I am surprised to be so saddened by Michael Jackson's death, and angry at the morally negligent doctors who sell out their oaths to do not harm, and instead prescribe pharmaceuticals with impunity.
~ Tracey TieF

Celebrity deaths and drug interactions: Michael Jackson

To the growing list of celebrities who have died from a mix of perfectly legal prescription drugs—a list that includes Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Heath Ledger, and Anna Nicole Smith—we might also be adding Michael Jackson.

Right now, there’s little that we know for sure, but there is a lot of speculation about his health and the cocktail of drugs he was likely to have been taking. In the days and weeks to come we’ll hear a lot about the toxic combinations of pharmaceuticals—like anti-anxiety medications, anti-depressants, and painkillers—that may have contributed to his death at 50. Media reports quoting forensic experts and toxicologists will try to unravel the specific drug combinations he was on, why he was on them, how they could have lead to cardiac arrest. And we’ll read about the wisdom of people following doctors’ orders when it comes to mixing potentially lethal drugs.

So what good can come of the death of the world’s most famous pop icon? Do we all need to be starkly and perennially reminded of the potentially toxic nature of drug interactions that happen with commonly-used prescription drugs?

If you are taking multiple medications, it’s quite possible that you are taking drugs that were never tested in combination or have not been adequately reported to have known interactions.

This sad event is a wake-up call for all of us to regularly discuss all medications (and supplements) we’re taking with our doctor or pharmacist to ask the vital question: Is the combination safe?

Michael Jackson’s death will undoubtedly draw needed attention to prescription drug safety. Stay tuned for more…

—Alan Cassels, Guest Blogger

Alan is a pharmaceutical policy researcher at the University of Victoria, British Columbia and co-author of "Selling Sickness: How the World's Biggest Pharmaceutical Companies Are Turning Us All Into Patients."