Christine Soong

Aug 19, 2024 | kevinmd.com | L. Joseph Parker |Leslie Mattson |Wendy Levinson |Christine Soong

In most physician prosecutions for treating pain or addiction, there is never any actual evidence of criminal intent. Just the nebulous argument that a doctor “ignored the risk of overdose,” “ignored the risk of addiction,” or performed “an insufficient medical exam.” I have a big problem with these because the doctor didn’t ignore anything in about 80 percent of the cases I evaluated. Indeed, the DEA had to lie to a doctor to get a prescription.

Aug 3, 2024 | kevinmd.com | Wendy Levinson |Christine Soong |J. Leonard Lichtenfeld |Sarah Alnaher

Today, I want to talk about how creative humans are. As physicians, we encounter patients with ideas that amaze us every day and make our lives interesting, to say the least. The best ones are often the elderly, who have years of experience and unique ways of getting things done that differ greatly from the current generation. I came across an elderly patient in the office who had previously been diagnosed with ADHD but did not take his medication because he felt he did not need it.

Jun 20, 2024 | kevinmd.com | Jennifer Roy |John M. Glionna |Wendy Levinson |Christine Soong

I have a cat. That’s my go-to answer when people ask me if I have children. It’s just easier than saying my refusal to take FDA-approved medications for severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) stole a decade of what could have been normal life from me. Studies show it takes an average of 17 years for patients with OCD to receive adequate therapy. Thankfully, in the past ten years, this duration is starting to improve.

May 21, 2024 | kevinmd.com | L. Joseph Parker |Julie Appleby |Wendy Levinson |Christine Soong

Xylazine has been found to be adulterating pills in America, and doctors will need to understand this new threat. First, xylazine is not “krokodil,” although it produces somewhat similar-looking skin ulcers. Krokodil is a pseudonym for desomorphine, which is created from a precursor chemical called alpha-chlorocodide. Desomorphine is dihydrodesoxymorphine and was developed in Germany in 1932. It is a very fast but short-acting, semi-synthetic opioid used mainly in Russia.

Apr 14, 2024 | kevinmd.com | Wendy Levinson |Christine Soong |Michele Luckenbaugh |Yoo Jung Kim

A recent investigation in Quebec uncovered a concerning trend: benzodiazepines — medications commonly used for sleep or anxiety — are being overprescribed. This investigation has prompted the Quebec College of Physicians to closely examine the usage of these medications. But this issue extends beyond Quebec’s borders; across Canada, these medications are being prescribed at alarming rates.