My Way News - Kennedy Blames Accident on Sleep Medicine

My Way News - Kennedy Blames Accident on Sleep Medicine: "
Kennedy Blames Accident on Sleep Medicine
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May 4, 11:04 PM (ET)

By ANDREW MIGA

(AP) Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., looks on as during a debate in East Providence, R.I. in this Oct. 15,...
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WASHINGTON (AP) - Rep. Patrick Kennedy crashed his car near the Capitol early Thursday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated. Kennedy said he had taken sleep medication and a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness.

Kennedy, D-R.I., addressed the issue after a spate of news reports. His initial statement said, 'I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident.'

Later, however, he issued a longer statement saying the attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan on Tuesday to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and intestines.

Kennedy said he returned to his Capitol Hill home on Wednesday evening after a final series of votes in Congress and took 'prescribed' amounts of Phenergan and Ambien, another prescribed drug that he occasionally takes to fall asleep.

'Some time around 2:45 a.m., I drove the few blocks to the Capitol Complex believing I needed to vote,' his second statement said. 'Apparently, I was disoriented from the medication.'"