A pain management expert testified during the Anna Nicole Smith trial on Tuesday that Smith’s doctor, Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, prescribed opiates and a drug called “hospital heroin” beyond its allowable dosage to the Playboy model.
Dr. James Gagne, who stood in court to testify on the charges against Kapoor and two other defendants, said that Kapoor did not have enough reason to prescribe Dilaudid, methadone and a sedative known as benzodiazepine to Smith, who died of a medication overdose in February 2007.
Gagne testified that Kapoor started treating Smith in April 2004 after taking over another doctor. Smith underwent the same treatment but Kapoor felt she “had a predominantly psychiatric illness and was trying to keep a lid on it with methadone,” according to Gagne.
Gagne mentioned that “Dr. Kapoor prescribed large amounts of Dilaudid, the strongest opiate available” when Smith acquired a rib injury. The said drug is considered to be “hospital heroin”.
“Dilaudid is a highly abused drug,” Gagne added. “It can cause people to stop breathing.”
When questioned by Kapoor’s attorney, Ellyn Garofalo, if Smith should have not been treated with opiates, Gagne responded with a “no”.
“You just believe the dose was too high?” Garofalo asked.
“Yes,” Gagne said in reply.
Gagne also said that Smith’s intoxicated behaviour during the American Music Awards should have given Kapoor a warning of the actresses’ addiction.
“It was an enormous red flag with sound effects,” he said. “Here we have someone appearing in a public place grossly intoxicated. Prescribing opiates to such a person is feeding the addiction, not treating the underlying pain.”
