Prescription Drug Horror Story from Los Angeles
In August, the DEA put a local physician under investigation for allegedly over-prescribing narcotic drugs that may have contributed to two overdosed deaths.
Dr. Hsiu-Ying Lisa Tseng's is a Rowland Heights osteopathic doctor, who the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has suspended her license to prescribe controlled substances.
She is under intense scrutiny for prescribing dangerous and addictive narcotics with little to no examination, calling her "an imminent danger to public health and safety."
Special agents from the DEA and the California Medical Board posed as patients and made appointments with Dr. Tseng, in search for prescribed narcotics. Investigators say that five out the six times Dr. Tseng prescribed Vicodin, Suboxone and Xanax. These pills were prescribed with no medical history or medical examination, and if an examination was performed it was done very hastily. The DEA said that there was no legitimate purpose for them to have received any of the prescription drugs.
One of Dr. Tseng’s patients, Dimitri Zarate, who is addicted to pills and has overdosed six times, was interviewed by KABC news and said that he would visit Dr. Tseng. Zarate said she would already have her prescription pad out and within 5 minutes he would have a prescription for 60 OxyContin, 60 Norcos and 60 Xanax.
Another one of Dr. Tseng patients was interviewed by KABC news, Justin Smith. Smith said that he visited Dr. Tseng about three times a year ago and immediately got Opana, Soma and Xanax. "She's definitely trying to make money off the fact that she'll prescribe whatever you want," said Smith.
The investigation started in August of 2010, when DEA issued a search warrant affidavit, linking Dr. Tseng to two overdosed deaths. According to the affidavit sworn by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Robert J. Harkins and filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. A young man overdosed and died after Dr. Tseng prescribed the individual some drugs. Another case is a 20-year-old overdosed after getting pills from a drug dealer. The drug dealer allegedly got the pills from Dr. Tseng.
So Far Dr. Tseng has not been charged with any crime and still has her license to practice medicine, but the DEA has temporarily taken away her license to prescribe any controlled substance.
In August when federal and state official raided her office and took paper and computer documents, Dr. Tseng had this to say, "I really believe I did nothing wrong. I was really strict with my patients, and I followed guidelines. If one of my patients decides to take a month's supply in a day, then there is nothing I can do about that."
