A convenient alibi ...... ![Huh? :huh: :huh:](/forum/styles/cass/smilies/huh.gif)
Las Vegas Strip shooter prescribed anti-anxiety drug in June
_https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/the-strip/las-vegas-strip-shooter-prescribed-anti-anxiety-drug-in-june/
By Paul Harasim ©2017, Las Vegas Review-Journal October 3, 2017 - 9:00 pm
What Dr. Pohl Thinks About His New Position (Plus: His Plans for the Future)
Oct 5, 2016
_https://lasvegasrecovery.com/dr-mel-pohl-new-position/
Knocking out pain without drugs
Dr. Manny chats with Dr. Mel Pohl, author of “The Pain Antidote:
Nov. 23, 2015 - 5:56
_http://video.foxnews.com/v/4628199398001/?#sp=show-clips
Las Vegas Shooting Strange Facts & Inconsistencies - Jay Dyer (1:12:44)
_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_oI_wfksVA
![Huh? :huh: :huh:](/forum/styles/cass/smilies/huh.gif)
Las Vegas Strip shooter prescribed anti-anxiety drug in June
_https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/the-strip/las-vegas-strip-shooter-prescribed-anti-anxiety-drug-in-june/
By Paul Harasim ©2017, Las Vegas Review-Journal October 3, 2017 - 9:00 pm
Las Vegas Recovery CenterStephen Paddock, who killed at least 58 people and wounded hundreds more in Las Vegas on Sunday with high-powered rifles, was prescribed an anti-anxiety drug in June that can lead to aggressive behavior, the Las Vegas Review-Journal has learned.
Records from the Nevada Prescription Monitoring Program obtained Tuesday show Paddock was prescribed 50 10-milligram diazepam tablets by Henderson physician Dr. Steven Winkler on June 21.
A woman who answered the phone at Winkler’s office would not make him available to answer questions and would neither confirm nor deny that Paddock was ever a patient.
Paddock purchased the drug — its brand name is Valium — without insurance at a Walgreens store in Reno on the same day it was prescribed. He was supposed to take one pill a day.
Diazepam is a sedative-hypnotic drug in the class of drugs known as benzodiazepines, which studies have shown can trigger aggressive behavior. Chronic use or abuse of sedatives such as diazepam can also trigger psychotic experiences, according to drugabuse.com.
‘They can become aggressive’
said Dr. Mel Pohl, chief medical officer of the Las Vegas Recovery Center. “It can disinhibit an underlying emotional state. … It is much like what happens when you give alcohol to some people … they become aggressive instead of going to sleep.”“If somebody has an underlying aggression problem and you sedate them with that drug, they can become aggressive,”
Pohl, who spoke to the Review-Journal from the Netherlands, said the effects of the drug also can be magnified by alcohol.
A 2015 study published in World Psychiatry of 960 Finnish adults and teens convicted of homicide showed that their odds of killing were 45 percent higher during time periods when they were on benzodiazepines.
A year earlier, the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry published a study titled, “Benzodiazepine Use and Aggressive Behavior.” The authors wrote: “It appears that benzodiazepine use is moderately associated with subsequent aggressive behavior.”
Dr. Michael First, a clinical psychiatry professor at Columbia University and expert on benzodiazepines, said the Finnish study speaks for itself. But he also told the Review-Journal on Tuesday that he believes the drugs would be more likely to fuel impulsive aggression than premeditated behavior.
“What this man in Las Vegas did was very planned,” he noted, referring to reports that Paddock sneaked an arsenal of weapons into the Mandalay Bay and placed cameras inside and outside his room before launching his attack.
Why was it prescribed?
First said it would be important to discover why Paddock was prescribed the drug.
“That may have more to do with why he did what he did,” First said.
The Nevada state monitoring report also noted that Winkler prescribed 50 10-milligram tablets of diazepam to Paddock in 2016. He also filled that prescription the day it was written, this time at Evergreen Drugs in Henderson. It was for two tablets a day.
Questions have long swirled around whether psychiatric drugs are linked to mass school shootings in the United States, though researchers have yet to find a definitive connections, despite several studies.
Critics of unscientific linkage in the news media and on social media between psychiatric drugs and violence say it stigmatizes those who benefit from their use. That, in turn, can make people quit using medications that can actually be lifesavers, they say.
On Monday, actress Kirstie Alley, best known for her role in the TV sitcom “Cheers,” stirred controversy by tweeting that guns and psychiatric drugs are the common denominators in recent mass shootings in the United States. She cited no evidence that Paddock has used the drugs.
What Dr. Pohl Thinks About His New Position (Plus: His Plans for the Future)
Oct 5, 2016
_https://lasvegasrecovery.com/dr-mel-pohl-new-position/
Dr. Pohl has been on the road a lot over the last couple of months, speaking about the opioid crisis and pain recovery at conferences, events and talk shows. Despite his busy schedule, however, he took a few minutes while he was working at LVRC last week to answer a few questions about his new role and his plans for 2017.
You were the Medical Director and now you’re the Chief Medical Officer: How are the two positions different?
As the Medical Director, I was directly responsible for the day-to-day care of all of Las Vegas Recovery Center’s clients. As the Chief Medical Officer, I’ll be actively involved at LVRC, but I’ll leave the day-to-day responsibilities to our excellent medical team.
What do you like best about your role?
My new position enables me to teach about chronic pain outside of the facility without having to attend to the details of what’s happening at the facility when I’m offsite. It used to be that when I’d be gone, it left a vacuum. Now I’m freer to be on the road to educate people about addiction and pain recovery, knowing full and well that the clients are being well-cared for.
Why did you decide to take this promotion?
I’m getting older! (he laughs). I didn’t want to retire because I love LVRC and I love what I do, so this was a good compromise. The position allows me to be active in the addiction recovery field and teach about pain and addiction, but still be involved in all aspects of care.
You’ll be traveling some over the next few months. How often will you be physically working from Las Vegas Recovery Center?
I’ll be working regular periods of time at the center—about one week per month. The rest of the time I will be on the road, writing, lecturing and teaching.
Are there any professional goals for 2017 that you’d like to share?
My goals are to spread the word about pain recovery and functional restoration. We’re still in a culture where people want to be on opioids and avoid pain at any cost. I want to be able to make an impact on this societal problem and help people in pain but also help the the healthcare professionals in charge of treating those with chronic pain.
You’ve been making numerous television and radio appearances lately. What do you hope to accomplish by putting yourself in the spotlight?
I want to be famous! (He laughs, joking). No, but in all seriousness, I want to get the message out to as many people as possible. TV and radio are one of the best ways to do this.
About Mel Pohl, MD, DFASAM
Dr. Mel Pohl, Chief Medical Officer at Las Vegas Recovery Center, has been working in the field of addiction and pain recovery for over 30 years. He is the author of several books on addiction and chronic pain, including A Day Without Pain. To learn more or to request Dr. Pohl as a speaker or presenter, visit his profile on Central Recovery’s Speakers Bureau site.
Knocking out pain without drugs
Dr. Manny chats with Dr. Mel Pohl, author of “The Pain Antidote:
Nov. 23, 2015 - 5:56
_http://video.foxnews.com/v/4628199398001/?#sp=show-clips
Las Vegas Shooting Strange Facts & Inconsistencies - Jay Dyer (1:12:44)
_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_oI_wfksVA