Rep Kennedy taking Ambien may just make eyes open...

[capi888]

With all the publicity...I understand many had the same results when taking the drug...
Here is his report discribing the drugs. I think he will go after the rip-off Pharma's and they are shaking in their expensive shoes..

Kennedy release.

“Last Tuesday, the Attending Physician of the United States Congress treated me for Gastroenteritis,” a stomach illness. According to Kennedy, the attending physician prescribed Phenergan, an anti-nausea medication, which in addition to treating gastroenteritis, “I now know can cause drowsiness and sedation.” “Following the last series of votes Wednesday evening, I returned to my home on Capitol Hill and took the prescribed amount of Phenergan and Ambien, which was also prescribed by the Attending Physician some time ago and I occasionally take to fall asleep. Some time around 2:45am, I drove the few blocks to the Capitol Complex believing I needed to vote.

Lots of posts on people having the same reaction....

[Ramsey]

1. Phenergan can make people loopy

And it isn't a good idea to take it with Ambien!

[DrRang]

23. Didn't Colin Powell say everybody at the White House was on Ambien?

[Quiet_Dem_Mom]

26. Loopy is exactly how I'd describe Phenergran's effect.

My Dad took that stuff to combat post-chemo treatment nausea. Once. It made him quite lethargic and extremely loopy, to the point where he thought he saw and heard people who weren't there.

Everybody reacts differently to meds, but your description was dead-on in my father's case.

QDM

[kma3346]

29. Loopy and then some!!

According to my dad's experience:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1106227#1110309

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1106227#1110364

Phenergan is scary stuff for the people who are sensitive to it!

[babylonsister]

2. Wow! That should shut everyone in the whore media up, and if

it doesn't, his comments will just bring more attention to the evils of Ambien.
And "the Attending Physician of the United States Congress" will undoubtedly back him up.
They got nothin'!

[capi888]

5. Yep, this attention to discredit Kennedy....

May just come back to bite both the Repugs and the MEDIA....the MANY negative results of Ambien will rise against the Pharma's tie to BUSH...$$$$ And the ADs on TV to push the drug....egads..

[stray cat]

3. The police gave preferential treatment so it looks bad for them

I can't believe taking Ambient and phenergan together - either alone knocks me out.

[Virginia Dare]

7. Half of D.C. gets preferential treatment...

I used to have a drinking buddy who was a secret service agent. This guy would get skunked and drive home on a regular basis. He never worried about getting a DUI.

:hide:

[stray cat]

8. So maybe its time to stop it?

[Virginia Dare]

16. Easier said than done....

I agree though, it's a dangerous situation.

I'm not in law enforcement so I can't speak to how the system works. I guess it's kind of like if you are a business owner, you give special discounts to your friends?

We had a case here about 10 years ago, a drunk Russian diplomat killed somebody in a car accident, and they immediately shipped him home. It caused a major shit storm, but the problem is, American diplomats get the same treatment overseas, so what can you do? It's one of the many hazards of driving in D.C.

Edited to add: I'm not making excuses for P. Kennedy, but the press is implying that he's getting preferential treatment because he's a Kennedy, but in fact, it's because he's a Congressman that he's getting preferential treatment, that was my point.

[MADem]

4. Yep....

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/living/14508412.htm

...I put the sleeping pills in my nightstand, reserving them for a desperate moment. Six months later, they're still there and not just because of reports that some Ambien users are operating heavy machinery - their cars - while slumbering or unconsciously rummaging through the refrigerator and bingeing on raw eggs.

I just don't trust the pharmaceutical industry.

Last year alone, Americans filled 43 million prescriptions for sleeping pills. Not coincidentally, advertising spending on prescription sleep aids has increased 600 percent since 2004.

But despite the manufactured demand for the meds, prescription drugs simply are not the final answer to a serious sleep disorder, at least according to the Prescription Access Litigation Project (PAL), a coalition of advocacy groups that slammed Ambien last month with a Bitter Pill Award.

The Bitter Pills, launched last year as a parody of the industry advertising awards, "honor" prescription drugs for overhyped and questionable marketing practices. The awards are designed to highlight the key problems of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising, which is banned everywhere in the world except the United States and New Zealand.

[babylonsister]

6. Recommend to set the record straight! nt

[WePurrsevere]

17. This assuming alcohol is involved has bothered me...

from the description of the incident his "symptoms" are similar to prescription drug reactions (I've heard quite a bit negative about Ambien's weird side effects), falling asleep at the wheel, hitting one's head and getting a concussion, a diabetic insulin reaction (which can even smell like someone's had a few drinks btw), etc.

It's truly unfortunate that the cops didn't check him over a bit more carefully but I'm sure there are ways to check his story for accuracy. I would think there would be a log of some type showing when he left to go home... from there one could estimate how long it would take him to go home (depending on where he lives, etc there may be some record of him being there as well.. perhaps a security tape since I can't imagine a Kennedy not having some kind of security) to take the meds and then get to where he had the accident.

Until there is more concrete proof then "heresy" that he truly did something illegal as drinking and driving I'd rather go along with the good old American justice standby, "innocent until proven guilty". B-)

[babylonsister]

22. What bugs me is all the other factual stories floating around

out there (think: Duke/hookers/limos/$25Mil sole-source contracts) that no one is giving the time of day to, but this is what they pick to concentrate on, with nothing to back the story up except hearsay?
It's ridiculous and oh so typical.

[WePurrsevere]

30. Yeah I know... it makes you want to scream in frustration sometimes....

doesn't it?

I don't know where the heck these so called journalists went to school but the way they cover (and don't cover) stories would have my Journalism Prof having a major fit and ripping her hair out. Whatever happened to reporters searching for and covering the TRUTH... ferriting it out in back alleys if necessary... journalistic integrity? ::sigh:: Maybe someday very soon it will come back in vogue... bloggers are now seen as competition which IMO is a healthy thing. :D

[formernaderite]

9. A radio DJ just said a waitress at a bar ID'd him

as having been there....not good. Shit, I hope he didn't mix the drugs and the alcohol. I have to say, drivers under the influence is a huge NO NO for me.

[rodeodance]

13. you are right: NOT GOOD!

[populistdriven]

10. Let the Truth be known!

whatever it is, no coverups

[babylonsister]

11. THAT I agree with. nt

[rodeodance]

12. yes, if there is to be a silver lining in this issue--I hope it brings att

ention to some of the detramental effects of these drugs

[capi888]

14. CNN just had Dr. Elizabeth Cohen...

Discribing the drugs, stating when mixed together can cause the results that Kennedy stated. She said that by mixing the drugs together can cause people to wake up during the night, sleepwalking, driving, overeating and not remembering the experience. Combining the drugs, with other drugs or alcohol...can be results that Kennedy experienced. "Those who dislike Kennedy will say alcohol, others and Cohen emphisis was mixing the two drugs are dangerous.
I think this is a wake up call..Pharma's.....and they are going to spin it in their favor...

[BiggJawn]

15. Sleepwalking, sleepEATING, now sleepdriving.

That Ambien shit scares me. People have reported sleepwalking on it, I've heard of people waking up in bed full of crumbs and candy wrappers with NO idea how it got there, now people are "sleepdriving".

When I heard "Ambien" I IMMEDIATELY though "oh shit, he was sleepdriving!"
Which would explain why he was not given a breath test. No smell of alcohol, no probable cause.

[jedicord]

20. A friend of mine recently suffocated to death.

She went to bed with a shower cap on her head (she had just washed her hair), took Ambien, and was found at the foot of the bed the next morning with the cap over her face. Apparently, she had moved around so much in her sleep it slid over her head.

True story.

[babylonsister]

21. That is absolutely awful, jedicord.

My condolences.

[jedicord]

24. Thanks, sister.

The saddest part is she suffered from Lupus (hence the need for a sleeping pill) and was scared it would cause her to die young.

[capi888]

27. I am so sorry ! Its really sad for you I know.

How sad, there are drugs that are needed, for sure. But, I think we depend on drugs, to much. I have never been one to take medication, only IF necessary. I rely on natural remedys that was part of my up bringing in rural community. In those days, we didn't have the meds they prescribe today. My MOM lived to 87 and was a life long smoker. Lived in the country, as I do today and depended on natural resources for the normal sickies (colds, flu, etc) that we experience. We were and are healthy kids, as we didn't eat at MacDonalds, or Burger King...homemade meals from scratch with bake goods from scratch and all that was passed down to us girls to provide for our families...

[KittyWampus]

18. Listen DU'ers. It isn't just Ambien which is a French manufactured drug

IIRC, fellow DU'ers found that there are entire classes of sleeping pills that do same (sleepwalking-eating etc).

Why do we only hear ONE particular name brand drug- Ambien?

Someone posited cause it's being purposely targetted. And sure enough IIRC, it was found Ambien isn't made via an American owned pharmaceutical.

So unless I'm mistaken, it isn't just Ambien.

If I got this wrong, I apologise, but do think this is loosely accurate.

[WePurrsevere]

19. Ambien is stated in Kennedy's release but yes there are other Rx meds with

similar wild and dangerous issues/side effects.

[capi888]

25. DAILY SHOW !!! Can we say LOBBIEST for the Drug Companies

I have NEVER seen such a NEW array of Drugs being put on the market. Can I say "Restless Leg syndrome"!! Also , there was a report on last night on the "Daily Show", about Pharm's hiring "good looking salesmen and women" (sexy) to sell drugs to DR. to push their EXPENSIVE drugs (which do less)over Generic, and provide perks to the Dr."s to push the drugs to their clients. Good resturants, hotel, etc...
Lobbiest for the DRUG CO. and the INSURENCE companies....this is truly a racket and just adds to the corrupt Gov't we have today. TRY to catch the REPEAT of the DAILY SHOW today...was eyeopening with humor.

[WePurrsevere]

31. So true.. and one major reason I use Alt health remedies as much as I can

and thankfully I do very well, even with medical conditions that are traditionally treated with Rx drugs. If I really need a Rx drug I'll take it but if the drug companies and doctors that are in their pockets hate it... I figure it can't be all bad. ;)

[elehhhhna]

28. Cliff Baxter of Enron: Ambien sleep-shooting.

[dogday]

32. It is time to get on the FDA's ASS

They let drugs like this through, yet deny pot to people who could use it and need it so badly... It is time to demand change from this organization.......:evilfrown:

[gully]

33. Check out the noted side effects of these drugs

AMBIEN

Generic Name: zolpidem (zole PI dem)
Brand Names: Ambien, Ambien CR

http://www.drugs.com/Ambien/

What is the most important information I should know about zolpidem?
• Use caution when driving, operating machinery, or performing other hazardous activities. Zolpidem will cause drowsiness and may cause dizziness. If you experience drowsiness or dizziness, avoid these activities. Zolpidem should be taken just before bedtime. You may experience some carryover effects the next day.

• Do not drink alcohol while taking zolpidem. Alcohol will increase drowsiness and may increase dizziness while you are taking zolpidem, which could be dangerous.

• Do not stop taking zolpidem suddenly if you have been taking it for more than 1 or 2 weeks. This may cause withdrawal symptoms and make you uncomfortable. Talk to your doctor if you need to stop treatment with zolpidem.

and this -

Phenergan
promethazine (proe METH a zeen)
Phenergan, Promethegan

What is the most important information I should know about Phenergan?
• Call your doctor immediately if you experience uncontrollable movements of your eyes, lips, tongue, face, arms, or legs. These could be early signs of dangerous side effects.

• Use caution when driving, operating machinery, or performing other hazardous activities. Phenergan may cause dizziness or drowsiness. If you experience dizziness or drowsiness, avoid these activities.

• Use alcohol cautiously. Alcohol may increase drowsiness and dizziness while you are taking Phenergan.

If he had as little as two drinks he may have been sent into oblivion.