Emily's physician prescribed a benzodiazepine (Valium) to treat an ongoing problem with anxiety. Before prescribing the new medication, the physician was concerned about possible drug interactions, and asked Emily to be very frank about her use of
a. alcohol and barbiturates.
b. tobacco and St. John's wort.
c. methamphetamines.
d. marijuana and ecstasy (MDMA).
Question 2
Your friend has a prescription for Valium that she takes for anxiety. She has taken Valium before the party you and she are attending. When she gets to the party, you see her heading for the bar. Based on what you have learned so far in this course, which of the following would you tell her?
a. You should probably not drink any alcohol because both alcohol and Valium act on the same system and their additive effects could be very dangerous.
b. You should limit yourself to six drinks because too much of the two drugs together could make you very ill.
c. Alcohol is not a drug, so there really isn't any reason to worry as long as you don't get drunk.
d. Don't worry, alcohol and valium act on very different neurotransmitters, so a drug interaction is very unlikely.