When people speak with passion at events such as this one always has to consider where their investment resides, whether it is an emotional investment in the topic or is the investment a literal one?

Have they dealt with the topic on a personal level? are they invested with income? (motives) When people like this speak at public events the general public is drawn in by the magnitude of the speaker's background experience and I wonder if the vulnerable caregivers or patients that attended this event knew they were listening to some major players in the pharma conflicted KOL category.

Does listening to speakers who have personal monertary investment interests in pharma and biotech companies change how you feel about what they said? are they a tainted source of viable information? Do you trust their input?

PharmaNeuroBoost has a lucrative potential, and Schatzberg knows it.

Keep on pushing America's medication based treatment paradigm for mood disorders KOL's, there are plenty of eager participants in America, considering the increase of off-label antipsychotic use for anxiety and insomnia and according to the CDC 11% of Americans are taking antidepressants.

Lucrative biotech business indeed, and patients are their bread and butter. The KOLs just find new roosting places.....

Risk vs benefit taking psychiatric medications

One must consider the risk vs. benefit when using psychiatric medications, and when the risks can include death, QT Prolongation, diabetes, blood clots and more, the risk ends up being a pure straight up gamble with unknown consequences that can happen any time, any day... sudden death is a risk of the antipsychotic Saphris for example. The word 'sudden' doesn't leave much choice....

Children are vulnerable and unable to have true informed consent, unless the parent is willing to tell them the real truth about death and permanent body damage being one of their risks they are taking when taking psychotropic medications.

PharmaNeuroboost Scientific Advisory Board

Charles Nemeroff , Alan Schatzberg .....

11 % of Americans 12 yrs and older take antidepressants: CDC

NCHS Data Brief

Number 76, October 2011

Antidepressant Use in Persons Aged 12 and Over: United States, 2005–2008

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 2005–2008

• Eleven percent of Americans aged 12 years and over take antidepressant medication.
• Females are more likely to take antidepressants than are males, and non-Hispanic white persons are more likely to take antidepressants than are non-Hispanic black and Mexican-American persons.
• About one-third of persons with severe depressive symptoms take antidepressant medication.
• More than 60% of Americans taking antidepressant medication have taken it for 2 years or longer, with 14% having taken the medication for 10 years or more.
• Less than one-third of Americans taking one antidepressant medication and less than one-half of those taking multiple antidepressants have seen a mental health professional in the past year.

Antidepressants were the third most common prescription drug taken by Americans of all ages in 2005–2008 and the most frequently used by persons aged 18–44 years (1). From 1988–1994 through 2005–2008, the rate of antidepressant use in the United States among all ages increased nearly 400% (1).

This data brief discusses all antidepressants taken, regardless of the reason for use. While the majority of antidepressants are taken to treat depression, antidepressants also can be taken to treat anxiety disorders, for example. The report describes antidepressant use among Americans aged 12 and over, including prevalence of use by age, sex, race and ethnicity, income, depression severity, and length of use.

here's the link

Depakote maker Abbott sets aside $1.5 billion for potential whistleblower settlement for illegal promotion

VIA Pharmalot:

.."Earlier this year, the US Department of Justice intervened - or joined - a whistleblower lawsuit that was filed in late 2008 by three former Abbott sales reps, who accused the drugmaker of concocting an illegal scheme to promote Depakote. Among the charges were allegations Abbott paid kickbacks to docs to boost prescriptions and, subsequently, defrauding Medicare and Medicaid (see the lawsuit here)."-pharmalot

1999-2005 -- Depakote-1500mg per day, (500mg 3x day)increased weight, agitation and permanent body damage, polycystic ovary syndrome resulted from the use when it was rx'ed to my child age 11-17.

Contribution of spirituality to quality of life in patients with residual schizophrenia

Abstract

Contribution of spirituality to quality of life in patients with residual schizophrenia

There is increasing recognition that a person's spiritual or religious experiences contribute to quality of life (QOL).

However, research exploring the relation between spirituality and QOL has mainly been in the context of chronic and life-threatening illnesses and studies examining this important correlate of QOL in chronically mentally ill subjects are sparse. This study aimed to explore the relationship between spirituality and QOL and to investigate if spirituality contributes to other domains of QOL (both physical and psycho-social) in subjects with residual schizophrenia. By using a cross-sectional design 103 patients with residual schizophrenia were assessed on positive and negative syndrome scale and their quality of life, spirituality and religiousness were assessed by WHO Quality of Life-Spirituality, Religiousness and Personal Beliefs (WHOQOL-SRPB) scale. The SRPB domain and all its facets other than spiritual connection correlated significantly (ρ < 0.001) with all other domains of QOL and overall QOL. On regression analysis, inner peace domain of spirituality explained 21.6 to 37.6% of variance of all QOL domains except the domain of level of independence. Spirituality domain explained 33.8% of variance of ‘level of independence’ domain of QOL. Taken together, inner peace and spirituality facets explained 23 to 40% variance of social relationships domain, psychological domain and level of independence domain of QOL. This study suggests that spirituality and religiosity have an important influence on overall QOL of patients with schizophrenia. Hence, besides pharmacological and non-pharmacological management for schizophrenia, clinicians should focus on this aspect and encourage their patients to follow their religious practices and spiritual beliefs.

words on paper

i helped her add to the list of places she had been writing down that she went as a kid and teen.

"my brain is erased".

FDA's Bad Ad Program first year outcome looks positive

The FDA's Bad Ad program for reporting untruthful or misleading pharma DTC ads (drug promotion)has one year data to report:

FDA press release

"Of the 328 reports of potentially untruthful or misleading promotion, 188 were submitted by HCPs, 116 were submitted by consumers, and 24 were submitted by representatives of regulated industry. Historically, prior to the Bad Ad launch, FDA received an average of about 104 reports per year. This number and diversity of reports received after the Bad Ad program was launched indicates to FDA that the program was successful in raising awareness of untruthful and misleading promotion.

Of the 188 reports submitted by HCPs, 87 were identified for a comprehensive review, demonstrating a relatively strong level of knowledge in the medical community about what constitutes misleading promotion. Of the 116 reports submitted by consumers, 24 were identified for a comprehensive review. Of the 24 reports submitted by industry, 14 were identified for a comprehensive review. Many of the other reports helped to focus FDA’s surveillance efforts in other ways or were referred to other FDA Centers (i.e., potentially misleading ads for dietary supplements sent to the Center for Food, potentially misleading ads for devices sent to the Center for Devices and Radiological health, etc.).

During the Bad Ad program’s first year, FDA heard some criticisms of anonymous reporting. It was noted by some that anonymous reports could unjustly accuse some promotions of being misleading when in fact they may be appropriately aligned with regulations. For this reason it is noteworthy to mention that of all reports of potentially untruthful or misleading promotion during the first year of the Bad Ad program, only 4% were submitted anonymously.

Although FDA is encouraged by the significant increase in the number of reports of potentially untruthful or misleading drug promotion, the Agency does not view the total number of reports, or number of enforcement actions taken as the primary measures for program success. Instead, FDA’s most important measure of success for this program is the heightened sense of awareness of misleading promotion among HCPs throughout the health care community and the likely useful deterrent this awareness has on drug promoters who might run afoul of regulation absent of such messaging."

Highlights of Bad Ad Enforcement Actions

• Derma-Smoothe Warning Letter issued 12/03/2010. The first action resulting from a Bad Ad complaint was on a particularly egregious website promoting a product for use in a vulnerable population.
• Infergen Warning Letter issued 03/21/2011. A promotional piece was mailed directly to a clinical pharmacist who was concerned that the information overstated the effectiveness of the promoted product.
• Savella Notice of Violation issued 04/28/2011. This Bad Ad complaint is representative of the types of promotion we hope to curtail in field-based settings. This regulatory action was supported by a signed statement from a physician outlining violative oral statements that were similar to statements made directly to DDMAC reviewers during the same time period.
• Atelvia Notice of Violation issued 05/05/2011. This video footage of a violative product detail that occurred in a physician’s office was posted to YouTube.com. Of note, is that this violation was reported to Bad Ad when the posted video had less than 20 views. As a result of this early reporting, DDMAC was able to prevent the violative video from being viewed by a much larger audience.
• Vyvanse Warning Letter issued 05/06/2011. This Bad Ad report came from an astute nurse, who noticed that a promotional piece that was likely viewed everyday by the office’s HCPs was misleading in that it was designed to hide the important risk information from plain view.

Thank You

Finally, FDA would like to thank each and every person who took the time to send a report to the Bad Ad Program. The majority of the reports to this program came from HCPs whose contributions have helped ensure the accuracy of the drug information that both HCPs and their patients use to make treatment decisions.

Bad Ad Program: FDA Aims to Keep Drug Promotion Truthful

If you think that a prescription drug ad violates the law by being false, misleading, or lacking in "fair balance," contact FDA's DDMAC at 301-796-1200, or submit your complaint in writing to DDMAC at:

Food and Drug Administration

Center for Drug Evaluation and Research

Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising, and Communications

5901-B Ammendale Road
Beltsville, MD 20705-1266

Jazz Pharmaceuticals to the FDA: what patient deaths?

VIA Pharmalot:

Pharmalot:

"Jazz, which did not get around to filing the 74 adverse event reports with the FDA until May 5 of this year, then argued that, since its distributor had the information, the drugmaker should not be held responsible for failing to file the reports within the required 15-day mark. The agency, however, did not buy the explanation.

“We disagree with this position, given the exclusive and contractually specified role of (the distributor)in performing tasks required for meeting your legal obligations under the Xyrem REMS,” the FDA writes in its warning letter. The agency notes that the distributor is responsible for adverse event reporting and collecting per standard operating procedures (read the letter)."

Pfizer paid pharmacists to promote their products: Effexor XR, Pristiq included

Sydney Morning Herald, Australia Pharmacists paid by drug company for patient details



"Pfizer receives patient information, including mobile phone numbers and email addresses, as part of the scheme, under which it provides regular information to patients about their condition and medication.

Like the Blackmores deal, when one of nine Pfizer drugs is being dispensed, the guild's computer system prompts pharmacists that patients are eligible for a support program.
One of the drugs included in the scheme is Pfizer's cholesterol-lowering blockbuster Lipitor, for which more than 10 million prescriptions were filled last year through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme at a cost to the taxpayer of almost $600 million.

Pfizer will face competition from cheaper generic versions of the drug

when its patent expires early next year.

Patients who sign up for the 12-week support program linked to Lipitor receive a cookbook and weekly emails containing health advice. Other Pfizer drugs with associated support programs are Champix, Xalatan, Viagra, Lyrica, Pristiq, Aricept, Celebrex and Effexor XR.

A pharmacist who did not wish to be named said: ''Pharmacists might get a short-term gain of $7 but they are putting patient information into the hands of a drug manufacturer who is obviously going to promote their products directly to that patient.

''It's a back-door way of promoting and advertising.''

Increase in inpatient psychiatric hospital stays for kids 1996-2007, antipsychotics prescribed for anxiety outpatient increases

Sign of the times, sigh.

Archives of General Psychiatry Acute Inpatient Care for Psychiatric Disorders in the United States, 1996 Through 2007:

Acute Inpatient Care for Psychiatric Disorders in the United States, 1996 Through 2007

Joseph C. Blader, PhD

Arch Gen Psychiatry. Published online August 1, 2011.

doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.84

Context

Data from facility-level surveys indicate that US inpatient psychiatric admissions rose in 2004, from their trough in 1998 to 2000, mainly in acute care settings. Patient-level factors, including age, admission type, diagnoses, length of stay, and payment source, are vital to understanding hospitalization trends.

Objective

To evaluate trends in acute care hospitalizations for primary psychiatric diagnoses between 1996 and 2007 in relation to patient-level variables.

Design, Setting, and Participants

The yearly National Hospital Discharge Survey furnished demographic, clinical, and payment data on a probability sample of discharges from short-stay facilities (mean [SD], 448.33 [19.66]), along with weights for extrapolation to population estimates. Discharges with a primary psychiatric diagnosis (mean [SD], 19 535 [2615]) were identified among children (aged 5-13 years), adolescents (aged 14-19 years), adults (aged 20-64 years), and elderly individuals (65 years).

Main Outcome Measures

Annual rates of discharges and total days of inpatient care associated with primary psychiatric diagnoses for each age group.

Results Psychiatric discharges increased for children from 155.54 per 100 000 children in 1996 to 283.04 per 100 000 in 2007 (P = .003); for adolescents, from 683.60 to 969.03 per 100 000 (P = . 001); and for adults, from 921.35 to 995.51 per 100 000 (P = .003) but declined for elderly individuals from 977.63 to 807.55 per 100 000 (P < .001). Total inpatient days increased for children (1845 days per 100 000 in 1996 to 4370 days in 2007; P = .02) and for adolescents (5882 days per 100 000 in 1996 to 8247 days in 2007; P < .001) but decreased for elderly patients (10 348 days per 100 000 in 1996 to 6517 days; P < .001). The proportion of inpatient days paid by private sources declined among children (36%-21%), adolescents (52%-22%), and adults (35%-23%; all P < .001).

Conclusions

Inpatient discharges in short-stay facilities with a primary psychiatric diagnosis rose between 1996 and 2007, most dramatically for youth, but decreased among elderly individuals. Private funding bore a declining share of costs.

---

American Journal of Psychiatry: Antipsychotics prescribed for anxiety disorders increases

VIA PubMed:

Am J Psychiatry. 2011 Jul 28. [Epub ahead of print]

National Trends in the Antipsychotic Treatment of Psychiatric Outpatients With Anxiety Disorders.

Comer JS, Mojtabai R, Olfson M.
Source

Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston; the Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md.; and the Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine patterns and recent trends in the antipsychotic medication treatment of anxiety disorders among visits to office-based psychiatrists in the United States.

Method: Annual data from the 1996-2007 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were analyzed to examine the patterns and trends in antipsychotic medication treatment within a nationally representative sample of 4,166 visits to office-based psychiatrists in which an anxiety disorder was diagnosed. Results: Across the 12-year period, antipsychotic prescriptions in visits for anxiety disorders increased from 10.6% (1996-1999) to 21.3% (2004-2007). Over the study period, the largest increase in antipsychotic prescribing occurred among new patient visits. Antipsychotic prescribing also significantly increased among privately insured visits and visits in which neither antidepressants nor sedative/hypnotics were prescribed. Among the common anxiety disorder diagnoses, the largest increase in antipsychotic medication treatment was observed in visits for panic disorder. Antipsychotic prescribing rose from 6.9% (1996-1999) to 14.5% (2004-2007) among visits for anxiety disorders in which there were no co-occurring diagnoses with an indication approved by the Food and Drug Administration for antipsychotic medications.

Conclusions: Although little is known about their effectiveness for anxiety disorders, antipsychotic medications are becoming increasingly prescribed to psychiatric outpatients with these disorders."

----

Antipsychotics such as Abilify, Seroquel and Zyprexa are not antidepressants, and were created for the treatment of psychosis, not anxiety or depression. Off-label use has increased with the sales of antipsychotics. Be aware the drugs have black box warnings for diabetes, and recently Seroquel has an added box warning for sudden death risk via QT Prolongation, blood clots....

How do the drugs act on the brain? Robert Whitaker and David Healy speak

David Healy and Robert Whitaker speak together.


Whitaker is the award winning author of Anatomy of an Epidemic and Healy is a psychiatrist. Invest some time in listening to what they have to say about psychiatric medications, it's worth your time.

"I promised my son truth and justice. We have the truth. The time has come for justice."

A mother writes about the death of her son in this post, Official:Prozac responsible for death of Toran Henry at Fiddaman's blog.

"... chirpy voice announced she was from the mental health crisis team and just calling to ask how my son Toran was. When I told her that he had hanged himself 5 hours earlier there was a stunned silence followed by “Oh my God, is there anything I can do?” I replied “YOU CAN STOP FUCKING KILLING OUR KIDS!”

Interesting hot topic in the comment section of 1 Boring Old Man blog:

In this post, discussing the C.A.B.F. Child Adolescent Bipolar Foundation's name change to the Mind Foundation and it's remaining conflicted science advisory council that includes, Joseph Biederman, et al.

What began as a discussion of the corruption, conflicts and sanction against Biederman from Harvard, Wagner who was co-author to the Paxil 329 study and more...has turned into a comment section hot bed of pro-med parents equating psychiatric meds to chemotherapy for cancer patients, and one mother of a 10 year old son with compromised kidneys, working at 75% and putting him on Lithium, after trialing Depakote, Trileptal, Seroquel, Ativan.

I'm pretty sure some of my readers would be interested to go read the pro-med defense, it's entrenched in pharmaceutical baseline treatment, as the end all be all, with disregard to side effects that the future might hold,because it's the containment of the child's anger and emotions that seems important today to the parents. That's their choice.

Duane Sherry, go take a look over at the Boring Old Man post, where Bernard Carroll has even chimed in, who once called Charles Nemeroff so toxic he glows in the dark....

The CABF-Mind Freedom science advisors are the most tainted group I've ever seen on one panel. Those KOLs are the fuel behind the CABF parents and their strong belief in medications, yet, sadly, outcomes in a decade may not be what they all hoped for when they counted out those pills into the daily containers that sit on their kitchen counters.


Trileptal

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2010

Novartis pays $422 million fine for illegal promotion off-label use of Trileptal for bipolar disorder


Adverse Events

Lithium Carbonate


My daughter was given Lithobid and Lithium Carbonate for several years, and she could barely hold a fork without the tremors interfering as time went on. After much discussion a doctor removed the Lithium and said she never needed it, and when the lithium was removed the tremors stopped. The tremor side effect was not immediate, it built up over time. She does have permanent thyroid damage now as a result of that drug. They trialed Trileptal on her too.

Trileptal side effects can be the same as a psychiatric symptom

Rx list

Suicidal Behavior and Ideation

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), including Trileptal (oxcarbazepine) , increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior in patients taking these drugs for any indication. Patients treated with any AED for any indication should be monitored for the emergence or worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts or behavior, and/or any unusual changes in mood or behavior.

Renal Impairment
There is a linear correlation between creatinine clearance and the renal clearance of MHD. When Trileptal (oxcarbazepine) is administered as a single 300-mg dose in renally-impaired patients (creatinine clearance < 30 mL/min), the elimination half-life of MHD is prolonged to 19 hours, with a two-fold increase in AUG. Dose adjustment for Trileptal (oxcarbazepine) is recommended in these patients [see Use in Specific Populations and see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION].


Duane Sherry's story.

Ruth Deming's story-kidney transplant from Lithium use

My diminishing kidney function is the result of taking lithium carbonate for 16.5 years for manic-depression, which I no longer have."

Continued

More, after that post in this follow up post at Boring Old Man blog, authored by a retired psychiatrist. He's mad as hell....

APA 2006 candid answers from psychiatrists: "How many patients have you been able to cure?"

At the 3:29 mark on the video, watch and be entertained by the psychiatrist's candid answers when asked the question, How many patients have you been able to cure? they respond with candid answers, and some with laughter --- outside of the 2006 APA convention in Toronto, Canada.

these women were not suckers, they were idiots

Found at Pharmagossip, Fake doctor felt up women who allowed him into their home after he said he could offer free breast exams to them.

Seriously girls?

Growing up on psychiatric medications: America has a love affair with pills

911 OPERATOR: 911.

MICHAEL RILEY: Can I get an ambulance? My daughter passed away in the night!

911 OPERATOR: What's going on? How old is she?

MICHAEL RILEY: My daughter passed away!

911 OPERATOR: How old?

MICHAEL RILEY: She's 4.

911 OPERATOR: All right. We'll be right there.

NARRATOR: The danger of prescribing untested drugs to young children grabbed national attention a year ago. Rebecca Riley of Hull, Massachusetts, had been diagnosed with bipolar and was taking a mixture of psychiatric medications.

FRONTLINE was visiting the Koontz family when they learned of the case.

KATIE COURIC, 60 Minutes: We went to talk to one of the leading proponents of the diagnosis of bipolar disorder in children. He is Dr. Joseph Biederman.

Now you're saying up to a million children are running around with this-

Dr. JOSEPH BIEDERMAN: Correct. Correct.

KATIE COURIC: The autopsy revealed that she had died from an overdose of psychiatric drugs.

NARRATOR: The Koontzes worried that D.J. was on a similar regimen of psychiatric drugs, including the sedative Clonodine.

CHRISTINA KOONTZ: It terrified me, especially to hear there was enough Clonodine in her system alone to kill her.

KATIE COURIC: This is what her pre-school teacher said, that she was like a floppy doll, so tired she had to be helped off the bus.

CHRISTINA KOONTZ: I mean, to think there's something on my counter that he takes on a daily basis, that the little girl had so much in her system that that alone could have been the cause of her death, terrified me.

DERON KOONTZ: I mean, neither one of us are supporters of medicating our kids. You know, that's not why we do this. We do it because we've discussed it with the doctor and it seems to work.

NARRATOR: The Koontzes went back to Dr. Bacon's office to see if they could lower D.J.'s medications.

Watch The Medicated Child on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

It's time for Americans to ask themselves why antipsychotics are a billion dollar industry, and just why are kids on so many meds now, compared to a decade ago. What has changed? was there an increase in psychiatric medication use? in psychiatric medication marketing? have parents changed, or has the American lifestyle changed?

What damage will be done to these children long term? do you know? do you know exactly what the drug is that your child takes? are you willing to end up with a disabled or dead child as a result of them using potent and brain altering chemicals for mood management? or sleep? is it worth that risk?

Viva ! Las Vegas! hosts the conflicted KOL psychiatric conference of all times

Just when you though Charles Nemeroff, Alan Schatzberg, Karen Wagner,Henry Nasrallah and others drifted off into the sunset, they show up on a roster as speakers at the Las Vegas Psychiatric Society 's 40th Anniversary of Psychopharmacology Conference in February 2012.

How ironic that Henry Nasrallah is speaking on "Ethics of Psychiatrists' Interactions with Pharmaceutical & Insurance Companies", he should know, after all look at his income!

Terence Ketter likes pharma income too, and will be speaking on "Personalized, Quantitative, Evidence-Based Treatment of Bipolar Disorder".


Always popular

Advances in Pharmacology of Depression

Alan Schatzberg, MD


Management of Treatment-Resistant Depression

Charles Nemeroff, MD

$Ka-ching!$

hat tip thanks to Dr.David Bransford

New name, same conflicted scientific advisory council: C.A.B.F. changes to The Balanced Mind Foundation

Don't let the name change fool you... C.A.B.F.Child Adolescent Bipolar Foundation is now The Balanced Mind Foundation. Same players, new name. Senate investigated and Harvard sanctioned Joseph Biederman, Lilly paid Melissa DelBello, and the of the CABF-Balanced Mind Foundation advisory council are all still there, advising with backgrounds such as paid pharma speakers, ex-Paxil 329 author Karen Dineen Wagner, Seroquel trial on 4 year olds Janet Wozniak...

The name change according to Executive Director Susan Resko will allow ALL kids to feel equal with terms, labels and dx's, not just bipolar anymore...now the Balanced Mind Foundation will encompass the entire DSM 5 new and improved multitude of dx's for kids. Isn't that great?

"CABF’s board of directors voted to expand our mission from a single condition to include all mood disorders: bipolar disorder, depression and a proposed new DSM-V diagnosis for children which will attempt to capture children who are currently diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but do not meet full criteria."--writes Resko

Interesting use of the word capture.

I'm positive there are meds for that.

Note:

Be sure to read 1 Boring Old Man blog on this topic, authored by a psychiatrist where he says,

"Does the Balanced Mind Foundation think we’ve forgotten Rebecca Riley?"....

Adverse Events - a new searchable drug side effect database

Via an interview with the adverse events site creator and co-founder Brian Overstreet at the Pharmalot blog, where you can read the entire interview.


"Anyone who has attempted to wade through the FDA Adverse Events Reporting System can readily list its shortcomings, starting with difficult to navigate. But faced with a personal reason for mining the data, Brian Overstreet and a partner came up with some algorithms which they have developed into their own web site for finding drug side effects. Called AdverseEvents.com, the site has just launched and might force some change in the pharmaceutical industry and among physicians."



Here's a sample of what can be found at Adverse Events:



Adverse Events-Redefining Drug Safety is great new tool.

More on Brian Overstreet's Adverse Events site here on the Pink Sheet.

Jim Edwards' Placebo Effect: no more!

Damn!, I saw this on pharmagossip:

Jim Edwards' Placebo Effect RIP


"I’d like to thank all those of you who read the column on a regular basis. I know there were many of you. I read all your emails, and all your comments, and as many tweets as I can. I will miss our correspondence."

Sincerely,

Jim Edwards

---

Thank you, Jim Edwards for writing some knock-out pharma stories,articles and news, and for always replying to my inquiries via email.... this is a BIG gap left....

This is an example of what will be missed Exec Warned AZ on Negative Seroquel Results: “We Cannot Hide Them”; Info Later “Buried”

AstraZeneca’s Sex-for-Studies Seroquel Scandal: Did Research Chief Bias the Science?

Seroquel Trial: Allegations of Sex-for-Secrets; AZ Wants Papers Sealed

FDA: J&J’s Risperdal and Lilly’s Zyprexa Are Over-Used in Kids

Judge rules that Maryanne Godboldo can take daughter home & NO psychiatric medication

via ABC Detroit


DETROIT (WXYZ) - A judge has ruled that Maryanne Godboldo will be able to take her daughter home.

The ruling came during a Thursday custody hearing.

“I feel wonderful today that my daughter has been given back to me. Which in my mind she was never taken, but we still have a long way to go,” said Maryanne Godboldo.

The judge also ruled that medicating a child is a parent's decision and not the state's. Therefore the judge is not ordering Godboldo's daughter to take a prescribed psychiatric medication.

“I think that message needs to go wide and broad that it is the parent who has to determine that and without the consent that psychotropic medicine cannot be administered to a child unless there is a court order,” said attorney Wanda Evans.

It was Godboldo's refusal to give her daughter that medication that led to officials from Child Protective Services to attempt to remove the child from the home and the police standoff that followed.

The girl's father, Mubarak Hakim wants an apology from the Detroit Police Department because of the standoff situation.

"“They owe us an apology for their misconduct based on a lie,” said Mubarak Hakim.

Both of the girl's parents will be back in court on December 12. The judge says once a treatment and education plan are in place, they will work to terminate the state's jurisdiction.

“I’m going to go home and hug her and take care of her like I have been taking care of her,” said Maryanne Godboldo."

Read more: http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/detroit/maryanne-godboldo-prepares-for-hearing-where-she-may-get-her-daughter-back#ixzz1aL3ssAEE

Antipsychotic Seroquel user has sudden vision loss

Branch retinal vein occlusion associated with quetiapine fumarate:

Abstract

Background
To report a case of branch retinal vein occlusion in a young adult with bipolar mood disorder treated with quetiapine fumarate.

Case Presentation
A 29 years old gentleman who was taking quetiapine fumarate for 3 years for bipolar mood disorder, presented with sudden vision loss. He was found to have a superior temporal branch retinal vein occlusion associated with hypercholesterolemia.

Conclusion
Atypical antipsychotic drugs have metabolic side effects which require regular monitoring and prompt treatment.

Background

Retinal vein occlusions (RVOs) frequently occur in the elderly in association with atherosclerosis. Hypertension is the commonest cause of RVOs in such population. In young adults, RVOs are associated with vasculitis and coagulopathies. Extensive work-up is required as both vasculitis and coagulopathies can lead to severe systemic morbidity and mortality. We describe a case of branch retinal vein occlusion in a young adult who has been taking quetiapine fumarate* for 3 years. (*Seroquel)

Case Presentation

A 29 years old gentleman was referred from the emergency department with the complaint of sudden painless vision loss of his left eye for the past 1 week. Since onset, he experienced progressive generalized blurring of the central vision. There was neither photopsia nor floaters. Systemic review was not significant. He has no symptoms and signs of systemic vasculitis such as rashes, joint pains or mucosal surface ulcers. He was diagnosed of bipolar mood disorder in 2008, and was treated with oral quetiapine fumarate 100 mg daily. His bipolar mood disorder responded well to quetiapine fumarate without any side effects. Sexual history was not significant and he has no history of substance abuse or smoking. There was no family history of vascular events as well.

He was a medium built individual with a body mass index of 24.83 kg/m2 (height 165.5 cm, body weight 68 kg). His body weight prior to quetiapine treatment was 62 kg. Blood pressure was 122/74 mmHg with a regular pulse rate of 80 beats per minute. The visual acuity of his left eye was 0.33, with near visual acuity of N24 at 33 cm. The right eye had visual acuity of 1.0 and near vision of N6 at 33 cm. Confrontation test revealed a left central scotoma. Relative afferent pupillary defect was absent. Anterior segment examination for both eyes was normal. The intraocular pressure was 16 mmHg bilaterally.


AND

The patient was diagnosed to have left major superior temporal branch retinal vein occlusion complicated by macula oedema. The cause of the RVO was attributed to dyslipidaemia secondary to quetiapine fumarate. The condition was conveyed to his psychiatrist, and he was subsequently referred to the internist for the management of his dyslipidaemia. The patient was treated with oral lovastatin 20 mg daily. His lipid profile normalized after 2 months but the final visual acuity remained 0.33 and near visual acuity N24 at 33 cm due to the presence of hard exudates at the fovea.

Conclusions

RVOs in young adults require careful systemic evaluation for the presence of cardiovascular risk factors as well as to exclude hypercoagulabilities or collagen vascular diseases. The usage of antipsychotics medications require regular monitoring and prompt intervention for any metabolic side effects and adverse drug reactions."



Go ahead and use this off-label for insomnia, or let a doctor put your child on it...no worries, right?

Doctor says he is not "corrupt": Justice Dept. fines cardiologist for taking payments and gifts from Guidant Sales

via Seattle Times:

"An Army cardiologist on Friday was sentenced to pay more than $12,700 in fines and restitution for accepting free meals and illegal payments from Guidant Sales, whose representatives marketed implant devices used at military hospitals.

In a sentencing memorandum filed this week in U.S. District Court, prosecutors said the gifts and money helped transform Maj. Jason Layne Davis, who practices at Madigan Army Medical Center, into an "aggressive user and advocate" of the heart-implant devices manufactured by Guidant, a subsidiary of Boston Scientific.

Judge J. Richard Creatura, in announcing the sentence for Davis' misdemeanor count, said the total of fines and restitution reflects the sum of "every dinner, every bottle of wine and every other gratuity that you have ever received from Guidant."

The case is a rare instance of the Justice Department prosecuting a doctor for taking money and gifts from a pharmaceutical company or medical-device maker, and results from Davis' position with the federal government, which prohibits such gifts and payments from vendors.

AND

Davis is the former chief of cardiology at Madigan and received a Bronze Medal for his service in Iraq. He is scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan.

"I engage people. I care about them. I try to mentor, and in the course of doing that, I will certainly admit that I have made some mistakes," Davis told the judge. "There is more to this than some rogue physician who is corrupt — because I am not corrupt, sir."

The sentencing followed a plea agreement reached earlier this year with Davis. Last November, Boston Scientific paid $600,000 to settle a civil lawsuit stemming from the payments to Davis."

More HERE.

Vitamin D for depression or not? this abstract says more evidence needed

from Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica D’ for depression: any role for vitamin D?

Objective:  While there has long been interest in any nutritional contribution to the onset and treatment of mood disorders, there has been increasing scientific evaluation of several candidate nutritional and dietary factors in recent years. In this paper, we overview research into any vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency contribution to depression.

Method:  The relevant literature was reviewed.

Results:  Cross-sectional studies have identified associations between depression and low vitamin D levels, but studies have failed to clarify whether vitamin D deficiency is an antecedent cause, correlate or consequence of depression. While vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency have been linked with seasonal affective disorder, suggested associations have not been rigorously tested. There has been insufficient research to establish whether and when vitamin D supplementation should be considered as an augmentation strategy with antidepressant drugs.

Conclusion:  There is currently insufficient evidence to argue strongly for vitamin D supplementation in patients with depression, but such a strategy is worthy of consideration in depressed patients whose lifestyle and geographical residence may indicate a risk of vitamin D insufficiency – or where low vitamin D levels have been quantified.

Are antidepressants putting young lives and brains at risk for harm?

via The Conversation University of Sydney

"Brain development

Recent theories of antidepressant action have moved beyond the simplistic notion of “correcting a serotonin imbalance” to embrace the idea of “neurogenesis”: antidepressants stimulate growth and repair in depressed brains that have been damaged by chronic stress.

The idea is controversial but provides a clue to why these drugs may disagree with adolescents.

It’s now widely accepted that the human brain undergoes major developmental changes up to the age of 25.

The brain doesn't fully develop until the age of 25.

Antidepressants are likely suitable for a stressed, mature brain, but their neurogenic effects collide with brains that are still engaged in a frenzy of morphological transformation and therefore cause harm.

When antidepressants are given to adolescent lab rats, they create a “broken brain”, where normal development is disrupted and neurochemistry affected. This negatively impacts behaviour later in adulthood."

Read entire article HERE, and understand what I've been asking doctors for years regarding my daughter and the growing brain...the fact is, that her brain is STILL not the mature age 25 brain, and I DO believe it has been harmed by antidepressants and antipsychotics. Whether it will be permanent into the future ....only time can tell. Having to remember how to write, remember how to speak in sentences, count...

Dr.Thomas Peterson:CEO and Medical Director of The Stadter Center, sanctioned for rx excessive amounts of atypical antipsychotics

The Stadter Center is an inpatient, residential and partial psychiatric facility for kids, teens and adults in Grand Forks, ND.

The CEO and medical director has a past history that includes a sanction for prescribing excessive amounts of atypical antipsychotics to kids. He was sanctioned by the state of North Dakota medical board in March 2008.

Sometimes, people say in school environments that the classroom reflects the teacher. It can be organized, tidy, exhilarating learning areas; or it can be a disaster out of control.

Could the Stadter Center reflect (in this case....an inpatient psych care facility) the CEO/Medical director? and his beliefs or ideas on the use of medications?

Here's a few links to give some thought:

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/526162/stadter_center_plan_of_action_approved_new_violations_reported_as/index.html

http://psychwatch.blogspot.com/2008/03/state-board-bans-psychiatrist-from.html

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

State board bans psychiatrist from prescribing meds to children

From a Report in the Grand Forks Herald

Dr. Thomas Peterson, a Grand Forks psychiatrist who is CEO and medical director of the Richard P. Stadter Center, cannot prescribe psychotropic medications to children after the North Dakota State Board of Medical Examiners found he overprescribed doses to two children younger than 12.

“Peterson was found to have prescribed excessive amounts of atypical antipsychotic medications to two children under his care,” according to Duane Houdek, executive secretary for the state board. The stipulation to Peterson’s license was made during the board’s regular meeting Friday in Bismarck.

These atypical antipsychotic medications include Risperdal, Zyprexa, Geodon and Seroquel.

[...]

The board found, and Peterson agreed, that he’d prescribed to one child “such an excessive amount of atypical antipsychotic medications (that) are beyond the acceptable standards of prescriptive practice for a child in this age group.” For the other child, the board found he prescribed a “particular combination of medications” that was “injudicious and an excessive use of atypical antipsychotics.”

Specific information, such as who filed the complaints, is not publicly available. Both complaints are from incidents that occurred in 2006, but Houdek declined to say when the complaints were filed with the board. “We act on them as soon as we get them,” he said.

On Tuesday, Houdek provided the Herald with a copy of an amended complaint filed Jan. 25 detailing specific medications and dosages each child was prescribed. The complaint asked for Peterson’s license to be revoked, but the parties reached an agreement Feb. 19 to place the restriction on Peterson’s license until he can show he attended the class on how to dose children.

Houdek said the board “didn’t have information of immediate harm” to the two children, identified in the complaint only as Patient A and Patient B.

Details, According to the complaint:

Patient A — whose birth date is redacted from the complaint, but who officials say is younger than 12 — was admitted to the Stadter Center under Peterson’s care and diagnosed with ADHD and bipolar disorder. The child had “suicidal threats, physical aggression toward his mom and trouble sleeping at night,” and medication sheets indicated the child’s diagnosis as nonspecific depression.

“During (Patient A’s) hospitalization, he continued to struggle with aggression and other behavior issues, but at no time was there any documentation of psychotic symptoms, hallucinations, delusions, paranoia or any other symptoms suggestive of manic spells.”

But the child was prescribed antipsychotics, including Seroquel, Risperdal and Zyprexa.

Patient A continued to take the medications during hospitalization and when discharged from the center.

Patient B, whose age also was redacted from the complaint, was admitted to the Stadter Center under Peterson’s care after “exhibit(ing) agitation, aggression and behavior issues at home and in the school setting.”

This child was diagnosed with “bipolar disorder, mixed, severe, pervasive developmental disorder and borderline intellectual functioning.”

The child already was taking two atypical antipsychotic medications and two mood stabilizers when admitted to the center for care. The child’s mother “called and complained to (Peterson) about (Patient B) being on too many medications, and on one occasion, even requested a transfer to a different facility.”

The child was discharged “on a high dose of Depakote” which equaled “1,375 milligrams, higher than commonly used for a 5 year old (sic)” and two separate prescriptions of Geodon (an antipsychotic medication). Peterson “in effect, sent (Patient B) home with two atypical antipsychotic medications, which is injudicious and an excessive use” of them, according to the complaint.

Peterson and the board agreed that his authority to prescribe these medications to children would be suspended at the end of February, according to the complaint. The board didn’t act on the agreement until Friday.

Peterson “looks forward to appearing before the board at a special telephone hearing on his petition to satisfy the board that he has complied with the agreement,” according to Schreiner.

The board hadn’t received a copy of the petition for review Tuesday afternoon, so it was hard to say when a special hearing would be scheduled, Houdek said.

Disciplined before

Peterson has been disciplined by the board before, Houdek said.

He received a “letter of censure” from the board after the 1997 flood “because he had put out an ad that implied the offices of other psychiatrists were closed,” Houdek said.

Once a review is complete, and if the board reinstates Peterson’s license with no restrictions, Peterson’s license will remain on probation for three years.

Peterson has been licensed to practice in North Dakota since 1991, according to Houdek.

The Stadter Center

Dr. Thomas Peterson, MD, is a founding partner, Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director of The Stadter Center. Dr. Peterson received his Medical Doctorate at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine in Grand Forks, North Dakota. His specialty is General Psychiatry and he completed his Psychiatry Resident Program in 1994 at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine. After founding the Center of Psychiatric Care, a private outpatient mental health clinic, he in conjunction with others, founded The Stadter Center, a private inpatient mental health hospital, which opened in May of 2000. Dr. Peterson is the hospital's Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director, and works closely with the hospital's administrative work team. A member of the American Psychiatric Association, he received his Board Certification in Psychiatry in 1996. A true entrepreneur, Dr. Peterson is involved in the development of other medical projects to enhance the medical park upon which The Stadter Center currently resides.

http://www.healthgrades.com/physician/dr-thomas-peterson-y688r/background-check

Dr.Thomas M Peterson

Sanction History Found

HealthGrades has found sanction history for Dr. Peterson.

Misprescribing or Overprescribing Drugs (3/14/08)

Action Taken: Probation

Issued To: Dr. Thomas Michael Peterson; License # 6217

Nature of Complaint:

The physician prescribed excessive amounts of atypical antipsychotic medications to two children under the physician's care.

Action Taken:

The board has placed the physician's license to practice medicine in the State of North Dakota on Probation for a period of three years subject to the following terms and conditions:

The physician is prohibited from prescribing psychotropic medications to children and adolescents under the age of eighteen.

The physician shall complete a board approved prescribing course on the subject of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology.

April 2, 2008

The physician has attended the required board approved psychopharmacology course.

The physician is no longer prohibited from the prescribing of psychotropic medications to children and adolescents under the age of eighteen. The physician is able to practice medicine in the State of North Dakota at a full clinical practice level.

November 20, 2009-License Restored

The physician has satisfied the terms and conditions of his probation. The North Dakota Board of Medical Examiners has restored the physician's license to practice medicine in the State of North Dakota to an unconditional status.

State: North Dakota

Issued By: State of North Dakota

So, with this background it makes me wonder what his staff at the treatment center prescribe like, and does his role there remain as an admin or does he treat patients, and furthermore, how are his prescribing practices now? does he or anyone at the center over-prescribe antipsychotics? or prescribe them off-label?

My guess is that the antipsychotics that seem to be the go-to-meds today, are being used..... as anxiety agents and antidepressants. Every day this goes on in many cities, with hospitals often called behavioral treatment centers, etc. I saw something like this myself, where my own teen was over-prescribed boatloads of psych meds in high doses. I wish this wasn't the status quo, but it is a sign of the times as well as America's medication based psychiatric paradigm.

Who suffers in the end?

*Update One of the other doctors listed as staff is in Dollars for Docs Dr. Derek Carlson has a special interest in treating Autism Spectrum Disorders and ADHD :