State Issues Accusation Against UCSF Psychiatrist Richard Lannon; Patient Died

January 22, 2019

On January 8, 2019, the California Medical Board issued an Accusation against psychiatrist Richard Lannon of the University of California San Francisco.

The Accusation describes a patient whom Dr. Lannon began treating in 1988 for anxiety, depression, and insomnia, for which Dr. Lannon prescribed the benzodiazepines (controlled substances) Halcion and Xanax.

He continued to prescribe controlled substances and other drugs to the patient for the next 25 years.

The Accusation describes how Dr. Lannon increased the patient’s Zoloft and Valium doses despite providing no substantiation in the patient's record for the increase. It further mentions that over an approximately three-and-a-half-year period, Dr. Lannon dispensed Valium and Halcion to the patient on 50 occasions without examination.

During the same period, another physician also dispensed the painkillers Norco and methadone to the patient on 51 occasions—something that Dr. Lannon was aware of yet he never contacted that physician.

His last prescription noted in the Accusation was August 7, 2013—an early 30-day prescription of Valium with four refills.

The patient died on October 24, 2013.

Source: Accusation in the Matter of the Accusation Against Richard Andrew Lannon, M.D., license #A23592, Case No. 800-2017-034384, Medical Board of California, January 8, 2019.