Zimmerman's Medications

Both meds that Zimmerman admitted to being on, Librax and Temazepam, are for anxiety. Does anyone have anymore information on these meds and what side-effects they might have?

Do not drink alcohol while taking Librax. This medication can increase the effects of alcohol. Librax can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.http://www.drugs.com/librax.html


Temazepam Side Effects by Body System - for Healthcare Professionals

Nervous system

Nervous system side effects are common and include drowsiness (9.1%), headache (8.5%), fatigue (4.8%), nervousness (4.6%), dizziness (4.5%), and lethargy (4.5%) most frequently. Sleep disturbances, morning "hangover" symptoms, hyperexcitability, confusion, amnesia, and ataxia have also been observed.


One population- based case control study has suggested that use of temazepam in elderly patients may be associated with an increased risk of hip fractures.

Other

Withdrawal symptoms may include agitation, restlessness, anxiety, insomnia, convulsions, tremor, abdominal cramps, blurred vision, vomiting, and sweating.

Other side effects include withdrawal symptoms after either abrupt cessation or fast tapering of temazepam. Rebound insomnia (a worsening of sleep following cessation of therapy) has also been reported but appears to be less common with temazepam than other benzodiazepines used for hypnosis. Death from pulmonary microembolization has been reported in one patient who crushed temazepam tablets and injected them intravenously. Limb ischemia requiring amputation has also been reported following inadvertent intra-arterial administration of temazepam in drug abusing patients.

Psychiatric

Psychiatric side effects including cognitive disturbances, psychotic symptoms, and euphoria have been reported. One case of visual hallucination has been reported and confirmed upon rechallenge.

Hepatic

Hepatic side effects including hepatitis and elevated liver function tests have been reported rarely.

Gastrointestinal

Gastrointestinal side effects including diarrhea, constipation, nausea, and vomiting have been reported rarely.

Hematologic

Hematologic side effects including blood dyscrasias have been reported rarely.

Hypersensitivity

Hypersensitivity side effects including anaphylaxis have been reported rarely.
http://www.drugs.com/sfx/temazepam-side-effects.html

TorisMom003 said:

Both meds that Zimmerman admitted to being on, Librax and Temazepam, are for anxiety. Does anyone have anymore information on these meds and what side-effects they might have?

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From what I know, usually anxiolytics depress the central nervous system (CNS). They're not going to make you aggressive, in other words.

I have read it on threads but not in the doc dumps yet. He was on Adderall (an amphetamine) as well? Because Adderall can be abused as can the anxiolytics.

I saw no mention of Adderall in any of the documents. The other two listed in my first post are noted on the SFD report that was written by the EMT concerning Zimmerman.

Medications are often prescribed for off label uses. It is very hard to say why someone takes a medication just by the medication.
I concur there are generally accepted uses for many meds, but that, in and of itself, does not explain why a person takes a given med.

For example,I take an antidepressant as a migraine preventative. I don't suffer from depression, just migraines.

If those are legally prescribed medications, then I don't see why it is an issue that Zimmerman was taking what was legally prescribed to him.

jjenny said:

If those are legally prescribed medications, then I don't see why it is an issue that Zimmerman was taking what was legally prescribed to him.

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Even legally prescribed drugs can cause problems, evoke certain behaviors, or be abused. It is relevant to know what medications may or may not have contributed to the entire episode.
hth.

If memory serves me correctly, Librax is a smooth muscle relaxant....of course for the stomach.

I don't know much about adult usage of Adderall other than I have heard from some that it can be misused (as most meds can be.) I do know some folks whose children are on these types of ADHD or ADD drugs and the kids do not like to take them at all...I even know some family members that don't give the meds consistently....from working in a pharmacy I remember hearing many times that different meds have to build up in the system, not sure if these are the ones but I think they are...anyway, we all know if you don't take your meds like you are supposed to the chances of the drug working correctly is slim IMO.

This info I state is my own opinion of medical office work and pharmacy work......MOO.

JBean said:

Medications are often prescribed for off label uses. It is very hard to say why someone takes a medication just by the medication.
I concur there are generally accepted uses for many meds, but that, in and of itself, does not explain why a person takes a given med.

For example,I take an antidepressant as a migraine preventative. I don't suffer from depression, just migraines.

Click to expand...

This is true.....many people are shocked from time to time when prescribed a medication that they have heard is used for a certain thing and they are given the drug for a totally unrelated condition.....all goes back to whatever works,lol.....IMO.

TorisMom003 said:

Both meds that Zimmerman admitted to being on, Librax and Temazepam, are for anxiety. Does anyone have anymore information on these meds and what side-effects they might have?

Click to expand...

Librax is an older tried and true medication that really works...IMO and if my memory is correct.
As I said up thread the Librax acts as a smooth muscle relaxant for the stomach. Again IMO.

The "Lib" in Librax is Libruim, one of the first benzos. The second ingredient is the muscle relaxer.
http://www.rxlist.com/librax-drug.htm
The Librium is: Chlordiazepoxide is used to relieve anxiety and to control agitation caused by alcohol withdrawal. Chlordiazepoxide comes as a tablet and capsule to take by mouth. It usually is taken one to four times a day with or without food. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000568/

JBean said:

Even legally prescribed drugs can cause problems, evoke certain behaviors, or be abused. It is relevant to know what medications may or may not have contributed to the entire episode.
hth.

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He was attacked by TM, how would his medication affect anything? Medication or no, GZ had 2 black eyes, cuts and was bleeding. Do we have any reason to think he was abusing his meds?

TorisMom003 said:

I saw no mention of Adderall in any of the documents. The other two listed in my first post are noted on the SFD report that was written by the EMT concerning Zimmerman.

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Really? People keep mentioning it as a given. I'm stymied once again. Thanks for the correction!

Possible Side Effects of Librax:
What are the possible side effects of chlordiazepoxide and clidinium (Librax)?

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

• confusion;
• depressed mood, thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself;
• restless muscle movements in your eyes, tongue, jaw, or neck;
• hyperactivity, agitation, hostility;
• hallucinations;
• jaundice (yellowing of the skin or...
• http://www.rxlist.com/librax-drug.htm

Horace Finklestein said:

He was attacked by TM, how would his medication affect anything? Medication or no, GZ had 2 black eyes, cuts and was bleeding. Do we have any reason to think he was abusing his meds?

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See, this is where I disagree. What evidence is there other than GZ's word?

I guess in terms of suspecting GZ of meds abuse, I guess it is equivalent to people being suspicious of Trayvon's marijuana use. Meanwhile, people have been positing on threads that GZ was prescribed Adderall and yet it doesn't seem to be in the discovery according to a commenter. Meanwhile, it's hard to keep up with everything.

So, if you have evidence that GZ was attacked by Trayvon, I would be happy to check it out.

Watch the video of GZ's first court appearance.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/george-zimmermans-first-court-appearance-16125248

IMO, he is having side effects from the Librax, "restless muscle movements in your eyes". He did it 7 times in that 2 minute video. I remember people commenting about it when the video was first viewed.

Horace Finklestein said:

He was attacked by TM, how would his medication affect anything? Medication or no, GZ had 2 black eyes, cuts and was bleeding. Do we have any reason to think he was abusing his meds?

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Was he attacked or were the injuries due to tm defending himself after being attacked? How do we know? The meds gz was taking can cause some actions that may have started the entire situation.

I honestly have not come to a conclusion either way. The only thing I know for sure is that gz had a gun and was suspicious of tm walking through the complex. I know that gz shot tm. I know there was a scuffle. I don't know who started the fight.

The Adderall was in the document from the family doctor. We saw only glimpses of the document on ABC news shows.

jjenny said:

If those are legally prescribed medications, then I don't see why it is an issue that Zimmerman was taking what was legally prescribed to him.

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I would think that if anything it would help the defense. The prosecution implying that the drugs affected his behavior that night would imply that any bad action was caused by the drugs, and not a willful act. The difference with any marijuana (and I don't think that TM was under any affects) or other illegal drug use or abuse is that the willful act of using or abusing them is transferred to the crime. You cannot blame a person who was negatively affected unless they were told not to do something on the prescription like operate heavy machinery warnings.

side note: we should probably put warnings on all guns and neuro drugs that you cannot use one with the other. Makes sense, no? Wonder what it says on a gun license in Florida.

jjenny said:

If those are legally prescribed medications, then I don't see why it is an issue that Zimmerman was taking what was legally prescribed to him.

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Here is a hypothetical situation:

A person falls and breaks their left arm. That person is in bad pain so the doctor legally prescribes Percocet for pain. The person takes their prescribed dose of Percocet, gets in the car to drive home and runs over a child on a bicycle. This person could then be arrested for DUI and possibly manslaughter even though the drug was legally prescribed and he had a valid drivers' license.

Now look at this situation. GZ had a license to carry a concealed weapon and he was taking some legally prescribed meds that could have had effects on his thinking or ability to make a good decision. If those drugs caused him to make a poor decision (such as to follow and shoot someone), he can still be in trouble just as the hypothetical person was. After reading the information on the links upthread, GZ could have even thought he was in danger when he wasn't while taking those two meds. IMVHO the fact that he was taking legal medications and how they could affect him is very relevant to what went down that night.