Is it risky to combine painkillers and antidepressants?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am worried about my husband because he may be harming himself. Due to an abdominal mass, doctors prescribed some pain medications in addition to his Prozac.

Over the past six months, the mass has shrunk and he has returned to work, but he is still taking all of these medications: Buspar 15 mg, one tablet three times daily; Prozac 40 mg, two tablets every morning; Atarax 25 mg, one tablet twice daily; Hydrocodone 10 mg, two tablets daily; and Desyrel, one tablet at bedtime.

He also drinks beer and mixed drinks and uses CBD oil for body aches. I am concerned because he has a driving job and already seems irrational and paranoid when he drinks. He sometimes says inappropriate things and has memory problems. Is this combination of prescription drugs and alcohol potentially life-threatening?

Kindly help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

If he does not need pain medications, he should get rid of these, especially the tablet Hydrocodone (Codeine). Also, he is taking too many antidepressants, which can not only risk his driving skills but also put him at high risk of serotonin syndrome.

Tablet Prozac (Fluoxetine hydrochloride) and Nortriptyline (colloidal Silicon dioxide, Magnesium stearate, pregelatinized starch, and Sodium lauryl sulfate) are about the same class of drugs, and the tablet Atarax (Hydroxyzine hydrochloride) also makes one drowsy. But I suggest stopping all at once, as he may have withdrawal effects; discuss with his primary doctor and decrease doses one by one to stop all unnecessary medications.

I hope this helps.

Kindly revert in case of further queries.

Thank you.