Dr. Drew discussed the death of Chris Cornell in an interview last week, and why Cornell never should have taken Ativan. The toxicology report that was released following this interview revealed that Cornell was taking far more than the recommended dosage.
Drew said, “Somebody with his addiction history, he’s a man with an opiate addiction history who has been deeply involved in recovery, he should never get that medication, never ever ever ever. If he needed it for a couple of days or something, okay, but to walk out with a prescription for that is activating his disease for sure.”
He was also asked if Ativan could lead to suicidal thoughts.
“100% can, and somebody who is in recovery and their disease is active, they can have some very strange thoughts.”
He added, “The benzodiazepines generally is the hidden epidemic. All of the deaths you see from opiates, from painkillers, when somebody dies from a prescription for opiates there’s always a benzodiazepine on board. Prince, Xanax and Fentanyl, but the reason he stopped breathing was the combo, not the Fentanyl, the combo with Xanax. Heroin can kill you, that for sure can, but when you’re taking an oral opiate, it’s because you also took a benzodiazepine that you stop breathing.”
“The Ativan is sufficient to cause [slurring of speech]. He should never have had that medication. I don’t know that it’s directly related, but it’s related I guarantee you. It’s just such a sad story.”
He added, “People are sick and tired of people dying of prescription medication, and doctors not understanding addiction. In my world, people are sick of that, because that is what is killing drug addicts today. People that don’t understand addiction treating drug addicts and killing them, not intending to, I understand.”
