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What happens if you drink too much nyquil: NyQuil Oral: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing

NyQuil Oral: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing

Warnings:

One ingredient in this product is acetaminophen. Taking too much acetaminophen may cause serious (possibly fatal) liver disease. Adults should not take more than 4000 milligrams (4 grams) of acetaminophen a day. People with liver problems and children should take less acetaminophen. Ask your doctor or pharmacist how much acetaminophen is safe to take.

Do not use with any other drug containing acetaminophen without asking your doctor or pharmacist first. Acetaminophen is in many nonprescription and prescription medications (such as pain/fever drugs or cough-and-cold products). Check the labels on all your medicines to see if they contain acetaminophen, and ask your pharmacist if you are unsure.

Get medical help right away if you take too much acetaminophen (overdose), even if you feel well. Overdose symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, sweating, stomach/abdominal pain, extreme tiredness, yellowing eyes/skin, and dark urine.

Daily alcohol use, especially when combined with acetaminophen, may damage your liver. Avoid alcohol.

Warnings:

One ingredient in this product is acetaminophen. Taking too much acetaminophen may cause serious (possibly fatal) liver disease. Adults should not take more than 4000 milligrams (4 grams) of acetaminophen a day. People with liver problems and children should take less acetaminophen. Ask your doctor or pharmacist how much acetaminophen is safe to take.

Do not use with any other drug containing acetaminophen without asking your doctor or pharmacist first. Acetaminophen is in many nonprescription and prescription medications (such as pain/fever drugs or cough-and-cold products). Check the labels on all your medicines to see if they contain acetaminophen, and ask your pharmacist if you are unsure.

Get medical help right away if you take too much acetaminophen (overdose), even if you feel well. Overdose symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, sweating, stomach/abdominal pain, extreme tiredness, yellowing eyes/skin, and dark urine.

Daily alcohol use, especially when combined with acetaminophen, may damage your liver. Avoid alcohol.

… Show More

Uses

This combination medication is used to temporarily treat symptoms caused by the common cold, flu, allergies, or other breathing illnesses (such as sinusitis, bronchitis). Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant that affects a certain part of the brain, reducing the urge to cough. Decongestants help relieve stuffy nose and ear congestion symptoms. Acetaminophen (APAP) is a non-aspirin pain reliever and fever reducer. Antihistamines help relieve watery eyes, itchy eyes/nose/throat, runny nose, and sneezing.This medication is not usually used for ongoing coughs from smoking, asthma, or other long-term breathing problems (such as emphysema), or for coughs with a lot of mucus, unless directed by your doctor.Cough-and-cold products have not been shown to be safe or effective in children younger than 6 years. Do not use this product to treat cold symptoms in children younger than 6 years unless specifically directed by the doctor. Some products (such as long-acting tablets/capsules) are not recommended for use in children younger than 12 years. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more details about using your product safely.These products do not cure or shorten the length of the common cold and may cause serious side effects. To decrease the risk for serious side effects, carefully follow all dosage directions. Do not use this product to make a child sleepy. Do not give other cough-and-cold medication that might contain the same or similar ingredients (see also Drug Interactions section). Ask the doctor or pharmacist about other ways to relieve cough and cold symptoms (such as drinking enough fluids, using a humidifier or saline nose drops/spray).

How to use Nyquil Liquid

See also Warning section.

If you are taking the over-the-counter product, read and follow all directions on the package label. If your doctor has prescribed this medication for you, take as directed by your doctor. If you have any questions, consult your doctor or pharmacist.

Take this medication by mouth with or without food or as directed by your doctor. If stomach upset occurs, it may help to take this medication with food or milk. Drink plenty of fluids when you use this medication unless otherwise directed by your doctor. The fluid will help loosen the mucus in your lungs.

If you are using the liquid form of this medication, carefully measure the dose using a special measuring device/spoon. Do not use a household spoon because you may not get the correct dose. If your liquid form is a suspension, shake the bottle well before each dose.

If you are taking extended-release capsules, swallow them whole. Do not crush or chew extended-release capsules or tablets. Doing so can release all of the drug at once, increasing the risk of side effects. Also, do not split extended-release tablets unless they have a score line and your doctor or pharmacist tells you to do so. Swallow the whole or split tablet without crushing or chewing.

If you are taking the chewable form of this medication, chew it thoroughly before swallowing.

The dosage is based on your age, medical condition, and response to treatment. Do not increase your dose, take it more often, or use it for a longer time than directed. Improper use of this medication (abuse) may result in serious harm (including brain damage, seizure, death).

Tell your doctor if your condition lasts for more than 1 week, if it gets worse, or if it occurs with a headache that doesn’t go away, rash, or fever lasting more than 3 days. These may be symptoms of a serious medical problem and should be checked by a doctor.

Side Effects

See also Warning section.

Drowsiness, dizziness, blurred vision, upset stomach, nausea, nervousness, constipation, or dry mouth/nose/throat may occur. If any of these effects last or get worse, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly.

If your doctor has prescribed this medication, remember that your doctor has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects. Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects.

Tell your doctor right away if you have any serious side effects, including: mental/mood changes (such as confusion, hallucinations), shaking, trouble urinating, fast/slow/irregular heartbeat, seizure.

A very serious allergic reaction to this drug is rare. However, get medical help right away if you notice any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including: rash, itching/swelling (especially of the face/tongue/throat), severe dizziness, trouble breathing.

This is not a complete list of possible side effects. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

In the US – Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or at www.fda.gov/medwatch.

In Canada – Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to Health Canada at 1-866-234-2345.

Precautions

See also Warning section.

Before taking this product, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to any of its ingredients; or if you have any other allergies. This product may contain inactive ingredients, which can cause allergic reactions or other problems. Talk to your pharmacist for more details.

If you have any of the following health problems, consult your doctor or pharmacist before using this medication: breathing problems (such as asthma, emphysema), diabetes, glaucoma, heart problems, high blood pressure, kidney problems, liver disease, seizures, stomach/intestinal problems (such as blockage, constipation, ulcers), overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), urination problems (such as trouble urinating due to enlarged prostate, urinary retention).

This drug may make you dizzy or drowsy or blur your vision. Alcohol or marijuana (cannabis) can make you more dizzy or drowsy. Do not drive, use machinery, or do anything that needs alertness or clear vision until you can do it safely. Avoid alcoholic beverages. Talk to your doctor if you are using marijuana (cannabis).

Some brands of this product may contain sugar, alcohol, or aspartame. Caution is advised if you have diabetes, alcohol dependence, liver disease, phenylketonuria (PKU), or any other condition that requires you to limit/avoid these substances in your diet. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about using this product safely.

Before having surgery, tell your doctor or dentist about all the products you use (including prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and herbal products).

Older adults may be more sensitive to the effects of this drug, especially dizziness, drowsiness, mental/mood changes, constipation, trouble urinating, fast heartbeat, and blood pressure changes. Dizziness, drowsiness and confusion can increase the risk of falling.

During pregnancy, this medication should be used only when clearly needed. Discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor.

This medication may pass into breast milk and may have undesirable effects on a nursing infant. Consult your doctor before breast-feeding.

Interactions

See also Warning section.

Drug interactions may change how your medications work or increase your risk for serious side effects. This document does not contain all possible drug interactions. Keep a list of all the products you use (including prescription/nonprescription drugs and herbal products) and share it with your doctor and pharmacist. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicines without your doctor’s approval.

Taking certain MAO inhibitors with this medication may cause a serious (possibly fatal) drug interaction. Avoid taking isocarboxazid, metaxalone, methylene blue, moclobemide, phenelzine, procarbazine, rasagiline, safinamide, selegiline, or tranylcypromine during treatment with this medication. Most MAO inhibitors should also not be taken for two weeks before treatment with this medication. Ask your doctor when to start or stop taking this medication.

Some products that may interact with this drug are: antihistamines applied to the skin (such as diphenhydramine cream, ointment, spray), ketoconazole, levoketoconazole, rolapitant.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking other products that cause drowsiness such as opioid pain or cough relievers (such as codeine, hydrocodone), alcohol, marijuana (cannabis), drugs for sleep or anxiety (such as alprazolam, lorazepam, zolpidem), muscle relaxants (such as carisoprodol, cyclobenzaprine), or other antihistamines (such as cetirizine, diphenhydramine).

The ingredients in this product are available in many prescription and nonprescription products. Check the labels on all your medicines (such as pain/fever drugs, diet aids, or cough-and-cold/allergy products) because they may contain the same or similar ingredients. Using these drugs along with this product could increase side effects (such as fast heartbeat, increased blood pressure, or drowsiness). Ask your pharmacist about using those products safely.

This medication may interfere with certain lab tests (such as urine drug screening tests, urine 5-HIAA), possibly causing false test results. Make sure lab personnel and all your doctors know you use this drug.

Does Nyquil Liquid interact with other drugs you are taking?

Enter your medication into the WebMD interaction checker

Overdose

If someone has overdosed and has serious symptoms such as passing out or trouble breathing, call 911. Otherwise, call a poison control center right away. US residents can call their local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. Canada residents can call a provincial poison control center. Symptoms of overdose may include: nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, sweating, stomach/abdominal pain, extreme tiredness, agitation, confusion, flushing, hallucinations, yellowing eyes/skin, dark urine, seizures. In children, excitement may occur first, and may be followed by: loss of coordination, drowsiness, loss of consciousness, seizures.

Keep all medical and lab appointments.

Do not take this product for several days before allergy testing because test results can be affected.

If you are taking this product on a regular schedule and miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is near the time of the next dose, skip the missed dose. Take your next dose at the regular time. Do not double the dose to catch up.

Store at room temperature away from light and moisture. Do not store in the bathroom. Do not freeze liquid forms of this medication. Keep all medications away from children and pets.

Do not flush medications down the toilet or pour them into a drain unless instructed to do so. Properly discard this product when it is expired or no longer needed. Consult your pharmacist or local waste disposal company.

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Selected from data included with permission and copyrighted by First Databank, Inc. This copyrighted material has been downloaded from a licensed data provider and is not for distribution, except as may be authorized by the applicable terms of use.

CONDITIONS OF USE: The information in this database is intended to supplement, not substitute for, the expertise and judgment of healthcare professionals. The information is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, drug interactions or adverse effects, nor should it be construed to indicate that use of a particular drug is safe, appropriate or effective for you or anyone else. A healthcare professional should be consulted before taking any drug, changing any diet or commencing or discontinuing any course of treatment.

Can you overdose on Nyquil?

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Feb 24, 2022.

Yes, you can overdose on Nyquil if you take more than recommended, give a child more than is recommended, or you give Nyquil to a child who is under the age of 6 years.

Nyquil contains acetaminophen (relieves pain and fever), doxylamine (an antihistamine that will dry up nasal secretions but can cause drowsiness), and dextromethorphan (to stop you from coughing).

There are a lot of different formulations of Nyquil so you must check the product label or ask your pharmacist if you are unsure what the correct dosage of Nyquil is. Always carefully measure the dose using a special measuring device/spoon. Do not use a household spoon because you may not get the correct dose. Ask your pharmacist for a measuring spoon.

The usual recommended dosage of Nyquil liquid is:

  • Children aged less than 6 years: Not recommended, do not give Nyquil to a child under 6 years
  • Children aged 6 to 11 years: 15mL every 6 hours if needed.
  • Teenagers aged 12 years or older: 30mL every 6 hours if needed
  • Adults: 30 mL every 6 hours if needed.

Do not give Nyquil more often than every 6 hours and do not give more than 4 doses per day.

For NyQuil liquid caps the dosage is:

  • Teenagers aged 12 years or older: 2 capsules every 6 hours if needed
  • Adults: 2 capsules every 6 hours if needed.

Do not give Nyquil liquid caps more often than every 6 hours and do not give more than 4 doses per day.

Because Nyquil contains 3 ingredients, acetaminophen, dextromethorphan, and doxylamine, taking more than recommended can exceed the recommended daily dose for any one of those ingredients.

Symptoms of Nyquil overdose may include:

  • Difficulty breathing
  • Dilated pupils or blurred vision
  • Dry mouth
  • Hallucinations
  • Have difficulty passing urine or not passing as much urine as usual for you
  • Hyperactivity
  • Insomnia
  • Excessive tiredness or sleepiness
  • Liver problems such as dark urine, feeling tired, poor appetite, abdominal (stomach) pain, light-colored stools, throwing up, or yellow skin or eyes
  • Seizures
  • Severe dizziness
  • Severe anxiety

A large Nyquil overdose may be potentially fatal.

References

  • Vicks Products. Online. Frequently asked questions (FAQs). Accessed Feb. 24, 2022 at https://vicks.com/en-us/safety-and-faqs/faqs/vicks-nyquil-faq
  • Vicks NyQuil Products. Online. Accessed Feb. 24, 2022 at https://vicks.com/en-us/shop-products/nyquil

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Medical Disclaimer

Useful articles about Vaping and Hookahs

Nicotine overdose.

What is it and how to avoid it?

In this article, we will look at nicotine overdose. What is it, what processes in the body occur at the time of an overdose, and most importantly – how dangerous is it and what needs to be done if you have gone overboard with nicotine.

What happens in overdose

Nicotine is a neurotoxic poison. This means that it affects the nervous system. If you do not delve into the terminology, then nicotine excites certain receptors in the body and thereby activates the release of adrenaline. Hence – an accelerated heartbeat, high blood pressure, rapid breathing. In small amounts, this can help wake up and concentrate, but it’s worth overdoing it and now you don’t feel very good.

It’s easiest to catch an overdose on an empty stomach. Especially if you didn’t sleep well at the same time or, say, drank a lot of coffee. Alcohol and nicotine also combine extremely effectively. All this is not something that causes an overdose, but rather overlaps each other, enhancing the effect.

Main symptoms of nicotine overdose:

– High blood pressure;

– Nausea;

– Vomit;

– Headache;

– Dizziness;

– Noise in ears;

– Rapid pulse;

– Skin blanching;

– Cold sweat;

– Confusion of consciousness;

– Lethargy;

– Heartache.


Symptoms can appear separately or together.

What to do in case of overdose?

If you find yourself with at least one of the above symptoms, you should immediately stop vaping. Overdose symptoms disappear in about an hour. If it doesn’t get better, feel free to call your doctor. Here are a few simple steps that will speed up the normalization of your condition:

Get some fresh air. Avoid stuffiness in the room.


If you want to lie down – lie down. But make sure that the head remains on a slight elevation. This is necessary so that the blood does not rush to the head so much.

Drink plenty of water. It’s better to give up tea, even weak tea, for now: you don’t need extra caffeine now. Water is a universal magical elixir given to us from above. Just do not drink very hot water, this can also affect the pressure.

Don’t panic. Most overdose episodes go away without much sequelae. Your head will hurt and it will pass. It is especially important to remember this, because panic fear is an additional release of adrenaline.

Attention: all this applies only to mild overdose of nicotine in household vaping. If you – or someone from your family – has managed to ingest a large dose of nicotine (from 30 mg), you need to act quickly and decisively. Induce vomiting – then call an ambulance. While she is driving, throw in activated charcoal (one tablet per 10 kilograms of weight, with high doses you can do more), drink water and wait. Don’t worry, most likely in this case everything will end well.

Lethal dose of nicotine

Die from nicotine poisoning is quite difficult. It is believed that death can occur if you take a dose of nicotine of about 0.5-1 mg per kilogram of adult weight – or 0.1 mg per kilogram of weight if it is a child. But here’s the thing: real overdose deaths have occurred from poisoning 500-1000 mg of nicotine (6-13 mg per kilogram of body weight).

In general, we can say that if you follow a smoking break schedule, do not vape liquids that are too strong for you, and do not get involved in vaping in combination with alcohol, nicotine itself is not so terrible.

PLEASE KILL ME: pasha_popolam – LiveJournal

Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain

The true story of punk rock as told by the participants

9 0004 Translation by Anton Skobin, Max Dolgov

Johnny Thunders 1989

Chapter 39

Wresting defeat from the clutches of victory

Wayne Kramer : I formed a group as soon as I was released from prison. We played for a year, not really straining, and then I went to England and recorded a single for Radar Records. I was going to record a whole album, but all plans collapsed. I got back from England just as Johnny Funders came to Detroit with the Heartbreakers.

The guys on my team knew the dealer who passed Funders, and they suggested that I meet Johnny. “Listen, Johnny wants to meet you. He likes you”.

So I listened and went to see the Heartbreakers and they were backstage and chasing the dick through the vein. I thought, “Look, I don’t want to do drugs again. In such a movie, I have already played a major role.

I stayed away from Johnny for a while. Then he was called to Chicago, and he did not want to take the Heartbreakers with him. And he asked if I and my rhythm section would like to play with him. The money was good, I said, “Of course.”

When the fans looked at Johnny, their faces were unimaginable. They idolized him. I mean, I’ve never seen such adoration before. Johnny fucked as best he could, spat at them, kicked them and did everything, but they loved him – that’s all.

I looked at it and thought, “Look, there’s something to this. Maybe we should have a serious talk about working together.”

Johnny Fanders, you know, could charm anyone if he needed to. I was what he needed. Almost the entire time he was in Detroit, we were constantly drinking.

I decided to quit. I just got out of prison. I realized everything and decided to improve. I wasn’t going to introduce Johnny to my suppliers because I didn’t want to deal with them at all. I was trying to get my life in order and make money – and everything was cool with Johnny then. We decided to call the band Gang War.

But when we moved to New York, Johnny returned to his company and again turned into some kind of street thug. Then he started making deals behind my back. Told me that Max’s Tommy Dean didn’t want to pay Gang War anymore, he only wanted Johnny, but that if I go and play with him, he’ll give me a hundred dollars. I said, “Listen, for a hundred, I’d rather stay at home, thanks.”

Mick Farren : Gang War was a good band, but with a birth injury. When I heard that Wayne and Johnny were going to do something together, I thought, “That’s going to be great – until it comes to heroin.” Johnny lasted a few hours, and Wayne a few weeks, and then came the full ass.

Philip Marcaid : Johnny Funders calls me and says, “Listen, Wayne Kramer and I are putting together a band! Yes, it will be something! Yeah, and we’ll be called Gang War. Do you want to be our drummer?”

I say, “Great, right now. Where are you?” “In Ann Arbor,” she replies. “And how am I going to get to Ann Arbor now?” “We have a manager, that’s all, we got you a plane ticket. Come on, we’ll meet you at the airport.”

Well, I flew. But the only cheap studio that our manager managed to open turned out to be a small rat house in some apartment building, and they wrote promotional songs there, not rock and roll. So, we arrive, the owner of the studio sticks on a crowd of idiots climbing out of the car, on a twitchy Johnny in a torn T-shirt and high, sits down on treason and demands everyone’s passports.

Johnny says, “Fuck it all, let’s get out of here,” and the manager: “Quiet, calm.” And he begins to convince the owner: “Are you crazy? It’s Johnny Fanders from the New York Dolls.”

The owner says, “No, that’s not him, and don’t try to fool me, because my son – he’s up here – is a fan of the New York Dolls, so if you fool me, I can easily figure out what’s what.” And so he calls his son, a big fat guy comes down, looks at us and says: “Yes, this is him, this is Johnny Funders!”

Here they bring their mother and a camera, everyone poses, and Johnny, who has driven off, catches his roof, ha-ha-ha!

Then we went into the studio and Johnny was as out of tune as ever. The owner of the studio – in a suit, with a pipe – listened to Johnny and kept saying: “Yes, he can’t sing. ” I say: “No, everything is fine, everything is fine,” and he again: “He cannot sing.” Then he gored asking why Johnny was always running to the bathroom. I said that he drinks a lot of water.

And already at the end of the session, the owner comes up to me, carries a new T-shirt in his hand, and it is clear that he is somehow uncomfortable. He said: “I am very embarrassed, you made such a gift to my son, and Johnny must be very poor – even his T-shirt is old and torn, full of holes. Here, tell him, please – let him have at least one clean T-shirt.

Wayne Kramer : We came up with an expression, a joke about Johnny Phanders. We said: “He is ready for anything to wrest defeat from the tenacious clutches of victory,” because even with excellent preparation, Johnny managed to ruin everything. Several Dutch studios were going to give us forty grand to record an album, whatever was left we could keep. Johnny came to them and persuaded them to record one of him and negotiate with him directly, stuck himself stoned, scared everyone to death and broke off the deal. This happened all the time.

Mick Farren : Wayne married Marcia Resnick. How did this shit happen? Maybe I shouldn’t have introduced them? Wayne didn’t seem to have a place to live; there was a turbulent period. Wayne, in my opinion, got married just to have a roof over his head. The devil knows – Marcia had a big house, they took and got married. But their marriage did not last long.

Marcia kept yelling at Wayne, “Why don’t you play guitar?” and Wayne yelled back, “I can play guitar anyway, fuck you!” Then he came to me, after a while she came for him, but he did not let her into the house, and she stood in the street and yelled.

God, everything has gone haywire. This Reznik… although she would make a good photographer.

Bebe Buell : In 1980-1981, Marcia Resnick took a lot of pictures of Johnny, sometimes me too, and we began to meet often at her house. We became friends again, Johnny seems to have almost fallen in love with me. He really reached out to me, and if it weren’t for his scabbyness and all, I might have answered, but I was afraid of him.

Johnny was, frankly, not handsome. He had incredibly ugly hands. Fingers like sausages, the skin is peeling and generally some kind of strange. I don’t want to talk like that about the person I really love, but sometimes he scared me. Imagine talking to him, and how blood will flow down his arm … Not quite the right person to hug him.

Sirinda Fox : I begged Johnny, “Stop it, you’ll ruin yourself!” He’s already gone too far. I cried, I begged, I begged him: “Johnny, please, you will die and I will have no one to love, I have no more friends, I have no friends left, please don’t die!”

Wayne Kramer : When Gang War broke up, Johnny found a guy named Brim, he was a drug dealer, and the deal was – Brim supplies Johnny with dope, Johnny plays music, and Brim will be his manager. It was a great deal for Johnny, except for the fact that Brim was ordered by one of his colleagues in the shop. He became Johnny’s manager and was killed because he continued to hustle. Brim did business with a lot of people, and it looks like someone said, “Why am I paying him when you can just shoot him? Why should I give him two hundred thousand bucks for these drugs when all you have to do is shoot him?”

Leslie Conway Bangs; December 13, 1948 – April 30, 1982

Mick Farren : Everything collapsed, right? Eighties. Cocaine. At least row with a shovel. It doesn’t take a lot of intelligence to swallow “wheels”, which is probably why we all sank to the level of Sid, who, one might say, was the highest point in the development of the entire punk movement. That is, absolutely nobody needed it, ha ha ha!

Because of drugs, money became important, Ronald Reagan was elected president – well, off we go. It’s really sad: the hippies outlived Nixon, and the punks gave in to Reagan, you know? In fact, punks didn’t know how to fight.

I mean, look at Lester Bangs, the big intellectual from the punk movement, that fucking Seventh-day Adventist who listened to rock ‘n’ roll but didn’t want to move on. Lester moved on to the fact that he knows everything he needs. Imagine a visitor to a Chinese restaurant who orders the same thing every time because he ordered the same thing for the first time and it seemed to him nothing. It always pissed me off that he didn’t do anything outside the very narrow realm of rock ‘n’ roll literature. He couldn’t even write an honest book about Blondie; on the other hand, in a certain sense he is better than me as a writer, and I am a great writer. I mean, take any piece from Lester Bangs and you’ll see that it’s a masterpiece, but it’s all fucking about the same thing. I would say that this happens to everyone who is too far from life.

I wondered a lot why Lester wouldn’t take and write a novel like Jim Thompson, because he’s quite a prolific author – well, there’s just a bunch of Lester lying on the floor in the cutting room. I was tired of him not going out anywhere, and in general the impression was that all he could do was lie down, damn it, and die. I was just killed by such a fucking waste of brains. No cunt, you’re not going to like an overdose of niquel. There are many more fun ways to die.

Bob Quinn : I lectured Lester from time to time because I really thought he was close to suicide. He drank so immoderately that I said: “You yourself know that you have become an alcoholic. It’s time for you to tie.”

Yes, although he never told me, I saw him the day before he died – apparently he was at an Alcoholics Anonymous seminar, his first seminar. It was like this: he had just finished a book, Rock Gomorrah – it was never published – and he had a tradition whenever he finished writing a book or some big long article, to get drunk in the trash. And this is what he did: he finished the book, he had the flu, he was going to celebrate, but he did not want to get drunk. Instead, he stocked up on a variety of cough syrups, then went to McDonald’s on Sixth Avenue—there were Wheels—and took a handful of pills. I think Lester decided to have a holiday on wheels and made a mistake.

He died.

You know, I loved him. He was very vulnerable, very human. Only with him and a few other people I could talk on the phone for hours, and whether he was sober or drunk, it was always interesting to listen to him. He says, “Here, listen to what I just wrote for the Village Voice,” and reads all 35 pages. And for me it was the best, it was a real gift. Lester got into music a lot, and it kind of killed him, because in the 80s, music was shit. So I always told him, “Do what I do – buy some fucking old blues, that’s all.” He replied: “Well, yes, I like to listen to them, but they drive me into depression. It’s dead music, nothing happens in it.

Once I said: “How can you prove it?”. He just played Lonnie Mac for me, a great record, but then he took it and said: “Well, you know … Because nothing new appears.”

Mickey Lee : Lester Bangs and I were part of the Birdland group, but I couldn’t persuade anyone else to stay, Lester scared everyone he could.