Drug InducedDeaths…

STORY TIME

Alexander the Great 356 - 323 BC

• Died young in spite of good health • Poisoned by a wine made from the

plant Veratrum album, known as white hellebore.

• Alexander’s doctors accidentally overdosed while trying to cure him

• ‘Hellebore, despite its dangers, was the favourite prescription of many ancient doctors because of its violent purgative effects’

Drug Induced Death…

Vincent Van Gogh1853 - 1890

Vincent van Gogh

• Dutch post-impressionist Painter, appreciated only after his death

• Painted almost 2100 paintings • He wrote over 800 letters to his

brother during his lifetime.• He was born with a brain

lesion and was labelled as ‘Depression’

Health Problems

• Van Gogh suffered from seizures which doctors believed to be caused by temporal lobe epilepsy.

• His physician treated his epilepsy with digitalis which can cause one to see in yellow or see yellow spots. 

• For epilepsy, anxiety and depression, Van Gogh drank ‘Absinthe’, a popular toxic alcoholic drink

• Thujone, a toxin in absinthe can cause objects in yellow? Linked to crimes and social disorder. 

• Lead poisoning from nibbling at paint chips.• Hypergraphia is causing one to write continuously

Medical controversy

• Was there a Psychological problem really?

• Van Gogh cut off a portion of his ear and commits himself to a mental asylum in Saint Rémy - 1880

• His most famous paintings are made in the asylum (?)

Tragic End…

• 1890 - July 29 - Vincent Van Gogh died of a self-inflicted gunshot

• The Physician left him bleeding at home, went to call a surgeon.

Drug Induced Death…

British Royal Family History

King George III (1738 – 1820) 

• King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

• King for 50 yrs• Series of military conflicts

involving his kingdoms• War against France – Napoleon• George III was a dedicated and

diligent king, and won the respect of his politicians.

• Blamed for loosing American colonies

Mad king who lost America

• 1776, American Revolutionary War • Americans declared themselves free,

but George kept the war going till 1783• George III, often repeated his words

and his vocabulary was much more complex

• He wrote a sentence containing 400 words and eight verbs

• He suffered severe abdominal pains

Later Life of George III

• George had a learning disability which caused him to have temporary lapses in judgment and episodes of insanity.

• He tried to smash his eldest son George’s head against a wall

• He was labelled ‘Insane’• He was placed in a straitjacket

and an iron chair was specially designed to restrain him.

• He had dementia after the death of his daughter

• With cataract, he was almost blind • In severe pains of rheumatism• Suffered for last 8 yrs. of his life• Never realised deaths of his wife

and son• When he died in January of 1820,

he died angry, bitter, and half mad

Last 8 yrs of George III

Wrong Diagnosis, Wrong Treatment

• George III suffered from porphyria, that has run in the British Royal Family.

• Porphyria causes paralysis, delirium, hypertension, acute abdominal pain and purple color urine.

• 2005 - King George's hair had high concentrations of arsenic. It was due to liberal doses of emetic tartar given to him.

• Arsenic made his predisposition to porphyria far worse.

• ? Manic-depressive psychosis

Doctor Induced Death…

Hollywood Hit…

• Award-winning 1994 film • ‘The Madness Of King George’ • Played by Nigel Hawthorne.

Medicine Advertisements

For Weakness

Nervousness Sedative for Cough

Deaths due to Drugs

Alcohol with Psychiatry Drugs

Learning Lesson

• When,– Medicines produce more ill-health than health – Medical intervention does more harm than good

Pharmageddon

Do You Know this?

Drug Withdrawn ReasonThalidomide 1950s–60s Teratogenicity

LSD 1950s–60s used recreationallyDiethylstilbestrol 1970s Teratogenicity

Phenformin and Buformin 1978 Lactic acidosisAstemizole 1999 Arrhythmias due of interactions Levamisole  1999 AgranulocytosisTroglitazone 2000 Hepatotoxicity

Cisapride 2000 Cardiac arrhythmiasCerivastatin 2001 RhabdomyolysisRofecoxib 2004 Myocardial infarction

Inhaled insulin 2007 Long term safetyRimonabant 2008 Depression and suicideSibutramine 2010 Cardiovascular risk

Rosiglitazone 2010 Heart attacks and death

Drug Induced Death…

Banned, still available?

Drug Brand Name Reason

Analgin Novalgin Bone Marrow Depression

Nimesulide Nise Liver Damage

Phenylpropanolamine D Cold, Action 500 Brain Haemorrhage

Cispride Ciza Arrhythmia

Furazolidine Furoxone Cancer

Quinidochlor Enteroquinol Vison Errors

Nitrofurazone Furacin Cancer

Drug Induced Death…

ThinkBefore…