slimvictor
Bluelight Crew
Traces of a drug used to treat insomnia were found in the blood of former NFL star Junior Seau, according to a toxicology report released Monday in San Diego.
Seau's death fueled speculation that he may have suffered brain damage from concussions during his 20-year NFL career, however that remains uncertain. But the report, issued by the Office of the Medical Examiner of the County of San Diego, did indicate that he had used the drug zolpidem.
Seau, 43, was found dead May 2 at his home in Oceanside, Calif. A day later, the medical examiner's office ruled death by suicide. Seau had sustained a gunshot wound to the chest.
In the aftermath of the death, friends and family of Seau's told USA TODAY Sports that he used Ambien, the best-known brand name for zolpidem. (According to Sanofi, the maker of Ambien, 95% of zolpidem sold in the USA is generic.)
Those close to Seau also said he had trouble sleeping for years and did not always take sleep aids as directed. Nancy Emsley, who often worked out with Seau at a local gym, said she lectured Seau that he needed to sleep for eight hours after taking one. "He just rolled his eyes," she said.
Mark Walczak, who played with Seau on the San Diego Chargers in the early 1990s, said he witnessed Seau using a prescription sleep aid in 2005 while Seau played for the Miami Dolphins.
"So it was there. It was being used," Walczak told USA TODAY Sports on Monday. "It may be accepted by the FDA as a sleep aid, but from what I read and from what people tell me it is also a substance that can make you do crazy things that you'd never do normally. It's just very frustrating to me."
According to the Food and Drug Administration-approved medication guide for Ambien, serious side effects can include "worsening of depression, and suicidal thoughts or actions."
The toxicology report found no traces of alcohol or drugs of abuse.
The report said medications collected from the scene included 10 milligram tablets of zolpidem. It said the level found in Seau's blood was 0.14 mg/liter.
A 10 mg dose of zolpidem results in a blood concentration of 0.12 mg/liter after more than an hour and a half, according to a fact sheet on the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The toxicology report also noted a lesser trace (under 5.0 mg/L) of naproxen, an anti-inflammatory drug.
cont at
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/foot...-finds-sleep-aid-no-drugs-of-abuse/57171466/1
Seau's death fueled speculation that he may have suffered brain damage from concussions during his 20-year NFL career, however that remains uncertain. But the report, issued by the Office of the Medical Examiner of the County of San Diego, did indicate that he had used the drug zolpidem.
Seau, 43, was found dead May 2 at his home in Oceanside, Calif. A day later, the medical examiner's office ruled death by suicide. Seau had sustained a gunshot wound to the chest.
In the aftermath of the death, friends and family of Seau's told USA TODAY Sports that he used Ambien, the best-known brand name for zolpidem. (According to Sanofi, the maker of Ambien, 95% of zolpidem sold in the USA is generic.)
Those close to Seau also said he had trouble sleeping for years and did not always take sleep aids as directed. Nancy Emsley, who often worked out with Seau at a local gym, said she lectured Seau that he needed to sleep for eight hours after taking one. "He just rolled his eyes," she said.
Mark Walczak, who played with Seau on the San Diego Chargers in the early 1990s, said he witnessed Seau using a prescription sleep aid in 2005 while Seau played for the Miami Dolphins.
"So it was there. It was being used," Walczak told USA TODAY Sports on Monday. "It may be accepted by the FDA as a sleep aid, but from what I read and from what people tell me it is also a substance that can make you do crazy things that you'd never do normally. It's just very frustrating to me."
According to the Food and Drug Administration-approved medication guide for Ambien, serious side effects can include "worsening of depression, and suicidal thoughts or actions."
The toxicology report found no traces of alcohol or drugs of abuse.
The report said medications collected from the scene included 10 milligram tablets of zolpidem. It said the level found in Seau's blood was 0.14 mg/liter.
A 10 mg dose of zolpidem results in a blood concentration of 0.12 mg/liter after more than an hour and a half, according to a fact sheet on the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The toxicology report also noted a lesser trace (under 5.0 mg/L) of naproxen, an anti-inflammatory drug.
cont at
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/foot...-finds-sleep-aid-no-drugs-of-abuse/57171466/1
