# Man Sues Doctor After Drug Burns Him From The Inside Out



## weaveadiva (Jul 27, 2018)

Full story: https://www.aol.com/article/news/20...-drug-burns-him-from-the-inside-out/23490929/

Graphic pics: https://www.aol.com/article/news/20...inside-out/23490929/#slide=7385421#fullscreen

Summary: Doctor uses screener to misdiagnose paient, then prescribes 4x regular dosage of drug with known serious side effects.


His lawsuit comes three years after the then-19-year-old college sophomore woke up in a hospital bed, blind and voiceless.

Doctors had stitched his eyes shut and placed a breathing tube in his throat after a skin rash covering most of his body left him feeling like he had survived an inferno.

"I had two surgeries on my eyes in order to save them from not going blind," said Scott. "Inside of my mouth, I had burns and cuts, and so I couldn't even eat food."

Scott had gone to Aspen Creek Family Medicine in Parker in January 2016 for his yearly physical and mentioned feeling a little depressed.

FOX31 investigative reporter Rob Low asked Scott, "As you look back, do you  think you had bipolar disorder?"

"No, no, I have never had mental health issues before this," Scott replied.

His physician, Dr. Michael Paul Elder, gave Scott a questionnaire for bipolar disorder. Answering yes to at least seven of 13  questions is supposed to indicate more follow-up, but even the one-page form says it is "For screening purposes only and not to be used as a diagnostic tool."

Scott only scored a six, but Dr. Elder miscounted, giving him a seven, and immediately prescribed Lamictal.

Lamictal is prescribed with what's known as a black box warning in its labeling instructions that mention "serious skin disorders leading to death" and "the incidence of skin disorders was increased when this drug was administered at doses higher than recommended."

Scott said he was not told about the black box warning when he was prescribed the drug.

"There was so many things wrong in this case that it's frightening," said Scott's attorney, Hollynd Hoskins.

In her lawsuit, Hoskins alleged her client was prescribed twice the recommended dosage on the first day, and by the second week, his dosage had been increased to four times the recommended amount.

"Not only was the diagnosis false -- he did not have bipolar -- not only did he diagnosis it with a screening tool, he prescribed Lamictal, a serious drug, at four times the recommended dose." said Hoskins.

Scott came back to Aspen Creek Family Medicine for a follow-up eight days after starting Lamictal.  He mentioned  having shaky hands, but the family nurse who treated him, Diedre Marchetti, didn't consider it a red flag.

"It's potentially a side effect of Lamictal. It's also a non-uncommon symptom of anxiety," Marchetti told Hoskins in her deposition.

Scott's lawsuit also names a Walgreen's pharmacist named Anisa Bartells for not mentioning the black box warning that comes with a prescription of Lamictal. The  following exchange comes from her deposition with Hoskins:

Anisa Bartells: "A black box warning contains important prescribing information about a drug."

Hollynd Hoskins:  "And is a black box warning something you would use as a pharmacist?"

Anisa Bartells:  "No."

Dr. Elder admitted in his deposition that he never discussed the black box warning with Scott and he expressed no concerns about overdosing  his patient.

A portion of the deposition is quoted below:

Hollynd Hoskins: "So there are other patients where you have deviated from the FDA's instructions and guidelines prescribing Lamictal?"

Dr. Michael Elder: "Yes."

When asked during his deposition why he would overdose his patient given the obvious risk, Dr. Elder responded, "Well, the severity of his depression. I felt like his depression was more on the severe side, and that was a concern for me to treat him and to escalate his dosage regimen in order to bring his depression under better control quickly."

Hoskins said there is no evidence Scott actually had bipolar depression.

"I had rashes and bubbles on the bottom of my feet. I had to walk on top of the rashes and bubbles. You could feel them pop and burst, and just the pain -- it was like standing on needles," Scott said.  The 22-year old can now finally walk without pain. In May, he graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder.

However, Scott will have vision issues the rest of his life and has been told he may develop Glaucoma.


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## Reinventing21 (Jul 27, 2018)

After this doctor is given 4x the amount of this awful drug, throw him in jail.


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## LostInAdream (Jul 27, 2018)

Just horrible, I don’t trust medicine and rarely if ever  take what they prescribe. I just fill the prescription and look for natural remedies. If the symptoms get worse or don’t improve I take it. I do research everything thoroughly before.


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## natural2008 (Jul 28, 2018)

LostInAdream said:


> Just horrible, I don’t trust medicine and rarely if ever  take what they prescribe. I just fill the prescription and look for natural remedies. If the symptoms get worse or don’t improve I take it. I do research everything thoroughly before.


Me too.


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## Brwnbeauti (Jul 28, 2018)

I looked at the pictures #getmoney because those are some serious side effects for that ridiculous dosage


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## dicapr (Jul 28, 2018)

That’s why I tell people to always read the information that comes along with the medication. It gives you all the info and warnings associated with the meds and the possible side effects. It even tells you what side effects are not “normal” and when you should seek medical help immediately. 

That being said throw the doctor under the jail. He was reckless with the young man’s life and wellbeing.


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## moneychaser (Jul 29, 2018)

why is that crap even on the market


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## HairNinja (Jul 29, 2018)

I take this drug and the rash is extremely rare. I'm on a low dose and the warning was included with my prescription.


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## Everything Zen (Jul 29, 2018)

Lamictal is a standard of care drug given to people who suffer from seizures, bipolar disorder or even refractory depression. It's been on the market for 24 years meaning it has a very well known side-effect profile. I took it for several years with no extreme side effects to help control my stress seizures and was warned about the potential for SJS. My doctor was responsible and properly tapered the medication to the correct therapeutic levels. These sensationalized stories about life-saving medications are irresponsible and always miss the point. While SJS is a rare but serious potential side effect of Lamictal, 1 in 1,000 people may experience it within the first 2 to 8 weeks of taking it. 

The doctor was reckless. Everyone talking about natural remedies is ignoring the fact that prescription medications are a derivative of natural remedies and you can mess up on some St. Johns Wort or dandelion root if you don't know what you're doing. While I can understand the fear, I will say that I am wary of newer drugs and prefer older medications with a more robust side effect profile. Then again, I don't have cancer or some other life-threatening disease that requires treatment with novel therapies.


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## dicapr (Jul 29, 2018)

The bigger issue is the dosage not the medication. Taking 4 times the recommended dose of anything can mess you up.


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