This past Sunday (December 20,2009), actress Britney Murphy died from what is being called cardiac arrest.  However according to multiple sources:

“various prescriptions were found in the home — written for Brittany Murphy, husband Simon Monjack, and Brittany’s mom. One source says, “There were a lot … a lot of prescriptions in the house. . . . . . .A check of the nightstands revealed large amounts of prescription medication in the decedent’s name. Also noted were numerous empty prescription medication bottles in the decedent’s husband’s name, the decedent’s mother’s name and unidentified third party names.

According to the notes, the medications included Topamax (anti-seizure meds also to prevent migraines), Methylprednisolone (anti-inflammatory), Fluoxetine (depression med), Klonopin (anxiety med), Carbamazepine (treats Diabetic symptoms and is also a bipolar med), Ativan (anxiety med), Vicoprofen (pain reliever), Propranolol (hypertension, used to prevent heart attacks), Biaxin (antibiotic), Hydrocodone (pain med) and miscellaneous vitamins.

The notes say, “No alcohol containers, paraphernalia or illegal drugs were discovered.”

Source: TMZ

Although the coroner’s report has not yet been released, the amount of prescription medications found in the residence is alarming.

There is still a perception that prescription drugs help people and do not harm them.  However, virtually every illegal “street drug” in existence today started out in the medical realm.  Examples of this include Cocaine, “Special K” and Amphetamines.  The reason that these drugs moved away from the medical realm is that there were substantial negative side-effects in utilizing them.  With that being said, just because something is prescribed by a doctor, it does not mean that it cannot hurt you.

Many prescription drugs are highly addictive and their use needs to be monitored by a qualified medical professional.  “Doctor Shopping” (going from doctor to doctor to get your prescriptions filled so that the doctors are  not aware of the volume of prescriptions you re taking) and using other people’s medications (even borrowing one Tylenol 3 because you have a headache) are growing in popularity, with detrimental side effects.  Britney Murphy may be the newest in the growing list of celebrity deaths, including DJ AM, Heath Ledger and Michael Jackson due to prescription drug use.

Whether celebrities set the trend, or simply reflect the trend, the reality is that people are dying from prescription pain killer addiction every day.   Just because a substance is prescribed by a doctor, that does not mean that it is not addictive, or that it cannot be abused.  Cocaine used to be widely prescribed for medical reasons and now it is relegated to the street, perhaps Oxycontin is the next medical drug to be deemed too risky for medical benefit and sold only as an illegal substance.  Any type of drug use and abuse, whether or prescription or not comes with consequences.