A former employee told investigators Dr. Lowe went through a “tough period” from 1999 through 2001 because of a divorce and financial problems and began abusing drugs.

Dr. Lowe never asked if she could write prescriptions in the employee’s name, the employee said. Dr. Lowe just said she was going to do it. The employee said she quit working for Dr. Lowe when Dr. Lowe used the names of the employee’s husband and daughter for filling prescriptions.

Information from files seized June 28 from Dr. Lowe’s office compared with records from Medco, the prescription benefit manager for Highmark Inc., showed that Medco had made more than $2,000 in reimbursements for prescriptions to people who were receiving drugs long after they had been treated and, in the case of Ms. Shrawder’s mother, people who were never patients.