Lethal Combination of Drugs and Alchohol

A Global View

By DR. FLORANGEL ROSARIO BRAID

MANILA, Philippines — The last time I got a prescription from a doctor, I asked if it was okay, if I still took my usual wine at dinner and she said that it was.

Actually I have a book at home which has this sort of information in it but I like to remind doctors of the importance of telling a patient whether or not they can have an alcoholic beverage while taking a prescribed medication.

One of the most lethal combinations in the world can be taking some prescription drugs and alcohol. Yet few doctors instruct their patients about the danger of mixing the two. Michael Jackson’s doctor drew a jail sentence for knowingly supplying his famous patient with prescription drugs (in his case sleeping pills) when he was also drinking alcohol.

If you read the fine print in the obituaries of celebrities who die in the prime of their lives, the culprit is often this dangerous combination. Singers, musicians, actors often lead stress-filled lives, having to appear before the public whether they feel like performing or not. Often they take “uppers” to give them the extra energy they need to go on stage and wow the audience. Then, late at night, when they are still too charged up to sleep, they take “downers” or sleeping pills.

All this is, of course, legal. They are not into prohibited drugs. Instead they have valid doctor’s prescriptions for all the drugs on their night table.

The recent case of the untimely death of the legendary Whitney Houston, one of the world’s greatest pop singers, brought this to mind.

She was, according to all accounts, actually planning to attend a dinner party that night and when she didn’t show up, she was found unconscious in the bath tub of her hotel suite. Efforts to revive her failed. Prescription drugs were found in her hotel room, as well as an assortment of alcoholic beverages.

It was another sad and unnecessary death. And a great loss to music lovers everywhere.

I do think that doctors who attend celebrities as well as their personal agents and managers should watch their client closely for signs of addiction and be careful about what medications they are taking and whether they combine their prescribed drugs with alcohol.