Noteboom The Law Firm

For 4 Soldiers, PTSD Treatments Turned Lethal

June 30, 2010 - Treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) vary by patient; what works for one may not work for another. Standard treatments include counseling and various prescription drugs. Because so little is known about PTSD, much of the treatment is about discovering what works with specific people in specific situations.

Marine Corporal Andrew White's PTSD treatments ended up killing him. More specifically, the prescription drugs he was given combined to form a lethal dose. White was already suffering from PTSD when his brother was killed. Knowing he needed help, White turned to VA doctors who prescribed:

• 20 mg of Paxil;
• 4 mg of Klonopin; and
• 50 mg of Seroquel.

While initially helpful, the medications soon lost their effectiveness. White's continuing care with the doctors lead to his dosage continually being upped until he was taking 1600 mg of Seroquel every day; ultimately providing his body with a lethal amount. Three West Virginian veterans suffering from PTSD whose treatments included the same drugs died in the weeks following White's death.

White's autopsy stated his cause of death was an "accidental intoxication" of his prescribed medications despite White taking his medication exactly as prescribed. White unwittingly experienced many of Seroquel's side effects but did not know to look for them because he was never warned of the side effects by his doctor or by the pharmaceutical company.

The 3 West Virginian veterans all died from the same thing: sudden cardiac deaths. All 3 suffered from PTSD, seemed normal upon going to bed, were on the same mixture of drugs as White, were not comatose, had pulses, responded to CPR, and survived their ride to the hospital. They also all suddenly suffered cardiac deaths.

White was seeing both VA doctors and psychiatrists. None of them, however, determined if the drugs were having success in battling his PTSD symptoms. Believing a VA-operated prescription tracking system could have prevented these tragedies, Sen. Jim Webb (VA) has called for more accountability and management in the use of psychotropic medications. Hopefully his efforts will be rewarded before we lose another soldier seeking help.