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Petitioner’s Drug Addiction
Petitioner has experienced headaches throughout most of his
adult life, beginning in 1978 or 1979. Petitioner has seen
numerous doctors and has tried a variety of different medications
and treatments for his headaches. These included Darvocet,
Percocet, Ativan, and even injections of Botox in his neck.
These medications did not relieve petitioner’s headaches.
Petitioner’s doctor prescribed petitioner OxyContin in 1996.
Petitioner’s doctor increased the dosage of OxyContin during the
next few years and also continued prescribing petitioner Ativan,
so that petitioner was taking both medications. Petitioner’s
doctor prescribed only enough OxyContin to last petitioner a week
at a time. If petitioner missed a dose of OxyContin, however,
petitioner got a headache. The OxyContin was taking over
petitioner’s life, and he lived in fear of not having his
medication.
After experiencing heart problems in 1998, petitioner
increasingly relied on the OxyContin. He sought additional
prescriptions from other doctors and early refills of the
medication. Petitioner could never take enough OxyContin to feel
normal.
Petitioner was aware of his increased dependency on
OxyContin and stopped taking the medication in January 1999.
Soon after he stopped taking it, petitioner suffered a grand mal
seizure. Petitioner was diagnosed with chemical dependency,
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Last modified: May 25, 2011