Vicodin-Plagued Plastic Surgeon's License Revoked

Dana Point plastic surgeon John Hatherley had his license revoked Thursday and is no longer allowed to practice medicine after prescribing himself Lunesta, a sleeping pill, and failing alcohol tests.

Hatherley's license was also revoked in 2006, and he was put on five years' probation at that time. By prescribing himself drugs and failing alcohol tests, the doctor violated that probation, according to the Medical Board of California.

Hatherley failed three alcohol tests on May 26, 29 and 31, 2010, according to the decision of the MBC. He told the board he drank some wine that month.

He also prescribed himself Lunesta seven times in 2010, according to the board's decision.

The doctor also skipped more than 14 required drug/alcohol tests and quit seeing a state-mandated psychotherapist in July 2010.

The phone to Hatherley's Dana Point office has been disconnected.

To treat painful hemorrhoids in 1999, Hatherley began prescribing himself Vicodin—hydrocodone—an opiate used to relieve pain.

Between January 1999 and March 2002, the doctor prescribed for himself 2,900 tablets of hydrocodone.

He kept using the drug until April 2002, when he checked himself into a treatment program.

Since then Hatherley, who has a Huntington Beach address, has been subject to psychotherapy, random urine testing and other treatments.

His random tests turned up positive for alcohol three times during his probation period in 2006. The medical board found that the violations stemmed from small amounts of alcohol—two glasses of wine at a party, for instance. One may have been a false positive.

His psychotherapist, David Glaser, testified to the board that Hatherley does not have an alcohol dependence. After spending 2½ hours with the plastic surgeon, Glaser said Hatherley was being passive-aggressive when he continued to drink in spite of the board's prohibition.

But other experts disagreed. In 2005, Hatherley was diagnosed as having alcohol dependency by the Betty Ford Center. During his first treatment in 2002, he was required to abstain from alcohol as a condition of his probation.

His probation situation was once used as an example of problems with the California medical board's treatment of doctors with addiction problems.

You can read more about Hatherley's case in the attached PDF file, above.

Hatherley received his medical degree in 1983 from Northwestern University's medical school.

Under the board's ruling, Hatherley can petition for reinstatement of his license in two years.

According to the website, Hatherley's clinic specialized in liposuction, laser hair removal, Botox and other beauty treatments.