As confirmed by FoxNews.com, notes obtained from an L.A. Coroner's Office official indicate that large amounts of prescription drugs were found in Brittany Murphy's bedroom by responding paramedics.
In a similar Fox News report Dr. Julie Holland, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine in New York City, and Dr. Marc Siegel, a professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, reviewed the deadly potential of the drug combination discovered.
The Medications and Use
- Ativan – sedating anti-anxiety medication.
- Biaxin - antibiotic
- Carbamazepine - anti-seizure medications used to treat depression and bipolar disorder;
- Fluoxetine - generic antidepressant/anti-anxiety drug for Prozac;
- Hydrocodone - narcotic painkiller
- Klonopin – sedating anti-anxiety medication that is also combined with other medications to control seizures.
- Methylprednisolone - an anti-inflammatory used for short duration for treating asthma and allergies
- Propranolol - anti hypertension medication, used to prevent heart attacks; also used to treat migraines and anxiety. It lowers the heart rate.
- Topamax - anti-seizure medications used to treat depression and bipolar disorder and also used to treat migraines. One of the side effects is reduces appetite which makes it popular as an off label use diet pill.
- Vicoprofen - narcotic painkiller
Dr Holland offered the following on some of dangers of these medications:
- “The problem with propranolol is that” it lowers the heart rate”. "So, combining the propranolol with the pain medicines or the anti-anxiety medicines is also very dangerous," "The pain medicines decrease your respiratory drive and the anti-anxiety medicines can also do the same thing."
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"And then you have the vicoprofen and hydrocodone, which are two opiates, and if you take too much of those, you could stop breathing.”
- "There is also the issue of how sick she was.” "We know that she was sick with flu-like symptoms”. “Pain medicines and anti-anxiety medications decrease the respiratory drive and the anti-anxiety medicines can also do the same thing." “If a persons respiratory function is compromised due to illness this could be a dangerous situation.”
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"If you took Klonopin and Ativan these two sedating anti-anxiety medicines, and another ‘downer’ like alcohol, you can absolutely die."
Holland also noted that “if you take away anything — it’s the fact that we are living in a culture of dangerous polypharmacy. Too many people are taking too many medications without enough supervision."
For additional information: Read Brittany Murphay's last interview, View Interview Video, All about Brittany Murphy
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