Obesity: Death at Rainbow's End

Several different types of drugs are prescribed for the overweight, and if they do little good, they usually do little harm because most reducers take only one kind. But from Oregon last week came a report that at least six and possibly eight women have died, apparently as the result of taking five potent drugs put up, along with a laxative, in a six-pill "rainbow package." Three physicians had dispensed the combination packages, said Dr. Russell Henry, Oregon state medical examiner.

Dr. Henry listed the drugs: one of the amphetamines, or "bennies"; phenobarbital, to reduce the nervousness caused by bennies; thyroid hormone, to increase metabolism; digitalis, the heart stimulant, for no discernible medical reason; and a thiazide diuretic to promote loss of body water. Each pill contained a safe daily dose of that particular drug, said Dr. Henry. But some of the dead women had taken several a day, and four of the thyroid or digitalis doses would be dangerous.

Worse still was the combination. Thyroid alone may make the heart more irritable. The thiazide diuretic and even the laxative reduce the body's store of potassium, and this definitely makes the heart more irritable. Then a heavy dose of digitalis would throw the heart into useless twitching. After a while the heart would stop. In all the cases studied, said Dr. Henry, the women were alone when they died. He sees confirmation of their cause of death in the cases of two women who were saved. One, who was about to be put in an iron lung, recovered dramatically after a dose of potassium. Another, with a racing, broken-gaited heart, needed only to stop taking the rainbow pills to recover.