Staff members at drug rehabs must take immediate action for patients struggling with the side effects of detox, withdrawal, and an overdose.

If patients come into a clinic with existing health issues, such as diabetes, heart issues, and seizure disorders, they can face even more danger.

Rehab facilities that don’t take extra care of patients with health issues can be held liable for injuries and a tragic death, and families can receive support.

To learn more about the proper steps to take, fill out a case review form to schedule a free, no-obligation case consultation.

Assessing the Medical Needs of Drug Rehab Patients

Drug rehab facilities that admit vulnerable patients and accept insurance money are 100% responsible for their safety and care.

Part of that care is a thorough intake process with professionals who can assess the patient’s unique needs. That might include their level of struggle with Substance Use Disorder (SUD). It should also involve a full rundown of the patient’s current medical conditions.

This is critical because withdrawal symptoms and overdoses already take their toll on a patient’s health. Additional diseases and disorders only complicate treatment and must be monitored closely.

The Dangers of Detox and Overdoses

Detox is the process of patients removing a built-up drug like an Opioid or cocaine from their systems. The withdrawal symptoms this causes can easily conflict with other health issues and threaten a patient’s safety. An overdose in a facility can also cause many of the same symptoms as other ailments, creating double the risk or more.

Withdrawal and overdose often cause heart issues as a drug either speeds up the respiration process or slows it down to a dangerous pace.

Any competent staff at a drug rehab would know about these added dangers and take steps to monitor a patient more closely, administer prescription medication, and take extra steps if a reaction or overdose occurs. They would also note the use of polysubstance, when patients can take more than one illegal drug can need critical care, especially if they’ve started with a health condition.

When facilities offer this type of care but don’t deliver, this and make every effort to protect patients. When they don’t, and a patient comes to harm. Families can seek justice and support.

The Dangers of Diabetes During Withdrawal

Johns Hopkins Medicine explains that diabetes occurs when your body does not process food as energy properly. The ailment causes sugars to build up in the bloodstream, risking death without treatment from insulin shots.

Patients need help from insulin shots to help convert the sugars. Patients undergoing drug withdrawal often experience vomiting, nausea, and sweating, and this can also affect blood sugar levels.

Doctors and experienced nurses are needed to adjust insulin medicine and monitor patients for life-threatening reactions. A facility that promises 24/7 medical care but fails to deliver can put patients at extreme risk of death.

Cardiac Health Issues After an Overdose

The sudden abstinence from a drug like Fentanyl or Heroin can cause major heart issues as patients suffer through withdrawal. The body has previously reacted to the drug’s effect to depress the heart rate by boosting the respiratory process.

When the drug is removed, the heart continues to pump faster and faster with a surge of stress hormones that are no longer needed. This is a dangerous problem for alcohol abuse sufferers who can experience delirium tremens.

An overdose on opioids can serve to slow down or stop a patient’s breathing. Weakened lungs or a weak heart can shut down faster. A patient already suffering from heart issues can end up with arrhythmia, stress cardiomyopathy, or even have a heart attack.

Seizure Disorders and the Effects of Withdrawal

Patients in Alcohol detox or stopping the use of Benzodiazepines (Benzos) can experience withdrawal that comes with seizures.

Benzo withdrawal, including Xanax withdrawal, can lead to deadly seizures that can cause dangerous falls, heart problems, and repeated seizures known as Status Epilepticus.

Clinical staff should already know that patients going through detox should try to keep up with their normal seizure medication dosage (such as Epilepsy medication). Unfortunately, withdrawal can make patients throw up, reducing the absorption of seizure medication they may have already taken.

Medications Used in Detox

Medications used to help patients through withdrawal can also play havoc with a patient’s health complications.

MOUD prescription drugs (medications for opioid use disorder) often contain drugs themselves. Patients can overdose on Methadone.

It’s critical that staff members identify the risks for people with other health problems when taking a prescription drug to help with withdrawal.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can my family wait to file a claim over a drug rehab center death?

Patients with a wrongful death case involving standard negligence have two years to file a claim. Families filing medical malpractice cases would have a three-year deadline. For more information, you can visit our page explaining the difference between personal injury claims and medical malpractice claims.

What type of support is available for families who lose a loved one to a drug rehab center death?

Families who tragically lose a loved one to a drug overdose or withdrawal death can ask for help with burial costs and in paying all remaining medical bills. They should be helped in replacing the income the deceased may have supported the family with. Family members must also receive support for the care and guidance they’ve lost forever.

How will my family afford to hire a California rehab facility wrongful death lawyer?

Families who have already been through so much don’t have to worry about paying for strong legal representation. Martin Gasparian, our founder, doesn’t charge anything up front and is only paid if he wins your case for your family. Then his attorney’s fee comes out of the check a negligent facility must write.

Contact Us if a California Rehab Facility Caused Your Loved One Harm.

An experienced California attorney can collect the evidence needed to show that a drug rehab center failed your loved one. Evidence from monitoring logs, surveillance video, and eyewitnesses would show how the staff ignored a patient’s known health issues and allowed them to die needlessly.

Attorney Martin Gasparian offers a free, confidential consultation to all families. There’s no obligation for this meeting.

Call us today or fill out a free case review form. Find out what families can earn to help them rebuild their future.