LOS ANGELES (CN) - A former USC football player claims in court that school doctors injected him with so many anti-inflammatory drugs to prevent nonexistent pain that he suffered a heart attack at age 20.
Armond Armstead sued the University of Southern California, Dr. James Tibone, the University Park Health Center, and Doe pharmaceutical company and distributor, in Superior Court.
Armstead claims after he fractured his foot during his sophomore year, team doctor Tibone injected him with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including Toradol - also known as ketorolac.
Armstead claims the drug was not administered to treat a medical condition, but to prevent pain - even though he had no pain complaints at the time.
During his junior year, Armstead says, Tibone diagnosed him with a shoulder injury and administered another series of NSAID injections.
Over the course of that season, Armstead claims, Tibone injected him with pre-game and halftime doses of Toradol.
"The drugs were not administered to treat any medical condition, but for a perceived 'chronic' condition, despite the lack of any physical complaints of pain he was experiencing," Armstead says in the complaint.
"Plaintiff was told to take the shot by his coaches, his trainers and/or by defendant James Tibone M.D. ... Defendants made it clear to [Armstead] that these injections were mandatory."
Armstead says he was injected on at least seven game days: three times twice a day.
After he decided to play his senior year and sit out the NFL draft, he says, he twice went to USC's University Park Health Center after spring football workouts complaining of chest pains. Both times doctors at the health center injected him with 60mg of Toradol, he says.
"On February 23, 2011 [Armstead] returned to defendant University Park Health Center ... complaining of worsening, intermittent chest pain, again after football practice and/or workouts. In response, defendants once again injected plaintiff with 60 mg of Toradol/ketorolac," Armstead says.
He claims that neither the health center nor Dr. Tibone told him that they were injecting him with Toradol, or that anti-inflammatories increase the risk of heart attack or stroke.
"At no time prior to, during or after the administration of these NSAID drugs did defendants University of Southern California, James Tibone M.D., University Park Health Center ... inform [Armstead] that the NSAID drugs he was receiving, including Toradol/ketorolac required a prescription, nor did any defendant ever issue a prescription for the use of said drugs to plaintiff's knowledge. At no time prior to, during or after the administration of these NSAID drugs did defendants ... provide plaintiff with any document, insert, flyer or label that contained information, warnings or advisements about Toradol/ketorolac or any other NSAID drug he was receiving. At no time did [Armstead] give his informed consent or permission for the administration of these drugs," Armstead states in his complaint.
"Defendants University of Southern California and/or James Tibone M.D. ... administered the NSAID medications, including without limitation the Toradol/ketorolac administered to plaintiff in a quantity and frequency that exceeded maximum dosage guidelines, recommendations and restrictions established by defendant Doe Pharmaceutical Company and Does 11 through 20, and each of them, and approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration and did so without issuing a prescription for their use as required by the manufacturer and the FDA," Armstead says.