Prescription for Pain Audiobook By Philip Eil cover art

Prescription for Pain

How a Once-Promising Doctor Became the "Pill Mill Killer"

Preview
Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Prescription for Pain

By: Philip Eil
Narrated by: Mike Lenz
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.49

Buy for $24.49

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

This haunting and propulsive debut follows a journalist's years-long investigation into his father's old classmate: former high school valedictorian Paul Volkman, who seemed destined for greatness after earning his MD and PhD from the prestigious University of Chicago, but is now serving four consecutive life sentences at a federal prison in Arizona.

Volkman was the central figure in a massive "pill mill" scheme in southern Ohio. His pain clinics accepted only cash, employed armed guards, and dispensed a torrent of opioid painkillers and other controlled substances. For nearly three years, Volkman remained in business despite raids by law enforcement and complaints from patients' family members. Prosecutors would ultimately link him to the overdose deaths of thirteen patients, though investigators explored his ties to at least twenty other deaths.

This groundbreaking book is based on twelve years of correspondence and interviews with Volkman. Eil also traveled to nineteen states, interviewed more than 150 people, and filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the DEA that led to the release of nearly 20,000 pages of trial evidence. The American opioid epidemic is, like this book, a true crime story. Through this one doctor's story, an era of unfathomable tragedy is brought down to a tangible, and devastating, human scale.

©2024 Philip Eil (P)2024 Tantor
Medicine & Health Care Industry Murder Physician & Patient True Crime
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_T1_webcro805_stickypopup
All stars
Most relevant  
This is less a picture of the opioid epidemic overall and more an intense look at the role one man played in it. Eil presents a fascinating read detailing the life of Dr. Volkman, and presenting how a person could end up playing such a huge role in the ongoing medication crisis. Don’t be daunted by the length - I zipped through this because it was so interesting!

Incredibly interesting story of a medical career gone so wrong

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

A worthy addition to the saga of the opioid epidemic in Ohio. This telling leaves more pieces to the puzzle filled in and, hopefully, a meaningful contribution to unraveling the devastation Volkman and others of his ilk, including the Sackler clan, unleashed on the world.

A well-done, thorough account

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Eil did an outstanding job of laying out the case of a real monster. I’ve listened to many books about the opioid epidemic and this was by far the best one.

Mind blowing and comprehensive

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Bad guys never view themselves as bad guys , even the deadly one’s and the unique author access to one of the baddest makes for a fascinating read to one of the deadliest chapters in American history ❤️‍🩹

Unique insight inside the mind of a deadly doctor

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The author turned over every fact and seemed to speak with all involved. An impressive work.
What stands out most is how he honors those that died in the end. Medication marketed to relieve suffering brought so much!
I look forward to the authors next book.

In depth and touching.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I highly recommend this book, which shows you the pill mill doctors' involvement in the opioid epidemic.

This Book is Fabulous

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I was pleasantly surprised, this book was a real page turner. This story kept me interested from beginning to end. Extremely informative while keeping you entertained.
Narration was perfect.

The information gathered

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.