Courting disaster with meds

November 20, 2006

What can you tell me about the interaction of alcohol and drugs? My husband is being treated for depression and has been taking double doses of Lexapro and Wellbutrin SR for a few months.

Recently, he has been drinking an increasingly large quantity of wine — a bottle or two daily. I just found out that he is taking the diet pill phentermine on top of all this.
His behavior has become hostile and strange. How dangerous is this combination?

The mixture of drugs and alcohol that your husband is consuming is a prescription for disaster.

Excessive alcohol together with Wellbutrin increases the risk of seizures. Phentermine in combination with Lexapro could trigger serotonin syndrome, with symptoms of irritability, lack of coordination, nausea, restlessness, uncontrollable muscle contractions and, in the worst case, loss of consciousness and possibly death.

How do I lower triglycerides? Mine are high at 195. My total cholesterol is 213, LDL cholesterol is 112, and my good HDL cholesterol is 62.

How can I make sense of these numbers?

Triglycerides are getting more attention as a risk factor for heart disease. Dr. Barry Sears (author of "Omega Rx Zone") suggests that the ratio of triglycerides to HDL should be 1 or less. Your ratio, at more than 3, is a danger sign.

Fish oil supplements can be very effective at lowering triglycerides. Niacin can also help, as can prescription drugs such as Tricor and Lopid.

Joe Graedon, a pharmacologist, and Teresa Graedon, an expert in medical anthropology and nutrition, can be reached at http://www.peoplespharmacy.com or care of this newspaper.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-pharmacy20nov20,1,4048539.column?coll=la-headlines-health