New York residents may know that former standout NFL linebacker Junior Seau’s suicide has been linked to the degenerative and progressive brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The Hall of Famer suffered bouts of severe depression before taking his own life in 2012, and the San Diego Chargers team doctor who prescribed him the sleeping aid zolpidem, which is sold under the trade name Ambien, has been accused of gross negligence by the Medical Board of California.
New York residents may know that former standout NFL linebacker Junior Seau’s suicide has been linked to the degenerative and progressive brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The Hall of Famer suffered bouts of severe depression before taking his own life in 2012, and the San Diego Chargers team doctor who prescribed him the sleeping aid zolpidem, which is sold under the trade name Ambien, has been accused of gross negligence by the Medical Board of California.
Suicidal thoughts are a known side effect of zolpidem, and physicians are generally cautious when prescribing Ambien to patients who have suffered from depression. Seau was prescribed Ambien on 14 separate occasions during the last year and a half of his life by the doctor concerned, and one of those prescriptions came just three days after the former linebacker was involved in an automobile accident that his family and friends believe was a suicide attempt.
The former San Diego Chargers team physician has denied the accusations and points out that a coroner determined that Seau’s Ambien use did not play a role in his death. The doctor left the Chargers organization in 2013, and he was placed on probation for five years by the medical board in 2014 for an unrelated matter.
Modern pharmaceuticals often have serious side effects, and physicians are expected to take these possible consequences into consideration before prescribing powerful drugs to patients. Those who are harmed by these types of medication mistakes may pursue a medical malpractice lawsuit, but this type of litigation can be challenging. Attorneys representing plaintiffs in this lawsuits are well aware of the difficulties involved, and they will assess the merits of a particular case and the steps that will be required to establish that the care provided failed to meet accepted medical standards.
