Anna's Death Fridge -- Methadone and Slim-Fast

31. lol...some of you readers are in as much of denial that ANS had a drug/booze problem as she was...they could have a picture of her actually doing the stuff and you would swear it was her evil twin sister no one knew about until after her death...get real..

Posted at 1:36PM on Feb 11th 2007 by It's reality folks

32. Lindsey-

Why not? It is a LEGALLY prescribed medication! Why wouldn't she leave it in the frige and then leave the country? That is just a stupid statement.

Posted at 1:31PM on Feb 11th 2007 by tracib

33. #18- The prescription label may be on the side of the bottle, so if the drug was put into another container it would be considered having an illegal precription drug. When you go through the airports with carry-on meds they all have to be in their correct bottles with the script labels on them.

Posted at 1:35PM on Feb 11th 2007 by oprahlovesham

34. IF this is really a picture of her fridge, can you imagine what Mrs Trimspa (Chyna bashing know it all on Larry King will have to say about this)? NOT very good advertising for her/their company.

Posted at 1:35PM on Feb 11th 2007 by tracib

35. #6...

you said PRESCRIBED stash. As far as I know Anna Nicole Smith wasn't PRESCRIBED methadone and one does not refer to LEGITIMATELY prescribed drugs as "stash" either!

Posted at 1:36PM on Feb 11th 2007 by It's elementary Watson!

36. Howard K Stern should not be allowed near that baby and she needs to be in some kind of protective custody. If he was that obsessed with ANS he might decide to kill himself and the baby so they can all allegedly be together. Did y'all see that ET did an interview with him and probably paid him millions for the pics of him being "reunited" with the baby. YUCK! - He needs to do the right thing and get the paternity test done..The baby looks exactly like the young photographer, Larry Birkhead. So what about his rights and his baby's rights?

To the person who said Daniel could have gotten the drugs from his motehr's refrig... HELLO, they were at the hospital when he died.

Posted at 1:36PM on Feb 11th 2007 by Linda Lee

37. YOU DUMBAZZES, it's the fridge IN FLORIDA, hence the 'mini' fridge, it's NOT HER FRIDGE IN THE BAHAMA'S. Although, that is exactly why Stern flew to the Bahama's the DAY OF ANNA'S DEATH and left her dead body back in Florida, to remove all traces of methodone, drugs, etc., just like he flushed the remaining drugs down the toilet in the hospital room when Daniel died. Somebody arrest this man, or I know people, just sayin'.

Posted at 1:37PM on Feb 11th 2007 by James

38. The vials of injectable meds are VItamin B12.

Posted at 1:38PM on Feb 11th 2007 by Heidi

39. Holy sh*t. Spray Butter !!!!!

Posted at 1:43PM on Feb 11th 2007 by Bugsy

40. I am writing on behalf of the victims and those yet to be victims of methadone. I have come together with many other families throughout the United States who have lost loved ones to methadone.

We are asking government agencies to enact stricter guidelines in prescribing methadone for any reason. It must be mandatory that all doctors be certified and trained in the pharmacology of methadone; inpatient stays must be required during induction to methadone; all staff be extensively trained in monitoring methadone patients for symptoms of toxicity. Clinic patients should be tested for legal and illegal drugs that are taken with methadone to get “ hi gh” of experience “euphoria” such as benzodiazepines, alcohol, cocaine, heroin ect… and face severe consequences / mandatory detoxification from methadone program when presenting inebriated at clinic, clinic should also document such activity as well as prevent client from driving. Take home doses for all patients receiving methadone should be eliminated thus preventing the risk of diversion or precautions such as pill safe should be implemented. http://www.thepillsafe.com/

Current statistics show that nearly 4000 people a year die from methadone. These deaths are mostly happening to pain management and detoxification patients wit hi n the first 10 days of taking initial dose. Most of these deaths are related to methadone prescribed with other medications that react as additives with methadone. Diversion of methadone is a serious problem because it lands t hi s most deadly drug on streets. Statistics also state that methadone is contributing to more deaths nationwide then heroine and cocaine.

The government did take notice after the 2003 record number of deaths associated with methadone and the Bush administration responded by gathering the top experts on drug overdoses, doctors, researchers, and medical examiners, as well as representatives from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, Food and Drug Administration, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Association. Finn and Tuckwiller (2006) report that “the man hired to research and write the report based on the conference, as well as background paper for conference participants, was Stewart B. Leavitt, and addiction specialist whose work is funded by the makers of methadone”. Stewart B. Leavitt PhD served as researcher/writer for A National Assessment of Methadone-Associated Mortality: Background Briefing Report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Stewart B Leavitt also writes Addiction Treatment Forum Methadone Dosing & Safety in the Treatment of Opioid Addiction which is funded by Mallinckrodt, Inc. a manufacturer of methadone. My question is why hasn't a team of independent researchers not funded by pharmaceutical companies; a person or group of people that stand to gain no financial benefit on the outcome of the studies been hired to conduct the research? Finn and Tuckwiller (2006) report that “the man hired to research and write the report based on the conference, as well as background paper for conference participants, was Stewart B. Leavitt, and addiction specialist whose work is funded by the makers of methadone”. Stewart B. Leavitt PhD served as researcher/writer for A National Assessment of Methadone-Associated Mortality: Background Briefing Report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Stewart B Leavitt also writes Addiction Treatment Forum Methadone Dosing & Safety in the Treatment of Opioid Addiction which is funded by Mallinckrodt, Inc. a manufacturer of methadone. On the forum associated with his website several of the clinic participants speak of diverting, misusing, stockpiling, selling, and potentiating methadone and other prescription drugs.

This methadone epidemic and deaths associated with it are not going away. It's only getting worse; I get contacted by families on a daily basis who have lost someone to this drug. At what point do we value human life over the convenience of others? Methadone patients, whether they are pain or clinic pose a risk to themselves and society as a whole if they are not monitored, dosed, and assessed correctly. Clinic patients getting into cars after being dosed who are using benzodiazepines, alcohol, or other opiates are killing innocent people on the road. This type of harm reduction is not saving lives it’s taking them. The government cannot continue to be a legal drug dealer in order for its citizens to “behave”. Many MMT patients claim that they have been able to maintain sobriety for long periods of time (several years) but are unhappy and depressed therefore seek out MMT and describe the "high" they get from this that makes they happy. Endorphin Deficiency is another "off-label" use of methadone. I have yet to be able to find this "diagnosis" listed in the DSM IV but I'm am sure they a large percentage of the population suffer from this as endorphin deficiency precipitated not only by opiate abuse but also eating disorders, ADHD, low levels of neurotransmitter GABA, PMS, stress, MS, depression etc....
I know the rules are in place for the clinics but they are NOT being followed. Patients sell take homes outside the clinics. In one news article a man died in the parking lot of a clinic after taking his brothers take home. This drug is too dangerous to be allowed in medicine cabinets! There is A LOT of money to be made from methadone but what expense is that money being made at? When do the risks outweigh the benefits of this drug? How many more people must die before changes are made that actually save lives?
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/472711451
http://www.actionstudio.org/public/page_view_all.cfm?option=begin&pageid=7555&tmode

On June 24th 2006 I lost my fiancé (Ron) to t hi s deadly drug prescribed by a physician with a combination of other medications that acted as additives to the Methadone. He had knee surgery and became addicted to the percocet he was prescribed. He checked hi mself into Greenleaf in Valdosta , GA for detoxification. Upon entering the facility he was drug tested and did not come up positive for opiates (he had stopped taking the percocet 4 days before entering the facility). On the fourth day in detox he died sometime between 2am and 1pm in the afternoon (he was never checked on in all of those hours). The night before he died he was complaining of migraines and vomiting, apparently the staff thought he was still experiencing withdrawals and was not concerned about these symptoms. The symptoms of methadone toxicity mimic withdrawal symptoms physicians and staff must be very cognizant of the complex properties and metabolization of methadone. There were many errors made in my fiancé’s death including the fact that he was given numerous amounts of additive medications such as benzodiazepines. He had only been taking percocet for about 4 months and according to the DSM IV he wouldn’t be an appropriate candidate methadone maintenance treatment.

It doesn't matter specific reasons for taking methadone but what does matter is that t hi s medication is deadly and physicians need to more prudent in prescribing it as well as monitoring their patients w hi le beginning treatment of any kind using Methadone. I'm not sure if Ron was given methadone for the sole purpose for detoxification from opiates or if it was a combination of pain relief associated with numerous surgeries and opiate addiction. Methadone is difficult to properly dose no matter what reason it's being used for and primarily relies on the patient’s indications of how they feel (assumedly they are being monitored). There are ways to make the administration of methadone safer, it's just a matter of putting the focus on t hi s drug and the deadly consequences when administered incorrectly or not monitored.

Many people are dying unnecessarily at the hands of the physicians they turn to for help. Methadone deaths are rising throughout the country. Ron was 32 years old and has 2 c hi ldren from a previous marriage that now do not have a father.


I'm also providing you a link to a website I created in hi s memory to give a more human touch to t hi s email. http://renato-capozzo.memory-of.com/


www.harmd.org

Posted at 1:43PM on Feb 11th 2007 by Melissa Zuppardi

41. #18

um, maybe its me but i always thought that people doing drugs werent always the most brilliant or observant, maybe she was too wasted to notice what she left where but even more likely SHE didnt keep track of the stuff but someone else did and got it for her when she wanted some.

Posted at 1:44PM on Feb 11th 2007 by poodlebutt

42. In recent years, methadone has gained popularity among physicians for the treatment of other medical problems, such as chronic pain. A month's supply will typically have a retail cost of $30-50 in the United States, compared to hundreds of dollars for alternative opioids. Methadone, with its long duration of effect and good bioavailability, is a common second-choice drug for pain in patients that doesn't respond to weaker meds. Some physicians also choose methadone for treating chronic pain in patients who are thought to have a propensity for addiction.

Posted at 3:52PM on Feb 12th 2007 by Lynn

43. Gotta love these f***-nuts defending Stern. I'll bet he O.J.'s new hero.

Posted at 1:50PM on Feb 11th 2007 by Horny on Sunday

44. Howard may have had his plan intact, but it is quickly fallling apart. He may have thought he could avoid paternity testing by moving to the Bahama's and having his name on the baby's birth certificate, but there is no court system in the Bahama's or the U.S. that will prevent the testing now that all this crap has happened. Howard: Prepare for a trip to HELL. You so deserve what's coming your way.

Posted at 1:44PM on Feb 11th 2007 by James

45. The caption under the picture says the fridge was in the Bahamas bedroom James.

Its reality - this is Howard Marshall writing from the grave - do you believe that too?

Thought so.

Posted at 1:44PM on Feb 11th 2007 by you all are so gullible and love to hate