From The Lown Institute: The recent deaths of several beloved musicians, actors, and other public figures have brought to light the dangers of taking multiple, potentially fatal drugs.
“In a recent STAT article, Dr. Lipi Roy, the medical director of the Kingsboro Addiction Treatment Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., uses the case of musician Tom Petty, who died last year of an accidental drug overdose, to unpack the complex intersections between drug abuse, polypharmacy, and mental health.
Roy explains that, like many of her patients, Petty was dealing with chronic pain and depression, as well as a history of substance abuse. The different types of medications Petty had been taking to address these conditions â multiple types of opioids, benzodiazepines, and an antidepressant â further increased his risk of harm.”