Q: Did med malpractice occur when my child's MD failed to recognize serotonin toxicity as the source of her panic disorder?
My daughter developed a sudden & extreme panic disorder her freshman year of hs. We were told by ER, psychiatrist and LCSW that it was the most common time for girls to develop it. The psychiatrist prescribed anti-anxiety med. Her condition worsened. Concurrently, she was taking increased amounts of sumatriptan for increased migraines, and the psych was aware of this. I took her off the anti-anxiety meds. The LCSW treated her weekly with CBT, but she kept explaining that her anxiety was constant, not triggered. Long story short--after 3 months, she was off all meds for a month. The panic attacks stopped, but the anxiety & migraines were constant. She begged to take a sumatriptan to study for a final, and 45 minutes later she had a horrible panic attack. I called the psychiatrist and said, "It's the sumatriptan!" and she stated, "Oh, right, it's an SSRI." When I googled this, I realized serotonin toxicity had caused her panic disorder & the Dr had failed to recognize this.
A: You will need to contact a medical malpractice lawyer. Only a medical expert can say whether the doctor diagnosis was negligent or not.
A: Google isn't an expert opinion. First, any type of case involves questions of what caused what. That isn't clear, with all due respects to google. Second, she had her issues before she took the meds--that's why she was on them. Third, the damages may not outweigh the cost of the several specialists needed on a case like this. But why not get a free consult from a member of the Colorado Trial Lawyers Assn?
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