Painkillers are helpful medications that allow Chicago patients to cope with serious injuries. Painkillers are also very dangerous when these medications are not used properly.
Patients may become addicted to painkillers, and painkillers may lead to fatal medication overdoseswhen doctors negligently prescribe these strong drugs or when pharmacies negligently fill prescription orders for painkillers.
Although negligence may lead to accidentally giving a patient a wrong dose of a painkiller or too much of a medication, some doctors prescribe or dispense painkillers when they know that it is not safe or right to do so. This may be harmful to patients and the community, and it may also be illegal.
Law enforcement officers in Illinois and throughout the country have been cracking down on the illegal distribution of prescription drugs for several years now. And just last week, authorities reported that they shut down a clinic in Chicago that is suspected of illegally distributing prescription medications.
The clinic was shut down on March 7, and the Drug Enforcement Administration reported that search warrants have been served. Investigators began collecting evidence from the clinic last week, and patients who tried to see their doctors at the clinic were told that they had to go somewhere else.
Residents who live near the clinic were not surprised to hear that it had been shut down by the DEA. They said that the clinic was busy and that nearly 100 patients would be waiting in line at a time in order to see doctors at the clinic. One patient said that some folks came in groups to be seen by doctors. The patient claims that he is a legitimate patient, but he did say that some of the activity at the clinic did seem a bit suspicious.
Source: ABC 7 News, “Medical clinic shut, search warrants issued,” Theresa Gutierrez, March 7, 2013