Brittany Murphy Had "Large Amounts" of Prescription Meds in Bedroom

Tuesday – December 22, 2009 – 8:39am

 

Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for IMG

A shocking number of strong prescription meds were found on Brittany Murphy's bedroom nightstand before her sudden Dec. 20 death, according to notes from an investigator with the Los Angeles coroner's office.

According to the notes (obtained by TMZ.com), the medications included Topamax (anti-seizure meds also to prevent migraines), Methylprednisolone (anti-inflammatory), Fluoxetine (depression med), Klonopin (anxiety med), Carbamazepine (treats Diabetic symptoms and is also a bipolar med), Ativan (anxiety med), Vicoprofen (pain reliever), Propranolol (hypertension, used to prevent heart attacks), Biaxin (antibiotic), Hydrocodone (pain med) and miscellaneous vitamins.

The notes state Murphy "had been complaining of shortness of breath and severe abdominal pain" for 7 to 10 days prior to her death.

Around 7:30 a.m. Sunday, she went into the bathroom of her Hollywood Hills home and shut the door, according to the notes.

A half hour later Murphy's mother, Sharon, went to check on her daughter, opened the bathroom door and "discovered the decedent lying on the floor unresponsive," the notes read.

According to the notes, Sharon yelled for help. Murphy's husband, British screenwriter Simon Monjack, who was in bed, ran to the bathroom.

The notes reveal that Sharon called 911 and Monjack "attempted to revive the decedent by placing her in the shower and running the water." But Murphy "remained unresponsive and purged her stomach contents prior to the arrival of the paramedics," according to the notes.

When the paramedics arrived, Murphy was "without signs of life." Paramedics then moved her from the bathroom to the master bedroom, where they found the prescription drugs.

"A check of the nightstands revealed large amounts of prescription medication in the decedent's name. Also noted were numerous empty prescription medication bottles in the decedent's husband's name, the decedent's mother's name and unidentified third party names," the notes read.

According to the notes, "No alcohol containers, paraphernalia or illegal drugs were discovered."

The notes state that the night before her death Murphy "had consumed some noodles, leftover Thai food, Gatorade, water and tea with lemon."

The notes also say that Murphy had a history of hypoglycemia and was hospitalized in April 2009 for low blood sugar while on location in Oregon.

Monjack, Murphy's husband, told the investigator that during the 7-10 days prior to her death, the actress complained of shortness of breath and severe abdominal pains, but he was not overly alarmed because "she often suffered from severe menstrual pains."

After assessing the situation, the investigator concluded to police that "foul play is not suspected."

Source 

3 Ways Your Thoughts Can Help You Heal - Ways You Thoughts Can Help You Heal | Parade.com

By Robert Moss

Our thoughts can make us sick, and they can help us get well.

Here are ways to adjust your mindset to promote good health.


Take A Deep

Take A Deep Breath Hold it, exhale, then repeat for 10 minutes. Take a walk, preferably in nature. Breathe in that fresh air.


Laugh!

When you laugh, you pump more oxygen into your lungs, improve blood flow and boost your immune system.

Keep A Journal

Writing about emotionally charged events helps us deal with them mentally and physically.

So Keep On Thinking!!

Source

Celebrating The "Women Of HOPE" - Journey # 3

~~Mar's Story~~

April 23, 2005

I was doing my job, my job that I loved so much. I was a nurse, and I worked on the med-surge floor at Medina Memorial Hospital. One of my CNAs asked me if I would please help her pull up a patient in bed. I said yes, that I would help her. When I did that, my left leg stayed attached to the floor. It did not move with me. As I did that, the top part of my leg (the thigh) went to the right. The bottom part of my leg (the calf) went to the left...instant pain, dropped to the floor. That night was so very busy. I got an icepack and used an ace bandage to keep it in one place. We had 30 patients and there were just two of us on the floor. No time for me to stop doing what I loved to do. When I got done with my 12 hours shift....... I thought my leg was going to fall off. I called my PCP when I got home that am, and went right over there to see him. He sent me for x-rays. Then he told me that I needed to go to an Orthopedic Surgeon.

May 9, 2005

I went to the surgeon and he said that I tore my Medial Meniscus and that I broke a huge piece of the end of my Patella.

June 22, 2005

I had Arthroscopic Surgery to fix what I had done to my knee....the recovery from this was pretty long, and a lot of physical therapy!!

December 26, 2006

The day after Christmas... .I went out to turn the outside lights on in the garage. On my way there....... .I fell on the patio. The cement patio. I tried really hard to guard my knee. That did not work out so well for me! My knee crashed on the patio. I was on the ground, in the snow...it was snowing. I had my cell phone with me THANK GOD! I called in the house, and Dylan was the only one that was here with me. He was playing with his new toys. I said to him, Dyl mommy fell and I am out on the patio and I cannot get up! He said mommy, I am playing with my new toys! hahahah I said Dyl I need you to call Gam and Pap (my parents). He called them and told them what had happened, but he forgot to tell them that I was still on the ground! My poor son, he was pacing waiting for my parents! They came and helped me in the house. I looked at my knee....it was an instant bruise a really bad one, the whole knee.

I immediately called my surgeon; He said to ice it, and that he would see me in the morning. I went, and he did an MRI...he said that it showed nothing. Well, months went by, and I kept having so many problems with walking, and the pain. I went back to him in July and said that something was really wrong in there. He then did another MRI and said that I needed to have another surgery that I had broke a HUGE piece of the Patella on the Medial side. He then said that he was going to do a surgery that was called Drilling and Coning....which meant that he was going to drill many tiny holes in my knee and hope that the cartilage would grow back.

August 1, 2006

The day that my WHOLE life changed....I woke from the surgery screaming, and crying. My knee was burning SO bad! He was the first face that I saw when I woke. He told the nurse to give me some more medication, and the nurse said that she just had given me some. He told her that he did not care, that she needed to give me some more....I was still screaming, that burning pain, that pins and needles pain....did not stop.......the recovery from this surgery was HORRIBLE! I had to do physical therapy, and I could not do it.....I could barley walk, and that burning pain...still there. After a while he said that he would do a cortisone shot. When he did that, it was soo bad, hurt so bad! The pain was intensified from that shot.

October 19, 2007

A year and two months later....... ..the surgeon finally said that he thought that there was something more going on in the knee...he sent me to about five other doctors to confirm what he was thinking that I had....they all agreed with what he was saying....He thought that I had CRPS.

He sent me to a Pain Management doctor....I was evaluated by him......at first he said that he did not think that I had it. I went back to him about two weeks later...he then told me that I had CRPS.....

After that we tried two Sympathetic nerve blocks. The first one lasted until I got out to the truck to go home. The second one lasted about one week. We have played around with my medication this whole time....nothing seems to be working out so well for me. He often talked about the SCS....I had a lot of thinking to do about that! I talked it over with my husband, and with my parents. My husband said that he thought anything at this point was worth a try. My parents said the same thing. I still was not convinced that I should do it....I did not know what to do. The flares for me were so bad, the discoloration, the burning, stabbing shooting pain, the hypersensitivity. I could not even wear pants, in the winter I was wearing shorts when I had to go out.

One night I had a horrible flare, it was the worst ever. I called my mom, and her and my dad came to my house. They were begging me to please try the SCS...there were a lot of emotions at that very minute. At that point, I decided that I had to try the SCS. I tried the trial surgery first. As soon as the SCS was turned on.....oh man, I felt relief!!! It was sooo nice! I had the trial in for four days....I did not want it to come out! I wanted to run away with it in!!

July 8, 2008

The date that my permanent SCS was put in....this surgery was different. I was awake for most of the surgery so that I could tell them when I felt it and things. Then I went to sleep while they put the battery in.
When I awoke, the pain was not so bad, but the battery site was BURNING!! They kept telling me that it would go away. Six months later they were still telling me that the burning pain would go away! I think that the SCS helped with my CRPS pain for about a month. Then things changed....and changed for the worse. I have had eight re-programming done....still with little to none difference.. ..

February 2009

At this point......the SCS is doing nothing for me. I tried to do what they call the "holiday". That is when you turn your SCS off for a week and see what happens and they say that it might reset the brain. Well, while it was off, the only things that I noticed about it not being on was that my legs and feet were very purple and red...also, I noticed that the spasms that I have in my calves were worse! The burning, stabbing shooting pain that I have always had......was no different with the SCS on or off.... The battery site......still BURNS like crazy.

This last time that I saw my PM he gave me some Lidoderm patches for that site. They seem to be helping some what...but the burning is still there... He also increased my Kadian (morphine) too. He said that maybe that would help through out the day. So far, I do not notice a difference at all.

Through this whole thing, I am trying to stay positive. My children.... .oh dear, I feel so bad for them. I was the active, sports mom. And now, I am not! It is hard for them to understand
why.......they ask, and I have to tell them that I cannot do something and it breaks my heart! Work........ oh, how much I miss working. I know that at this point, there is no way that I can go to work.

Depression.. .......sometimes , it is really bad. I feel sorry for myself, and I know that I can not do that. Everyone has bad days right? Well, my bad days seem to be more than that good days!

My marriage.... .I am not even sure that it can survive this. So many things have changed.... I will say, that I have met, and found some wonderful people that also have CRPS. They understand what I am going through every day!

I do have HOPE, and I will always have HOPE! It is a struggle everyday....
......but, I will make it!!

~~Marlene~ ~

A Depression Story: Keeping It Real by Anonymous/Unnamed

Bubbly, vivacious, optimistic, cheerful - at one time hearing those words describe me would have had me rolling in laughter, if it didn’t bring me so close to tears.

It was a lie, you know, this image that I’d acquired. I was none of those things. Not below the surface. But the surface is all I let most people see. I still don’t let many people in to the deep dark world behind the curtain. There are too many skeletons lurking there for me to reveal the depths of my secrets.

Besides there’s never a real good conversation segue for “Yeah, I attempted suicide…”

Oh, I’ll talk about all kinds of luridly private things. I’ve shared more than I care to admit on close forums and mailing groups over the years. Sex & Drugs, I’ve got stories aplenty. But I never, never talk about that!

The transparency and honesty I value in every aspect of my business life, do not breach the wall of silence. Unless, like here, I can remain anonymous. Unnamed.

The truth is I could be anyone. There are legions of silent survivors who don’t name the pain of their pasts. It takes people stronger than I to push back the curtain and reveal their name and the disease that plagues us.

Depression.

It’s an ugly sounding word. It’s even worse to live through. It wraps its tentacles around you, leaving you immobilized with a grief so powerful that hope seems like a forgotten dream.

Even though there’s no apparent reason to grieve.

Even when things should be filled with rays of sunshine.

The darkness reigns over everything. I was, when in the grips of the final episode that led to hospitalization, medication and finally lasting help - literally, drowning under the deluge of the little black rain cloud that never abated.

I wanted to sleep all day. I couldn’t face simple tasks, like washing the dishes or mopping the floor, without succumbing to total exhaustion. Some days, the good days, I managed to accomplish the basics of self-care. Too often I hid behind my computer screen and keyboard, rather than face the reality of my condition.

My episodes are years in the past, hardly a flicker on the horizon of who I have become since. Though the feelings threatened to engulf me then still rear their ugly head from time to time. You can’t outrun depression, only manage it.

It took drastic measures to end the insanity.

It was insanity. It was a chemical imbalance of unknown origins. And that’s likely why it’s so hard to go back and connect the dots and own up to having been there. It’s a mental illness.

You can yap at me all day about how things have changed in society about our perceptions of mental illness. There’s still a stigma there. There’s still a perception, however minuet, that the afflicted must’ve caused it in some way.

In some circles, you’ll still hear whispers that it’s a soul issue or worse yet - a manifestation of unresolved sin. I am grateful, at times, that my last episode occurred before I became a Christian.

Reading what some groups have said about the spiritual aspects of depression and some of the shallow, unhelpful advice that is shared, I fear that I may have turned from God or turned up dead if
I had read the same things back then.

As it was, I came perilously close to dead.

They say such things are a cry for help.

Perhaps that is true, but let me tell you - I wanted to die.

It wasn’t a joke. It wasn’t a whim. I wanted to end it. I wanted to be free of the pain of living a hopeless shell of a life. I wanted silence. I wanted to put an end to the persistent circular thoughts that nagged at me every single day.

Instead I got a ride in an ambulance and a chance to rebuild my life.

At the time I was angry. Angry that I failed! I spent hours, if not days, beating myself up that I couldn’t succeed even at that.

Eventually, the medication kicked in.

It wasn’t an overnight transition, though in some ways it felt like it was. Within a week I could look at my kitchen, see what needed doing and make a concrete plan for tackling it. Shortly after that, I regained the energy to actually follow through. It took time.

And a few stumbles along the way.

I still occasionally feel a lingering dread in the recesses of my mind. The difference is now I know how to identify what’s wrong and now I know what resources are available if I do slip again.

When you feel the darkness, it must be confronted. This can’t be attempted alone. You need support to get through. Good friends, a good therapist - it depends on your personality and situation, but know that it is healthy to reach out and ask others for the strength you need.

I’m healthier now.

Though I don’t live under the illusion that I’m cured. I remain vigilant, but calmly confident that depression will never drag me to the unspeakable depths again.

The smiles I share are real. I am optimistic. I am full of joie de vivre. Though I speak little of the depths and hide my history from the masses, living through the darkness has helped me embrace the light and the good in the world.

Even if you can’t see or perhaps even fathom the hope. It’s there. It’s waiting for you to find it. If you find any of the feelings I’ve shared similar to your own, take a step today and call someone. It could save your life - and no matter what you believe right now in this moment - your life is worth saving.

Local man dies after suffering 'devastating' disease

written by: Adam Chodak posted by: Jen Marnowski 1 day ago

THORNTON, CO. - In March of 2007, Nick Hoch broke his toe. The accident triggered a nightmare of a disease defined primarily by unrelenting pain.

Hoch, 37, had been working for Budweiser, loading and unloading beer throughout the Denver area.

While on the job, he dropped a keg on his foot. Doctors removed two bones from one of his toes and replaced them with pins.

Hoch, a Thornton resident and father of three, should have bounced back quickly. He didn't.

"It got progressively worse," his father, Tom, said.

Tom watched as the pain not only intensified, but moved beyond his foot and into his legs.

"You touched him, he was in brutal agony," he remembered.

Hoch had what's called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Doctors once referred to it as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD).

This is the same disease Leslie Fishbein - the Denver furniture magnate who died earlier this year - had.

"It's devastating and it can become all-consuming for patients," said pain specialist Dr. Mike McCeney. "It basically takes over their lives."

McCeney, who works in northern Colorado, said CRPS is usually the result of a relatively minor injury like a broken bone.

He said the nervous system, for some reason, goes haywire causing "pain that's actually way out of proportion to the actual injury that has occurred."

The pain can be managed, but there's no cure for CRPS.

McCeney said not many know about the disease, including those in the medical community.

"There's some doctors out there that don't know about the entity and unfortunately (some patients) don't get treatment going soon enough, which can be a problem," he said.

Hoch struggled with the pain for nearly two years. This week, Hoch went into the hospital to undergo a procedure that could have tempered the pain.

Early Wednesday morning, just hours before the scheduled surgery, Tom Hoch got a call.

"That was it," he said. "I mean 37 years old and he's gone."

Hoch still doesn't know what exactly killed his son, but he does know he'll continue to get the word out about this horrible disease.

"You wouldn't wish this on your worst enemy," he said.

(Copyright KUSA*TV, All Rights Reserved) Source

Please watch this video from the News:

FDA: Antiepileptics Linked to Increased Risk of Suicidal Thoughts, Behaviour

ROCKVILLE, Maryland --
The US Food and Drug Administration has announced today that it will require the manufacturers of anti epileptic drugs to add to these products' prescribing information, or labeling, a warning that their use increases risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The action includes all anti epileptic drugs including those used to treat psychiatric disorders, migraine headaches, and other conditions, as well as epilepsy.

The FDA is also requiring that the manufacturers submit for each of these products a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, including a Medication Guide for patients. The guides will contain FDA-approved information about the risks of suicidal thoughts and behaviors associated with the class of anti epileptic medications.

"Patients being treated with anti epileptic drugs for any indication should be monitored for the emergence or worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts or behavior, or any unusual changes in mood or behavior," said Russell Katz, MD, Division of Neurology Products, FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Rockville, Maryland. "Patients who are currently taking an anti epileptic medicine should not make any treatment changes without talking to their health care professional."

Healthcare professionals should notify patients, their families, and caregivers of the potential for an increase in the risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviors so that patients may be closely observed.

The FDA's actions are based on the agency's review of 199 clinical trials of 11 anti epileptic drugs which showed that patients receiving anti epileptic drugs had almost twice the risk of suicidal behavior or thoughts (0.43%) compared with patients receiving a placebo (0.24%). This difference was about 1 additional case of suicidal thoughts or behaviors for every 500 patients treated with anti epileptic drugs instead of placebo.

Of the patients who were randomized to receive one of the anti epileptic drugs, 4 committed suicide, whereas none of the patients in the placebo group did.
Results were insufficient for any conclusion to be drawn about the drugs' effects on completed suicides.
The biological reasons for the increase in the risk for suicidal thoughts and behavior observed in patients being treated with anti epileptic drugs are unknown.

Acting under the authorities of the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 (FDAAA), the FDA is requiring manufacturers of anti epileptic drugs to submit to the agency new labeling within 30 days, or provide a reason why they do not believe such labeling changes are necessary. In cases of non-compliance, FDAAA provides strict time lines for resolving the issue and allows the agency to initiate an enforcement action if necessary.

The following anti epileptic drugs are required to add warnings about the risk of suicidality:

carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Equetro, Tegretol, Tegretol XR); clonazepam (Klonopin); clorazepate (Tranxene); divalproex sodium (Depakote, Depakote ER, Depakene); ethosuximide (Zarontin); ethotoin (Peganone); felbamate (Felbatol); gabapentin (Neurontin); lamotrigine (Lamictal); lacosamide (Vimpat); levetiracetam (Keppra); mephenytoin (Mesantoin); methosuximide (Celontin); oxcarbazepine (Trileptal); phenytoin (Dilantin Suspension); pregabalin (Lyrica); primidone (Mysoline); tiagabine (Gabitril); topiramate (Topamax); trimethadione (Tridione); and zonisamide (Zonegran).
Some of these medications are also available as generics.

Health care professionals and consumers may report serious adverse events or product quality problems with the use of these products to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail, fax or phone.

-- Online : www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm

-- Regular Mail : use postage-paid FDA form 3500 available at: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/getforms.htm and mail to MedWatch, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20852-9787
-- Fax: (800) FDA-0178
-- Phone: (800) FDA-1088


SOURCE: US Food and Drug Administration

Suicide Prevention on my Rado Show Today!!

My guest today was Amy Kiel who shared her incredible story of Depression, Fibromyalgia and her own suicide attempt.

Amy still lives with Depression, Fibromyalgia, but she no longer wants to take her own life.
Instead, she is now an Advocate for Suicide Prevention!!



Are You Depressed? Do You Suffer with Chronic Pain or Illness? Have YOU thought about making it all go away..permanently?
Did you know, people with Depression and/or Chronic Pain or Illness are at more risk for suicide attempts and death by suicide?

Did you know:

In the United States alone;

*A person dies by suicide about every 16 minutes. An attempt is estimated to be made once every minute.

*Every day approximately 80 Americans take their own life, and 1,500 more attempt to do so.

*Over 32, 000 people in the US die by suicide every year.

*Over 60% of all people who die by suicide suffer from major depression.

*About 15% of the population will suffer from clinical depression at some time during their lifetime. 30% of all them will attempt suicide, and half of them will ultimately die by suicide.

I invite you all to listen to this inspirational and encouraging show with Important information for anyone who may be thinking there is nothing worth living for!!

Also, please make note of the following phone number and website either for yourself or someone you know and care about.

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
www.AFSP.org 800-273-TALK that's 800-273-8255.

Please share this show with everyone you know and care about, because you never know what they may be going through and need to hear about someone else who has traveled the path they are thinking about traveling.