Fifth Medication Prescribed to Covenant Killer Audrey Hale was an Anti-Anxiety Drug Associated with ‘Mania, Hostility’ and ‘Irritability’

A photograph of medication bottles prescribed to Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale reveals she was given a fifth, previously unknown prescription. This is in addition to the four medications previously reported by The Tennessee Star.

The image of the prescription bottles, obtained by The Star from a source familiar with the Covenant investigation, depicts four orange, semi-transparent prescription bottles with blue lids and white labels. All of the bottles are prescribed to Audrey E. Hale and bear the name of a psychiatric nurse practitioner who runs a practice based in Nashville.

An additional image of a receipt suggests at least one medication was prescribed by a Nashville psychiatrist who also operates his own practice.

The third and fourth prescription bottles bear the names of medications The Star reported after obtaining the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) affidavit used to obtain a search warrant for Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), where Hale was a 22-year mental health patient.

However, the second prescription bottle is labeled Lorazepam 0.5MG, which is also known as Ativan, an anti-anxiety medication.

Hale was not previously known to be taking this medication, and the partially visible instructions shown on the prescription bottle in the photograph suggest Hale took one tablet daily.

It was previously established by The Star that Hale was prescribed the anti-anxiety medication Buspirone, the allergy and anti-anxiety medication Hydroxyzine, a sodium chloride nasal spray, and the antidepressant Lexapro under its generic name Escitalopram.

Lorazepam, unlike Buspirone or Hydroxyzine, is from the dependence-forming family of drugs known as Benzodiazepines or colloquially as “Benzos,” which the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) explains “slow down the central nervous system and may cause sleepiness and relaxed mood,” but are also “associated with amnesia, hostility, irritability, and vivid or disturbing dreams.”

The American Addiction Centers explains that common short-term side effects of Lorazepam use include sedation and feelings of dizziness, weakness and unsteadiness.

Over the long term, some individuals can form a physical dependence on the drug that can result in withdrawal symptoms upon sudden use, and those with “personality disorders may be more susceptible to developing a physical dependence” on the drug.

Less frequent side effects for Lorazepam include confusion, lack of coordination, depression, fatigue, headaches, restlessness, changes to libido and memory problems, according to Medical News Today, which explained that other serious side effects include suicidal thoughts.

According to Medical News Today, taking both Lexapro and Lorazepam together can additionally increase the risk of side effects for both drugs.

Prior to her attack, police documents published by The Star determined Hale was a 22-year mental health patient at VUMC.

Hale was six-years-old when she first taken to VUMC in 2001, and continued her relationship with the hospital until her attack on the Covenant School, when she claimed the lives of three 9-year-old students and three adult staff members on March 27, 2023.

Born a biological female, Hale identified as a transgender male for an unknown period prior to her attack. Multiple comment requests by The Star sent to establish whether Hale sought or received gender affirming care have not been returned.

The Star knows the identities of both the psychiatrist and the psychiatric nurse practitioner who prescribed all four medications to Hale but has yet to publish this information.

Both Star News Digital Media, Inc., which owns and operates The Star, and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy are plaintiffs in lawsuits that seek to compel the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) and the FBI to release Hale’s full writings, including those some call a manifesto.

The Star previously published an FBI memo, sent to MNPD, which “strongly” advised against releasing “legacy tokens” left by individuals like Hale. An FBI definition of “legacy tokens” appears to include both the writings obtained by The Star and those sought in the lawsuits.

A Monday statement by the FBI to The Star neither confirmed nor denied the federal agency sent the memo but said it “regularly shares information with our law enforcement partners” in furtherance of mutual goals.

Since obtaining about 80 pages from a journal police recovered from Hale’s vehicle last week, The Star has published dozens of articles that include her writings.

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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Lorazepam” by WikiLinuz. CC BY-SA 4.0.