NOTE FROM DR. TRACY (www.drugawareness.org): After specializing in antidepressant adverse reactions for 20

years I would say that Lexapro is one of the worst. Giving it, or any other antidepressant, to someone with previous substance abuse problems is criminal! These drugs produce OVERWHELMING CRAVINGS for alcohol and other drugs. They can take those who have never touched these substances before & turn them into addicts almost overnight. (www.drugawareness.org/book-excerpts/ssris-and-alcohol) Antidepressants are notorious for producing mania/bipolar. One of the forms of mania is described as uncontrollable cravings for alcohol.

Adverse reactions can be worse: the deaths of Brynn & Phil Hartman & Andrea Yates’ 5 children. Then there’s the man in Palm Beach who after years of a happy hetrosexual life ran off to NY for a sex change operation after starting an antidepressant. He returned to his wife extremely remorseful & with no idea why he did what he had done.

Paragraphs 2 & 3 read:  “ Artie Lange was noticeably quieter than usual on Monday morning’s broadcast, only peppering the on-air conversations with an occasional joke or cutting remark.  About two hours into the broadcast,Artie Lange finally broke his silence about Friday’s DUI.  After stating that: “for once I’m actually doing something sensible and listening to my lawyer and not talking about it,”  Artie Lange went on to tease the audience with a few details of the incident that catapulted him to the top of Google Trends on Friday, despite The HowardStern Show having been off air for a full two weeks.”

“ Artie Lange insists that he blew a 0.0 on the Breathalyzer test that he was given at the scene of the accident. Artie Lange also reported that he was also given a urine test at the police station.  Artie Lange states that there were no illicit drugs in his system, and that all the analysts will find that could possibly explain his erratic driving is the antidepressant Lexapro.”

http://www.examiner.com/x-11279-Howard-Stern-Examiner~y2009m7d13-Is-Lexapro-to-blame-for-Artie-Langes-DUI

Is Lexapro to blame for Artie Lange‘s DUI?

July 13, 9:05 AM

At long last, The Howard Stern Show returned to the air live this Monday morning.  With the abundance of celebrity news to catch up on and current box office topper “Bruno” in the studio, Howard Stern Show fans really only wanted to hear about one thing: Artie Lange’s DUI.  After proclaiming that he had been clean and sober for months, ArtieLange was arrested on suspicion of DUI on Friday after a fender bender in Tom’s River, New Jersey.

Artie Lange was noticeably quieter than usual on Monday morning’s broadcast, only peppering the on-air conversations with an occasional joke or cutting remark.  About two hours into the broadcast, Artie Lange finally broke his silence about Friday’s DUI.  After stating that: “for once I’m actually doing something sensible and listening to my lawyer and not talking about it,”  Artie Lange went on to tease the audience with a few details of theincident that catapulted him to the top of Google Trends on Friday, despite The Howard Stern Show having been off air for a full two weeks.

Artie Lange insists that he blew a 0.0 on the Breathalyzer test that he was given at the scene of the accident.  ArtieLange also reported that he was also given a urine test at the police station.  Artie Lange states that there were no illicit drugs in his system, and that all the analysts will find that could possibly explain his erratic driving is theantidepressant Lexapro.

Artie Lange spoke openly about his struggles with depression in his recent bestselling book “ Too Fat to Fish.”  Inthe past, the comedian has rejected the idea of taking antidepressants to treat his mood, despite his willingness to dabble in the spectrum of illegal substances.

But could Lexapro really be to blame for Artie Lange’s DUI?  Fans, friends and family members of Artie Lange are all thinking the same thing: the whole story sounds too fat to fishy.  In Artie Lange’s defense, the official website forLexapro lists among the drug’s safety precautions: “Patients should be cautioned about operating hazardous machinery, including automobiles, until they are reasonably certain that Lexapro does not affect their ability to engage in such activities.”  Although Artie Lange did not state how long he has been taking Lexapro, he did report that he started it “recently.”

Artie Lange has stated that he has “a lot to say” about Friday’s DUI arrest, and that he is looking forward to talking openly on the subject once his lawyer approves it.  Artie Lange is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, July 17th.

Author: Liz Brown