Celine Dion Says She Was Taking Fatally High Doses Of Drugs
Celine Dion recently opened up about her battle with stiff person syndrome. The award-winning singer said that her condition led her to take fatally high doses of valium. She recently spoke about struggling with the debilitating condition after hiding it from her fans for years. Continue reading to see what Celine Dion had to say about coping with stiff person syndrome.
Stiff Person Syndrome & How It Impacted Celine Dion
The main symptom of stiff person syndrome is muscle stiffness, which can lead to your limbs being stiff, painful muscle spasms, sensory problems, issues walking, and problems with posture due to stiff muscles. Additionally, the condition can lead to increased anxiety, excessive sweating, and a fear of public spaces.
Stiff person syndrome is a rare disease with less than 5,000 cases reported in the United States. It is frequently misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease. Celine Dion chose to stay silent as she worked with her doctors to find the right diagnosis. She was officially diagnosed in 2022.
She recently opened up about her experience in the documentary I Am Celine Dion. In addition to keeping her diagnosis and condition under wraps, she went above and beyond to make sure she could still perform. Unfortunately, this meant taking dangerously high doses of valium every day.
“I was taking 80mg to 90mg of valium a day. That’s just one medicine. I don’t want to sound dramatic but I could have died. I was taking those medicines because I needed to walk. I need to be able to swallow. I needed medicine to function,” she said. “One more pill, two more pills, five more pills. Too many pills. The show must go on.”
Valium helped her be able to carry on with regular day-to-day tasks, but Celine struggled to conceal the severity of her condition from fans. As her condition worsened, she was no longer able to sing or perform like she would normally.
Celine Cancelled Shows & Lied To Fans
“When I had to cancel shows you know we had to tell the crowd why. People why. You know, lying. I can’t lie anymore,” she said in the documentary. “From a sinus infection to an ear infection to whatever.”
Celine Dion recalled there were times she would just point her microphone at the crowd to get them to sing the song. Other times, she “cheated” and acted like it was the microphone’s fault. She even had moments where they had to stop the show altogether and she never returned to the stage.
Although it was difficult, Celine decided to take a step away from performing. At the premiere of the documentary, the My Heart Will Go On singer showed gratitude for her fans, saying that their support has helped her through tough times. She continued, stating that she hoped opening up about her condition would help raise awareness and help others not feel so alone.
“I hope that this will give them wings and strength to reach out and talk to people and say it’s worth it,” Celine Dion said. “We’re all worth it, and I’m just thankful.”
I Am Celine Dion premieres on June 25 on Prime Video.
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