October 23, 2012

Tony Scott had anti-depression drugs in system, death ruled a suicide

English born film director Tony Scott had an anti-depressant and sleep aid in system at time of his suicide on August 19 in Los Angeles.

The director had a therapeutic level of Mirtazapine, also known as Remeron, as well as the insomnia medication Lunesta in his bloodstream at the time of his death, the Los Angeles County Coroner said.

Scott climbed up the Vincent Thomas Bridge and jumped to his death as horrified onlookers dialed 911.  It is now reported by multiple news sources that Scott had an anti-depressant and a sleep aid in his system when he committed suicide.

The director had a therapeutic level of Mirtazapine, also known as Remeron, as well as the insomnia medication Lunesta in his bloodstream at the time of his death, the Los Angeles County Coroner said.

His death was ruled a suicide caused by “multiple blunt force injuries” and drowning, the coroner ruled.

TMZ reported that Scott scaled a barrier fence and jumped off of the massive Vincent Thomas suspension bridge during the daylight.

Both TMZ and The Los Angeles Times reported that authorities released 911 recordings from witnesses who reported Scott’s suicide.

“We are just on the Vincent Thomas Bridge, and there’s a guy that looks like he’s just about to jump off. Oh my God, he’s jumped! He’s jumped!” an unidentified woman told an emergency dispatcher in the recordings first obtained by TMZ.com.

“It’s dangerous. He just parked his car in the lane there, and he’s jumped.”

Scott reportedly parked his black Toyota Prius with its emergency lights flashing in the slow lane of the bridge.

An erroneous report surfaced quickly that Scott had inoperable brain cancer which was dismissed by his immediate family as false.

Scott did leave notes in his car and office.

The director was survived by his third wife and their twin sons.

Medical and addiction expert, residential rehabilitation facility Cliffside Malibu’s internist Dr. Damon Raskin, spoke to Monsters and Critics about the perils of not adequately treating clinical depression.

He tells Monsters and Critics, “Clearly Mr Scott was suffering from depression. Insomnia is a very common symptom of depression, and is often difficult to treat. Physicians will often combine antidepressants and sedative hypnotics like Lunesta to help patients with both their mood disorder and sleep disorder. Remeron is often used to help patients sleep as well. It is considered a ‘sedating’ antidepressant. This combination is not dangerous in and of itself if taken at the recommended doses, but in this case, it is obvious that the depression was not adequately treated.”

Dr Damon Raskin, M.D is a board certified internist. For 10 years Dr. Raskin has specialized in working in addiction detoxification. Dr. Raskin has been interviewed for national and local media on all topics related to addiction and can be reached at

Cliffside Malibu

Original Article

October 23, 2012

Raskin Treats Addiction Medically

Many residents like to think of Pacific Palisades as a tiny corner of paradise un’affected by drug and alcohol issues. Dr. Damon Raskin, an internist who has about 1,000 patients in his Palisades practice, discounts that notion.

‘Addiction affects all ages and all socioeconomic classes,’ said Raskin, who has been helping patients with addictions for the past 10 years, including six at Cliffside Malibu, a drug and alcohol rehabil’itation center north of Zuma Beach.

‘We’re seeing a lot of opiates, especially drugs like Oxycontin, Vicodin and Percocet,’ Raskin said. ‘People are getting it off the street and from their friends’ medicine cabinets. They ‘doctor shop’ and also go to emergency rooms asking for pain medicine.’

Once a patient admits he (or she) has a problem, some try to stop ‘cold turkey.’ The alternative is a ‘medically supervised’ detox program, which Raskin considers pref’erable, because when people who are drinking a fifth of vodka or two bottles of wine daily suddenly stop, their bodies can go into seizures.

Raskin also noted that people who are taking 20 to 30 Vicodin a day have developed a tolerance, and for them to stop suddenly can be life-threatening. Even those going through detox ‘can have insomnia, vomiting and severe muscle aches and it becomes so uncomfortable they go back to the substance to stop the pain,’ Raskin said. ‘Their attitude is ‘Screw this, I’m out of here.”

The doctor’s goal is to make the patient comfortable with non-addictive drugs during detox, which can take 10 to 15 days depending on the substance.

He was asked about those who recommend no medical intervention during detox. ‘It is unsafe and bad judgment and tortures the patient,’ Raskin said. ‘We want to help people get in the ‘right way’ to help their sobriety. We help them detox in the safest way.’

He continued, ‘Some who are ad’dicted often start on substances as a form of self-medication for depres’sion, anxiety, bipolar or psychological issues. Others get hooked because they start a drug for a real reason, a real pain, but then they realize they love the high. The drug bonds to an opiate receptor in the brain that then releases dopamine, which makes a person feel good, like a runner’s high.

‘Over time they need more and more of the substance,’ Raskin said. ‘Yet others have a genetic component that is part of their brain that won’t let them stop.’

According to Raskin, many people try to quit on their own, but it’s difficult. ‘They will say, ‘What’s a glass of wine?” and eventually find themselves back to several bottles a day.

Raskin recommends a rehabilitation center because patients are given other therapies aimed at preventing a relapse. ‘Patients struggle every day [after rehab],’ he said. ‘Even though they are clean, they attend AA and NA, but recovery goes on indefinitely.’

After detox, Raskin can also give a monthly injection (Vivitrol or the generic Naltrexone) that prevents craving. Even if a patient tries the substance that he or she was addicted to, it no longer gives a high. ‘I give the injection once a month for 12 months. It gives a patient time to break a habit.’

What are the prevalent drugs in the Palisades? ‘You name it,’ said Raskin, who has also seen heroin addiction, mostly in people in their 20s.

How can parents tell if their children are on a substance? ‘It is sometimes hard to tell the difference between typical adolescence behavior and drug abuse,’ Raskin said, but changes in grades, attitude and different friends could be indicators. Other warning signs are drug paraphernalia, empty plastic bags and a child’s losing weight.

Raskin also alerts parents to a new over-the-counter product that will result in a clean urine test regardless of what the child may be abusing’although it may not be foolproof. He recommends a saliva, hair or blood test if a parent is worried that a child is using drugs.

Original Article

Cliffside Malibu

Dr. Damon Raskin

October 11, 2012

Raskin Treats Addiction Medically

Many residents like to think of Pacific Palisades as a tiny corner of paradise un’affected by drug and alcohol issues. Dr. Damon Raskin, an internist who has about 1,000 patients in his Palisades practice, discounts that notion.

‘Addiction affects all ages and all socioeconomic classes,’ said Raskin, who has been helping patients with addictions for the past 10 years, including six at Cliffside Malibu, a drug and alcohol rehabil’itation center north of Zuma Beach.

‘We’re seeing a lot of opiates, especially drugs like Oxycontin, Vicodin and Percocet,’ Raskin said. ‘People are getting it off the street and from their friends’ medicine cabinets. They ‘doctor shop’ and also go to emergency rooms asking for pain medicine.’

Once a patient admits he (or she) has a problem, some try to stop ‘cold turkey.’ The alternative is a ‘medically supervised’ detox program, which Raskin considers pref’erable, because when people who are drinking a fifth of vodka or two bottles of wine daily suddenly stop, their bodies can go into seizures.

Raskin also noted that people who are taking 20 to 30 Vicodin a day have developed a tolerance, and for them to stop suddenly can be life-threatening. Even those going through detox ‘can have insomnia, vomiting and severe muscle aches and it becomes so uncomfortable they go back to the substance to stop the pain,’ Raskin said. ‘Their attitude is ‘Screw this, I’m out of here.”
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September 27, 2012

Expert Opinion: Was Johnny Lewis high on PCP when he murdered elderly landlady and dismembered her cat?

His history of drug abuse was well documented, landing him behind bars countless times and saw him in and out of rehab.

And all signs are now pointing to the fact that Johnny Lewis was high when he savagely murdered his 81-year-old landlady, Catherine Chabot Davis, on Wednesday.

According to new details which have emerged overnight, Lewis stormed into the apartment of Davis at about 10:40 a.m. He then smashed her furniture, beat and strangled her. He also dismembered her cat, reportedly tearing it apart with his hands.

After the brutal crime, Lewis hopped a nearby fence and confronted one  of Davis’ neighbors, Daniel Blackburn, and a handyman- both were badly beaten  and claim that Lewis showed “super-human strength” and was “phenomenally strong.”

One of the neighbour’s told the Los Angeles Times that Lewis was hardly deterred by the blows he took, that it was  like “hitting him with a fly swatter.”
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