Bottled secrets

>> Self-prescribing doctor gives a guided tour of his medicine cabinet

By CRAIG SEGAL

 "Bruce Wayne," a rural Quebec general practitioner, thinks alcohol is worse for you than many drugs. He should know. He's experimented with the harder stuff, smokes marijuana, drinks and occasionally self-prescribes pills from the hospital medicine cabinet. Wayne spills his beans in a candid conversation with the Mirror.

 Mirror: Tell me about mescaline.

 Bruce Wayne: I took it camping. It was a nice quiet environment, somewhere safe, and it's kind of trippy. You lose control, you dream with it. I don't see the harm it could do to a normal person. But for someone who has psychological or psychiatric problems it could be very harmful.

 M: Are drugs worse for people who feel screwed up on them?

 BW: Well, I would be very worried about that. I have a patient admitted who has a lot of paranoid ideas and what precipitated the crisis was THC. One would take THC for the feeling of euphoria. If you're not feeling good then that's a problem.

 M: Do we need drugs to improve our perception?

 BW: I think perception does improve when you take drugs. It enhances your ability to focus.

 M: Does the government panic with Ecstasy make any sense?

 BW: Well, some people have died from it. But people have died from alcohol as well.

 M: Do you think they should legalize drugs?

 BW: Certainly I'm in favour of decriminalizing marijuana. I think alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana in the number of people who are negatively influenced by it, the number of accidents that occur by it, and the diseases associated with it. Alcohol is the only drug I know that makes people aggressive, even in the emergency room. Someone who is drunk and injured is very difficult to treat. The other problem with alcohol is that withdrawal can kill people.

 M: Is coke more addictive than cigarettes?

 BW: No. I would say nicotine is probably more addictive, but it's in the same ballpark.

 M: Is coke the worst?

 BW: No. Alcohol is the worst because it's so much more common. My point is there are a lot of drugs out there and all of them need to be respected.

 M: Could someone integrate heroin into their life?

 BW: I'm sure it happens. Yes. You see morphine abuse in the medical and dental professions and people seem to be able to function.

 WARNING ALL ROCK STARS

 M: Can you tell me about legal drugs you've self-prescribed?

 BW: Valium. Valium is a very common medication for anxiety. There's a whole bunch of people you bump into on the streets and in the corridors who are taking Valium-like substances all the time. But they have side effects. For instance if you take Valium and alcohol at the same time it could stop your breathing. Or you could fall asleep and vomit and the vomit could go into your lungs and drown you. It can also inhibit your reactions. A lot of people are driving cars who I suppose you could say are intoxicated on Valium-like substances.

 M: What if someone wants to try out Valium?

 BW: Well I can't recommend that but it probably wouldn't be harmful.

 M: You've experimented with other drugs...

 BW: I've taken narcotics occasionally, like Codeine, for pain. I've taken Benzodiazepine for sleep. I have taken an anti-depressant.

 M: Can you tell me about that?

 BW: Sure. I was feeling depressed so I tried Prozac. But I didn't like the effect because I felt like I was on another planet and I couldn't perform like that. I had to continue to be able to perform for my job. And I did that before I sought professional help, which is what I did subsequently. And that is to be highly recommended.

 M: Do you think Prozac is massively over-prescribed?

 BW: It depends on your perspective. A lot of people live lives that are very depressing. But the doctor certainly doesn't have all the solutions. People shouldn't just come to the doctor and say, "I'm not feeling well. Fix it." Because they're going to be given drugs that might not be appropriate for them.

 M: What do you think of Codeine?

 BW: It's good for pain control for short-term use.

 M: And long term?

 BW: I think it should be avoided. Dependence develops with any narcotic and Codeine is a narcotic.

 M: You're a doctor. You have this stuff around. Do you have to account for it in any way?

 BW: No I don't have to account for it because these are not restricted drugs.

 M: So nobody would notice if a few pills went missing?

 BW: Right.

 M: I know you've had some reluctance to talk with me.

 BW: I can lose my license for using narcotics without a prescription. It's the same for illicit drugs. That's a significant concern. I have to keep my license to keep on working. If I lose my license I stop working. :