Psychiatrists prescribed excessive amounts of drugs to Anna Nicole Smith, expert testifies
A psychiatrist described as a close friend and maternal figure to Anna Nicole Smith repeatedly prescribed excessive amounts of sedatives and opiates despite the model’s history of addiction, an expert testified Monday.
The expert told a judge hearing evidence against Dr. Khristine Eroshevich and two others that medical and pharmacy records indicated at least five instances in which the Encino psychiatrist overprescribed Valium, Vicodin or other drugs in the four years leading up to Smith’s death.
The treatment, Dr. Timothy Botello concluded in a report commissioned by the state’s Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement and submitted to the judge, represented “an extreme departure” from the normal standard of care.
“She knew or should have known the patient had an addiction problem,” Botello told Superior Court Judge Robert J. Perry.
Botello cited a period in August 2006 – six months before the model overdosed – when Eroshevich prescribed the then-pregnant Smith three very similar sedatives to be taken at overlapping times.
“With a history of substance abuse, I could not find a legitimate medical purpose for prescribing all three throughout the day,” he testified.
Eroshevich lived next-door to Smith’s home in Studio City and the two socialized and even shared holiday meals, according to the testimony of other witnesses at the hearing.
Prosecutors have tried to present evidence of a sexual relationship between the women, but the judge barred it during the preliminary hearing.
Smith had been treated at the Betty Ford Center years before her 2007 death and was hospitalized in 2006 for acute withdrawal after she attempted to go “cold turkey” off of methadone and Xanax.
Under cross-examination, Botello acknowledged that there was no indication in the medical records that other physicians, including Kapoor, told Eroshevich about Smith’s substance abuse problems.
--Harriet Ryan
Photo: Anna Nicole Smith. Credit: Los Angeles Times archives.
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EDITOR'S PICKS:
All Physicians should take notice of this. I am an ER Nurse and it is sickening to see the amount of controlled drugs, both pain killers and the highly dangerous and addictive medications like ativan and xanax that are handed out to patients like they are candy. They are given to people that clearly have no symptoms to support the use of these medications. The rationale for their use as I was told yesterday by a physician. "To shut them up". Many of these drugs are given to people who have addiction problems and present in the ER with the intent of getting the medications. The first rule of medicine I believe is to do no harm. If you are enabling an addict, you are doing harm. More Doctors need to be held liable for the behaviors of the people to whom they freely dispense these medications. People complain about medical marijuana. Give me a break, you can go to almost any doctor in this country and walk out with a prescription for addictive drugs that make heroin look like a walk in the park.
Posted by: Doug | October 26, 2009 at 08:26 PM