Latest news with #Celexa
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
How Did Freddie McKee Die? A Grieving Black Mom Investigates Two Conflicting Autopsies
Four years have passed since the sudden death of Freddie McKee. Since then, his mother has worked restlessly, conducting her own investigation to find out what happened after two conflicting toxicology reports contradict everything she knows about her son. As The Root previously reported, around 2:45 a.m. on July 8, 2020, a neighbor called authorities to report a shirtless man in her trash who said he was looking for his phone. Around 6 a.m, police received another call but from Freddie Gardner, McKee's father, reporting that his son was dead on his front porch. Now, Freddie's mother, Doressia McKee, is suing the Columbia Police Department for racial discrimination after she says they didn't fully investigate her son's manner of death. Instead, she says they wrote him off as just another statistic: a drug addict. Here's what we know. University of Missouri Medical Examiner Dr. Carl Stacy's handwritten autopsy notes cite several abrasions (a superficial rub or wearing off of the skin), contusions (ruptured bruises), and scars on Freddie's back and the back of his legs. McKee believes, based on the reports, that there was a struggle preceding her son's death and that McKee's body was moved or in motion before the police arrived. The Root reviewed both an EMS and police report that confirms his arm was raised off the ground when authorities arrived on the scene. A paramedic wrote they attempted to move the arm but confirmed Freddie's body was in rigor mortis. A July 26, 2020, toxicology report shows Freddie's blood tested positive for caffeine, olanzapine (used to treat psychotic disorders) and Celexa/Lexapro (used to treat depression). His mother tells The Root she received a call from Detective Steve Wilmoth in August 2020 claiming he was given the name of another drug found in her son's system and alleged Freddie, a business owner and Black history buff, died of an overdose. 'My son ain't never been no addict. Please, if I knew about any of that, I would be sitting at the rehabilitation [center] with my son making sure he would overcome whatever kind of issue,' Ms. McKee told The Root. Freddie's medical records show no evidence of drug abuse. McKee described Freddie as kind and non-confrontational. She admits he may have mixed with a bad crowd when he was younger, but did not fit the profile of what the cops were trying to push. She insisted Freddie did smoke marijuana, but 'never raised his voice, never cursed, never talked back — he's always been a good kid.' Per McKee, not only did Wilmoth not specify how he identified the cause of death prematurely, but a letter Dr. Stacy filed to a judge that August claimed the cause of death was still 'pending.' McKee said a second toxicology report was mysteriously issued despite never being contacted by the medical examiner about the retesting of her son's blood. The second 'corrected' report, obtained by The Root, detailed extensively the evidence of injury from the original autopsy. Dr. Stacy concluded Freddie's official cause of death was an 'accident caused by eutylone toxicity.' Another toxicology report, nearly identical to the first, included a new compound listed as a 'special request finding' which Freddie tested positive for: eutylone, a stimulant similar to Bath Salts. Who exactly requested the new test is unclear. She called out the police who deemed her 'a liar' who 'knew about my son's drug abuse.' She added: 'How do you come to a death scene and you know already, on that day, that my son is an addict? Where did you get that information from?' According to the report, Freddie tested positive for 5500 ng/ml of eutylone. However, his autopsy noted all of his internal organs were 'unremarkable' or absent of any damage. His heart, specifically, had no flaws. 'I didn't read anything about anything about his nose, like if he was snorting. They took his brain out and everything. So, for them to come back and for everything to be 'unremarkable' then how the hell are the police going to say that he had a history [of drug abuse]?' said McKee. The Root asked Boone/Callaway County Medical Examiner's Office death investigator Stacey Huck about an 'expanded panel' in cases like Freddie's. He revealed that the test may run if the first test includes an 'out of scope' finding. Expanded panels are where synthetic substances specifically are tested. When asked to detail the amount of eutylone found, Huck couldn't explain exactly what the results meant but said it implies a 'really high number.' Despite the scientific findings, McKee wasn't convinced and pushed to find her own answers. The Root reached out to an expert to review the two autopsies. They also compared the findings to a globally known police brutality case that brought forth the same concerns. What they had to say in Part 2 may surprise you... For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Hindustan Times
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Bebe Rexha and Azealia Banks' feud explained as singer reveals emotional pregnancy loss
Azealia Banks sparked a feud with Bebe Rexha after the latter's Met Gala appearance. The 33-year-old rapper openly criticised the Say My Name hitmaker, with a scathing post about her body on X, formerly Twitter on Monday. The social media tirade quickly escalated, with the 35-year-old singer revealing her emotional pregnancy loss. A feud has ignited between Azealia Banks and Bebe Rexha after the former criticised the latter's physical appearance 'Sis gives me - hormonal birth control implant or something. It's giving implanon/nuvaring she needs removed or depo shot that needs to stop happening (I'm not even tryna play her),' Banks wrote alongside a photo of Rexha posing on the blue carpet. However, Rexha quickly hit back with, 'And you might wanna jump on some type of therapy, sis, lexapro worked great for me. something that helps with the deep rooted sadness and chaos you keep projecting. Healing looks good on everyone. Try it.' She further shared, 'Ok I'm gonna go and enjoy my day now Have a good day everyone love you.' In another since-deleted post, Rexha opened up on her health and fertility issues, writing, 'I'm so tired of people commenting on my weight.' 'I have PCOS and struggle with infertility. I got pregnant, and it didn't work out and I've been carrying that pain in silence. I never owed anyone that truth, but maybe now you'll think twice before commenting on any anyone's body,' Rexha added. Despite Rexha's sensitive comment, Banks continued her verbal attacks, writing, 'B**ch that's why ur bustin out the bando!!!!! Lexapro LITERALLY made me fat!!! I'm not kidding. And it made depression even worse . :(((' 'I took ssri's for years and quit in 2019. First citalopram (Celexa) then escitalopram and then stopped and switched to an ashwaghanda + maca + turmeric combo,' she continued in a lengthy post. The rapper went on, 'You should really get off Lexapro lmao, weight gain is a TRADEMARK side effect of Lexapro.' 'And girl I am living my best life in Sweden being an Ortagubben gworlll…. city hopping around Europe working on s**t and giving CARROT JUICE niece. But nah forreal get off that Lexapro and ssri's in general that's sooo 1999,' she added.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Is RFK Jr. actually banning SSRIs? Here's what Floridians taking antidepressants need to know
Are antidepressants next on Trump's chopping block? President Donald Trump issued an executive order last week to establish the "Make America Healthy Again Commission" to target chronic diseases, especially mental illnesses. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will chair the committee. The order outlines ways they plan to combat chronic illness, including education on healthy lifestyles and the effects of new technological habits. The order also highlights statistics regarding America's high chronic disease percentage and lower life expectancy compared to other countries. "To fully address the growing health crisis in America, we must re-direct our national focus, in the public and private sectors, toward understanding and drastically lowering chronic disease rates and ending childhood chronic disease," the order states. " … We must restore the integrity of the scientific process by protecting expert recommendations from inappropriate influence and increasing transparency regarding existing data. We must ensure our healthcare system promotes health rather than just managing disease." Some of the commission's goals involve targeting mental health and the use of antidepressants. Here's what to know. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, also called SSRIs, are one of the most prescribed antidepressants. They can treat symptoms of depression and other conditions, such as generalized anxiety. The Mayo Clinic explains how SSRIs work, noting that serotonin is one of many chemical messengers in the brain called neurotransmitters, which carry signals between nerve cells in the brain. "After carrying a signal between brain cells, serotonin usually is taken back into those cells, a process called reuptake. But SSRIs block this process," the clinic writes. "Blocking reuptake makes more serotonin available to help pass messages between brain cells. SSRIs are called selective because they mainly affect serotonin, not other neurotransmitters." The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved these SSRIs to treat depression: Citalopram (Celexa) Escitalopram (Lexapro) Fluoxetine (Prozac) Paroxetine (Paxil) Sertraline (Zoloft) SSRIs are a specific type of antidepressant. Antidepressants are common prescription medications that can help treat depression and other conditions, such as anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, according to the Cleveland Clinic. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 8.3% of U.S. adults ages 18 or older had a major depressive episode in 2021; for those aged 18-25, this rate jumped to 18.6%. The monthly antidepressant dispensing rate for young people increased 66.3% from January 2016 to December 2022, according to a 2024 study in the journal Pediatrics. Several types of antidepressants target specific neurotransmitters, including: Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) Serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) Norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs) Tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants (TCAs) Serotonin antagonists and reuptake inhibitors (SARIs) Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) As of now, no. The executive order says it will address the possible overmedication of children and the risks of antidepressants. One of the commission's goals is to "assess the prevalence of and threat posed by the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, stimulants, and weight-loss drugs." According to NBC News, some SSRIs are approved for children starting at ages 6 to 10 depending on their condition; however, they are far more commonly used by adults than minors. Kennedy has been vocal about his distrust for antidepressants; however, many health experts claim he is spreading misinformation about their drugs' impacts. In 2024, Kennedy speculated that antidepressant use could explain the rise of school shootings, despite a lack of scientific evidence to support such claims. 'There's no time in American history or human history that kids were going to schools and shooting their classmates,' Kennedy told the comedian Bill Maher on an episode of the podcast 'Club Random With Bill Maher' in April 2024. 'It happened, you know, it really started happening conterminous with the introduction of these drugs, with Prozac and the other drugs.' When asked about this during a hearing with the Senate Finance Committee last month, he lacked a clear response on whether he stood by his claims. 'It should be studied along with other potential culprits,' he said, adding, 'I just want to have good science.' Kennedy also compared serotonin uptake inhibitors SSRIs to heroin addiction. 'Listen, I know people, including members of my family, who've had a much worse time getting off of SSRIs than people have getting off heroin,' he said. USA TODAY interviewed psychiatric nurse practitioner Sean Leonard who disagreed with any comparison between SSRIs and heroin. 'Serotonin receptor sites versus the opiate receptor sites is night and day,' Leonard says. 'It's so hard to come off an opiate. Your brain craves it, your body craves it; serotonin, not so much.' USA TODAY contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Trump targets antidepressants in executive order. What to know
