FDA finally gets around to warning us about this deadly drug combo
It’s the drug combo that kills. Back in March I told you how a certain pair of commonly prescribed meds — anti-anxiety benzodiazepines and pain-killing opioids — are practically the same mixture as drugs used to execute prisoners on death row. Now, six months later, the FDA has finally issued a warning about it, too. The agency said it will now require drugmakers to add a black box to almost 400 different Rx products warning that taking these meds together can turn deadly fast. Handing out this pair has been routine practice on the part of doctors for a long time now. Which is why it’s never been more urgent to make sure this deadly duo isn’t in your medicine cabinet. The new FDA head, Robert Califf, is probably giving himself a big pat on the back for finally issuing this warning. But if a friend or loved one has fallen victim to this death-row drug combo, I’m sure you’ll call it a case of too little, too late. Dangerous enough all on their own, when taken together, these drugs “act like a dimmer switch on the central nervous system,” says Rear Admiral Susan Blumenthal. Dr. Blumenthal, former assistant surgeon general, warns how combining these drugs can cause a person’s breathing and heart to slow down and “ultimately stop.” You can go to sleep and not wake up again, she says. Even though we’ve certainly heard enough by now about how opioids can kill, they’re still given out like candy by doctors, especially to seniors. In July I told you about a shocking new study that found how seven common operations, including knee and hip replacements, can easily put you on the fast track to opioid addiction. That’s even if you know full well about the risks and think it could never, ever happen to you. Now, add an Rx for one of these benzo drugs and you’re in big trouble. And don’t think benzos are given out just for anxiety, because they’re not. They can be prescribed for conditions as varied as “restless leg syndrome,” which Valium often is, or even jet lag, a common use of Halcion. Plus that, any doctor can give you a benzo off-label for any reason — even for an ingrown toenail! Also, while you might believe your doctor will certainly play it safe and not prescribe the two together, if you’re seeing more than one physician, you could easily wind up with an Rx for both and not realize it. But perhaps the biggest danger from these meds is for those who have never taken them before. These are people who are often convinced they’re somehow protected from addiction and abuse. But nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, opioid newbies have been found to have a 64 percent higher risk of dying during the first six months than those on other types of pain meds. And that’s when taken as directed! Despite this shiny new black-box notice and the FDA’s urgent plea for doctors to “heed these new warnings,” we still must take this life-and-death matter into our own hands. Obviously, the safest way is to take as few drugs as possible. But if you have been prescribed any meds at all, especially ones for pain, you need to know exactly what you’re taking. Opioids aren’t just pills. They can come as liquids, skin patches and suppositories. Some of the more widely used names include Vicodin, Nocor, OxyContin, Percocet and Demerol. Benzo best sellers include Xanax, Valium, Halcion and Ativan. As the generic names will be different, it’s important to ask your pharmacist if any of your prescriptions are for opioid or benzodiazepine drugs — regardless of why you were given that Rx. And please, take a moment to forward this eAlert to friends and relatives. You might just save a life. Sources: http://hsionline.com/2016/09/06/fda-issues-warning-on-deadly-pioid-benzo-combo/ |