Kennedy Blames Accident on Sleep Medicine

AP ^ | 5/4/06 | ANDREW MIGA

[Jean S]

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) crashed his car near the Capitol early Thursday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated. Kennedy said he had taken sleep medication and a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness.

Kennedy, D-R.I., addressed the issue after a spate of news reports. His initial statement said: "I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident."'

Later, however, he issued a longer statement saying the attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan on Tuesday to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis.

Kennedy said he returned to his Capitol Hill home on Wednesday evening after a final series of votes in Congress and took "prescribed" amounts of Phenergan and Ambien, another prescribed drug that he occasionally takes to fall asleep.

"Some time around 2:45 a.m., I drove the few blocks to the Capitol Complex believing I needed to vote," his second statement said. "Apparently, I was disoriented from the medication."

Kennedy appeared to be intoxicated when he crashed his Ford Mustand into a barrier on Capitol Hill early Thursday morning, said Louis P. Cannon, president of the Washington chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police.

Cannon, who was not there, said the officers involved in the accident were instructed by an official "above the rank of patrolman" to take Kennedy home.

No sobriety tests were conducted at the scene.

A letter written by a Capitol Police officer to Acting Chief Christopher McGaffin said Kennedy appeared to be staggering when he left the vehicle after the crash about 3 a.m. The letter was first reported by Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper.

Kennedy said he was late for a vote, officer Greg Baird said in the letter to McGaffin. Baird is acting chairman of the Capitol Hill chapter of the FOP police union. The last vote of the night had occurred almost six hours earlier.

Kennedy said he was driven home by Capitol police.

"At no time did I ask for any special consideration," he said. "I simply complied with what the officers asked me to do."

Kennedy, the son of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (news, bio, voting record), D-Mass., and his staff declined to discuss any further details of the accident. The congressman took part in House votes Thursday.

Capitol Police did not immediately return phone calls for comment. They issued a one-line statement saying they were investigating a traffic violation that occurred early in the morning at that location.

Baird wrote McGaffin that two sergeants who responded to the accident conferred with the watch commander and were ordered to leave the scene.

He said that after the officers left, Capitol Police officials gave Kennedy a ride home.

Kennedy spent time at a drug rehabilitation clinic before he went to Providence College. He has been open about mental health issues, including being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

___

Associated Press writer Laurie Kellman contributed to this report.

[Gator113]

"Ambien"

Even if this were true, and I doubt it is, it should not matter.

In my state, if you are under the influence of "prescription medication", you are still DUI-D.

BTW....I take Ambien....if you wake up within 8 hours after taking it, it's just like being drunk.

[pcottraux]

Kennedy crashed his car near the Capitol early Thursday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated.

Sounds familiar.

[Rte66]

Probably didn't have to doctor shop - before the fact or after. He has a sis-in-law who is a doctor, Teddy Jr. 's wife! How nice for the family and how conveeennnient.

To think he is not only sleep-driving and voting under the influence, he and his bro are supposed to be the legal guardians of his mom, Joan - who they both agreed in public statements is such a sad case!

If he really did take these two medications (I didn't read any of the preceding threads about this little accident and any of his previous stories of the past 24 hours, but I will now) and also had a car accident just two weeks ago - at the CVS, no less - and if he really is bi-polar, then chances are he is in a prolonged manic phase, dontcha think?

I would think that the mania might trump the downer effects of the two drugs, which makes him susceptible to the ambulatory and other extreme activities while in the somnolent state. Could be he takes both to *try* to bring himself down a notch - which is exactly what an addict would do, self-medicating.

Since he's been to treatment before for drug addiction, his using is ruined for life and his bell curve will only get worse.

Having two wrecks in two weeks is about the same as the tree in Aspen for his cousin Michael, but Patrick lived - *this time.* If he gets out of this one, look for the next one to be much worse.

[wardaddy]

drinking or not

mixing Ambien and Pheneragn and then driving....much less drinking too

geez....that combo would be hard even for an old 70s hellion like me to handle

(sarcasm....MADD members hold yer fire)

[XR7]

[angkor]

I was prescribed Ambien a couple times for one-offs like jet lag, and this doen't sound anything like the effects it produces.

You take your dose and it *does* do a good job of sending you too sleep, but even if you do wake up a few hours later you're not going to be staggering around and driving to work at 3AM with your lights off. You'll simply be awake again, not acting as if you'd just guzzled half a bottle of Jamesons.

[jacquej]

Geesh, cant you "chusetts" Freepers get together, and vote them outta office?


Really!

[gwin]

By ANDREW MIGA

(AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) - Rep. Patrick Kennedy crashed his car near the Capitol early Thursday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated. Kennedy said he had taken sleep medication and a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness.

Kennedy, D-R.I., addressed the issue after a spate of news reports. His initial statement said, "I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident."

Later, however, he issued a longer statement saying the attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan on Tuesday to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and intestines.

Kennedy said he returned to his Capitol Hill home on Wednesday evening after a final series of votes in Congress and took "prescribed" amounts of Phenergan and Ambien, another prescribed drug that he occasionally takes to fall asleep.

"Some time around 2:45 a.m., I drove the few blocks to the Capitol Complex believing I needed to vote," his second statement said. "Apparently, I was disoriented from the medication."

Kennedy appeared to be intoxicated when he crashed his Ford Mustang into a barrier on Capitol Hill early Thursday morning, said Louis P. Cannon, president of the Washington chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police.




Based on his voting record, it seems this sort of "disorientation" has been common place since his election.
Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein where are you when an important mater like this need to be investigated!

[Democratshavenobrains]

I wish they had said the guy was a Republican for the first two hours, than revealed he was a Democrat just so the lefty morons defending him could get whiplash taking all their insults back.

[TYVets]

Kennedy Blames Accident on Sleep Medicine.

Sleep Medication for swimmer's ear?

[abigailsmybaby]

That's his story and he's sticking to it.

I've been on the computer sooooo looooong today and had the tv on at the same time, so I'm not sure if I read or heard that one of the police officers said he smelled like alcohol.

Did you hear (or read) anything like that?

[Rte66]

It fooled me all day, as I just glanced at the sidebar headlines and saw several mentions of "Rep. Kennedy" and assumed it wasn't any of *those* Kennedy's, so I never clicked on the story links till the wee hours.

Something like "SOT (SonOfTeddy) Crashes Car - AGAIN!" might have made me snap to attention.

[AngelesCrestHighway]

Runs in the family...

[JennysCool]

Good idea!

[Rte66]

Uh-oh. If the Ambienesia - Phenershenanigan story doesn't work, there's always this one:

~~~~~~~
Apr 13, 2006 8:39 pm US/Eastern

Patrick Kennedy Injured By Flying Hammer

(CBS4) PAWTUCKET, RI Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy needed stitches after getting hit with a hammer head during an ecomomic development meeting in Pawtucket.

Kennedy was in a meeting with a Wisconsin entrepreneur, Matt Kriesel, on Wednesday. Kriesel produces Impact Gel, a shock-absorbing material used sports-shoe inserts, tennis rackets and horse saddles.

Kriesel was hitting some gel with a hammer to demonstrate its ability to reduce vibration when the hammer's head flew off and hit Kennedy in the mouth.

"The congressman is a class act, he didn't make a fuss," said Michael McMahon, the executive director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation. He attended the demonstration.

Kennedy's staff took him to Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket, where he received six stitches in his bottom lip.
~~~~~~~~

>>>Two days after that, he had the April 15th car wreck at the drug store. Two and a half weeks after that, this "mishap" befalls him. Yup, it's gotta be "(Tom) Delayed Hammer Head Syndrome."

[Graymatter]

Let me see if I understand: his sleep medication caused him to wake up at 2:30 AM and drive to the office?

Yes. You see he doesn't take it for sleeping. It's for gastro-enteritis. It's only supposed to put his tummy to sleep.

[machogirl]

pat was so upset by karl and w and the price of gas, that he couldn't sleep, thus needed the ambien, thus your statement is logical

[metesky]

The keywords alone make this thread worth the read. Yhat it's Patches makes it all the more enjoyable.

[auggy]

"I do too. I helps with the 'riods. Are we talking about the same thing?"

Phenegren is usually given in suppositories for nausea. I suppose they could help with 'roids too.

[muir_redwoods]

""Apparently, I was disoriented from the medication."

Sure, Patches and the sad thing is, is that there are people in this country who might even believe you.