How many pills was Alex Murdaugh taking? Opioid use claim explored

As Alex Murdaugh's murder trial neared its end, several legal experts across the country were up for discussion on several factors related to the proceedings. They discussed questions, including whether it was helpful for Murdaugh to admit that he lied to the investigating officers.

Alex Murdaugh, a former attorney from South Carolina, was accused and convicted of killing his son, Paul, and wife, Maggie, in June 2021. Following the trial that lasted nearly six weeks, Murdaugh was found guilty by the jurors.

During his trial, Murdaugh spoke about his drug habit and reportedly said that would take over 60 painkillers a day at times. The claim raised a storm of debate when one group believed that he wouldn’t survive after such heavy drug intake.

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Alex Murdaugh spoke about his drug habit and claimed to have consumed over 60 painkillers on certain days

Alex Murdaugh's trial has been the center of attention since the proceedings began in January. Several shocking details have surfaced about the case since then.

One of the shocking revelations was made by Alex Murdaugh, who claimed to have had a serious drug habit. The disgraced attorney claimed that he tended to consume over 60 painkillers at times.

He testified in a South Carolina courtroom and said:

“There were days where I took more than [60]. There were days when I took less than [60].”

Dr. Drew Pinsky, an addiction specialist, gave his input into the claim and said:

“My patients on average are in the range of 30 to 60 pills a day. They start thinking things are a good idea to get the drugs, which they would never do in a sober state, never. It turns people potentially into monsters, in terms of who they become. But I've never seen it turn somebody into a killer.”

Apart from this addiction, Murdaugh has also admitted to having lied several times during the proceedings. Alex Murdaugh claimed that he wasn’t at the house when the killings happened. However, the claims were later disproved in a court of law.

Murdaugh mentioned that he was at the kennels on the estate sometime before the victims were fatally shot. He stated that he was taking a nap at the time, however, his voice could be heard in a video taken on the kennels by his son a few minutes before the murders.

Alex Murdaugh addressed it and said that everything about him not going to the kennel was a lie. He said that it needs to be established that he has lied multiple times and even admitted that he has lied to the people who trusted him.

Addressing the lies, he further stated that he lied about being at the kennel and apologized for the same. He added that he would never intentionally do anything to hurt his family.

Murdaugh admitted to stealing funds but mentioned that he would never hurt his wife and son. He added that he lied because his opiate addiction made him “paranoid”, and as a result he often became mistrustful.

Alex claimed that he used the money that he stole from his clients to arrange for his pills. He added that he would take almost 60 pills a day, and would spend around $50,000 a week.

Murdaugh also revealed the painful withdrawal symptoms that he faced when he tried to stop the consumption. He said:

“When you’re doing the things wrong, I was doing, you have all kinds of ways of justifying [it].”

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Murdaugh claimed that he had gotten used to the effects of opioids after continuous consumption for years

Alex Murdaugh was addicted to opioid consumption and reportedly consumed over 2,000 milligrams of painkillers each day. During cross-examination in the trial, he allegedly had “a pocket full of pills” while talking to the members of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division about the killings.

It was also revealed that his wife Maggie and sons Buster and Paul were well aware of his addiction for several years. Although Murdaugh claimed that he began detoxifying in 2018, a text was found that Paul sent to his dad on May 6, 2021, that read:

“Mom found several bags of pills in your computer bag.”

In his testimony, Alex Murdaugh said:

“Maybe 1,000 milligrams or 1,200 milligrams on a day I didn’t take as much… Most days were more than that and many days would be… more than 2,000 milligrams a day. 30-milligram pills of instant-release oxycodone, probably mixed in with some OxyContin, which is made of oxycodone — it's just time release.”

Murdaugh continued by saying that he had become tolerant of the impact of opioids after constant usage over the years. He further said that consumption of the pills made whatever he was doing “more interesting.”

The disgraced attorney also currently faces almost 100 charges relating to the misappropriation of funds and financial crimes. The amount of those missing funds reportedly totals to about $8.8 million.