Pill peddler or good pain doc: Las Vegas physician Victor Bruce arrested for over-prescribing pain meds

By Chellie Cervone - Posted: Dec 14, 2013 at 7:00 am

Las Vegas physician Victor Bruce arrested, indicted on drug charges

Las Vegas physician Victor Bruce was arrested Friday morning for prescribing large quantities of oxycodone and other addictive drugs.

And, according to authorities, it wasn’t just to patients.

It is alleged that Bruce, 48, knew that the prescription drugs were going to be distributed in Las Vegas by drug dealers and he has been charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

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Bruce practices at the Swan Lake Medical Center, located at Hualapai Way near Desert Inn Road.

He obtained his medical degree from the University of Ghana in 1991 and performed his residency in New Jersey.

His medical license issued in 1998 lists him as board certified in internal medicine and pediatrics and, prior to his arrest, did not have any board actions against him listed.

He was listed as defendant in a civil financial matter involving his medical business earlier in the year.

Interestingly in Dec. 2010, the Las Vegas Weekly ran an article about marijuana dispensaries in Las Vegas.

The article focused on the Completely Legal patient co-op that was located at 3655 S. Durango Drive and an in-depth interview was conducted with Dr. Bruce.

He said, at that time, that he treated many patients for pain and was a proponent for medical marijuana.

Las Vegas physician Victor Bruce says pain is subjective

Discussing treating pain, he said,

Pain is one of those things that’s totally subjective. Medicine does not have any tool to measure it.

Prescription drug abuse is a growing problem in Las Vegas, and in many other cities, and physicians that prescribe much needed narcotic pain medications to legitimate pain patients often face intense scrutiny from medical and legal authorities.

Some physicians absolutely refuse to prescribe pain medication at all and patients needlessly suffer.

The ones that do provide pain medication often find themselves inundated with patients, most legitimately in pain, and end up being facing intense scrutiny.

Some people in legitimate pain who cannot obtain a prescription resort to buying pain pills on the streets.

When they can no can afford it, they often turn to crime and even start using heroin because it’s cheaper.

Some online reviews have said that Bruce easily prescribes narcotic pain medication.

According to 2011 review on Rate MD’s,

if it was not my regular monthly nurse not docter visit couldnt get bruce to stay in the room after partly telling me i have an infection he left room n sent nerse to give me antibiotics to this day i dont know what type of infection i had or still have and it isnt a problem for him to write me my oxycodone and****t but to see me regarding more serious issues he runs away and i and all paitents r drug tested every visit thats 30 bucks extra for cash pay like myself 130 every month no insurance so to get my meds i must have over 300 bucks or im ****ed and alot o people that arnt even in pain walk out with oxycottin perscriptions

An April 2011 reviewer says,

This doctor hands out any medication that you want and a lot of my friends are hooked on loratab and zanex and have no medical problems to back it up

But that may be only telling a small portion of the story since, as Bruce said, pain is subjective and there will always be a percentage of patients that will fake pain in order to obtain prescription drugs.

Bruce also has online reviews posted from patients who say they were going to him for years and that he is a very caring physician.

Is Las Vegas physician Victor Bruce one of the few physicians that will prescribe pain pills to those in need or is he just a peddle pushing doc looking to make some easy money?

Bruce faces up to 20 years in prison, if convicted, and a fine of up to $1 million