The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Defense and Tactics => Topic started by: Gr8Heath on July 12, 2011, 02:48:29 PM
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MB brought up a great point in a recent podcast about alcohol and self defense....very valid point, and great advise. Then I started to think....doesn't happen often....I'm handicapped, as are a great many others from this forum. I require medication just to put weight on my legs. it worries me to think of how a jury would look upon people like us if we were to defend ourselves in our homes, or anywhere else for that matter.
Any thoughts?
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If it came down to defending yourself and it wound up in court try to get jurors with some sort of handicap or ones with family members who have them. However I don't think there would be much of a case if say you are confined to a wheelchair for instance and you busted a cap in some azzhole who was trying to mug you. If you are unlucky enough to live in say NJ,NY or CAlif. things may be a litle different.
KEN
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My guess is that it would depend a lot on the side effects and dosage of said medication. If you defend yourself in your own home there are already a lot of factors on your side, unless you mistakenly cap your neighbor that was coming over to check on you. :-[
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With the number of elderly or otherwise ailing people who have defended themselves , I'm sure there are precedents already set that any decent lawyer could refer to.
If you are defending yourself in your own home it is extremely unlikely that your medications will have any bearing on the case unless there are complicating factors, such as a miss that injures some one else.
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Talk to your doctor and attorney (in that order) in plain simple vocabulary with clear concerns.
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Not wheelchair bound quite yet, unless i'm in Wally World. Then i'll use one of those buggies...My meds have a bad reputation, because of stupid people who abuse them. Working in healthcare as I do, I know every medication has an effect on the human body, one form or another. However, given the dose and length of time i've been on them, I can say they do not impair my mental processes. It just concerns me that on THAT day, the prosecutor may use my medical records against me.. But that is a whole other topic. My MD is comfortable with it, my attorney says not to worry. I trust only one of them!
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Like the others have said, if you are in your own home, I wouldn't think you would have anything major to fear if the shooting/defense was justifiable.
Depending on the circumstances and the lawyers involved, a SD situation outside the home where prescription drugs might be a factor would come from those with "mood altering" side effects....and even then it might be a stretch.
I have a mile-long list of medications, some are 'must take daily' but most are 'as needed'.....I have researched the side effects and am confident that they would not be a factor. I would advise anyone else to do the same.....but that's just me.
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I just knew PEG would show up in this thread. ha ha. ;D
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I just knew PEG would show up in this thread. ha ha. ;D
Was it the "thud-scrub, thud-scrub, thud-scrub" noise coming down the hall from the corner that gave me away? ;) ;D
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My Dad is 80, He carries and is also on medications. What is "Hydrocodone"
I'm not sure of the spelling but that is how it sounded over the phone.
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It is a rather standard, generic pain medication.....similar to Vicodin, Lortab, oxycodone (all opiate derivatives). Depending on the mixture and strength, most Hydrocodone pain medication isn't much more than Tylenol (depending on strength and one's tolerance).
Actually, it is usually teamed up with acetaminophen to carry it, as in "Hydrocodone 5-500 APAP" which means 5mg of an opiate derivative combined with 500mg of acetaminophen. I've had it in 5-500, 7.5-500, and 10-650 (usually the strongest). My normal prescription dose is the standard 5-500, but I usually just stick to generic acetaminophen unless I'm really having a good bit of pain.
It also may be prescribed (as in my wife's case during chemo treatments) as a cough suppressant.
http://www.drugs.com/monograph/hydrocodone-bitartrate.html
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What Peg said! ;)
I would talk to a doctor about the side effects of medication. Hydrocodone is alright. Now if you were taking Chantix to quit smoking, I would be more worried about that. That crap is scary and gave me nightmares and panic attacks.
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Thanks for the info, he's taking it for Arthritis in his legs and back.
Any one who carries while they are trying to quit smoking is just a killing looking to be set off !
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LOL. This is where discipline and training take over Tom! You avoid any areas where a minimal threat may present itself for possible annihilation.
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When ever I try to quit there are no threats, only invitations. ;D
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How 'bout this stuff and it's side effects.......
You may have increased sexual urges, unusual urges to gamble, or other intense urges while taking Requip. It is not known whether the medicine actually causes this effect. Talk with your doctor if you believe you have any intense or unusual urges while taking Requip.
http://www.drugs.com/requip.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501263_162-3152310-501263.html
I remember laughing myself into a fit the first time I saw the commercial and they started listing the side effects.....thinking about the poor SOB that just lost his entire paycheck trying to lay it off on his prescription drugs......"But, honey, it's my leg pills!!"
;D
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On the bright side, after his bookie breaks them he will not have a problem with tremors in his legs any more.
The casts will solve that.
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It comes down to this. Are you going to NOT shoot because you are on meds or have had a couple (assuming you are in your own home and this isn't domestic dispute or party fight kind of deal) ? If the shooting was justified it was justified, if not, not. If the "Gee, maybe I shouldn't shoot" light goes on it should be because you see another way out,not because of what a jerk of a DA will make of your scripts. Just my .02.
FQ13
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FQ,
The question is whether you should carry while on medications or not.
I have been known to take codine and morphine on ocsasion, and I would not touch a gun while on that stuff. Damn, I can't find my ass with both hands on that stuff. When I take my muscle relaxers I don't carry, because one of those little yellow flakes has the same affect as several stiff ones. However, when I take sinus stuff or cold syrup I feel competent, but I would hate to have to explain myself in court if I used the gun at those times.
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MB brought up a great point in a recent podcast about alcohol and self defense....very valid point, and great advise. Then I started to think....doesn't happen often....I'm handicapped, as are a great many others from this forum. I require medication just to put weight on my legs. it worries me to think of how a jury would look upon people like us if we were to defend ourselves in our homes, or anywhere else for that matter.
Any thoughts?
The assailant takes their victims as they find them. If you are disabled, then you have a clearer defense to use deadly force than someone who is not - disparity of force is at play here. Just like a small or elderly woman isn't expected to fight off a 250 lb prison graduate, neither is the disabled person expected to go Bruce Lee on some able bodied scumbag.
If you need meds to make you life livable, I don't see where it would be a question.
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I am a disabled former paramedic, and as such I did a lot of research on meds and their effect on driving. Here is what I found:
There have been studies done on driving and people on narcotic pain killers. One study was done by the university of Chicago, and another was done in Finland. Both involved cancer patients on relatively large does of heavy duty meds (200+ mg of morphine per day) - much more than I take. What both studies showed is that after the initial two weeks the body adjusts to the does and their performance on driving tests is unaffected. The key is using as little as possible and maintaining a steady dosage.
In recent years we finally have large number of docs who specialize in pain control - and they have been a huge help to many people, including myself. They have a lot of tools besides narcotics and I would advise anyone in significant pain to see a pain specialist. The most effective thing I have isn't meds, it's a nerve stimulator implanted in my spine. It does a nice job of jamming the pain and has made the difference between being home bound or active.
Hope this helps someone.
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Welcome Vince!
Nice to see another "usedtobe" medic on the board. ;D