Tom Petty Cause of Death "Accidental" overdose

Wow, thats quite a cocktail.

Damn, even my mom doesn't take that much stuff.

Sad, I note one of those is an anti-depressant as well.

I didn't know there were different kinds of fentanyl.

Here's a source with more information, OP:

[quote][bold]Tom Petty's Cause of Death: Accidental Overdose[/bold]

[quote][italic]Singer had been taking several pain medications, including Fentanyl patches, to treat fractured hip and other issues[/italic]

[quote]After months of speculation, a medical examiner has ruled that Tom Petty died of an accidental overdose, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner. The Hall of Fame musician had taken several pain medications, including Fentanyl (including acetylfentanyl and despropionyl fentanyl), oxycodone and generic Xanax. Other medications included generic Restoril (a sleep aid) and generic Celexa (which treats depression).

[quote]The coroner's office listed Petty's official cause of death as "multisystem organ failure due to resuscitated cardiopulmonary arrest due to mixed drug toxicity," noting the singer suffered from coronary artery atherosclerosis and emphysema.

[quote]Petty had been prescribed the drugs to treat emphysema, knee issues and a fractured hip, his family said in a statement accompanying the results. Petty's coronary artery disease had been a persistent problem throughout his final tour.

[quote]"Despite this painful injury he insisted on keeping his commitment to his fans and he toured for 53 dates with a fractured hip and, as he did, it worsened to a more serious injury," Petty's wife Dana and daughter Adria wrote in the statement. "On the day he died he was informed his hip had graduated to a full on break and it is our feeling that the pain was simply unbearable and was the cause for his over use of medication."

[quote]Although it was reported that Petty had suffered a cardiac arrest when he died last fall, the cause of death on his death certificate read "deferred." This decision often occurs in cases where officials don't want to make a ruling until after an autopsy.

Sounds like the MJ special. All that's missing is the anesthesiologist, or are they?

From Facebook:

[quote]Our family sat together this morning with the Medical Examiner – Coroner’s office and we were informed of their final analysis that Tom Petty passed away due to an accidental drug overdose as a result of taking a variety of medications.

[quote]Unfortunately Tom’s body suffered from many serious ailments including emphysema, knee problems and most significantly a fractured hip.

[quote]Despite this painful injury he insisted on keeping his commitment to his fans and he toured for 53 dates with a fractured hip and, as he did, it worsened to a more serious injury.

[quote]On the day he died he was informed his hip had graduated to a full on break and it is our feeling that the pain was simply unbearable and was the cause for his over use of medication.

[quote]We knew before the report was shared with us that he was prescribed various pain medications for a multitude of issues including Fentanyl patches and we feel confident that this was, as the coroner found, an unfortunate accident.

[quote]As a family we recognize this report may spark a further discussion on the opioid crisis and we feel that it is a healthy and necessary discussion and we hope in some way this report can save lives. Many people who overdose begin with a legitimate injury or simply do not understand the potency and deadly nature of these medications.

[quote]On a positive note we now know for certain he went painlessly and beautifully exhausted after doing what he loved the most, for one last time, performing live with his unmatchable rock band for his loyal fans on the biggest tour of his 40 plus year career. He was extremely proud of that achievement in the days before he passed.

[quote]We continue to mourn with you and marvel at Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' incredible positive impact on music and the world. And we thank you all for your love and support over the last months.

[quote]Thank you also for respecting the memory of a man who was truly great during his time on this planet both publicly and privately.

[quote]We would be grateful if you could respect the privacy of the entire Heartbreaker family during this difficult time.

[quote]Dana Petty and Adria Petty

Suicide?

r7 That is self-serving bullshit. He was an admitted opioid addict; he knew damn well the potency and danger, and if he had a responsible doctor, he wouldn't have had a multiple fentanyl cocktail.

OTOH, if it was suicide (& r8 I thought the same thing) good for him for deciding he didn't deserve to suffer.

This is very sad but not surprising. If you look at footage just before he died his stomach was distended and he could barely walk - as if he were metaphorically "on his last legs."

He died from a cocktail of drugs.

Bad print, but

Case Number: 2017-07259

Name: THOMAS PETTY

Date of Birth: 10/20/1950

Age: 66 years

Ethnicity: CAUCASIAN

Gender: MALE

Date of Death: 10/02/2017

Place of Death: HOSPITAL

Manner: ACCIDENT

Cause A: MULTISYSTEM ORGAN FAILURE

Cause B: RESUSCITATED CARDIOPULMONARY ARREST

Cause C: MIXED DRUG TOXICITY (FENTANYL, OXYCODONE, TEMAZEPAM, ALPRAZOLAM, CITALOPRAM, ACETYL FENTANYL, DESPR

Cause D: N/A

Other Significant Causes: CORONARY ARTERY ATHEROSCLEROSIS, EMPHYSEMA

Investigator: MCGUIRE

Deputy Medical Examiner: DR. MILLER

Case Status: CLOSED

Body Status: READY

[quote]he toured for 53 dates with a fractured hip

Why would he do that? I can't imagine a doctor telling him it was all right to put so much strain on the hip.

[R14] I was thinking exactly the same thing. Why would he put himself through that? Martyrdom for his fans? Doubt it. Needed the money? Hard to believe. Maybe he was the sort of person who felt worthless when not working his art. Or maybe he always had ants in his pants and wanted to get out of the house. Maybe staying in perpetual motion staved off feelings of immanent death.

Tom Petty was truly something special and he will be missed by millions of fans who loved him.

Another worthless junkie.

Certainly not worthless but misguided with all the drugs he was taking.

Whoa, he must have been dr. shopping. At least I hope no dr. would prescribe such a deadly medley of pharms, but many are crooked and willing to look the other way for the right price. crazy he was taking fentanyl, xanax and oxycodone. if he had received proper physical therapy and nixed touring he'd probably still be alive. people (abusers) like him make it that much harder for ppl dealing with chronic/severe pain to get the meds they need just to function.

"Another worthless junkie."

That's so Petty.

[quote] On a positive note we now know for certain he went painlessly and beautifully exhausted after doing what he loved the most

Namely: fentanyl, oxycodone, temazepam, alprazolam, citalopram, acetylfentanyl, and despropionyl fentanyl

So since it was opoids, DL counts Petty as one fewer deplorable ?

What are all those drugs?

To be fair, he was apparently in a lot of pain. I don't think he was a recreational partier. He may have once been, but a broken hip? Bad knees? Emphysema? That is no fun.

Rest In Peace

R1 Carrie was more of the cocaine and heroin type

Not surprised at this outcome, since he died months ago and the cause of death was never released. Which is has to, officially, as public record. So I thought something like this was afloat, tox screens and tests.

Even with those taking weeks to complete they likely knew the cause a while ago; perhaps there was disagreement between the coroner and the family about how and when to release the news or perhaps they wanted confirmatory tests.

So, Addiction to pain meds.

Is “addict” the right word for somebody with a broken hip? He would have had a chance to be an addict later, after surgery.

Tom Petty was the first big concert I went to in I think, '79 or '80. He was falling down on stage even then.

Prince died of an accidental overdose of prescribed pain meds due to chronic, severe hip pain. Maybe we need to revisit our dependence on pain pills.

This is another Prince situation. From CNN:

Acetyl fentanyl has not been approved for medical use in the United States and there are no published studies on safety for human use. It is classified as a schedule I drug.

No way would any physician put him on all of these drugs. Some of these drugs are almost impossible to get. It’s overwhelmingly likely that he was buying them illegally.

Fentanyl patches are not easily prescribed or attained. They won’t even slap those patches on the arms of terminal cancer patients.

Tom basically relapsed and became addicted to Opioids.

I am really sorry to hear this. He was a great musician and I love his music sooo much. I’ve had the good fortune of seeing him in concert several times.

Opiates kill.

R30 fuck him

R31- YES!!!!!! Fuck me!!! And fuck all of us because Tom Petty is dead, instead of YOU!!!!

What really stands out is the mix of two benzodiazepines along with multiple opiate drug use. Any one of which combo will cause an instant state of respiratory depression. And throw that in with a pre-existing condition of emphysema? Madness.

R10, he had a hip fracture. Apparently, he had a partial fracture, but rather than treating it with rest, he continued to perform. He ended up with a full fracture when it was over. He probably had a lot of overall swelling in the whole area.

He looked like an opioid addict.

R34, not necessarily true about swelling. Everyone has a different response to pain, he may have thought he could control his situation, and the opioids would make it easier to maintain that denial that this was a good idea and would be ok?

I’m assuming that he also postponed the surgery because he had already become addicted, and had built up a huge tolerance. In order to have had the surgery, he would have had to get weaned off the drugs, and that would have meant 30 to 90 days in rehab, and very close monitoring while in the hospital. I suspect he also continued to tour with the fracture in order to justify the necessity for the drugs. That’s pretty standard addict behavior, and though I recognize how unhealthy that is, I also understand it.

The amount of pills and patches indicate full blown addiction, more so than pain management. He’d been doing it for quite a while in order to build up that kind of tolerance.

People in their 20s drop dead left and right with the use of the Fentanyl patches alone.

Why is it when a famous person is suffering from pain or sleeplessness they take a SLEW of drugs? Not just one or two pills, but a hand full? Health Ledger had been sick and run down and unable to sleep; he took multiple drugs and it killed him. Tom Petty was in pain, so he takes a shitload of drugs instead of just one or two. Why do they find it necessary to take so much all at once? Simply because they have it? Oh well, yet another prescription drug death. I kind of figured he died of some kind of overdose.

Yes, R38, because the overwhelming amount of Americans throughout the entire United States who are dying in record numbers DAILY by taking unprescribed meds or taking more than prescribed, are all famous people.

R38 Heath was a run of the mill junkie. Stress from work(lol it's just acting) is not an excuse to use drugs. My parents avoided abusing substances with 10 times the amount of stress Ledger ever had. It was just an excuse from his family

Addiction creeps up on you.

No one chooses it.

Addiction is frequently depicted as being like a fierce dragon. It takes great courage and determination to face and overcome it. Tom Petty was compromised health-wise and near the end years of his life; I don't think he had the stuffing to see through a recovery. Fentanyl is madness for all except the dying.

R41 Oh PLEASE. Mary! He was a multi-millionaire who kept performing with a fractured hip rather than lose one penny by staying home. That's not courage, its insanity.

Yep R42 that's what I was trying to say.

The same human behaviors that plague everyday people plague the rich and famous, too.

Holding famous people to a higher standard isn't noble or righteous, it just shows that you don't understand much about humanity.

Tom, Septembre 11, 2017; LA:

Frail:

Those of us who have to work and struggle for every penny find it hard to sympathize

He had a hairline fracture at first but kept touring because he had so many people in the touring company who needed the work. Tours support hundreds of people. He kept working out of responsibility.

He probably just lost track of what he had taken and how much. He was a junkie once, they tend to overestimate their strength. I'm glad at least it was a peaceful death. Celebrities get the best, and worst, medical care because of their money and fame. Whoever his doctors were, they need to be up in front of the state board for a talking-to, pharmacists too. This shit has to stop.

So many prisoners here. Extreme chronic pain leads many to inject just about anything to make it stop.

It amazes me that others like Bob Dylan or Keith Richards are still standing

Because they have never been on drugs, despite what you have been told.

R40, let me explain something to you, child. Heath Ledger was NOT a run of the mill junkie. Heath Ledger’s death was what doctors call respiratory failure. Unbeknownst to Heath, the prescribed antidepressant and anti anxiety medications that he was taking were significantly depressing his diaphragm capacity, and he died as a result of not getting enough air into his lungs.

Unfortunately, that can happen to ANYONE. He wasn’t abusing his meds. And I know this to be a fact, and how I know is none of your business.

You come on to DataLounge, and you flit about, making disparaging remarks and commentary about people who you have never met and know nothing about. Your remarks are oftentimes extremely immature, and present to others the psyche of a very underdeveloped person mentally and emotionally.

You have very little compassion for others, and that is a startling quality to see in anyone.

What happened to Tom Petty is the same thing that is happening and has happened to MILLIONS of Americans across the country. Teens, adults, Rich, middle class, poor. It makes no difference. We are going through an Opiate epidemic and anyone who suffers from a serious injury, or chronic pain can fall into addiction. ANYONE. At ANY time.

The world and the people who inhabit it are complex, and we are all human. We are, and you are subject to mortality every moment of our lives. Not one of us have to become junkies to die, and rest assured, we all will: that means YOU.

A good life lived, is a life where we understand that things are not black and white. A life where we can look beyond ourselves and feel compassion for our fellow man as we grow to understand their situations, even if we have never walked in their shoes.

I hope that you experience a great life, where tragedy never visits your door. However, that is quite unlikely. How you cope and overcome tragedy will depend much on how you have treated others. Trust me on that. It’s absolutely true.

If you hate strangers and other people, it is only because you hate yourself.

Hear, hear r52!!! I’m enjoying my first cuppa, your poetic wisdom is a beautiful start to my day. R40, here this wisdom. You know what wisdom is, right?

Ha!!! HEAR not here.

Tut tut, Erna. Bobby has admitted many times to being stoned and on acid for most of the mid to late 60s. He said he doesn't remember writing most of his songs and that he doesn't write bizarre lyrics any more because he had to be high to do it.

Tom kept touring because he loved to, not because he needed the money. Music was his entire life.

This news made me so sad. I applaud the courage of his family in clearly addressing this issue despite their deep grief, and people like R52, who make me believe that not all is lost with humanity. May Tom be finally allowed to RIP, while we address this crisis and try to save as many as we can.

All the drugs he was taking could have been replaced with marijuana, right? /s

I do appreciate that the cause of his death is not being hidden. Maybe the transparency will help someone else. Whether or not it was accidental, it sounds as though he was suffering mightily. May he rest in peace.

R57, it is quite sad. And you know what? He was one of the good ones. Nicest guy ever. He had been sober for years, and it’s another reminder for people like me in recovery, that “it” never really disappears. Once that addiction switch is turned on, it is a very real threat to the recovered addict, regardless of how many years sober the addict has attained.

Pain meds have never been a problem for me, and I am in recovery. For whatever reasons, so far, I have never abused them, even when I wasn’t sober. It appears that I don’t respond to opiates in the way that others do. I’ve taken them post surgery, and all that they do is manage pain. I’ve never experienced getting high from them, but I know that others do, and I understand.

Regardless, anyone can fall into addiction at anytime. This is happening in suburbs, with the really nice housewives that take their kids to school everyday. I’ve worked in rehabs, and it would blow most people’s minds to see these moms coming in, wearing their Rolex and cashmere sweaters, crying because they don’t want to stop the pills, but their husbands are threatening divorce with zero custodial rights to the moms. It’s fucking insane. This crisis is hitting us everywhere. This is NOT some back alley junkie problem, only affecting street walkers and gangbangers. This has become DEEPLY entrenched within the fabric of all socioeconomic backgrounds, ages, sexes, education levels, etc.

I too, applaud his family for being forthcoming with what happened.

RIP, Tom. Thanks for contributing some of the best music out there for the last 30 plus years, and for contributing so much more that others know nothing about.

Has Stevie Nicks commented?

"Because the overwhelming amount of Americans throughout the entire United States who are dying in record numbers DAILY by taking unprescribed meds or taking more than prescribed, are all famous."people.."

Nobody said that. Boy, are you stupid.

"Heath was a run of the mill junkie."

Heath Ledger abused drugs but he was never a junkie. Tom Petty was, though. Boy, he was in rough shape before his died; emphysema, broken hip, bad knee. Sounds like he was a wreck from years of hard and fast living.

Actually, the stupid one is you, r61, for not understanding what that response actually means.

Either you are on the spectrum, or you’re not too bright.

[quote] You come on to DataLounge, and you flit about, making disparaging remarks and commentary about people who you have never met and know nothing about. Your remarks are oftentimes extremely immature, and present to others the psyche of a very underdeveloped person mentally and emotionally.

Mary! This is exactly what this place has basically existed for all these years: disparaging and gossiping about celebs. Egads how out of place.

How ironic and sad that Brittany Murphy died the same way.

"Either you are on the spectrum, or you’re not too bright."

You're an idiot. The implication was that the statement implied that only celebs die of prescription drug overdoses. That was very stupid. As are you. You're also an asshole. A stupid asshole.

He had good reason to take meds. Walking around with a broken hip must have been excruciating. But you know most people are aware that benzodiazepines shouldn't be taken with pain meds.

Even Prince would probably be alive today if he hadn't added benzodiazepines to the Percocet and F.

NO Benzos with pain meds!

R66, I’m not going to respond again, but I need to point out that you STILL don’t understand that my reply to R38 underscores that his statement is a fallacy, because MOST people who are abusing meds, and are dying daily from opiate addiction, are NOT famous. The response I gave at r39 is called a facetious response.

What is wrong with your brain? You have no ability to reason, it seems.

I recommend that you google “logical thinking”, or “critical analysis “, so that you may better interpret what people are writing.

Many are addicted and dying from opoids in this country. Famous or non, from all walks of life. It is an epidemic.

But its not entirely incorrect to point out that the rich and famous have easier access to these substances, often directly from their doctors many of whom are eager to please and placate their rich patients (see: Prince). Or, are more wiling to overlook a past substance abuse history (Petty for ex was a former herion addict - who on earth thought it ok to prescribe him FENTANYL?) to get their star clients the pain relief they want.

Or are willing to ease up on checking on/confirming a patients concomitant meds; Ledger was on a cocktail of Rx meds a responsible MD would not prescribe together - he had more than one doctor treating him and they weren't cross-checking his prescriptions. This has changed since 2008 in that computer databases now exist to facilitate this for prescribers but back then it wasn't available.

"I recommend that you google “logical thinking”, or “critical analysis “, so that you may better interpret what people are writing."

What does "logical thinking" or "critical analysis" have to do with a "facetious response?" What does "logical thinking" or "critical analysis" have to do with a gay gossip board? You seem like the most insufferable dickhead imaginable. I recommend that you should shut up. You're making a fool of yourself.

It has EVERYTHING to do with ANY gossip Board when the person reading said gossip Board DOES NOT understand what is written, which CLEARLY, you DO NOT.

And I’d rather be an insufferable cunt, than to be a stupid cunt, cunt.

r69 Thanks to electronic records, all of my doctors have immediate access to anything I'm being prescribed by other doctors, they can pull up the info with one click. But I wonder if like many celebs who use a pseudonym for prescriptions, that info was not as available (or if he got them through alternative methods).

r66 -- "Asshole" is not very nice.

Try "butthole" instead, dear.

Make no mistake r72 he either used multiple pseudonyms to go around exisiting rules and regs or he had dicey docs who were willing to give him what he wanted because he was Tom Petty, 'celebrity'. I mean, look at the amount of Fentanyl there. That isn't responsible prescribing for a hip fracture.

R69, allegedly, Prince was buying stuff off a dealer and had multiple doctors.

Several of the drugs found in Petty’s system were not FDA or DEA approved for use in the United States, and Fentanyl patches are almost impossible to get a prescription for. For sure no one would have prescribed that for a hip fracture. As soon as any MD prescribes Fentanyl, the DEA is now alerted. Most pharmacies los have linked databases as of 2015. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to get multiple prescriptions from multiple doctors, and if you prescribe more than a certain amount of schedule A drugs, there is an automatic red flag on your license, and you’re subject to an audit from the DEA. No way is a reputable doctor going to risk that. The days of over prescribing are over.

Petty was getting these drugs illegally. The antidepressants and benzos were probably prescribed, and the pain meds were not.

He seemed like a great guy. I thought the family’s letter was respectful. It’s a shame to lose such a talent, even in his old age. What makes some of these rockers endure longer than others? Is it pure luck that Keith is still alive or did he always know his limits? (Nick Cave once said something about how a user can actually abuse long term if they are realistic about how much they can handle - it’s when they get greedy that they overdose...or something to that effect)

I've been on Fentanyl patches, and I honestly don't know what all the fuss about. No big deal in my opinion. I used them for the time I needed them and life went on. I didn't become a junkie or OD. I sill have some left someplace in fact.

A great guy who cheated on his wives? A great guy who kicked out a band member for being an addict while he himself was also a heroin addict and then more addictions through the decades?

A great guy who preached "recovery" while secretly and illegally continuing to do massive amounts of drugs?

Unless you're a toddler who gets hold of your mommy and/or daddy's stash, there is no such thing as an [italic] "accidental overdose."

No doubt opioid-induced hyperpathia - the more he took, the less effective it became, so he took more and it killed him.

He also may not have been a candidate for surgery due to the severity of his heart disease and emphysema.

He wasn't a candidate for surgery because these fools don't think about the fact that constant drug use destroys every organ in your body until they shut down and you're dead.

And then, of course, blame the doctor for getting them hooked. Did the doctor tell them to take 17 pills per day for pain, and mix it wit at least 3-5 additional pain meds?

[quote]Petty ... was a former herion addict - who on earth thought it ok to prescribe him FENTANYL?

Don’t you have to give strong painkillers for something like a broken hip? Ex junkie or not.

Money talks.

And it buys a lot of drugs.

One of Tom Petty's children has gone public with her response to the autopsy report that concluded that his death on Oct. 2 at age 66 was the result of an accidental overdose of prescription medications.

In the wake of that report, there's been considerable discussion over whether he'd lapsed back into the addiction from which he'd recovered years ago, a theory that AnnaKim Petty dismissed outright in the note she posted this week on her Instagram account.

"My dad in the past openly overcame a crippling drug problem with no shame," she wrote. "His recent death is tragic, yet he died from doing what he loved and what will continue to keep his spirit alive: touring with a broken hip, because he would have it no other way.

"He loved performing," she continued. "There are no hypothetical questions — I love my dad and feel he is an immortal badass. The amount of pain his hip caused was beyond a normal surgery. He is at peace, out of pain. I thank you for respecting my family's privacy and inviting love during this shocking new chapter.

I can't imagine someone performing, even standing up, with a broken hip.

"....an immortal badass." Love that description.

Still, dang. one has to be smart with dealing with pain meds. Wish he had someone around him who could have monitored, and kept track of, what he was taking,.

"It has EVERYTHING to do with ANY gossip Board when the person reading said gossip Board DOES NOT understand what is written, which CLEARLY, you DO NOT."

You are insane. Your mental impairment is blatantly obvious. And if you want to talk cuntiness, you are the very defintion of it. You are a deranged stupid cunt. Fuck off, cunt and go cunt somewhere else.

Keith Richards has never been on drugs? Of course not!

Keith was HOT back in the day.

I’m surprised there wasn’t a little Coke in there too. He must been a nod off junkie by the time he died.

Sad way to go out. Just like Carrie Fisher. Shame.

Stevie Nicks was at New York's Radio City Music Hall on Friday night to be honored as a member of her band, Fleetwood Mac, which was named 2018's MusiCares Person of the Year, a tribute meant to recognize an artist's work and philanthropy.

But in her acceptance speech, the singer ended up paying homage to the late Tom Petty, her longtime friend who died in October not long after he was feted at last year's MusiCares gala in Los Angeles.

Here's what Nicks said:

"The loss of Tom Petty has just about broken my heart. His daughter, Adria Petty, is here today. She came in yesterday. …

"He was not only a good man to go down the river with, as Johnny Cash said, he was a great father and he was a great friend. He was one of my best friends. My heart will never get over this.

"He did the MusiCares thing last year — you probably know that. And he spent a lot of time after that night talking to me about how important it was to him. And maybe he was talking about it because Tom was ill.

"He was not well, and he fought his way through that tour. He should've canceled, and he should've just gone home and gone to the hospital. But not Tom. He was gonna go down that river.

"And so, God bless him, he finished his tour at the Hollywood Bowl. Three shows. And one week later, he died. But he got down the river.

"So, Tom, I know you're standing next to me 'cause you always have been for so many years."

Earlier this month, an autopsy report concluded that Petty's death on Oct. 2 at age 66 was the result of an accidental overdose of prescription medications.

The family posted a statement on the Facebook page of Petty's band, the Heartbreakers, after the report was released, stating, "Tom's body suffered from many serious ailments including emphysema, knee problems and most significantly a fractured hip. Despite this painful injury he insisted on keeping his commitment to his fans and he toured for 53 dates with a fractured hip and, as he did, it worsened to a more serious injury."

In his final interview, in which he spoke to The Times just five days before he died, he said he expected to undergo hip replacement surgery now that the Heartbreakers' 40th anniversary tour had concluded.

::::

Stevie Nicks latched on to Tom Petty and never let go. They obviously had an affair, although Petty denied they were ever "a couple." He made this cryptic comment when an interviewer said that they sure sounded like they were a couple: "we had our times." He also said "she insists on being in my life. "

I'm sick of reading trash about heath ledger.

1. He was a chronic insomniac his whole life

2. There are no safe sleeping medications - even ten years later

3. Plenty of people his age who suffer severe sleep disorders die from accidental overdoses. I can't cite a link but my sleep specialist says he sees cases like Heath's all the time. He said it is actually a typical case.

You want to call someone names and give them shit then go for mary fucking kate olsen. That neckless bitch is still breathing and beautiful heath isn't. The paramedics should have been called straight away, not that thuggy little bitch.

When you get older, you really need to be monitored by someone if you are taking pain pills. My mother had a fall and was prescribed pain pills and a benzodiazepine for sleep. She wasn't able to sleep and not thinking clear, she ended up taking 5 Lorazepam in the night, then had another fall the next day (fortunately she didn't hurt herself that time) because of dizziness from the dose. It is very easy to forget what you took and take more because you need relief.

In hindsight it seems obvious that Tom Petty should have cancelled or delayed his last tour and just had his hip operation. It's also a lesson for all of us to get onto a medical problem sooner rather than later as the meds we use to tolerate a situation may kill us.

Would he have really had to detox before the op r95? Why?

how did he fracture the hip in the first place? fall down drunk?

a lot of older people hate getting older and still think they are young physically and can do anything. they are only young at heart. someone i know is like this, he is on the waiting list for hip replacement surgery, walks with a limp, won't use a cane. too stubborn and don't want to appear old and feeble. i hope he doesn't slip and fall and die.

When u are in pain and on meds, sometimes it's hard to remember what u are taking. Never thought it would be a problem until I had surgery and was prescribed very heavy painkillers. I was already somewhat out of it and then taking strong meds confused me. I couldn't remember if I had taken meds an hour ago. Your mind becomes foggy and that's just the waking hours. When I was asleep I had bizarre dreams. I finally just started taking Advil instead bc those other drugs were too much for me.

I don't know if it would be necessary to detox before his surgery R96. If he was clear to the medical staff about every single medication he was taking then surely there would be some protocol in place to protect him during and after sugery. I've had to consult a hospital pharmacist and he was reassuringly knowledgeable about drug interactions. My own doctor on the other hand...

I think that him, princess Lea, prince, and many others were murdered. They all have the same drug dealers so it’s possible.

the Russians could have ordered our idols dead. Or the Chinese. To further weaken America.

There were too many deaths related to bad supply for it have been a coincidence.

All the artists who fought for freedom are dead.

It’s harder to overdose than people think. For that many people to all die in one year was some coincidence. .

Bump

R34 it went from a fracture to fully BROKEN..... someone else may have mentioned this but i just could not read over 80 responses to check.

RIP TOM

oh, and stevie? pipe down step off back down tom's death is NOT ALL ABOUT YOU AND YOUR FEELINGS.

[quote] I don't know if it would be necessary to detox before his surgery [R96]. If he was clear to the medical staff about every single medication he was taking then surely there would be some protocol in place to protect him during and after sugery. I've had to consult a hospital pharmacist and he was reassuringly knowledgeable about drug interactions

It depends on how much he was taking. I'm sure he was doctor shopping and taking large doses of all of his meds. Those drugs are all respiratory depressants. Anesthesia is a supreme respiratory depressant. That's the risk of anesthesia - You just might stop breathing and even the best medical care and resuscitation efforts might not be able to save you . I can't imagine any doctor wanting to operate on someone who is taking these drugs in large amounts. I can't imagine any anesthesiologist agreeing to be on to his surgical team

And his family got this out there so that there wouldn't be a whole lot of speculation. They want "it was an accident" to be the official story because Tom was on tour. His tour promoters have a gigantic life insurance policy on him that won't pay out for suicide. They can sue his estate if they don't get the insurance pay out. The family is doing what they have to do. His house is up for sale too

Well of course he didn't commit suicide. Why would he do that? His medical problem was one millions of people face and he had the money for a hip replacement. But I grant you that emphysema would be horrible to live with. However he certainly didn't publicly express a lack of will to live.

Emphysema is a problem when getting surgery so that might've figured into the delay as well as the heavy narcotic use. An anesthesiologist might want you to be in better shape before proceeding. A hip replacement is several hours long.

[quote] So he was using again? How do you mix all that and not intend to die?

Becaushe shometimesh you need a quick pick-me-up!

Bump

I want to know why doctors are prescribing all of this crap. Sure, he may have been Doctor shopping to get additional meds, and 10 years ago I would have been positive of that, but about 10 years ago I found out what meds my father's psychiatrist had him on. I don't remember all of them, but there were anti-depressants, multiple benzodiazepines, and even freaking Geodon, which is an anti-psychotic for Schizophrenics and bi-polar disorder. My father suffers from clinical depression, severe anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. He is not bi-polar, and he is not schizophrenic. My mother finally convinced him to go to another doctor for a second opinion, as she was concerned that his personality had completely disappeared. The new doctor was SHOCKED at the list of meds he was on, and devised a program of withdrawal to wean him off of some of the unnecessary drugs, and reduce the dosages of the ones he would be staying on. He said that his daily prescription regimen was an accident waiting to happen, and that he was lucky not to have accidentally overdosed on something. My mother responded that SHE was the one responsible for giving him his daily meds.

His previous Doctor was basically a pusher. His personality started to come back after getting most of the drugs out of his system. It didn't come back all the way, and last year he was diagnosed with Alzheimers (early stages) so I imagine it will go away again, but at least he got a window where he wasn't just living constantly in a drug induced stupor.

I have much milder versions of everything he suffers from, and I have always resisted medication for them because of how his personality was completely burned away by decades of meds, starting with Librium in the 70s. If that means that I feel uncomfortable using a spray bottle and not spraying in multiples of three, and I have to be careful not to stop counting my steps, I can live with that.

When I read about celebrities who died with an enormous cocktail of drugs in their system, I just wonder why their doctors aren't arrested.

R110 Not to START counting my steps. If I start I have a very difficult time stopping.

I highly doubt any doctor would prescribe all those medications together. So he was using again, and maybe he just said fuck it. He was old and in terrible pain and didn't care. Which is his choice.

But let's not pretend this was some reasonable medical care .

RIP Petty.

Prince lived in Minnesota and Tom lived in Malibu, r101. Why would they have the same dealer? Also, what exactly would be gained by killing any of them? As much as I loved watching Tom and his band, perform, my world hasn't been seriously changed by his passing.

[quote]All the artists who fought for freedom are dead.

MARY!

R114, thank you! I am going through a terrible time, health wise, and you gave me a big laugh.

You're welcome, r115. I'm glad I was able to make you feel better for a moment.

I think R101 is trying to be funny. No one, even by DL standards, is that dumb.