'Doctor shopping' a growing crime of desperation

7,April , 2008
AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) -- Prescription pain pill abuse is a growing problem in our society.
Accidental overdose of controlled substances is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Actor Heath Ledger is the most recent high-profile example of the trend.
One Austin woman is facing charges in what investigators are calling a growing crime trend: doctor shopping. Over the course of two years, the woman received 178 prescriptions for Hydrocodone from 22 different doctors, and filled them at 14 Austin-area pharmacies. Her story is one of prescription painkiller abuse and addiction.
An insurance company alerted authorities to Darla Calzadilla, 39, who admits she went doctor shopping, looking for different doctors to prescribe the same drug.
Pain management physicians require patients to sign an oath promising not to doctor shop, said doctor Arpan Desai. In some cases, however, it is like asking an addict to abide by the honor system. It's a promise that is almost impossible to keep.
"Unfortunately it's a problem in our society," Desai said. "But fortunately it's a small percentage of patients who engage in this behavior."
Desai would like to see a stronger message on the whole issue of "doctor shopping" for narcotics. This addict is no different than somebody who is addicted to another type of street narcotic, said James Mason of the Austin Police Department.
"When you're addicted to drugs, you're going to do whatever you have to do to get that drug," Mason said. "And if it means you're going to go to the next doctor and sign the same piece of paper, then you're going to do that."
Pharmacists do their best to watch for doctor shoppers, keeping a close eye on patient's prescriptions.
"Because we know our customers on a personal basis, it's easier to depict whether someone is doctor shopping," pharmacist Kimberly Fontenot said. "You can tell a lot from a person's eye contact. If they don't look at you, you can pick up a lot of things."
The truth is that privacy laws do prevent a lot of information sharing and doctors and pharmacists end up going on their gut instincts some of the time.Calzadilla is not in custody, but a warrant was issued for her arrest late last week. The physicians prescribing these medications will not face any repercussions because investigators do not believe they were aware that Calzadilla was abusing their prescriptions.