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Mother of Bristol Palin’s ex-beau guilty in drug case PALMER, Alaska — The mother of the man former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol had planned on marrying has reached a plea deal in her drug case. Sherry Johnston pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of possession with intent to deliver the painkiller OxyContin. Five other felony counts were dropped. “That’s pretty,” Johnston said as a court officer placed pink handcuffs, a gift from an Arizona sheriff, around her wrists. She hugged her lawyer, Rex Butler, before being escorted out of the courtroom and taken to a correctional facility where...

PALMER, Alaska -- The mother of the man former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol had planned on marrying has reached a plea deal in her drug case. Sherry Johnston pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of possession with intent to deliver the painkiller OxyContin. Five other felony counts were dropped. "That's pretty," Johnston said as a court officer placed pink handcuffs - a gift from an Arizona sheriff - around her wrists. Court officers can use their own handcuffs, and the pink ones are a trademark of Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Phoenix's Maricopa County, along with the pink boxer...

Palmer, Alaska (AP) -- The mother of the man former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol had planned on marrying has reached a plea deal in her drug case. Sherry Johnston pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of possession with intent to deliver the painkiller OxyContin. Five other felony counts were dropped. Johnston was placed in pink handcuffs and taken to a correctional facility where she'll be held until her Nov. 20 sentencing.

DANGEROUS COMBO OF RX NARCOTICS * ATE 1 MEAL A DAY, WEIGHED 125 LBS. In addition to the mind-bending painkiller Demerol that the "King of Pop" took three times a day, he also took 3 milligrams of the overwhelming narcotic Dilaudid as well as Vicodin daily. To add to the reality-altering effect of Demerol, Jackson also took a drug called Vistaril, which amplifies the narcotics' effect, experts say. Rounding out the staggering pharmacopia, Jackson scarfed down the muscle relaxant Soma, antidepressants Zoloft and Paxil, anti-anxiety drug Xanax and the heartburn medication Prilosec on a daily basis, a source close to...

The Los Angeles Police robbery and homicide division has been assigned to investigate the death of Michael Jackson, department officials said today. "There is no immediate indication of a crime," a police official told ABC News, "but because of the high profile nature of the case the robbery and homicide detectives with review all evidence and work with the coroner's office." Los Angeles police were reported to be seeking a doctor who was with Jackson when he collapsed yesterday at his rented mansion in the Bel-Air section of Los Angeles. The LAPD is also reportedly searching for a doctor who...

Michael Jackson's doctor has vanished after the singer's family revealed he was given an injection of painkiller shortly before he collapsed and died. Jackson's relatives told website TMZ.com, who first broke the news of his death last night, that he was given the pain-killing drug Demerol at his home in Los Angeles. A close member of the family said he had been having daily injections of the synthetic drug, which is similar to morphine, and was given a shot at 11.30am yesterday. Less than an hour later, at 12.21pm, a 911 call was made from his Beverly Hills home raising...

Paula Abdul maintains that she’s never been drunk, but she does admit that she can “get weird.” In the June issue of Ladies’ Home Journal, it’s revealed that Abdul had a condition, reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome, that required aggressive pain management. She wore a patch that delivered a pain medication 80 times more potent than morphine, took a nerve medication, and sometimes took a muscle relaxer, according to LHJ. It was this combination that Abdul said caused her to “get weird,” at times. It’s been confirmed that all four “American Idol” judges will be back next year, but LHJ reports...

WASHINGTON — Government medical advisers recommended a ban Friday on Darvon, a prescription medicine that’s been used to treat pain for more than 50 years but left a trail of problems such as addiction and suicide. A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted 14-12 to recommend withdrawing Darvon after a daylong hearing examining its risks and benefits. The FDA is not required to follow the recommendations of its advisers, but it often does so...

This video explains the signs and symptoms of drug or alcohol addiction. For more information see http://qcs-okc.com or http://kctxs.com or call 918-835-3017 in Tulsa, OK or 405-672-3033 in Oklahoma City.

A Tangled Story of Addiction Consequences of Cindy McCain's Drug Abuse Were More Complex Than She Has Portrayed By Kimberly Kindy Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, September 12, 2008; A01 When Cindy McCain is asked what issues she would champion as first lady, she often cites one of the most difficult periods of her life: her battle with -- and ultimate victory over -- prescription painkillers. Her struggle, she has said repeatedly, taught her valuable lessons about drug abuse that she would pass on to the nation. "I think it made me a better person as well as a better...

Prescription painkiller addiction has grown exponentially in the last several years fueled by the illicit online pharmacies whose spam inundates your inbox. The DEA is abruptly shutting down this cheap & easy supply. What seemed like a problem will be revealed as the tip of the iceberg, sending a tsunami through the criminal justice, social services, and health care systems. SAMHSA best practice Medication Assisted Treatment is capable of managing most cases on an outpatient basis avoiding a progressive deterioration, costly to individuals and taxpayers. Communities must act now. http://myspace.com/nhsoklahoma

Exponential growth in addiction met with a dramatic reduction in supply, creates a situation where a large number of people get sick and desperate. Prices spike as addicts clamor to find the drugs they need so badly. Alternative, and often illegal, methods for raising funds are employed. Progressively risky behavior and criminal associations occur. People lose jobs, lose housing, and lose families, dismantling a network of support systems that are challenging, if not impossible, to rebuild. The magnitude of people potentially involved will send shockwaves through the criminal justice, social services, health care, and criminal justice service delivery systems as...

Opening King Tut's tomb brought to light treasures and curses hidden for thousands of years. One of the lat ter still haunts us -- the curse of King Tut's tooth. Tut, like many teenagers, needed a tooth extraction, in his case, an impacted wisdom tooth. Sadly, ancient Egyptian dentistry was unable to help the boy-pharaoh, as extractions were done only on very loose teeth, by the gentle touch of fingers. Even forceps (pliers) were probably not employed until long after Tut died. Astonishingly, modern dental extraction procedures are still mired in the technology of the an cient world. Recently, I...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal health officials on Tuesday proposed sterner warning labels for acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen, again cautioning millions of Americans who take the nonprescription pain relievers regularly of potentially serious side effects. The over-the-counter drugs remain safe and effective when used as directed, the Food and Drug Administration said. However, overdoses of acetaminophen can cause serious liver damage, even death, the FDA said. For aspirin, ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, there is a risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and kidney injury even when patients take the correct dose. The drugs are linked to thousands of deaths a year....

An actress in the school play. Two star high school football players. The cute hostess at a local restaurant. Two busy workers behind the counter at the pharmacy. All teenagers with promise in an affluent triangle of eastern Morris County towns. But all were criminally charged last week in a drug bust coordinated by the Morris County Prosecutor's Office. Operation Painkiller nabbed 47 adults and seven juveniles, including some current students and a host of alumni of Whippany Park High School in Hanover. Police said they seized more than $70,000 in cash and drugs, including 4 ounces of heroin with...

Scores Of Deaths Blamed On Abuse Of Painkiller Patch ST. LOUIS -- Justin Knox bit down on the bitter-tasting patch, instantly releasing three days' worth of a drug more powerful than morphine. He was dead before he even got to the hospital. The 22-year-old construction worker and addict was another victim in an apparent surge in U.S. overdoses blamed on abuse of the fentanyl patch, a prescription-only product that is intended for cancer patients and others with chronic pain and is designed to dispense the medicine slowly through the skin. "I cannot tell you the amount of people I've seen...

Patrick Kennedy, fresh from his second stint in drug rehab, yesterday said he's building recovery support networks .....and will continue to undergo treatment for his addiction to painkillers. ........ the younger son of Sen. Ted Kennedy - entered the drug and alcohol treatment at the Mayo Clinic May 5, a day after he slammed his Mustang into a security barrier near the U.S. Capitol. An admitted binge drinker and pain-pill abuser, Kennedy, 38, had been treated at the clinic over the Christmas holidays.........Kennedy told reporters, "I know that I am doing everything I need to do to succeed."

CHICAGO — U.S. agents, working in cooperation with the Mexican government, have closed down a lab in Mexico that might be the main source of a powerful painkiller that has killed at least 100 heroin users in eight states, the federal drug czar said Monday. John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said it's still not clear whether the painkiller,fentanyl, was mixed with heroin at the lab in Mexico or after it entered the United States.

Ibuprofen can double risk of heart attack, says medical study By Celia Hall, Medical Editor (Filed: 02/06/2006) Common painkillers such as ibuprofen can double the risk of suffering a heart attack, a study has found. Research published in the British Medical Journal analysed results of 138 trials involving 140,000 patients over several years. It found that ibuprofen and diclofenac, two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), could cause attacks when taken in high doses. Vioxx: Banned in 2004 The drugs have been previously noted for increasing heart attack risk but experts say that this is the biggest and most definitive study of...

WASHINGTON - Rep. Patrick Kennedy will enter rehab for addiction to prescription pain medication Friday evening after a highly publicized car crash near the Capitol. Kennedy, D-R.I., plans to seek treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Rush Limbaugh must submit to random drug tests under an agreement filed Monday that will dismiss a prescription fraud charge against the conservative commentator after 18 months if he complies with the terms.

It has been more than two years since news first broke that Rush Limbaugh had an addiction to painkillers. That news led to a criminal investigation of Limbaugh by Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer, who in December 2003 leaked to the media that his office had uncovered evidence of 10 felony counts, including "doctor shopping," money laundering and drug trafficking. Despite the sensational allegations, no charges have been brought. Worse, in the latest round between the State Attorney's office and Limbaugh, Assistant State Attorney James Martz made a startling admission in open court on Tuesday as he sought...

A House-Senate conference committee yesterday dropped a controversial provision that gave the Drug Enforcement Administration authority to review, and potentially block, the sale of all new prescription narcotics. The legislation, promoted by Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.) and attached to a multi-department appropriations bill, passed last year with little notice. But this year the Food and Drug Administration, many drug makers and doctors who treat pain patients objected to renewing it, and the provision was stripped from the bill. Opponents said the provision was an unwarranted intrusion by a law enforcement agency into the FDA's drug-review system. Pain specialists also...

Soccer, Haitian style -- C'est La Guerre! BY DAVE BARRY May 1, 2005 (This classic Dave Barry column was originally published on March 14, 1999.) We live in troubled and uncertain times, but I am feeling good -- about myself; about my homeland; about all the nations of the earth; and, yes, about future of humanity. And I will tell you why: I am on painkillers. I got them from my doctor, Curt. Curt is a great doctor, probably the greatest doctor who ever lived, and I will tell you why: He gave me these painkillers. These are some STRONG...

Ex-Lansing detective admits drug theft 3/31/2005, 12:14 p.m. ET The Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A former city police detective admitted in court that he stole prescription painkillers from an acquaintance's house last fall. Darren Duso, 42, pleaded guilty Wednesday to taking the OxyContin in return for a dismissal of more serious charges. He faces up to two years in prison when Ingham County Circuit Judge Paula Manderfield sentences him on May 4. The 15-year Lansing Police Department veteran resigned in November, one month after county sheriff's officials arrested him on charges of stealing drugs from the Dansville house....

WASHINGTON - Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) concluded Friday the popular painkiller Celebrex poses an increased risk for heart problems but should remain on the market because the benefits outweigh the dangers. The panelists suggested a number of possible restrictions, including placing a "black box" warning on the label warning of the potential dangers and who's at risk, providing more patient information with the drug, restricting which patients could get it and banning direct-to-consumer advertising for Celebrex. The FDA is not bound to follow any of the recommendations. If it does decide to keep...

Researchers Assess Risk-Benefit Ratio The spate of bad news about painkillers has dealt a major setback to what had been a highly promising effort to use the drugs to prevent a host of leading killers, including many types of cancer, Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. Since concerns emerged that drugs such as Vioxx and Celebrex might cause heart attacks and strokes, researchers testing the drugs in dozens of studies have been frantically scouring whatever data they have gathered so far for signs of danger, urgently debating whether the trials should continue, and quickly informing participants of possible risks. Several...

The Drug Enforcement Administration has reversed its support for a set of negotiated guidelines designed to end a controversy over the arrests of hundreds of pain specialists who prescribed powerful narcotics for their patients. The agency took the document off its Web site earlier this month, less than two months after announcing it with great fanfare. In rescinding its endorsement, the DEA wrote on its Web site that the 31-page document "contained misstatements" and "was not approved as an official statement of the agency." The agency declined to give any more specifics, saying that it hoped to issue a statement...

(Aug. 17) -- Toxicology tests confirm that Michael Tata died from a combination of the painkiller fentanyl and alcohol. The popular casino executive was found dead at his home in Henderson in July. It's now believed that the powerful opium-based painkiller, fentanyl, is at least partly to blame. The coroner says Tata's death was accidental. But UMC clinical pharmacist Don Frisch says that fentanyl can turn deadly if it's used used recreationally, especially if alcohol is added to the mix: "But when used in combination with other respiratory depressants, like alcohol or valium, you can actually have an enhanced effect...

Association of American Physicians & Surgeons The Voice for Private Physicians Since 1943 1601 N. Tucson Blvd Suite 9 Tucson AZ 85716 www.aapsonline.org TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO CONTACT CONGRESS: “THE POLITICS OF PAIN & PAINKILLERS” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- • Help stop the war on pain patients & doctors. • Contact Congress by Thurs., Sept. 16. • Forward this message to everyone on your email list. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We now have an easy, one-step way for everyone to contact their Members of Congress to tell them you want them to attend the briefing "The Politics of Pain & Painkillers" to be held on...

The lethal toxins produced by cone snails are in hot demand for neuroscience research, and are being developed as potent drugs. Laura Nelson visits a would-be snail ‘farmer’, for whom milking time is fraught with danger. 24 June 2004 LAURA NELSON This article is from the news section of the journal Nature Marine cone snails are among the most venomous beasts on the planet. © Nature Jon-Paul Bingham fumbles around for a condom. Big Bertha is waiting. There’s an awkward pause. “It has to be the non-lubricated kind,” he says. Bingham rips open the packet and slips the prophylactic over...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration on Monday expanded efforts to fight illegal diversion and abuse of prescription drugs such as painkillers and sedatives. Officials said they were taking particular aim at Internet pharmacies that sell controlled substances illegally and create easy access for teenagers, 14 percent of whom abuse prescription drugs. "We intend to curtail this vicious practice that targets our youth in particular because of their access and interest in the Internet," John Walters, head of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, or ONDCP, said at a press conference. The effort was announced by the...

Bush Policy To Target Prescription Drugs Tracking patients' use key part of new anti-drug effort WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush's national anti-drug strategy will for the first time target the use of pain relievers, sedatives and stimulants for nonmedical purposes, a problem that has exploded in the last decade. A key part of the strategy being released Monday involves government efforts to help states develop monitoring systems to track a patient's use of prescription medicine. The monitoring programs flag cases that indicate a pattern of abuse, such as "doctor shopping," where a patient gets prescriptions for drugs from multiple physicians....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush's national anti-drug strategy will for the first time target the use of pain relievers, sedatives and stimulants for nonmedical purposes, a problem that has exploded in the last decade.A key part of the strategy being released Monday involves government efforts to help states develop monitoring systems to track a patient's use of prescription medicine. The monitoring programs flag cases that indicate a pattern of abuse, such as "doctor shopping," where a patient gets prescriptions for drugs from multiple physicians.Prescription medicine now ranks second, behind marijuana, among drugs most abused by adults and young people, said...

MATTERS OF LIFE AND DEATH Painkillers for aborted babies? Lawmakers consider bill to relieve 'terror and suffering of children' Posted: February 7, 2004 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com A bill is gathering support in the Virginia legislature that would require unborn children be administered a painkiller before abortions are performed. A measure introduced by Republican Dick Black will be considered by the justice committee of Virginia's lower chamber, the House of Delegates, Monday, reported WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. The Senate will address a similar measure Thursday. "We must do everything possible to relieve the terror and suffering of children...

<p>ROANOKE - Federal prosecutors failed to win a single conviction yesterday against a Roanoke doctor they had accused of illegally prescribing medicine that contributed to the deaths of seven patients.</p> <p>After a seven-week trial and more than a week of deliberating in U.S. District Court, a jury found Dr. Cecil Knox not guilty of about 30 of the 69 charges against him. Jurors were unable to reach a verdict on the remaining counts, prompting Chief U.S. District Judge Samuel Wilson to declare a mistrial.</p>

BOSTON - Rush Limbaugh is not alone. Addiction to prescription painkillers has boomed in recent years, and they can be as tough to kick as heroin. The number of Americans who begin misusing painkillers each year has almost quadrupled from 1990 to 2001, according to government figures. And many abusers don't recognize the insidious slide into addiction. "It's just so much more acceptable in society for people to be taking prescription drugs," said Sean Evans, 31, of Everett, Mass., a construction worker who became addicted to the pain reliever OxyContin, then moved on to heroin. "You can always rationalize the...

Someone send this guy a pair of Birkenstocks, a foxhole conversion is under way. Beyond the damage Limbaugh has done to his highly burnished conservative credentials, his sensational fall has added to the woes of another group: those in chronic pain who rely on OxyContin to relieve their torment. This kind of adverse publicity will only make it harder for patients to get access to the pain medication they need. As chair of the Department of Pain Medicine at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, N.C., and past president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, Dr. Gerald Aronoff has seen the...

A thread for those listening to today's show.

Addressing for the first time allegations that he's under investigation in Florida for abusing prescription painkillers, talk radio icon Rush Limbaugh promised his audience today that he'd tell them everything he knew "as soon as I know what I'm up against." "The story in Florida, it really is an emerging situation," Limbaugh said at the top of his broadcast. "I watch what's being reported on television and it changes from morning to morning, hour to hour, day to day. He continued: "I don't know yet what I'm dealing with here, folks. I really don't know the full scope of what...

LONDON/TOKYO (Reuters) - British police revealed on Saturday that a scientist at the center of a row over the government's justification for war in Iraq had died of a slit wrist, leaving little doubt he had taken his own life. A haggard Prime Minister Tony Blair urged the media on a visit to Tokyo to "set aside the speculation and the claims and the counter-claims" over the death of Dr David Kelly, a Defense Ministry weapons expert. Kelly was named as a possible "mole" for a news story saying aides to Blair -- who has staked his career on his...

While OxyContin was making headlines in 2001, another group of powerful painkillers was pouring into Eastern Kentucky at a higher clip -- with little publicity, but eager acceptance in illegal markets. Pills such as Lorcet, Lortab and Vicodin -- as easy to find in the hill country as dogwoods in spring -- are the drugs of choice in a region swamped with prescription narcotics. The pills all share the same key ingredient: hydrocodone, an opium derivative that flows into Eastern Kentucky at a higher per capita rate than anywhere else in America. More hydrocodone pills than OxyContin come to the...