Mom blames overmedicating on Iraq Veteran's death

Distraught mother: 'All they were doing was overmedicating him'
Billings Gazette
By Cindy Uken
July 23, 2014

A 36-year-old Iraq war veteran was being treated for traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and back injuries with more than 27 different medications when he died unexpectedly, according to his mother.

Paul Gardner, of Billings died on March 3, 2001 from complications related to injuries he sustained in Iraq after a rocket attack on his base, said Claire Gardner, of Seattle.

She blames the pills — and the VA for the complications.

“It seemed like all they were doing was overmedicating him,” Claire Gardner said. “They were treating the symptoms with pills and covering up the real problems.”

She is concerned that other veterans are also being overmedicated. That is why she has put up $5,000 in seed money to jump-start the Paul Gardner Veterans Relief Foundation to give veterans non-narcotic options for rehabilitation and relief from chronic pain.

“The Foundation will allow veterans and their families the opportunity to take a breath and a step back,” Gardner said.
read more here

Warnings
from 2007 Links to medications suspected with non-combat deaths
2008
Prozac Platoon America's Medicated Army
2009
Sen. Benjamin Cardin wants study on prescriptions-suicide link 2010
Nevada Soldier With PTSD Prescribed 14 Drugs Before Police Shootout
2011
Powerful Drug Cocktails Have Deadly Results For Some Troops

Marine died in his sleep; autopsy lists 27 medications

US Troops Heavily Medicated on Prescription Drugs, Report Warns

Prescriptions for antipsychotics jumped tenfold from 2002 to 2009
There are more but as you can see as the years went on no one stopped it after Gardner's death.