Meprobamate: How Can I Be Sure Meprobamate is Not the Drug Found in the Arlington, Texas Drinking Water?

The current concern about drugs in our drinking water has just become very personal to me. I have a fatal allergy to Meprobamate, one of the drugs found repeatedly in the drinking water of the cities that made public the results of their drinking water testing. That by itself would be of some concern to me since I could reasonably travel to one of the cities that admitted having Meprobamate in their drinking water. However, drugs in drinking water are even more of a concern for me, because I own a house in Arlington, Texas. Arlington, Texas is the city mentioned in an Associated Press article as the city that refused to disclose the drug that was found in the drinking water post treatment.

Earlier this morning I read the article by Associated Content Producer April Lorier, I am Drinking Drugged Water. This is a very well written article and I knew that drugs in the drinking water was a subject that should interest all of us. My comment on the article was that the issue is just one more that we need to turn over to God in order not to be consumed with fear. I still believe that. However, shortly, after reading April's article, I saw the national story on the subject and realized that Arlington, Texas was the city listed as having drugs in the drinking water and that Arlington, Texas was not disclosing the name of the drug found in the drinking water post treatment. Suddenly, the national story and April's article had more relevance to me.

In approximately 1967, I was a newly-wed. We lived on Whidbey Island, ninety miles from Seattle, Washington. My husband was stationed on the Naval Base there. I was all of 19 years old. We had returned from church and were cooking Sunday lunch together. Because I have had scoliosis and resulting back, neck and muscle issues, I was experiencing quite a bit of pain. My husband had a prescription muscle-relaxer of a drug called Meprobamate. Although, Meprobamate could have just as easily been prescribed for me since I had no knowledge that I was allergic to it, I now know that you should not take medication that is prescribed for someone else. Within minutes of taking Meprobamate, I could not breathe, my lips were swelling and drawing, my heart was pounding, my face was red, I was itching, and I could barely walk. My husband had the forethought to grab the bottle of Meprobamate as he carried me out the door to the car. We lived approximately four blocks from the Naval Base gates and the Navy hospital. I still remember the event as if it were last week. I remember being on the hospital examining table and the doctor looking at the bottle and then grabbing a book off the shelf behind him and quickly thumbing through the pages. Within seconds, he had a vial and a needle in his hand and was injecting me. Almost immediately, my symptoms started subsiding and my breathing became regular. I have never forgotten his statement to my husband, "If you had not brought in the bottle of Meprobamate, it would have been too late."

A few minutes after I found the information about drugs in the drinking water and the city of Arlington, Texas, I called the Arlington Laboratory Services department and spoke with Dr. Mark Ealey. He was very nice and assured me that no outside entity had required the city to test for drugs in the drinking water. He said that the drug that was found was in such an insignificant amount that it was not harmful. He told me that my options were to call my council person and possibly to pursue the open/public records process. He did not know what the law required and whether or not the information would be provided even if the public record information process were followed. The Fort Worth Star Telegram has an article in the March 10, 2008 issue about this subject. It states that Arlington's Mayor Cluck "would not tell the Associated Press what the chemical (drug in the drinking water) was because it could be harmful in large amounts." Dr. Ealey asked for my name and property address and phone # and said that they were keeping record of how many calls they received on the issue.

I still believe and will trust God for protection against harmful drugs in the drinking water. I know that the amounts are very small, but I feel that we have the right to know the full information about what drugs are in the drinking water in our communities. I now have to make the choice whether to drink Arlington water even though an undisclosed drug has been found in the drinking water after treatment. Bottled water is not a viable option. According to some information, bottled water may be tested less than municipal water.

My son and his wife and my two beautiful granddaughters occupy the house I own in Arlington, Texas. I actually live about 15 minutes away and have a different water supply. However, I am at their house weekly and may, in fact, move back into that house at a later time. My daughter-in-law has many health issues and many food and drug allergies. Arlington, Texas needs to re-think their position on the "drugs in the drinking water" issue and follow the lead of the larger cities that are disclosing the drugs found post treatment in their drinking water. Until then I will choose not to drink the Arlington water. The memory of my almost fatal introduction to Meprobamate is just too scary.

Sources Used:

Fort Worth Star Telegram
March 10, 2008 Prescription Drugs Seeping into Water Supply
by Jeff Donn, Martha Mendoza & Justin Pritchard
Associated Press