Thanks, Ken.
(Also, glad to see you post.
)
I was always grateful that I worked for a dentist that really knew about drug interactions. We even talked with patients about the effects of antibiotics in conjunction with birth control. I see it happen all of the time, and it's not because people are dumb... well, maybe, but... you know... people just don't think all the time, and they expect their doctors to fix the problem. Maybe it's a greater symptom of a society that's hooked on dependence (something I see in so many facets of American life today), it's really hard to say.
I agree with Ken that only a complete overhaul could change something, but as much sense as such a thing might make, there would be many opposed to it, which is depressing, yet understandable considering things like this don't make news outside of cases like Ledger.
On an entirely different note, I've taken Xanax before, and not due to my being prescribed it. If I can be honest, (and of all places in the world I feel I can be honest, it's here) Xanax made the day fly by effortlessly, frighteningly so. I can understand why someone facing emotional trouble could be drawn to that, as well as other drugs.
It was a very difficult time in my life when I should have sought professional help, but instead helped myself to the "bottle" and a few bottles of prescription meds. I blacked out while in Mexico, lost my car, and was generally stuck down there while trying to get everything back together. That, along with a few family incidents stopped that train - I'm lucky things ended the way they did and when they did... with me safe, and not doing stupid sh*t like that any more. I'm always trying to remain cogniscant of my family history, as well as my own - but I'd like to think I stopped things nice and early.