'My daughter died because they didn't care'

By Jessica Johnston Townsville Bulletin
October 11, 2008 07:18am

• Father lashes out at friends who 'let his girl die'
• Girl suffered drug overdose but no one called for help
• Local coverage at The Townsville Bulletin

A FATHER has lashed out at the"callous indifference" of youths who wouldn't call for help as his daughter slowly died of a drug overdose.

The anguish and anger at losing his youngest daughter Melanie from a drug overdose at a party was evident as Laurie Boyd made a heart-wrenching statement to a Townsville coroner yesterday.

Mr Boyd was emotional yet resolute as he described his family's eternal grief and his personal pain identifying the 16-year-old in the morgue, The Townsvile Bulletin reports.

Melanie Boyd begged her friends to call for help after taking a lethal cocktail of booze and drugs, the inquest was told.

But by the time an ambulance was called, three hours after she was found "blue" and "struggling to breathe", the popular Townsville private schoolgirl was dead.

"No father should be called upon to identify his daughter's body," he said.

"Mel's throat was swollen, it was grossly distorted from her efforts trying to breathe.

"No witness can tell me she was merely snoring, or breathing like she had the flu.

"She must have been struggling for breath for hours ... I hope that she was unconscious.

"She died alone in a strange house, I just hope she didn't die afraid.

"We loved her and miss her every day.

"We were so lucky this wasn't the first of three inquests ... that three other fathers didn't have to go to the ghastly place in the bowels of the hospital to identify their daughter.

"Why it was Mel, I'll never know."

A toxicology report showed Melanie had traces of the painkiller Tramadol, sedative Promazine and codeine in her system when she died.

There was no trace of amphetamine or any illicit drug.

Professor David Williams, who undertook the autopsy, indicated Melanie had ultimately drowned in her vomit, which caused her death.

"She would have gradually lost consciousness," Prof Williams said.

"I'm sure it would have been peaceful, yes."

Mr Boyd said the only two youths who seemed to comprehend the impact of Melanie's death were those who had also taken the lethal drug cocktail.

He said only one of the girls had "the courage and integrity'"to attend Mel's funeral, and to extend her sorrow and regret.

Mr Boyd lashed out at the "callous indifference, shallow vanity and mindless hedonism" shown by the four youths who hadn't called an ambulance for the sick girls.

He said the other schoolgirl, who can't be named because of her age and Matthew Aubrey, Kelly Neville and Zohe Horne had displayed little insight or sorrow.

"There is no doubt that Mel died because they did not care," he said.

"I have sat and listened to the evidence of a succession of young people who were present during the circumstances leading up to my daughter's death.

"At times I have found it difficult to control my rage and I think it fair to observe that many of us ... are bewildered by what we have heard.

"These people sat and watched Mel die for three hours and they will never be held responsible.

"These people will effectively get away with watching my daughter die."

Mr Boyd said he had been "bitterly angry" that the host and her family had appeared to run away to New Zealand to avoid the consequences' and made no attempt to contact him.

But he yesterday extended a message of forgiveness to the other parents, acknowledging they were doing what they thought was best for their child.

"I hope (the host) that you have all the opportunities that were denied to Melanie and I wish you well for the future," he said.

Read more at the Townsville Bulletin.

[read more ..]

Macon mother charged in 13-month-old's death

Source: www.macon.com

By Amy Leigh Womack - awomack@macon.com

The mother of a 13-month-old child found dead Aug. 18 has been charged with murder and cruelty to children in the second degree, according to Macon police.

Autumn Cameron was found dead by her mother, 27-year-old Lauren Cameron, at their family's apartment in the Overlook Gardens complex off Gray Highway, according to police.

Results of toxicology tests revealed the child's death was caused by tramadol, a narcotic-like pain reliever, according to a police report released Friday.

Cameron reportedly gave statements to the police that she was the owner of the medicine and that she was the child's caregiver at the time when she consumed the drug, according to the report.

Cameron is reported to have awakened about 10 a.m. Aug. 18 to find her daughter, dead, according to the police. When officers arrived, the child was lying on a sofa on her back.

Initial autopsy results were inconclusive as to how the child died.

Cameron was arrested Oct. 3 and is being held at the Bibb County jail without bond, according to jail records.

[read more ..]

US Drugstore | Tramadol Review

Author: us drugstore

Tramadol is an atypical opioid which is a centrally acting analgesic, used for treating moderate to severe pain. It is a synthetic agent, and appears to have actions on the ?-opioid receptor as well as the noradrenergic and serotonergic systems. Tramadol was developed by the German pharmaceutical company Grünenthal GmbH in the late 1970s and marketed under the trade name Tramal. Grünenthal has also cross licensed the drug to many other pharmaceutical companies that market it under various names.

Specifically, tramadol comes in capsules, tablets, extended-release tablets, low-residue and/or uncoated tablets which can be taken by the sublingual and buccal routes, suppositories, effervescent tablets and powders, ampoules of sterile solution for SC, IM, and IV injection, powders for compounding, liquid for oral and sublingual administration -- in regular phials and bottles, dropper bottles, bottles with a pump similar to those used with liquid soap and phials with droppers built into the cap - as well as tablets and capsules containing paracetamol and aspirin.

Tramadol has a characteristic taste which is mildly bitter but much less so than morphine and codeine. Oral and sublingual drops and liquid preparations come with and without added flavouring. Its relative effectivness via transmucousal routes (sublingual, buccal, rectal) is around that of codeine and like codeine it is also metabolised in the liver to stronger metabolites (see below).

Doses range from 50-400 mg daily, maximum dose of 400 mg a day (webmed), with up to 600 mg daily when given IV/IM. The formulation containing APAP contains 37.5 mg of tramadol and 325 mg of paracetamol, intended for oral administration with a common dosing recommendation of one or two tabs every four to six hours.

Tramadol can be boosted in its analgesic effect with carisoprodol and meprobamate, benzodiazepines, and most antihistamines, especially promethazine, hydroxyzine, and orphenadrine.

Unlike most other opioids, Tramadol is not considered a controlled substance in many countries (the US and Australia, among others), and is available with a normal prescription. Tramadol is available over the counter without prescription in a few countries.[4] Sweden has as of May 2008 chosen to classify Tramadol as a controlled substance in the same way as codeine and dextropropoxyphene. This means that the substance is a scheduled drug. But unlike codeine and dextropropoxyphene, a normal prescription can be used at this time.[2] Tramadol is sometimes mistakenly classified as a non-opioid analgesic, because its abuse liability is lower than that of other opioids and because it has multiple mechanisms of action (including, but not limited to mu-opioid activity).

Tramadol is usually marketed as the hydrochloride salt (tramadol hydrochloride) and is available in both injectable (intravenous and/or intramuscular) and oral preparations. It is also available in conjunction with paracetamol (acetaminophen).

Source: www.articlesbase.com

[read more ..]

Tramadol Takes on Arthritis

By: John Scott

Arthritis, at its core is simply an inflammation of the joints. However, there are a lot of diseases associated with arthritis; such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. They range from mildly painful to intensely painful. For some of the mild cases simply taking a few aspirin gives enough comfort. But more intense cases require stronger medication. That's where Tramadol stands out in the crowd.

Everyone has, at some time in their life, had a doctor ask them to rate their pain on a scale of 1 to 10. Pain is such an individual experience that it's difficult for an outsider, who is not experiencing it, to really understand how bad it is. Not only does it vary in intensity, it can have a wide range of sensations as well. One person might have sharp pains while another could be having a dull ache. Worse, are the cases of the intense, persistent, throbbing pain. That's the kind of pain that Tramadol attacks.

It's important for sufferers to be able to accurately describe their pain. The more accurate they can be, the better. There is often more than one doctor involved in a patient's care. A family practitioner may refer the patient to a specialists. The specialist may ask a collegue's opinion. There are any number of reasons to be sure your description of the pain you're feeling is accurate.

The treatment of arthritis is not as simple as taking one form of treatment and following that one form. Several factors play into arthritis and several factors need to be addressed when treating it.

Diet is one of those factors. Weight loss can have a healing effect on arthritic conditions. It reduces stress on the joints and takes some of that wearing pressure off. However, diet can have more of an impact if the arthritis sufferer goes beyond just trying to lose weight. Eating a lot of marine oils from cold-water fish have proven to reduce inflammation in many joint conditions. Diets high in fish such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna can have a big impact on arthritis.

Exercise is another important factor in treating arthritis. Unlike joint injuries which need to be immobilized, joint diseases get a lot of benefit from keeping mobile, active, and limber. There are numerous activities that are great for people suffering from arthritis. Among them are stretching, walking, and swimming. In addition, physical therapists will introduce patients to a variety of range-of-motion exercises. All this exercise keeps the joints active and protects against them freezing up.

The third treatment is to control the pain. Losing mobility in your joints due to arthritis can be very frustrating, but the pain that accompanies it can be downright agonizing. Sometimes a simple anti-inflammatory will do the trick, but for bigger arthritis pain you need something powerful. That's why many doctors turn to Tramadol to help their patients cope with the intense pain associated with arthritis.

While there is no cure for arthritis, the combination of these factors allows people with arthritis to live a relatively normal life, taking part in activities they've enjoyed all their lives.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

[read more ..]