Prince

[[wh...]]

FJ,

 

I think too what I identified with is that he tried to get help, and we all know how difficult that is. Once you're on something that's addictive, then everyone just turns their head. And when it ends in a tragedy, like the death of someone who is 57 years old, everyone wants to blame the patient.

 

I'm finding that injustice anywhere I see it is magnified now, and I'm struggling with how to get past it and not ruminate over it....

 

 

[[be...]]

And why isn't the pharmacy to blame for selling his 4 scripts in one week? Of Fentanyl??

[[wh...]]

I did not know about the pharmacy. Another injustice that will get blamed on the patient.

 

I'm going to out to get a pack of cigarettes.

 

Oh wait, I don't smoke.....

[[Fi...]]

There's plenty of blame to go around.  Yesterday's article quoted Dr. Andrew Kolodny, head of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, as saying that Prince's story is very much like so many other pain patients.  Those guys are my heroes, because they have just come out and said that doctors have to rethink how they prescribe this stuff and they have compassion for the patients.  Unfortunately, I find no similar group for benzos!  I was able to get a good endorsement from Kolodny for my book, but it's harder to find somebody who's the voice against benzos.

 

I think it's all really going to hit the fan on the opioids.  This morning's article is about all the elderly on the stuff for pain and how hard it's going to be to get people off.  They are going to feel horribly abused to be told they shouldn't take so much.  People just have a hard time grasping that the stuff is actually making their pain worse in the long run, just as benzos can wind up making people's anxiety worse.

[[be...]]

There's plenty of blame to go around.  Yesterday's article quoted Dr. Andrew Kolodny, head of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, as saying that Prince's story is very much like so many other pain patients.  Those guys are my heroes, because they have just come out and said that doctors have to rethink how they prescribe this stuff and they have compassion for the patients.  Unfortunately, I find no similar group for benzos!  I was able to get a good endorsement from Kolodny for my book, but it's harder to find somebody who's the voice against benzos.

 

I think it's all really going to hit the fan on the opioids.  This morning's article is about all the elderly on the stuff for pain and how hard it's going to be to get people off.  They are going to feel horribly abused to be told they shouldn't take so much.  People just have a hard time grasping that the stuff is actually making their pain worse in the long run, just as benzos can wind up making people's anxiety worse.

 

Good for you!!!!!

[[Fi...]]

 

[[ti...]]

FJ  i want a autographed copy of book PLEASE!

[[be...]]

I did not know about the pharmacy. Another injustice that will get blamed on the patient.

 

I'm going to out to get a pack of cigarettes.

 

Oh wait, I don't smoke.....

 

It was his local Walgreen's. I think they sell ciggies as well............

[[Be...]]

I remember when Dateline did the 2 hour special after Prince's death that they showed a photo of Prince and said he was coming home from the Walgreen's.  Wonder if he was picking up another script? 

[[be...]]

I remember when Dateline did the 2 hour special after Prince's death that they showed a photo of Prince and said he was coming home from the Walgreen's.  Wonder if he was picking up another script?

 

I bet it wasn't hair spray. They give out special treatment to those who are popular and well liked. I would hate to be the CEO of Walgreen's. A script every other day?

[[Be...]]

It's possible Prince committed suicide.  Just read this article.  He may have left a suicide note.  One of the staffers confiscated it and hid it from police and investigators, the article says.

 

http://hollywoodlife.com/2016/06/22/prince-suicide-note-found-death-fentanyl-overdose/

 

It seems as if he was tired of fighting his addiction. 

[[wh...]]

I don't believe it.

 

And I'm still sad that he's gone.

[[be...]]

I also read this on the web. Something also due to the fact he had AIDs. But I think it came from unreliable sources. RIP anyway.

[[pr...]]

just read this about Prince:

 

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Some of the pills taken from Prince's estate in Paisley Park after his death were counterfeit drugs that actually contained fentanyl — a synthetic opioid 50 times more powerful than heroin, an official close to the investigation said Sunday.

 

The official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation, said nearly two dozen pills found in one Aleve bottle were falsely labeled as "Watson 385." According to Drugs.com, that stamp is used to identify pills containing a mix of acetaminophen and hydrocodone, but the official said at least one of the pills tested positive for fentanyl.

 

Autopsy results released in June show Prince died April 21 of an accidental fentanyl overdose. The official who spoke to the AP said records show the 57-year-old Prince had no prescription for any controlled substances in the state of Minnesota in the 12 months before he died.

 

Authorities are still investigating how Prince obtained the drugs.

 

Fentanyl has been responsible for a surge in overdose deaths in some parts of the country. When made into counterfeit pills, users don't always know they're taking fentanyl, increasing the risk of fatal overdose.

 

The Star Tribune first reported about the mislabeled pills in a story published on its website late Saturday.

 

Some of the dozens of pills seized from Paisley Park were found to have other drugs in them, some were oxycodone or codeine, and some were not controlled substances.

 

About a dozen tablets were found in a dressing room at Paisley Park, but the vast majority was in bottles of aspirin and Vitamin C that had been tucked inside a suitcase and bags — including one Prince often carried with him. Some pills were also found loose in the bag, the official said.

 

One pill with the "Watson 385" stamp tested positive for fentanyl, lidocaine and another drug. Officials found nearly two dozen pills similar to the one that was tested, the official said.

 

Another aspirin bottle had more than 60 counterfeit tablets in it.

 

Some pills that were analyzed contained fentanyl, lidocaine and U-4770 — a synthetic drug that is eight times more powerful than morphine.

 

Authorities also found a prescription bottle in someone else's name that contained 10 oxycodone pills, the official said, without revealing who was listed on the prescription.

 

The official said Prince had many of these pills with him on April 15 when the airplane he was on made an emergency stop in Moline, Illinois, after he fell ill from a suspected drug overdose as he was heading home from a performance in Atlanta. Prince was given two doses of Narcan, an antidote used to reverse suspected opioid overdoses, the official said.

 

U-4770 can be tested for in toxicology screens, but is not done routinely because it is a relatively new chemical. Presence of the drug was not tested in Prince's case, but the levels of fentanyl in his system were more than enough to be toxic, the official said.

 

Tests on Prince prior to his death did not show fentanyl in his system, which means he wasn't a long-time abuser of that drug, but likely took the fatal dose sometime in the 24 hours before he died, the official said.

 

The official did not elaborate on those tests. But at least one doctor, Michael Todd Schulenberg, saw Prince on April 7 and again on April 20, the day before he died. According to a search warrant, he told a detective he had ordered tests for Prince and prescribed medications. Schulenberg's attorney, Amy Conners, has said patient-privacy laws do not allow her to say what the prescriptions were.

 

The autopsy report also shows Prince had diazepam, lidocaine and hydrocodone acids in his body, the official said. Diazepam is an anti-anxiety pill sold as Valium. It's a sedative and can also be used to control seizures, which Prince suffered from as a child. Lidocaine is a local anesthetic.

[[Ho...]]

just read this about Prince:

 

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Some of the pills taken from Prince's estate in Paisley Park after his death were counterfeit drugs that actually contained fentanyl — a synthetic opioid 50 times more powerful than heroin, an official close to the investigation said Sunday.

 

The official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation, said nearly two dozen pills found in one Aleve bottle were falsely labeled as "Watson 385." According to Drugs.com, that stamp is used to identify pills containing a mix of acetaminophen and hydrocodone, but the official said at least one of the pills tested positive for fentanyl.

 

Autopsy results released in June show Prince died April 21 of an accidental fentanyl overdose. The official who spoke to the AP said records show the 57-year-old Prince had no prescription for any controlled substances in the state of Minnesota in the 12 months before he died.

 

Authorities are still investigating how Prince obtained the drugs.

 

Fentanyl has been responsible for a surge in overdose deaths in some parts of the country. When made into counterfeit pills, users don't always know they're taking fentanyl, increasing the risk of fatal overdose.

 

The Star Tribune first reported about the mislabeled pills in a story published on its website late Saturday.

 

Some of the dozens of pills seized from Paisley Park were found to have other drugs in them, some were oxycodone or codeine, and some were not controlled substances.

 

About a dozen tablets were found in a dressing room at Paisley Park, but the vast majority was in bottles of aspirin and Vitamin C that had been tucked inside a suitcase and bags — including one Prince often carried with him. Some pills were also found loose in the bag, the official said.

 

One pill with the "Watson 385" stamp tested positive for fentanyl, lidocaine and another drug. Officials found nearly two dozen pills similar to the one that was tested, the official said.

 

Another aspirin bottle had more than 60 counterfeit tablets in it.

 

Some pills that were analyzed contained fentanyl, lidocaine and U-4770 — a synthetic drug that is eight times more powerful than morphine.

 

Authorities also found a prescription bottle in someone else's name that contained 10 oxycodone pills, the official said, without revealing who was listed on the prescription.

 

The official said Prince had many of these pills with him on April 15 when the airplane he was on made an emergency stop in Moline, Illinois, after he fell ill from a suspected drug overdose as he was heading home from a performance in Atlanta. Prince was given two doses of Narcan, an antidote used to reverse suspected opioid overdoses, the official said.

 

U-4770 can be tested for in toxicology screens, but is not done routinely because it is a relatively new chemical. Presence of the drug was not tested in Prince's case, but the levels of fentanyl in his system were more than enough to be toxic, the official said.

 

Tests on Prince prior to his death did not show fentanyl in his system, which means he wasn't a long-time abuser of that drug, but likely took the fatal dose sometime in the 24 hours before he died, the official said.

 

The official did not elaborate on those tests. But at least one doctor, Michael Todd Schulenberg, saw Prince on April 7 and again on April 20, the day before he died. According to a search warrant, he told a detective he had ordered tests for Prince and prescribed medications. Schulenberg's attorney, Amy Conners, has said patient-privacy laws do not allow her to say what the prescriptions were.

 

The autopsy report also shows Prince had diazepam, lidocaine and hydrocodone acids in his body, the official said. Diazepam is an anti-anxiety pill sold as Valium. It's a sedative and can also be used to control seizures, which Prince suffered from as a child. Lidocaine is a local anesthetic.

 

Just read it in the morning paper too and I'm pissed.  Diazepam, just a little footnote at the bottom. Opiates getting most of the press here.  Maybe he was abusing opiates to escape the pain of tolerance withdrawal from benzos.  Just speculating. Even if he wasn't dependent, the combination of opiates and benzos can be lethal.  They didn't mention that either.

[[be...]]

I agree with Hope. Why don't people recognize the dangers of benzos?

[[pr...]]

Maybe he was abusing opiates to escape the pain of tolerance withdrawal from benzos.  Just speculating.

 

 

good speculation. a lot of people on benzo's probably don't even know when they're in interdose withdrawal.

 

 

another article came up about it:

 

New York (AFP) - Investigators looking into pop legend Prince's death believe that counterfeit pills may have killed him, a report said Monday.

 

The Star Tribune, the daily newspaper in Prince's hometown of Minneapolis, said that authorities turned to the theory after seizing pills from Prince's Paisley Park estate.

 

The confiscated pills were marked as hydrocodone, a commonly prescribed drug for moderate pain relief, but in fact contained fentanyl, an intensely powerful painkiller for which Prince had no prescription.

 

An autopsy earlier found that Prince died on April 21 from an accidental overdose of fentanyl but did not address how he obtained the drug.

 

The Star Tribune, which quoted an anonymous source, said that investigators were "leaning toward the theory that he took the pills not knowing they contained the drug."

 

Prince was found dead in his Paisley Park estate just as he prepared to discuss treatment with a California expert in painkiller addiction.

 

The 57-year-old "Purple Rain" star was outwardly a model of health who was known to be conscientious in his food choices and critical of musicians who abused drugs.

 

But Prince was private about his personal life and was believed to be quietly in pain from a hip operation after years of awe-inspiring stage moves.

 

One of the most influential artists of his generation, the sprightly rocker was just five-foot-two (1.6-meter) and 112 pounds (51 kilograms).

 

In his death, Prince became the highest-profile victim of a US epidemic of painkiller addiction.

 

The US Drug Enforcement Administration in a report last month said that fentanyl was more widely available and killing more people than at any point since the drug's creation in 1959.

 

The federal agency said that hundreds of thousands of counterfeit painkiller pills were on the US market, many containing fentanyl that was mass-produced in labs in China.

[[Ho...]]

112 lbs? He weighed less than I do as a 5'3" woman with a normal body weight. It really

could have been tolerance withdrawal, but that will

never make the news. Buying drugs off the black market is definitely playing with fire. So sad.

[[Bl...]]

Why am I not surprised that apparently a benzo was involved? I think we are just witnessing the underbelly of this problem with these high profile deaths. :'( It is a "miracle" that people even are able to get off these drugs once on them.

[[be...]]

112 lbs? He weighed less than I do as a 5'3" woman with a normal body weight. It really

could have been tolerance withdrawal, but that will

never make the news. Buying drugs off the black market is definitely playing with fire. So sad.

 

 

And he was 5'2".

[[Be...]]

I did read somewhere and posted on one of my posts that Prince complained to his chef that he couldn't eat and had an irritated stomach?  He had his chef make him smoothies.  Sound familiar?  Benzo's kill the appetite for some who are in tolerance w/d.  Maybe he wasn't taking them everyday either and was having problems?  I guess he was going to try to get the problem with the drug use addressed with an addictions specialist?  So sad he died from the illegal pills.

 

Found a well-written article about the counterfeit pills flooding the US Market.  Looks like the CDC and DEA govs. here in the US are quashing the pain management protocols used by docs so they are turning to the streets to manage their pain? 

 

http://nationalpainreport.com/counterfeit-fentanyl-the-drug-cartels-answer-to-cdc-opioid-guidelines-8830197.html

 

Did Prince know he was taking Fentanyl?  In my state, opioid deaths are epidemic, 1,000's last year, and my governor has funneled alot of money into getting the problem under control.  I wonder if the real problem is counterfeit painkillers containing Fentanyl causing all the deaths here?  Who knows what's in those pills and the strengths of them?  I also read they come from China in through Mexico. 

[[Ce...]]

He's from Minnesota!!!   

[[pr...]]

opiates can also cause stomach issues. the first time when i was on opiates i was a lot of vicodin and i couldn't keep any food down and was always throwing up. i think i was starting to get an ulcer. it was just awful. i really think the opiates tear apart the stomach.

[[Ho...]]

opiates can also cause stomach issues. the first time when i was on opiates i was a lot of vicodin and i couldn't keep any food down and was always throwing up. i think i was starting to get an ulcer. it was just awful. i really think the opiates tear apart the stomach.

 

That is very true pretty. Oxycodone makes me hurl, every time I've had it. It's on my allergy list now. I've had lots of surgeries so I've pretty much been on all the legal forms of opiates for very short periods of time. I've always wondered how people end up addicted to them because they plug me up so bad that I ditch them as quick as I can after surgery, as soon as the pain is even remotely tolerable. They are not sneaky like benzos, their side effects show up pretty quick. At least for me.

[[be...]]

It's on my allegery list too, as it acts like a Steroid to me, and I can't take them. To me opiates are just as bad as benzos.