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SAGINAW, MI — The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs has served an order immediately suspending Saginaw physician Kriangsak Thepveera’s license to practice as a medical doctor.

This order was issued pursuant to the Michigan Public Health Code, which provides for summary suspension of a health professional’s license when the public health, safety or welfare requires emergency action, according to a press release from the state.

LARA also served an Administrative Complaint on Thepveera, alleging that “Dr. Thepveera overprescribed commonly abused and diverted controlled substances such as hydrocodone and codeine-promethazine cough syrup without medical necessity, and that Dr. Thepveera put patients at risk of overdose by prescribing dangerous combinations of controlled substances.”

Thepveera office, located at 1731 N. Michigan, said the doctor had no comment on the issue.

According to the press release, Thepveera was the highest prescriber of codeine-promethazine cough syrup in Michigan for the first half of 2016. In that period, Thepveera authorized more than 2,500 prescriptions for codeine-promethazine cough syrup, more than double any other prescriber in the state.

In January 2016, the press release states, LARA and the Department of Attorney General initiated a Pilot Program to Reduce Overprescribing, which was a collaborative effort to identify, investigate, and seek enhanced sanctions against licensed health care professionals who overprescribe dangerous drugs, such as opioids, for other than lawful medical purposes.

In August, LARA created a permanent Drug Monitoring Section to build upon the work of the Pilot Program. The new section continues to work closely with the Department of Attorney General and health professional boards to stem the prescription drug abuse epidemic in Michigan.

Codeine-promethazine cough syrup is a highly sought-after drug which is often used recreationally and commonly known by street names such as “syrup,” “sizzurp,” “purple drank,” and “lean.”

A sign on Thepveera’s office window said that the office was closed for the day and “sorry for the inconvenience.”