The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported an obituary March 11 (page A21 in the print edition)Â for actor Corey Haim, who died March 10 in Los Angeles at the age of 38, apparently from pulmonary congestion.
The article quoted a 2004 interview with Mr. Haim, “After a period in rehab … Mr. Haim was put on prescription drugs. ‘I started on the downers … but one led to two, two led to four, four led to eight, until at the end it was about 85 a day … and that was just the Valium.'”
Other news reports speculate that Mr. Hain’s death may have involved a drug overdose; police reported recovering four prescription drugs in his room. One can also speculate about the damage done by Mr. Haim’s previous use, or abuse, of Valium.
Valium (diazepam) is a psychiatric antianxiety drug, also called a minor tranquilizer, benzodiazepine, or sedative hypnotic.
Daily use of therapeutic doses of benzodiazepines is associated with physical and psychological dependence, and abrupt cessation can lead to severe withdrawal symptoms, including suicide. Withdrawal from drugs like Valium is more prolonged and often more difficult than withdrawal from heroin.
The benzodiazepine’s exact mechanism of action is unknown. Clinically, all benzodiazepines cause a dose-related central nervous system depressant activity varying from mild impairment of task performance to hypnosis.
Unlike medical drugs, which commonly may prevent or cure disease or improve health, psychiatric drugs are only designed to suppress symptoms that return once the drug wears off.
Like illicit drugs, psychiatric drugs provide no more than a temporary escape from problems, unwanted behavior or unpleasant emotions.
Psychiatrists keep on prescribing these drugs in spite of the known problems of addiction and harmful side effects. Today, at least 20 million people worldwide are prescribed these “minor tranquilizers.” Meanwhile, we are facing epidemic levels of citizens hooked on these drugs. In fact, an estimated 60% of people taking antianxiety drugs become addicted and suffer adverse reactions to the drugs, such as extreme anger and hostile behavior.
There is no question that people do experience problems and upsets in life that may result in mental troubles, sometimes very serious. But to say that these can only be treated with dangerous drugs is dishonest, harmful and often deadly. What psychiatric drugs do instead is mask the real cause of problems, often denying one the opportunity to search for workable, effective solutions. While Mr. Haim may have abused prescription drugs, he was also abused by those prescribing those drugs to him.
Everyone is encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
For more information about psychotropic drugging, watch the Making A Killing video. For more information about psychiatric drug side effects, go to www.cchrstl.org/sideeffects.shtml. For more information about alternatives to psychiatric drugs, go to www.cchrstl.org/causes.shtml.