Everybody knows it is dangerous to misuse prescription drugs. We read articles about how common it is for people to abuse prescription drugs and become addicted to them. Many celebrities have died from prescription drug overdose. Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger, Whitney Houston, and Brittany Murphy are names that come to mind immediately when we think of prescription drug overdose. These celebrities were prescribed different medications by different doctors and mixed lethal combinations. These celebrities were most likely abusing prescription drugs. However, most people do not realize that you don’t have to be addicted to prescription drugs to fatally overdose. You don’t even have to be taking the prescription medications for non medical reasons. Mixing certain prescription medications, or mixing prescription medications and alcohol can have a catastrophic affect.
It is important to heed all the warnings on your prescription medications. If your medication says not to consume alcohol while taking, this is an important instruction to adhere to. Drinking Alcohol while taking prescription medications can sometimes lessen the effects of the medication. It can also increase the strength of medications. For example, if you take an antihistamine or an anti depressant while drinking alcohol, it may impair your judgment or cause severe drowsiness. Drinking while taking Antibiotics may lessen the effectiveness of the medication and also may increase nausea. Mixing Alcohol and sedatives can even be fatal.
It is also important that your doctors communicate with each other and that you let your doctors know what other medications you are taking. For example, taking Warfarin, which is a blood thinner, can be dangerous when combined with aspirin. Lisinopril, a blood pressure medicine can be dangerous when mixed with many cold medicines, and also eating licorice while on them can lower your potassium to dangerous levels. The important thing to remember is to always talk to your doctor about your medications, find out what might possibly interact with it, and to always heed the warnings on your medication bottles and take the medications as directed.