It is not difficult to die of an overdose - more and more people, not coping with their problems, turn to drugs and alcohol. Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson and many, many others like them - famous, rich, admired, gifted … But they were united not only by fame, fortune and success, but by drugs, alcohol, antidepressants and other drugs with which they stuffed irresponsible.

Death from an overdosenot only does the celebrity meet, but it is heard about them most of all. These "cocktails" were the cause of their deaths, although in fact they worked for premature death for years, devastating their bodies with deadly mixtures. And among them there are not onlydrugs(from the soft to the hardest), but also a variety ofanxiolytics, sleeping pills, sedatives- often taken alternately with stimulants, all with plenty of alcohol.

Death from overdose: xanax

And so, for example, in the blood of Whitney Huston, doctors found residues ofxanax-u - an anxiolytic drug, valium, lorazepam (an anxiolytic drug from the benzodiazepine group), midol (a pain reliever) which the singer took for menstrual pains), and, as if that were not enough, still traces of ibuprofen - a popular non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and the antibiotic amoxicycline! Such a mixture must have been fatal.

In turn, Michael Jackson was killed by a mixture of deprivian (propofol) - a powerful anesthetic drug used only by anesthesiologists in a hospital setting, and several types of opioids, mainly demerol (dolargan).

Death from overdose: heavy addiction

explains Klaudia Klukowska, psychologist, psychosocial skills trainer: We envy the stars of popularity, money, success, and colorful life. However, it is also worth noting the other side of the coin, which is chronic stress, work under constant pressure and constant evaluation that celebrities are subjected to. Each of us, to a greater or lesser extent, is afraid of criticism.

And now let's imagine that our every step is being observed, social mishaps or unnecessary kilograms are commented on by gossip magazines, and there is also a complete lack of privacy. FromToday's stars are expected to meet unrealistic, high criteria of beauty, to be eternally full of energy, smiling, to cope with all professional challenges.

You need a stable, strong personality and resistance to stress to live up to this kind of life. If someone does not have them, they often resort to unfavorable ways of dealing with tension - quick, within reach, but unfortunately also very destructive. Alcohol, drugs, anti-anxiety medications, and anti-depressants in enormous amounts help immediately, but then it gets even worse. In order to "help" yourself, you have to reach for a booster again.

That is why it is so easy to fall into the vicious circle of stimulants. And this very often ends tragically.

Death from overdose: barbiturates and benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines and, admittedly less often, barbiturates, which had many more side effects than benzodiazepines, are commonly used today to combat severe anxiety, insomnia and depression. Both are designed to soothe and relax by reducing the excitability of neurons and inhibiting the conduction of nerve impulses, although their mechanism of action is different.

Barbiturates are barbituric acid derivatives which act as a depressant on the central nervous system (CNS). Their large doses, even without "support" with alcohol, drugs or other preparations, may cause loss of motor coordination, severe drowsiness, the so-called fusion of speech, dimmed consciousness, hallucinations.

Benzodiazepines, on the other hand, work by increasing the activity of the neurotransmitter GABA, thereby reducing the excitability of neurons responsible for causing anxiety. Among the benzodiazepines, we can distinguish drugs with a more intense hypnotic / sedative effect (e.g. nitrazepam, estazolam, flunitrazepam), with a stronger anxiolytic effect (medazepam, prazepam, alprazolam - xanax), with a stronger anticonvulsant effect (diazepam - relanium, valiamum).

Death from overdose: lethal combinations

All drugs of this type should be used only under medical indications and under the supervision of a physician. Because, even if the rules of their use are followed, many side effects may occur, such as increased sleepiness, impaired motor coordination, amnesia, accommodation disorders, muscle weakness, nystagmus, headaches, decreased libido, peresthesia, muscle tremors, skin allergy. In addition, these drugs affect the REM sleep phase (suppress REM sleep). They shallow the fourth phase of sleep and, with a sufficiently long half-life, extend the total sleep time. In larger dosesmay be the cause of poisoning. And the symptoms of poisoning are similar for all sedatives: drowsiness, weakness, nystagmus, double vision, coma, cyanosis, convulsions, shortness of breath.

However, the worst are any combinations - combining drugs from this group and consuming alcohol for that - says psychiatrist, Dr. Michał Skalski. - This can be fatal, as alcohol and barbiturates greatly aggravate the so-called CNS depressant effects of benzodiazepines, which usually lead to coma and death. Alcohol also depresses the central nervous system, similar to e.g. sleeping pills. In this case, there is a rapid loss of consciousness, respiratory and circulatory arrest. One more thing. Prolonged use of these types of drugs, in addition to alcohol, wreaks havoc on the liver, which cannot cope with the removal of toxins. So toxic substances circulate in the blood, thereby damaging other organs. And just one more pill for a tragedy to happen. And yet we have not known all the reactions that drugs and stimulants can create.

Category:

Psychology