Aaron Carter Tested Positive for Opiates
Aaron Carter and his recent weight loss have been subject to many rumors about his physical and mental health, especially after his arrest in July. Carter, wanting to set the record straight, openly agreed to a drug test in an upcoming episode of The Doctors.
Carter’s test results came back negative for cocaine and methamphetamine, but were positive for marijuana, anti-anxiety medication benzodiazepines, and opiates—specifically, hydrocodone. Dr. Travis Stork, emergency medicine physician and The Doctors host, mentioned that these results are especially concerning after Carter’s sister Leslie died from an overdose in 2012 after a long battle with opioid addiction.
Over 70% of opioid overdoses involve a combination of drugs, not just opioids. Over 30% of opioid-related overdoses are estimated to involve benzodiazepines. “You’ve got a mixture of benzodiazepines, which is how many people accidentally can die,” said Stork. “These medications can be very, very scary.”
While benzodiazepines, like opiates, can be very addictive, they are still commonly prescribed. It’s not rare for someone who is dealing with an opiate addiction to also be struggling with benzodiazepine abuse.
“People that are anxious and in pain and want to feel at ease often find that either opiates or benzodiazepines or the two together is the perfect cocktail,” said Joshua D. Lee, M.D, associate professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Health. “It’s part of the prescription drug epidemic, but its’ much less known and reported.”
Carter is already making progress, although he is aware that it is “not going to be easy… I know it’s a hard road.” He mentioned that he is already finding healthy ways to manage his anxiety, without so much medication.
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