Cocaine contributed to death of TV pitchman Billy Mays

[1PrincessMomma1]

If anyone took the time to read the articles it says that no actual cocaine was found in his system just a byproduct of cocaine. If he was a "coke head" as someone stated he wouldn't be able to go several days without any. I'd like to know if any prescription meds have the same by product before I pass judgement on him.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

If anyone took the time to read the articles it says that no actual cocaine was found in his system just a byproduct of cocaine. If he was a "coke head" as someone stated he wouldn't be able to go several days without any. I'd like to know if any prescription meds have the same by product before I pass judgement on him.

If the cocaine was fully metabolized--they wouldn't find actual cocaine.

Some sources:

http://www.drugs.com/dict/benzoylecgonine.html

benzoylecgonine


Pronunciation: ben′zō-il-ek′gō-nēn
A metabolite of cocaine produced by hydrolysis; it can be detected in urine.
Synonym(s): ecgonine benzoate

Found an interesting book that says normally toxicology woudl not reveal that byproduct at therapeutic doses (Which I take to mean that if it was in some other medication, it would not have been found as the toxicology's purpose is to find the illegal use.)

http://books.google.com/books?id=ML...esult&ct=result&resnum=3#v=onepage&q=&f=false

(this is a book page and content cannot be copied)



http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Benzoylecgonine

Benzoylecgonine (ecgonine benzoate) is the primary metabolite of cocaine. It is formed in the liver by the metabolism of cocaine, catalysed by carboxylesterases, and subsequently excreted in the urine. Small amounts may be traced back to certain OTC (over the counter) medications, after having been metabolised in the liver.
In 2005, scientists found surprisingly large quantities of benzoylecgonine in Italy's Po River and used its concentration to estimate the number of cocaine users in the region. In 2006, a similar study was performed in the Swiss ski town of Saint-Moritz using waste water to estimate the daily cocaine consumption of the population.

I would expect that if the coke came from another source, the toxicology would have traced it.


I am looking all over the web and cannot find one single legal drug that would produce this byproduct in an amount as to be confused with illegal cocaine usage.

 

[LaurenLC]

The guy jumped around and screamed A LOT.... Not a huge shocker!

 

[Poohbear123]

If anyone took the time to read the articles it says that no actual cocaine was found in his system just a byproduct of cocaine. If he was a "coke head" as someone stated he wouldn't be able to go several days without any. I'd like to know if any prescription meds have the same by product before I pass judgement on him.

Me too...yea he jumped around a lot and yelled...I do the SAME thing at my Job, but I am NOT a Coke Head!

 

[JessicaR]

If you go to www.PDR.net and search Full Drug Label for cocaine, you will have 29 hits. These include Wellbutrin, Percocet, Percodan, Ambien, and Zyban among them. All prescribed all the time.

With the drugs he was taking for hip pain alone, I would think it might be easy to overdue it at some point. Unbearable pain and then taking a drug in a time period shorter than it should have been taken.

This information that you provided (bolded) is totally wrong.

The meds he was taking for his hip were ALL theraputic amounts. He was not abusing his medications and they were all legally prescribed.

I'm curious to see if his wife has private testing done.

 

[daisax]

Question: Why when we get the reports about people dying of swine flu do we read that we can't have more info because of privacy laws, but with autopsies we can know every detail of what is in the deceased's blood? If one dead person's records are considered private, why not another?

I assume because it was an "unattended" death which required an autopsy. If somebody died of swine flu in a hospital, an autopsy would be at the discretion of the family.

I really wish they wouldn't release 911 calls -- capturing people at their worst emotional moment calling for help for a loved one ... I don't see why a transcript alone isn't sufficient. No need to play it on the 6 am news for people to "enjoy" over breakfast.

 

[DawnCt1]

I think alot of people do jump to conclusions when they hear something like that. It is not necessary to judge until all the fact have been released.
Of course the family will come to the defense, but face it, if it were one of our family members we might also.
If you read what the family said, "As those who were close to Billy knew, he had been in chronic pain for more than two years and was about to have his third hip surgery in 18 months. His use of prescription pain medication for his hip condition was guided by his physician and was at recommended usage levels," the family said.
Unless someone on these boards is the Dr of Mays and his family then wait to see what type of medication was in his system at the time of death. I am betting that the pain meds he was on had cocaine in them. I don't have a PDR anymore since I stopped working as a nurse but I do remember some patients who were on cocaine based meds for severe pain when I worked on the neuro floor.
And frankly, who's business is it how he died, HE DIED too young. Just like people buy those junk magazines to see what is said about how Michael Jackson died. I hope when and if any family members of these boards die of questionable causes others leave them and their families alone.

The only therapeutic use I can think of for cocaine, is its local anesthetic properties, in the operating room, for rhinoplasty. I think that you are thinking of "opiate based drugs", which would be pain medication. If he had cocaine in his system, it was for "recreational" use and abuse.

 

[DawnCt1]

Guess I know too much about addicts. I've always told my husband, 'that guy's a coke head.' He just had that look and personality. As a daughter, grand daughter, sister, friend, past partner of addicts and trained crisis counselor-I can spot 'em in a grocery store. There's just an aura.

I agree!