Kirkland doctor admits to prescribing steroids to patients


Posted on 11/13/2014

Canada
A West Island-based doctor confessed before the College of Physicians Wednesday to prescribing steroids, testosterone and human growth hormones to patients looking to improve their athletic performances.


Dr. François Gilbert, who has a private office in Kirkland, prescribed the supplements to seven patients between 2005 and 2013. He said all of those patients had used the products before, and that they were all informed of the potential risks to their health.


He added that the supplements in question can be found in gyms and fitness centres everywhere, without regulation of any kind. He wrote out his prescriptions with the goal of protecting the patients from unregulated products, he said — though he also admitted to lacking judgment in writing the prescriptions.


None of the patients ever filed a complaint against Dr. Gilbert. The College of Physicians was tipped off to what was happening by a pharmacist who was apparently worried about the health of an 18-year-old patient in early 2013 — who had apparently obtained several prescriptions without a medical exam. His father had apparently phoned the doctor's office in December of 2012, noting that the steroids were causing him to become aggressive.


Article 51 of the College's code of ethics forbids doctors from writing prescriptions for performance-enhancing substances.


Dr. Gilbert could be barred from practicing from anywhere from three to five months.


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