General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Violent Side! The Prescribed Drugs Zimmerman Took Before He Shot Trayvon
The media made a big deal out of Trayvon Martin having weed in his system, but they continue to discount what George Zimmerman had in his body.
Last week when Zimmermans medical records were released, it was revealed that he was on the prescription drug Temazepam.
Temazepam, also known as Restoril, is known to cause insomnia and anxiety; however there are more important side effects that were not mentioned.
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the drug is also known to cause aggressiveness and hallucinations, among other problematic symptoms.
<snip>
Zimmerman was also on the often-abused prescription drug Adderall, which is known to cause "worsening mental or mood problems (eg, aggression, anxiety, delusions, depression, hallucination, hostility)."
More:
http://globalgrind.com/news/george-zimmerman--drugs-violent-side-effects-killed-trayvon-martin-details
spanone
(135,859 posts)hedgehog
(36,286 posts)It is generally used for 7-10 days. It may help you fall asleep faster and decrease the number of times you awaken during the night. It may also help you sleep for a longer period of time. Temazepam belongs to a class of medications called sedative/hypnotics. It acts on your brain to produce a calming effect.
Rarely, after taking this drug, people have gotten out of bed and driven vehicles while not fully awake ("sleep-driving" . People have also sleepwalked, prepared/eaten food, made phone calls, or had sex while not fully awake. Often, these people do not remember these events. This problem can be dangerous to you or to others. If you find out that you have done any of these activities after taking this medication, tell your doctor immediately. Your risk is increased if you use alcohol or other medications that can make you drowsy while taking temazepam.
Tell your doctor immediately if any of these unlikely but serious side effects occur: confusion, unusual feelings of well-being (euphoria), uncontrolled movements (tremor), restlessness, memory loss, sweating, mental/mood changes (e.g., hallucinations, agitation, anxiety, unusual/disturbing thoughts, depression, rare thoughts of suicide), increased or vivid dreams, vision changes, fainting.
http://www.rxlist.com/restoril-drug/consumer-uses.htm
liberalmike27
(2,479 posts)That will just give him another reason for getting off without prison. Then he can sue the drug companies.
obxhead
(8,434 posts)You're not allowed to use the "I was blinded drunk" defense in a murder trial.
McCamy Taylor
(19,240 posts)Does not sound healthy.
Enrique
(27,461 posts)prescription drugs are a way of life down here.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)I think I read it's only second to tourism in economic importance to the state.
malaise
(269,157 posts)I knew this goon had issues
lunatica
(53,410 posts)Oh! And he isn't black.
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)H2O Man
(73,590 posts)Recommended.
TBF
(32,085 posts)Along with the money from his book/movie deals he is going to be living better than any of us.
anything he gets will immediately be awarded to Trayvon's parents in a wrongful death lawsuit.
TBF
(32,085 posts)I would love to see that!
mopinko
(70,197 posts)GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)If the jury finds "not guilty" then Zman gets civil immunity also.
Rob H.
(5,352 posts)OJ Simpson was found not guilty of killing Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, and Brown's and Goldman's parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against OJ and won. In wrongful death cases, the standard of proof is a preponderance of the evidence rather than beyond a reasonable doubt, as in criminal trials.
Edits: clarity and capitalization. D'oh!
groundloop
(11,521 posts)If the "stand your ground" defense flies Zimmerman will have immunity from civil suits.
Rob H.
(5,352 posts)Learn something new every day.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)If Zimmerman gets off, that law will become the object of an impassioned campaign to get rid of it.
Hatchling
(2,323 posts)I know OJ was found not guilty but lost his shirt in a civil trial.
GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)OJ was not claiming self-defense. In most SYG states if you defend yourself against unlawful attack then the attacker is responsible for his injuries including death.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)mwooldri
(10,303 posts)Adderall - amphetamine salt...
This medication can definitely cause adverse side-effects. I know, I was on the drug for a while, it didn't work as expected and I discontinued it. All under doctor's supervision.
OnlinePoker
(5,725 posts)He wasn't responsible for his actions because the drugs had altered his thought process. Sounds like another "Twinkie" defense coming.
KharmaTrain
(31,706 posts)...but merited in this case as there are those who want to slime Martin by using the lame excuse he had marijuana in his system and thus must be some "Reefer Madness" monster and/or since he got high (and black) he was obviously some thug that warranted being profiled by Zimmerman. So if Martin had some dangerous psychotic drugs in his system then aren't drugs in Zimmerman's system that could alter behavior also be taken in account.
On the whole this is yet another circle jerk as neither conditions will be central to any forthcoming jury trial...
byeya
(2,842 posts)medicine, no matter how toxic, will not.
Hoping for the best.
KharmaTrain
(31,706 posts)The trial will be strictly on the evidence surrounding the murder...the events immediately leading up to what happened, not a lot of the sideshows that others are injecting here. This one one of them. A good judge will have any mention of drug use on either side stricken as that's not part of the indictment.
patrice
(47,992 posts)mwooldri
(10,303 posts)If the prosecutors use the generic name of the drug that Zimmerman was taking rather than the brand name - then the jury will be pumped up. The word amphetamine can conjure up all kinds of things.... thinking of other illegal drugs.
jeff47
(26,549 posts)If he "acted out" because of the drugs, he wasn't standing his ground.
DallasNE
(7,403 posts)Here. Didn't know about the other drug then.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=124250
uponit7771
(90,356 posts)bupkus
(1,981 posts)It was called "Fast and Furious"
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/atf-fast-furious-sg,0,3828090.storygallery
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)TIA for anyone who can clarify.
Meiko
(1,076 posts)Either Zimmerman was never given a blood test or the report has been sealed and will not be released until the trial starts. The consensus is that no drug test was given which would violate Florida state law due to a firearm having been involved.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)It seems to me that people have repeatedly gotten up in arms over something that hasn't been published, with the assumption that the information must not exist if it can't be seen on the Web.
The story presented in the OP for this thread says that Zimmerman was "on" two particular drugs, but that may mean only that he held prescriptions for them. People jump to the conclusions that A) he was under the influence of the drugs and that B) they affected his behavior. Either or both may be true, or not. Add another layer C) which would be whether or not the effects of either or both drugs have any legal weight. For example, was he in violation of the terms of his concealed-weapons permit? That would sink his defense like a rock.
This is why we have courts and orderly trials.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)You are advised not to drive if you have taken medication that might make you drowsy.
Seems to me that gun laws should require gun-owners to refrain from carrying guns if on medications that might make them drowsy or stimulate them.
Enrique
(27,461 posts)according to the same medical report that showed his injuries.
The court documents also show that prior to the shooting, Zimmerman had received prescriptions for Adderall and Temazepam, which have been shown to cause agitation and mood swings, though in less than 10 percent of consumers.
patrice
(47,992 posts)"Who, us? - a nation of PRESCRIPTION drug abusers??? No way!!! We just milk 'our' 'health' 'care' systems for any and all of the pills we can take, just to get from one day to the next. NO TIME to actually fix anything in our lives that is causing the symptoms for which we and our pet pill-pushers survey the vast menu of chemicals available for our every physical and psychological twinge. And DO NOT TALK about it. All you really need to do is just keep that nose down on that grindstone. Don't ask any questions about why everyone is so troubled and sick. Just keep pretending you're happy, and everything you do is what you wanted to do in the first place, and keep taking your meds. And "God" forbid you should need a little (very expensive) help from an actual other person; that would be wrong, just keep on running that rat race and taking those pills and when you find you, ahem . . . , "must" do something horrific to 'protect' y/our own life, don't worry about it, we'll just mark that one up to the health of a head-busting-cop-wannabe, in this case, George, or the health of an oil-based economy, or the health of the 'job creators', or the health of an obsolete treaty organization, or the health of anyone and everyone's soul but you own. So when innocents suffer and die, because you lost track of who you are and what you are doing, we all can get higher than a kite on the bathos alone and reward everyone with big crocodile-tears fests for the poor sad sweet kid with the heart of a lion who happened to attract your attention+++; and for primitive brown-people in other countries who happen to think they own our oil; and for those loser rubes who didn't adapt effectively to multi-dimensional American financial shell-game 'job' markets; and for insufficiently ruthless foreigners who didn't kill their way to the top of gangster economies; and for everyone who didn't join 'our' divine little power-clique, conceived, birthed, nurtured, entertained, blessed into and out of life on violence and pharmaceuticals. Don't worry about what you don't know. Salute the flag, or else, and have another pill."
iemitsu
(3,888 posts)and if so, which ones.
it's beautiful and so on target.
patrice
(47,992 posts)iemitsu
(3,888 posts)and from the looks of my spelling i must have been on drugs when i responded.
ccavagnolo
(65 posts)if drugs lending themselves to curb insomnia don't contain warnings for operating heavy machinery and driving? of which he was doing both.
zzaapp
(531 posts)goclark
(30,404 posts)If Trayvon had these drugs in his system, if alive --- he would have been in jail by now.
Blue Owl
(50,485 posts)n/t
Gregorian
(23,867 posts)Drug war, timely justice, bad laws, racism, media conglomeration...
krispos42
(49,445 posts)Imaging you're working the counter at Starbucks... who would YOU want to deal with???
libodem
(19,288 posts)Something drove that unsolicited aggression.
Life Long Dem
(8,582 posts)The other is illegal. I didn't hear the media talk about any aggressiveness from the weed. They'd be laughed at if they did.
iamthebandfanman
(8,127 posts)and wouldnt only make things worse on him..
cause itd bring lawyers from big pharma into it to prove its a safe drug n couldnt have done it..
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)and maybe proof that some MDs shouldn't be allowed to prescribe psychoactive medications.
Adderal is essentially a mixture of 2 forms of speed, often used for ADD, which can certainly cause insomnia, paranoia, & similar problems--so then he is prescribed Temazepam to try to bring him down from the effects of the first drug.
And he's running around with all that shit in his bloodstream carrying a gun.
Lemme tell ya I'd much rather he be stoned on pot than taking that combination if he's gonna be wandering around with a gun.
Skip Intro
(19,768 posts)I did some web-searching on these claims, not to be a "Zimmerman-defender" or "Zimmerman-apologist" (but feel free to call me names if the mood strikes), but to learn the truth, and found that there are no reliable media sources reporting, to the degree in the OP, this aspect of the issue.
However, digging a bit, I did find an ABC News report stating the following:
According to the report, prior to the shooting Zimmerman had been prescribed Adderall and Temazepam, medications that can cause side effects such as agitation and mood swings, but in fewer than 10 percent of patients.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/george-zimmerman-medical-report-sheds-light-injuries-trayvon/story?id=16353532#.T7slGtms87q
It isn't clear, from what I can find, if Zimmerman was still taking one or both of these drugs before the incident, or if he was under the effect of one or either that night, or, if so, fell into the less than ten percent who may have an adverse reaction.
Of course, the same is true for Martin and his drug use. Martin having had THC in his system proves or disproves nothing. This would be true for Restoril and Adderall in Zimmerman's system, imho. Another bit of info, but proves zilch.
We don't know how long ago these meds were prescribed, of if Zimmerman was on either just prior to or during the incident with Martin. We have no indication that he had the less than 1 in 10 reaction that would cause him to experience agitation or mood swings.
The OP, and the linked article, seem to use this snippet of real news to paint Zimmerman as some out of control drug-powered zombie bent on killing.
I'm sorry, but in the interest of honesty, nothing in this thread proves anything of the sort.
Flame away.
aquart
(69,014 posts)That seems insignificant to you?
McCamy Taylor
(19,240 posts)Too often treated with pills that target the symptoms not the disorder.
Blue_Roses
(12,894 posts)and if a person does indeed REALLY have AD/HD, it should not and will not cause aggression. It gives a paradox effect. I know this because I have been prescribed and taken Adderall for over four years--with none of the aggressive side effects, in fact, quite the contrary.
I suspect Zimmerman probably does have AD/HD which would explain his impulsiveness and inability to follow directions. Sounds like he didn't take his meds that day. It also explains his inability to succeed with his desire to be a cop. No follow through or again impulsive, bad decision making.
Nevertheless, he does not need a gun if he does have AD/HD, because he obviously isn't taking his meds. The number one characteristic of AD/HD is impulsiveness--something he clearly has.
Also, having AD/HD is not an excuse for murder.
Adderall can affect sleep (obviously) so sometimes a doctor will prescribe meds to combat that. (although, ironically, Adderall makes me sleepy and many others who have AD/HD) But, it's often something very light or the natural drug Melatonin. I guess it depends on the doctor.
RogerShuler
(11 posts)Has it touched this story? Certainly seems to be pertinent information.