Posted on 08/05/2014 3:52:25 PM PDT by nickcarraway
For the first time since her arrest, Broward County Judge Lynn Rosenthal spoke publicly to 850 AM radio host Rich Stevens in an attempt to try to warn the public about Ambien CR.
Judge Rosenthal was arrested in May after hitting a parked patrol car in a Fort Lauderdale courthouse parking lot. The arrest report noted she told police she took an Ambien the night before the crash.
“It was a case of involuntary overdose in which I was sleep driving,” Judge Rosenthal said. “And it’s as simple as that.”
But Judge Rosenthal also admitted Monday that she also had Xanax in her purse.
“I have a prescription and it was not something that had been taken,” Rosenthal said. “The only drug that was taken was Ambien CR.”
Ambien CR is taken as a sleep aid and is a central nervous system depressant. The drug recommendations say that patients who take it with less than a full night sleep (7-8 hours), take higher than the recommended dose, take it with other CNS depressants, or other drugs that increase blood levels of zolpidem can have a higher risk of next-day psychomotor impairment. The medication comes in either a 6.25 mg or 12.5 mg dosage.
When Rosenthal was arrested, she agreed to two Brethalyzer tests which she passed. However, she repeatedly refused to submit to a urine and blood test. When asked why she refused the test, Rosenthal quoted the law as being her guide. “I did agree to a urine test,” Rosenthal said. “I asked to do a urine test, that was all they were legally entitled to and I followed the law.”
Judge Rosenthal did not have to submit to a blood test. When she was asked about suing her doctor, she said her priority is to win the upcoming election.
VERY misleading headline.
Judge is leveraging the media for her own ego/defense.
Ambien isn’t the villain.
The sleep doctor gave me Ambien. The first night I didn’t make it to bed, but slept on the floor. The second night it sort of worked. The third night I might as well have taken an aspirin. The next one was Lunesta. Man, read the warnings on that one! Sleep driving, don’t sign contracts, don’t get married... It did work better, but gosh, who wants to wake up in a strange city with a contract and a new bride? I recommend 500 mg of Damitol.
Judges giving medical advice.
You are correct. I’m more inclined to believe she was shoving xanax down her pie hole with the ambien and doesn’t want anybody to know. Lots of people like to blame the ambien.
I’m a female, take the highest dose and have never been inclined to do anything out of the ordinary. These stories just lead to more restrictions being placed on a drug that is helpful to a lot of people.
Interesting tag line. I reckon it depends on when you were born.
The Kennedy defense. I can’t remember which Kennedy ...but does it really matter?
Correct, trying to blame someone else.
Only a fool tries to drive while on Ambien.
Great sleep aid but you need to plan on sleeping and nothing else
Alcohol and Benedryl are money.
She’s lecturing others while abusing drugs herself? What a hypocrite.
Have you tried bourbon and benadryl? Works like a charm. 2 shots of bourbon, 2 benadryl- lights out. I usually just take the benadryl, but when sleep is important and eludes me, the Jim Beam gets added.
CC
Ambian is a very strong medicine and can have some crazy crazy side effects
Damn, beat me to it.
CC
I asked Doc for sleep aid, he scripted Ambien but Wally World issued generic Zolpidem. It worked to get me to sleep in 45 min but didn’t keep me out. An hour later—awake. Didn’t wanna take another so quit after they were gone. No odd behavior either, nothing outta the ordinary, anyways...
It affects different people differently. I felt normal while taking Ambien. However, on day 3 while driving I approached a red light, looked at the red light and thought “it’s red” and proceeded to drive through the intersection. The car turning left across my path (had the right of way) stopped and I stomped on my brakes. The knowledge of what a red light means and how it related to me arrived well after I looked at the red light. I could have killed someone. But I had no warning that I was impaired until that moment.
My friend, a sober man, was prescribed Ambien, for sleep issues. He only took half a pill, at a time. One night, he woke up, made bacon, eggs, hash browns, and toast. He woke his wife up, to share the meal, and then did the dishes.
The next morning, he asked his wife why there were dishes drying, on the counter. He had absolutely no recollection. None.
Not trying to besmirch your friend, but I’ve taken it for years and have never had any strange episodes. But then again I don’t take any other meds/alcohol with it. But if I need to take something else or have been drinking I don’t take the Ambien.
Thanks for your reply. I gather that it depends on the individual, I also have another friend that reports good results. The first guy I described tossed the pills, the same day.
I have used Ambien in the past. I like it because it works for about 3 or 4 nights only, just long enough to get back into my sleep cycle.
No sleepwalking/driving/eating etc.
I took one Ambien, one time. I remember laying down and feeling light-headed. The next thing I knew, it was ten hours later. To this day (nearly a decade later), I still do not remember the two hours before I fell asleep. I can’t remember what I had for dinner that night, I cannot remember what movie or tv show I was watching right before I took the Ambien.
So yeah, that was pretty much it for me and Ambien.
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