Danger of prescription drugs...

[Darla Shine]

Brittanie Murphy dying is just so sad. And while we don't know exactly how she died we have learned that she was taking a variety of precription medications. Several for anxiety, a few for depression, one for her hear, antibiotics, and a couple for pain. Was she addicted or was she just a woman trying to make her life work. I have a lot of women writing to me who are taking anxiety meds, or are on anti-depressants, and many who occasionally pop a pill when needed. A Xanax here, a Zoloft there, add in a sore throat and maybe you'll take an antibiotic that has been laying around, oh and mix in your allergies and where is the Clariton?

I don't think any of us has ever intended to harm ourselves. Who knew popping an allergy pill and an anti anxiety med could hurt us? Has anyone told us that? Ever? Did it ever occur to us that we could actually die by mixing prescription medications?

I have been prescribed Propranol for my heart, antibiotics, anti anxiety, arthritis, and many other drugs in my adult lifetime. And most of them I didn't take. Some I took but only when I felt like it. I know for sure I took some at the same time. Overlapping drugs prescribed by different doctors not realizing there was any issue in this.

Please, please, be careful with what you take and when you take it.

[shoppingmamma]

So true! I am lucky that my doctor that manages my asthma does everything but pregnancy - so she does my "woman" stuff too. That helps as she knows EVERY medicine I take. Also it's a good idea to use the SAME pharmacy every time - I know people that hop around or just pick it up where it happens to be convenient at that time - I use Target and every time I pick something up they ask do you still take this, that and this (for my asthma) so the computer is running checks of any possible combo dangers.

[lamairs81]

This is one of the reasons why I'm worried about my SIL. She was down to one pill a day...cymbalta, I think...while she lived with us. Since moving out she's told me that she's back to the four she was on, plus one. I don't know what the other 4 are, but I've been researching cymbalta & talking with my mom and it sounds like it can be pretty nasty on it's own. :-s

[Caliwife]

It seems that we can get a pill for anything these days and we have become a culture of if we pop a pill that pain will go away. I know I have been guilty of taking a few diffent pills to get rid of a cold or whatnot and not had a thought of the diffent pills counteracting with each other. For me, it was the death of Heath Ledger and that a cocktail of pills killed him that made me rethink what I take and check what can be taken with what.

I have a gut feeling that Brittany Murphy who was ill before she died unfortunately had taken a cocktail of prescription drugs that just overloaded her system.