Brittany Murphy RIP

[Cassius]

This list of drugs doesn't yet suggest drug abuse or overdose. All but one of those drugs are just fine and not signs of drug abuse. Antidepressant, nothing wrong with that. Two anti-anxiety drugs / calmatives which I would think would be very boring to abuse (unless maybe they were used to manage side effects of street drugs like cocaine).

The main POTENTIAL red flag in this list of drugs is the two fairly common pain relievers - vicoprofen and hydrocodone, which are easily obtained by doctors in any city. The vitamins and antibiotic suggest she *was* being seen by a doctor and she was concerned with and at least somewhat taking care of her general health.




It treats hypertension, e.g. simple high blood pressure. 90% of people with high blood pressure simply have high blood pressure, not as a symptom of anything else, just bad luck.

In the remaining 5% to 10% of cases, high blood pressure could be caused by a variety of things, including genetic heart problems, or other medications, or issues with filtration in kidneys that could be caused by diabetes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertension

Thanks for the info.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Heath Ledger taking several prescription medications, and their combination was what killed him?

 

[jamescagney]

Thanks for the info.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Heath Ledger taking several prescription medications, and their combination was what killed him?

Wikipedia says yes. Ledger's case sounds a bit different in symptoms and number of serious drugs.

Diazepam (that's valium).

"Mr. Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine. We have concluded that the manner of death is accident, resulting from the abuse of prescription medications." The medications found in the toxicological analysis are commonly prescribed in the United States for insomnia, anxiety, depression, pain, and/or common cold symptoms

 

[Cassius]

Flu, maybe? 36,000 people die from it a year.

 

[jamescagney]

Flu, maybe? 36,000 people die from it a year.

Absolutely possible, flu or something else. The antibiotics are contraindicated for viruses like cold and flu, but those could be for a complication, an unrelated issue, or a misdiagnosis. Despite the heart hospital's quote, it does happen. We know now she had an existing history of high blood pressure, diabetes and thyroid.

Worth repeating that those drugs were found on her nightstand, not necessarily in her body.

 

[Theo]

Worth repeating that those drugs were found on her nightstand, not necessarily in her body.

Dude, if she had assloads of various pills scattered all over her bedroom and then strangely wound up dead at age 32, I think there's probably a connection. (Although it's possible the leftover Thai food she reportedly puked up played a part -- some of those Thai restaurants get their seafood from China and, well, Thailand, and that has poison in it!) But yeah, probably a connection to the pills. And the husband. By all accounts, her husband is as crooked as a barrel of snakes. Google him. I see Perez Hilton was all over that guy a long time ago, and the good news is she didn't put him in her will.

Also, less than a month before the 32 year-old Brittany Murphy strangely died, this happened to her husband:

Brittany Murphy's Hubby Rushed to Hospital
Posted Nov 28th 2009 8:30PM by TMZ Staff

Brittany Murphy's husband, Simon Monjack, was rushed to a hospital at LAX this afternoon after his plane landed at LAX.....

The flight from Puerto Rico landed in Los Angeles at 2:40 PM today. We're told Monjack was incoherent when EMTs boarded the plane.

Just a coincidence?

Whoa:

"Large amounts" of prescription drugs written to Murphy and "numerous empty" bottles of prescriptions written to her mother, Monjack and other parties not named in the TMZ report were found on Murphy's nightstand when her body was moved to the master bedroom, the notes said.

The medications included Topamax (an anti-seizure medication also used to prevent migraines), Methylprednisolone (an anti-inflammatory), Fluoxetine (a depression medication), Klonopin (an anxiety medication), Carbamazepine (which treats diabetic symptoms and bipolarism), Ativan (an anxiety medication), Vicoprofen (a pain reliever), Propranolol (a hypertension medication, used to prevent heart attacks), Biaxin (an antibiotic), Hydrocodone (a pain medication) and vitamins, TMZ reports.

Crazy! Numerous empty bottles from large amounts of prescription pills written to everyone in the Brittany Murphy household? They all needed assloads of pills? I take exactly zero prescription pills. I think I can remember once, years ago, having some penicillin pills prescribed by a dentist over some tooth issue, but I never actually swallowed one.

Am I just lucky? Sometimes pills are needed, but I'd think that a caring spouse would get up in a doc's grill when the doc's trying to hand his wife fistfulls of pills for everything under the sun. Make that doctor really prove it's needed. And even when it's needed, doctors still can screw up on the dosage. (True story involving someone I know: "Oh, you passed out in public and they called a ambulance? Woops! I guess you should cut those blood pressure pills in half, my bad!")

I dunno, then again, maybe I'm just out to lynch the husband cuz it makes me ill that that's the guy she gave her heart to.

 

[Theo]

Hi Theo, hope your enjoying the Christmas season!
Going back to the subject at hand I think they used the term ''natural'' when there is no outward signs of blunt trauma, stabbing, or gunshot wounds.

Merry Christmas to you, too, Devils.

I don't know if you're right about that natural causes thing.

Fortunately, Slate's Explainer is on this, so let's see what they have to say:

If a manner of death is deemed to be "natural," then the victim is thought to have died of an internal disease process or normal deterioration of the body. Outside forces, like chemicals or human intervention, had only a minimal influence. (There are some gray areas: Death by infectious disease is typically categorized as being natural, even though the killer microbes come from outside the body.)

In general, it's much easier to determine the cause of death than the manner. To say that Murphy died of sudden cardiac arrest means only that her heart stopped beating unexpectedly, a fact that might be explained by any of the five manner classifications. Her death might have resulted from "natural" conditions like an enlarged heart, thickened ventrical walls, disruptions in the heart's electrical signals, or clogged arteries—not unknown among 32-year-olds, especially if they have diabetes. Or it might have followed from the ingestion of drugs (like cocaine) or poisons—making it a homicide, a suicide, or an accident. (A massive blow to the chest can stop the heart, too, but that would have left obvious signs.) Drug deaths can be tough to categorize, because circumstantial evidence is required to separate accidental overdoses from suicides.

When all the tests are back from the lab, the medical examiner or the coroner—typically an elected official without medical training who consults the medical examiner—prepares the death certificate with the cause, manner, and a brief description.

 

[Theo]

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[CrystalGeezer]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Heath Ledger taking several prescription medications, and their combination was what killed him?

The Reaper to the Stars must be a pharmacist.

 

[jamescagney]

Dude, if she had assloads of various pills scattered all over her bedroom and then strangely wound up dead at age 32, I think there's probably a connection.

I'm not saying drugs didn't contribute. What I'm saying is that list of drugs has been misinterpreted by the media (as usual), and by other people who don't know better, as being an out of control amount of dangerous drugs. Most of those drugs are totally innocuous and different from what Heath Ledger was on. I think there were eight drugs mentioned, prescribed to two or three people, including one antibiotic and one for blood pressure.

And what on earth is the relevance of mentioning the antibiotics and the blood pressure medicine in the context of drug abuse??? Are they suggesting she was abusing antibiotics? These drugs seem to counter the suggestion that she was negligent with her health care, and suggests she had multiple pre-existing health conditions.

In fact, now that I know she had diabetes and thyroid issues, AND was skinny, it's possible she didn't have anorexia at all, she could just have been fighting for her life by using extreme willpower for years to control what she eats, and/or had trouble gaining weight due to her metabolism.

As far as I know, when you overdose, you don't vomit for several days in a row before hand with flu-like symptoms. That's not how Heath Ledger went.

 

[Scarlet Ibis]

I take a handful of pills every morning. They help keep me alive. If I were famous and found dead I am certain that my various necessary medicines would be splashed all over the headlines. :[ People like to blame.

 

[Cassius]

The rather unfortunate cover to her latest film:

 

[Theo]

I'm not saying drugs didn't contribute. What I'm saying is that list of drugs has been misinterpreted by the media (as usual), and by other people who don't know better, as being an out of control amount of dangerous drugs. Most of those drugs are totally innocuous and different from what Heath Ledger was on. I think there were eight drugs mentioned, prescribed to two or three people, including one antibiotic and one for blood pressure.

And what on earth is the relevance of mentioning the antibiotics and the blood pressure medicine in the context of drug abuse??? Are they suggesting she was abusing antibiotics?

The very first news story that comes up at this moment when you do a Google News Search under "Brittany Murphy" refutes you (People Magazine):

On “The Insider” Tuesday night, a doctor said that Biaxin [an antibiotic] and Prozac or depression medications combined can cause heart arrhythmia. Also, Topomax and Klonopin were two drugs found in Anna Nicole Smith when she died.

See, when you've got assloads of prescription pills on your nightstand and you're mixing and matching 'em, bad things can happen.

Also, you failed to address the amazing coincidence that just a few weeks before Brittany died her husband was incoherent on an airplane and rushed to a hospital. Yeah, that's a normal occurance that no one should pay attention to when a few weeks later a 32 year old strangely dies in the guy's bathroom. Also, gossip sites such as Perez Hilton were sounding alarm bells about Brittany and pills before she suddenly died -- is that just a coincidence too?

Now, granted, an unnamed doctor quoted by "The Insider" should be taken with a grain of salt. But your primary source for everything seems to be Wikipedia! All I know is that her death is strange, mountains of pill bottles were on her nightstand, her husband is as shady as can be, and a Cleveland Clinic heart specialist says our eyebrows should be raised concerning this tragedy (the Cleveland Clinic is #1 in the world in heart care) (in contrast, her husband didn't want there to be an autopsy at all...).

Furthermore, your anger should not be at the media for reporting what drugs were found on her nightstand. Someone leaked that info to the media! Shady people all around Brittany Murphy, even after she died. Who leaked the private information to TMZ?

We can't pretend we didn't hear the info leaked to the media by some unethical source. She had a nightstand overflowing with pills of a dozen different sorts. And you're telling us it's not relevant that she may have been mixing antibiotics with other powerful medications? Every single one of the pills doctors prescribe are powerful, have side effects, and are potentially dangerous when taken with other medications. Some of these medications have lists of side effects and other potential dangers longer than my arm! That's kinda why you're supposed to have a PRESCRIPTION and a doctor's guidance before you take them.

Brittany, I'm sorry I didn't drop by earlier. I could've saved you from all these scumbuckets.

Also:

Today, Brittany’s body has been moved to Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, CA where Michael Jackson was buried and is scheduled to be buried Thursday.

The creepy cemetery not only houses the bodies of celebrities, but also the remains of wealthy gypsies and Satanists according to investigative reporter Diane Dimond.

Satanists!!!!

 

[Theo]

I take a handful of pills every morning. They help keep me alive. If I were famous and found dead I am certain that my various necessary medicines would be splashed all over the headlines. :[ People like to blame.

If you died in your bathroom from cardiac arrest at age 32 with boat loads of pill bottles in the next room, I assure you they'd be looking into a possible connection. And, if you were famous and people at the LA County coroner's office had TMZ on their speed dial, I guess it would make it into the media. Can you really blame TMZ for reporting info that was leaked to them?

You take handfuls of pills and you are apparently alive and well. Brittany Murphy allegedly took handfulls of pills and she is DEAD at 32. So, why are you comparing yourself to her?

She could've lived to a ripe old age if she had handled her anxiety with some shots of whisky, btw. Maybe it's best to stay old school.

 

[jamescagney]

The very first news story that comes up at this moment when you do a Google News Search under "Brittany Murphy" refutes you (People Magazine):

On “The Insider” Tuesday night, a doctor said that Biaxin [an antibiotic] and Prozac or depression medications combined can cause heart arrhythmia. Also, Topomax and Klonopin were two drugs found in Anna Nicole Smith when she died.

See, when you've got assloads of prescription pills on your nightstand and you're mixing and matching 'em, bad things can happen.

No, it doesn't refute me. That quote is ascribed to "a doctor." Who is "a doctor" and why are you trusting him or her so completely? What did "a doctor" say before and after that might have clarified that statement? Did s/he say, "But I don't think that's the case here?"

You're not listening. For two to three people combined, eight prescriptions on the table is not a lot.

The fact that topomax and klonopin were in Anna Nicole Smith is totally irrelevant. Those two drugs are among the less dangerous ones found in her system. She also had aspirin in her. Was aspirin the main cause of death? Aspirin is in me, does that mean I'm dead?

What I'm saying is a lot of these statements are being interpreted by non-medical experts, and/or chopped up to be out of context.

I'm arguing we have insufficient proof, but drugs may be a contributor. You seem to be arguing that drugs were definitely a contributor. My position seems a lot easier to defend given that most of this is unsourced anonymous he-said she-said and the real experts have yet to weigh in.

Also, you failed to address the amazing coincidence that just a few weeks before Brittany died her husband was incoherent on an airplane and rushed to a hospital.

You're right, I said all I'm addressing is the list of drugs is not a huge list and includes a lot of drugs that are irrelevant or that refute the suggestion that Brittany was lacking good medical care.

Now, granted, an unnamed doctor quoted by "The Insider" should be taken with a grain of salt. But your primary source for everything seems to be Wikipedia!

There's NOTHING wrong with that. Wikipedia in this case as in most cases is entirely correct. Wikipedia itself sources its information from multiple web sites that are far more reputable than People Magazine. Studies have shown Wikipedia is as accurate as Encyclopedia Brittanica. Most arguments against Wikipedia use logical fallacies, including "But I *could*..." and "Well, this one time a year ago..."

She had a nightstand overflowing with pills of a dozen different sorts. And you're telling us it's not relevant that she may have been mixing antibiotics with other powerful medications? Every single one of the pills doctors prescribe are powerful, have side effects, and are potentially dangerous when taken with other medications. Some of these medications have lists of side effects and other potential dangers longer than my arm! That's kinda why you're supposed to have a PRESCRIPTION and a doctor's guidance before you take them.

No, she didn't have a nightstand overflowing with pills. "They" had a nightstand with a reasonable amount of pills. We don't know which of those drugs Brittany was actually taking at that moment. It's entirely irrelevant to discuss antibiotics or any other drugs that belonged to her husband or where use had been discontinued.

Obviously she had a prescription and doctor's guidance or she wouldn't have had the drugs.

The initial discussion was about accidental overdose and negligent caretakers. Most of these drugs do not suggest accidental overdose. Nor does the several days of vomiting suggest accidental overdose. The pharmaceutical evidence at the moment does not *yet* suggest another Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger or Anna Nicole Smith, as the symptoms, details and drugs are different.

 

[Theo]

No, she didn't have a nightstand overflowing with pills. "They" had a nightstand with a reasonable amount of pills.

WTF! My nightstand has a clock radio, a lamp, a phone, and usually a bottle of Deer Park water. On its shelf is whatever book I'm reading plus a few magazines. I don't have piles of pills of a dozen different sorts! I don't have any pills at all! It's amazing what you find "reasonable". A young woman is dead who, it is reasonable to think, should not be dead. I guess we'll wait and see.

 

[CrystalGeezer]

WTF! My nightstand has a clock radio, a lamp, a phone, and usually a bottle of Deer Park water. On its shelf is whatever book I'm reading plus a few magazines. I don't have piles of pills of a dozen different sorts! I don't have any pills at all! It's amazing what you find "reasonable". A young woman is dead who, it is reasonable to think, should not be dead. I guess we'll wait and see.

Even for two people, 8 bottles of pills is not reasonable. ESPECIALLY two people under the age of 40. If they were 90, maybe. Something is weird about all the pills.

 

[Dave]

Whoever tagged "2ndhand smoke" wins. I want to thank everyone who participated.

jamescagney, you get a special shout-out for questioning "a doctor" while at the same time establishing yourself as a medical expert. You have potential.

Theo, well done! The Diane Dimond quote about "Satanists" was just lying there, and you picked it up and ran with it! Awesome!

Cassie! The poster was a great contribution.

Robby, pretty average work. You did manage to accuse both her and her husband of being responsible for her death, but stakes were high in this thread, and you folded early. Better luck next time.

 

[lainey]

The rather unfortunate cover to her latest film:

bloody hell, that's eerie

‘Redbox’ seeks to quickly remove ironic Brittany Murphy ‘Deadline’ movie posters. TMZ reports that the “Deadline” movie posters which give a very ironic display of the way Brittany Murphy died, are being recalled by the Redbox DVD rental company.

 

[jamescagney]

Even for two people, 8 bottles of pills is not reasonable. ESPECIALLY two people under the age of 40. If they were 90, maybe. Something is weird about all the pills.

Do you have diabetes, thyroid and high blood pressure? No? Then why compare?

 

[CrystalGeezer]

Whoever tagged "2ndhand smoke" wins. I want to thank everyone who participated.

jamescagney, you get a special shout-out for questioning "a doctor" while at the same time establishing yourself as a medical expert. You have potential.

Theo, well done! The Diane Dimond quote about "Satanists" was just lying there, and you picked it up and ran with it! Awesome!

Cassie! The poster was a great contribution.

Robby, pretty average work. You did manage to accuse both her and her husband of being responsible for her death, but stakes were high in this thread, and you folded early. Better luck next time.

You're hilarious.