Police: Mother And Son Overdose On Prescription Drugs
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Darius Radzius
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By Darius Radzius
Reporter / WJHL
Published: November 7, 2008
A mother and her son are in the hospital Thursday night recovering from an overdose of prescription drugs. Jonesborough police discovered the two at their Miller Drive home at around 11 a.m.
“Over the years, you see tragic accidents of children and typically it makes you want to go home and hug your child,“ said Craig Ford, Jonesborough public safety director.
Thursday’s case was especially hard for Jonesborough police.
“It’s just beyond me how anyone can do something like that to something so innocent,“ said Ford.
A suicide call turned out to be much more. A mother police identify as Audrey Story told emergency crews she also gave her son prescription drugs.
“They were having a difficult time obtaining information from her as to the exact amount of the prescription drug that she actually has given the child,“ said Ford.
Police say the drug was Klonopin or Clonazepam, typically used as a tranquilizer and as a mood stabilizer.
“It appears as if she possibly put the pills in her hand and crushed them and placed them or forced them in the child’s mouth,“ said Ford.
The Tri-cities has seen other cases like this. Andrea Petrosky drowned her son in Bristol, Virginia in 2005 and in May of this year Ivory Black Clark gave her six-year old daughter a deadly mixture of fruit juice and medications before Clark took her own life.
“It’s extraordinarily rare for a parent to kill their own child,“ said said Chris Dula, clinical psychologist.
Dula says mothers in these types of cases often have a psychotic disorder and are delusional and paranoid.
“It’s more likely that they believe they’re doing good,“ said Dula.
That was the case with the Andrea Yates case in Texas who thought she was saving her kids from going to hell. On the other hand, the motivation is different for fathers.
“There are other cases that are more jealousy driven or rage driven,“ said Dula.
Police are saying why they believe story may have tried to kill her child and herself.
Police expect to charge Andrea Story at a minimum with aggravated child abuse, a class A felony that could send her to prison for up to 60 years. Her son is in protective custody Thursday night, but the next 24 hours will be critical to his survival.
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Posted by ( hespoken ) on November 07, 2008 at 5:28 pm
This is a sad story. Who knows what was going through this mothers mind. Or what she has had to go through herself. The story may never be known. I pray for this mother and child and I thank God she found the strength within to pick up the phone and call for help. May God be with this family and get both the mother and child the help they need.
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Posted by ( evaningstar ) on November 07, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Klonopin is also indicated for panic disorder. Which is sometimes part of bi-polar disorder. All physicians prescribe medications for uses outside of the norm. It will state on any info sheet what the indications and contra-indications are and that it has uses outside of those listed. But Klonopin is marketed for panic disorder as well as an anti-seizure medication. I do agree that any physician prescribing this medication for insomnia should be investigated. There are too many basic sleep aids available. But it also makes me wonder if those that were prescribed it were having panic attacks that were interrupting their sleep. But one of the side effects of this drug is extreme depression. Not good when you have a mood disorder to begin with.
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Posted by ( captainkona ) on November 07, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Klonopin/Clonazepam is an anti-convulsant drug. Normally given to patients who are prone to seizures related to Epilepsy and other similar ails.
Like most drugs it is no more dangerous than a cup of coffee unless abused or mixed with other medications.
If this drug is prescribed to a person for treating a psychological ailment such as Bi-Polar disorder it has been mis-prescribed and the Dr. who prescribed it should come under scrutiny.
Hope all goes well for all affected.
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Posted by ( evaningstar ) on November 07, 2008 at 9:37 am
This is a very dangerous drug. Dr.s are too ready to prescribe it for milder symptoms than what it in intended. I know two people that were prescribed this drug as a sleep aid. They both experienced delusions and paranoia.
It is also prescribed for bi-polar disorder, if this lady suffers from this disorder she could have been in a spiraling depression and saw no way out.
I pray the young boy recovers with no lasting effects and the mother gets the psychiatric help she obviously desperately needs.
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Posted by ( DMCT ) on November 07, 2008 at 8:05 am
Such a sad,sad situtation!! May God be with this mom and her baby. Without knowing any history about this mom , I must assume she was not an abusive parent. I know from personal expierence that certain types of prescribed medications will make one do things that otherwise they would never think about doing! Assuming this was a prescribed nerve medication, maybe the mom was not totally aware of what she was doing, also post partum depression could have been an issue.
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