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Not just sinemet.... ----- Original Message ----- From: Kathrynne Holden, MS,RD <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 1999 4:40 PM Subject: PD drugs and hot weather > Dear Listfriends, > I got this message from another listserv, and thought it would be of > interest to anyone using benztropine (Cogentin) or risperidone. > Best, > Kathrynne > ************************************************ > >Advisory labels sought on drugs > > > >Woman makes plea after brother dies from heat, medication mix > > > >By Vanessa Thomas > >Toronto Star Staff Reporter > > > >A Burlington woman is making a desperate plea to have advisory labels put on > >some drugs after her brother died from a lethal combination of summer heat > >and prescription medication. > > > >Pat Overholt's 23-year-old brother, Tom, who had schizophrenia, was > >unloading hay from a wagon on his uncle's 60-hectare farm in Ingersoll on a > >hot day when he collapsed last July 15. > > > >The resident of St. Marys, Ont., was pronounced dead on arrival at the > >hospital. > > > >An autopsy report said Tom Overholt died of heat stroke. > > > >But a coroner's investigation later ruled that two drugs he had been > >prescribed - the antipsychotic drug risperidone and the anti-Parkinsonian > >agent benztropine - interfered with his body's ability to regulate its > >temperature, especially during extremely hot weather. > > > >``Anything I do won't bring him back, but I can't face another summer > >without knowing that I've done something to prevent other deaths,'' Pat > >Overholt said in an interview. > > > >Her brother had been doing well on the medication, which he took twice a day > >for more than a year, she said. > > > >He was not warned about the negative effects of hot weather while taking his > >medication, she said. > > > >The province's chief coroner's office has now advised physicians and medical > >associations about the possible side effects. > >The chief coroner's office issued a list of 47 drugs that have possible > >heat-related side effects - all involving bladder control, Parkinson's > >disease and psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia. > > > >``It is rare, but in this type of weather it can occur more frequently,'' > >said Dr. Bonnie Potter, deputy chief coroner. > > > >``We are advising the public to know what medication you're on, and if > >you're not sure, discuss it with your doctor or pharmacist.'' > >Overholt was one of two Ontario residents who died last summer from > >prescription drugs mixed with extremely hot weather. > > > >A 66-year-old woman, taking two similar prescriptions, died in a nursing > >home with faulty air conditioning. > > -- > Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD > Medical nutrition therapy > Author: "Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease" > "Parkinson's disease: assessing and managing unique nutrition needs" > http://www.nutritionucanlivewith.com/