Celine Dion opened up about the dramatic effects of her medical condition, and admitted she was given dangerously high doses of medication while battling her symptoms.
The 56-year-old iconic singer told People in a recent interview that she suffered from debilitating muscle spams and difficulty breathing, that eventually led to episodes during which her entire body locked up, causing extreme pain. She reportedly attempted a variety of coping and therapeutic methods but had not yet been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome when doctors suggested medications. Dion was given prescription medications including muscle relaxers like Valium, she told the outlet.
“We started with two milligrams to see if it would help, and then 2.5, and then 3, and 15 and 50,” Dion said to People. The effects of the Valium reportedly began wearing off, and she said she once took 90 milligrams of Valium in order to push through a performance.
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 02: Celine Dion, wearing a cream maxi dress, is seen outside Alexandre Vauthier show during Paris Fashion Week – Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2019/2020 on July 02, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Claudio Lavenia/Getty Images)
Dion admitted to People that she suffered while undiagnosed for 17 years, and spoke of her progressive symptoms that originally surfaced in the mid 2000s. The star said she didn’t realize the amount of medication she was taking was putting her very life at risk.
“It could have been fatal. I did not question the level because I don’t know medicine,” Dion told the outlet.
“I thought it was going to be okay. It worked for a few days, for a few weeks, and then it doesn’t work anymore,” she reportedly said, referencing the increased dosage of Valium she was being given.
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“I did not understand that I could have gone to bed and stopped breathing. And you learn — you learn through your mistakes,” she told People.
Dion clarified she wasn’t a drug addict and she didn’t up her own dosage to numb the pain.
“It’s very important to know… people who know me well enough, they know that I did not take medicine just to drug myself, just to be high or to be stoned,” she reportedly said.
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 18: L’Oreal Paris celebrates Celine Dion as the brand’s newest global spokesperson on March 18, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Denise Truscello/Getty Images for L’Oreal Paris)
“I have been as professional as can be through my whole life, a disciplined, hard-working person doing what I need to do for my voice to be in top shape,” Dion told People.
The star was officially diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome in August, 2022, and began a combination treatment plan involving medication, immune therapy, vocal therapy and significant physical rehabilitation that she participates in five days each week, according to the outlet. (RELATED: ‘Like Somebody Is Strangling You’: Celine Dion Gives Emotional Update On Her Condition)
“The good thing that’s on my side is that I love doing all these things,” she reportedly said with optimism.
She told the outlet she considers herself to be “very, very happy and fortunate” to be able to relate her medical journey to fans to help raise awareness.
