February 14, 200620 yr Coroner: Chris Penn Died Accidentally Actor Chris Penn died accidentally from an enlarged heart and the effects of a mix of multiple medications, the county coroner's office said Monday. "There is absolutely no indication that this is anything but an accident," chief coroner investigator Craig Harvey said. Penn, 40, the younger brother of Sean Penn, was found dead in his Santa Monica condominium on Jan. 24, but the results of his autopsy and toxicology tests were not released until Monday. The primary cause of death was "nonspecific cardiomyopathy," an oversized heart, with the "effects of multiple medication intake," according to a statement issued by the coroner's office. "We know he had several prescriptions, including promethazine with codeine, which featured predominantly in his death," Harvey said. Promethazine with codeine is known as a highly addictive prescription medication. Promethazine is an antihistamine that prevents vomiting, while codeine suppresses coughing and relieves pain, Harvey said. "We don't know how much he ingested or when," Harvey said. "There are a lot of 'what ifs' to be factored in." A full coroner's report with further details will be available in a few weeks, Harvey said. Penn's heart weighed 700 grams, a few hundred grams more than an average heart. Harvey said Penn was not taking heart medication at the time of his death. Penn appeared in such films as "Reservoir Dogs," "Rush Hour," "Starsky & Hutch" and "Corky Romano." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060214/ap_en_mo/chris_penn
February 14, 200620 yr QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Feb 14, 2006 -> 10:05 AM) so he OD'd. [fingers doing quote signs] Accidentally. [/fingers doing quote signs]
February 14, 200620 yr Antihistamine's are actually pretty nasty things. I've got high blood pressure, and I'm not allowed to go near anything with them in it. So if he had a heart condition, they could be really bad I would guess.
February 14, 200620 yr QUOTE(CanOfCorn @ Feb 14, 2006 -> 11:00 AM) [fingers doing quote signs] Accidentally. [/fingers doing quote signs] as opposed to all the other OD's where drug addicts are intentionally trying to kill themsleves.
February 14, 200620 yr Well, if he had a heart condition and was taking an antihistamine, that might have been it - not the other drugs. I have panic disorder and antihistamines can trigger an acute attack. No fun.
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