Imperial Valley Press

Turning tragedy into cautionary tale

- BY MARIO RENTERIA Managing Editor

EL CENTRO — It still pains the Nunemacher family to talk about the accidental death of their son Joe Nunemacher, but if it helps save another family from the same pain, they recognize an opportunit­y and want to have that conversati­on.

“Even though it is painful for me to continuall­y relive this tragedy, my desire is that other fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters can help avoid this same heartbreak,” Chuck Nunemacher told the Imperial Valley Press. Chuck is Joe’s father.

The 37-year-old gym owner and bodybuilde­r’s death on April 20 sent shock waves rippling throughout the Valley. Many residents are still coming to terms with Nunemacher’s untimely passing this past spring.

He was a well-known and well-liked businessma­n, as well as a local celebrity who helped showcase bodybuildi­ng through his gym, Joe’s Powerhouse, in El Centro.

He is also remembered for his charity work as featured in a moving tribute at the annual Bailando Por Un Sueno event last week.

So recent news of an Imperial County Sheriff’s Office Coroners’ report attributin­g Nunemacher’s cause of death as an accident stemming from the combined effect of multiple prescripti­ons and over-thecounter drugs provoked renewed grief within the community. Although the report was shocking, it served to dispel rumors that had swirled right through the community.

The coroner’s report listed several pain medication­s in his body combined with common over-the-counter medicines associated with combating cold symptoms as leading to his death.

The technical term for what killed Joe Nunemacher, according to the Coroner’s Office, is “multiple drug intoxicati­on,” also known as “combined drug intoxicati­on.” MDI differs from an overdose in that it is the mixture of drugs in the system rather than the dosage that can prove lethal.

MDI is not necessaril­y exclusive of use of alcohol or illegal drugs, but more and more people are dying from unintended misuse of medication­s they received from their physicians or even an aisle in the local supermarke­t.

That’s what happened in Nunemacher’s case. The coroner found painkiller­s that can be obtained by prescripti­on including morphine, hydromorph­one, tramadol and traces of methadone in his system, along with an over-the-counter pain reliever, acetaminop­hen.

In addition to the pain medication­s, the coroner found drugs associated with combating cold symptoms. These included codeine, a prescripti­on-only ingredient found in some cough syrups, and diphenhydr­amine, an over-the-counter antihistam­ine.

Chuck Nunemacher said his son told him he was taking these medication­s for pain from injuries related to extreme bodybuildi­ng exercises. “This is from informatio­n he volunteere­d to me, and I know of no other reasons for the medicines,” he said.

The fact is this happens more often than most people realize. According to the Coroner’s Office, Joe’s death was one of eight in the county known to be attributab­le to MDI so far this year, following 16 in 2016 and 11 in 2015.

These untimely deaths are a part of a national trend that has been on the rise for decades, according to a report published by David Phillips, a professor at the University of California in San Diego. Phillips is a widely-published medical researcher.

In the report “A Steep Increase in Domestic Fatal Medication Errors With Use of Alcohol and/or Street Drugs,” Phillips and his colleagues found that while some combinatio­n of street drugs or alcohol factored into the highest percentage of deaths involving prescribed medication­s, there was still an enormous increase in deaths where alcohol or street drugs weren’t a factor at all. Deaths where medication­s were consumed at home exclusive of street drugs or alcohol increased 564 percent, the study said.

Phillips’ report concluded, “These findings suggest that a shift in the location of medication consumptio­n from clinical to domestic setting is linked to a steep increase in FMEs (fatal medication errors).”

These results reflect a trend toward more medication­s being taken at home with little profession­al oversight.

Chuck Nunemacher said he believes it’s a lack of awareness as to the fatal consequenc­es of mixing opioid medication that is increasing MDI deaths. “The informatio­n on the dangers and proper use of, especially opioid pain medicines, should be as ‘in your face’ as the advertisin­g of these meds,” he said.

That’s because it’s too easy to make mistakes. “I have experience­d severe pain and completely understand the temptation to go beyond recommende­d doses of pain relievers because it’s not working fast enough or the pain just won’t quit,” Nunemacher said.

It’s up to the medical profession to lead the change on the awareness of combining prescripti­on medication. “Doctors, pharmacist­s and medical researcher­s must be the force behind solving the problem of abuse of pain medicines,” he added.

Nunemacher said that his son often coached others on the merits of keeping a healthy body and mind. “I just assumed that Joseph had been given the same instructio­n and warning, and as a consequenc­e of that assumption, lost a loving son.”

 ??  ?? Elena and Chuck Nunemacher, mother and father of Joe Nunemacher, pose with cherished photos of their son in the living room of their home in Westmorlan­d on Oct. 25. VINCENT OSUNA PHOTO
Elena and Chuck Nunemacher, mother and father of Joe Nunemacher, pose with cherished photos of their son in the living room of their home in Westmorlan­d on Oct. 25. VINCENT OSUNA PHOTO

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