His website pictured patients with flawless skin and bodies, and he even had a swanky office at Castleton Corners. Many patients feel they were mislead and are now outraged. After more than 40 medical malpractice lawsuits, Dr. Cattani may never again practice.

“I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in three years;” said Marilyn Franklin, who underwent plastic surgery from Dr. Cattani in 2009 for a neck lift. “Every night I wake up with shooting pain…I went in to have my turkey neck done and came back the bride of Frankenstein.”

When Franklin went to another physician to seek treatment following the botched operation, the nurse recognized Dr. Cattani’s handiwork instantly.

“She guessed it on the spot it was him. She said ‘I can’t tell you how many patients we are aware of who were scarred and maimed.’ How did that doctor still have a license?”

The list of horrendous allegations against Dr. Cattani is seemingly endless. In 2010, according to records, he refused to transport a liposuction patient to the hospital even as he went into kidney failure. He refused to let EMS treat the patient as well. He has refused to respond to complaints from many other patients following their operation.

Hopefully this monster will never receive another license to practice medicine anywhere. Have you or a loved one been injured by a careless physician?

Wooten, Kimbrough & Normand, P.A.—Orlando personal injury attorneys.

Medical journals’ editors supposedly have a system for evaluating scientific articles they publish and screen drug advertisements for taste, but not for content. The University of California at Los Angeles study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal, found that prescription drugs are over-advertised and 109 advertisements on various journals were buttressed by an FDA examination of the same advertisements.

Dr. David A. Kessler, the Commissioner of Food and Drugs said that there was indeed a problem of misleading drug advertisements and that the number of misleading ads in the study was disturbingly high. The FDA has increased the number of employees overlooking drug company advertising and promotional efforts, but the federal agency rarely reviews drug ads before they are printed. The Commissioner said it should not be up to the agency alone to review appropriate advertising and that the pharmaceutical industry itself should have the biggest influence on the quality of drug promotion.

An Orlando injury lawyer can provide guidance if you have been injured because of a pharmacy error or product liability.

Supporters of the database say the tool will deter drug abusers and rogue physicians. Sen. Mike Fasano, sponsored of the legislation that established the program, called it long overdue.

Supporters of the prescription database also say tracking drug abusers and pill mills will lower the crime rate. A grand-jury report on the proliferation of pain-management clinics in South Florida said burglaries and robberies in the areas where pain clinics operate have increased. Identity-theft and organized-criminal activities also increased.

The database will track anytime a prescription is dispensed for controlled substances, the doctor and the patient’s name. The information will be shared with law enforcement, though they will have to show proof of an investigation in order to access the information.

An Orlando injury attorney can provide guidance if you have been injured because of a medical center, healthcare professional or a pharmacy error.

The DEA will not release pharmacy application information, but some say these new businesses are tied to pill mills and rogue medical practices. For the first half of this year, 217 applications were filed with DEA for new pharmacies — excluding chains — in Florida. During the same period in 2010, there were 159 such applications. From Jan. 1 to July 1, 2009, there were 127 applications. For the first half of this year, DEA received 24 applications for new pharmacies, excluding chains, for the Orlando region consisting of Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Volusia and Lake counties. That’s up 41 percent from the same time last year.

Drug agents estimate that pill mills can bring in as much as $25,000 a day and a rogue doctor can make a million dollars annually by prescribing medications to addicts.

An Orlando injury attorney can provide guidance if you have been injured because of a medical center, healthcare professional or a hospital’s negligence.

To ensure your safety, consider the following pharmacists recommendations:

Know your medication.  Doctors are notorious for the poor penmanship.  So if you can’t read the script, make sure to write down the name of the medication, the dosage, the frequency  and what it’s supposed to do for you.  He may not know the side effects, so be sure to check with the pharamcist and read all of the information provided with you medication.

As with many things we eat, it’s best to check the label.  Make certain the prescription has your name on it and lists the medication as it was prescribed by your physician.

Keep your medications in a safe place.  Of course, medications should always be kept out of the reach of children, but did you know that the medicine cabinet in the bathroom is one of the worst places to store your prescriptions?  The excess heat and humidity can be detrimental to some pills, so find a cool, safe, dry place to store them.

Make a list of all your medications, including vitamins, over the counter remedies and herbal supplements.  Keep one copy where you store your medications that can be provided to emergency responders if needed, and give another copy to your physician.

Follow the doctors orders.  Take the medication as prescribed and be sure to follow the regimen until it is all gone.  Just because you feel better doesn’t mean you can stop taking the medication. 

Keep a schedule.  It’s best if you can take your medications at the same time every day to keep a steady level in your system.  However, if you miss a dose, you should check with your pharmacist to see what is the best way to get back on schedule. 

Never take medication that was not prescribed to you, or give yours to someone else.  While they may have the same symptons, or condition, you are not qualified to determine if what you’re taking is right for anyone else, or that what they are taking will be safe for you.

Always check your re-fills.  If the pills look different, don’t take them.  The drug store may have switched suppliers so the pills only look different, but it could also be the wrong medication which could be extremely harmful, or possibly even deadly.  So call your pharmacist if you notice anything different – color, size or shape.

According to the About.com:Senior Health, one in four Americans has no prescription drug insurance. This often forces them to buy their prescription drugs on the Internet through online “pharmacies”. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) understands this need to search out the best price for your medications, but they want to make certain that you are getting safe drugs from Internet.

They caution consumers that not all online pharmacies are licensed to sell drugs in the U.S. You can’t even be certain there is a licensed pharmacist on staff to help you. Therefore, any information you get may not be accurate or you may get the wrong medication. There is also no guarantee that they will keep your personal information private.

The FDA also warns that some of the medications bought online may not be medicine at all; they may be bogus pills. You also cannot be certain the the strength of the medication matches your prescription or even if they are out of date so may not work at all. Since you don’t know where these pharmacies get their medications, you are not guaranteed that they don’t include hazardous ingredients or that they are produced within our quality control standards.

The FDA is not in the business of trying to stop you from getting the best price for your presciptions by buying online. They just want you to do so safely and to protect yourself from unscupulous pharmacies.

For more complete information, please see their Consumer Safety Guide that has some very simple rules to follow before you make your online purchases.

If you or one of your family members has been injured by fake, expired or unsafe medications from an Internet purchase, contact one of our experienced attorneys for a free consultation.