Céline Dion has been going through a severe health scare after being diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome (SPS) and being unaware of it for nearly 17 years. While she is bravely fighting the odds despite the health scare, it hasn’t always been easy for the singer.
In a recent interview with People, Céline Dion gave her fans an insight into her health battle, while also revealing that she resorted to an unsafe amount of valium at one point of her treatment. The 56-year-old superstar also opened up about the progressive symptoms she started having in the mid-2000s. Here’s what she said.
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Céline Dion Details Her Diagnosis With SDS About 20 Years Ago
Céline Dion got candid about her tumultuous health journey since being diagnosed with SDS. In the interview with People, she revealed that she began experiencing the symptoms of the disease in the 2000s, including muscle spasms, difficulty breathing and singing, and severe “crisis” episodes causing her entire body to lock up in excruciating pain.
She recalled that her first spasm occurred nearly 20 years ago while on tour in Germany. “I had breakfast, and I suddenly started to feel a spasm. My vocal exercise made it worse,” Dion said. She said that despite trying several remedies, from steam showers to over-the-counter medications, and consulting multiple specialists, she did not get relief from the pain.
Dion was diagnosed with the disease in August 2022. She has opened up about her battle with SPS in her new documentary, ‘I Am: Celine Dion‘, streaming globally on June 25 on Prime Video.
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Céline Dion Opens Up About Taking Heavy Amounts Of Valium
As symptoms worsened, the Céline Dion said she turned to prescription medications like Valium. “We started with two milligrams to see if it would help, and then 2.5, and then 3, and 15 and 50,” she says, noting the medication wore off quickly, leading her to take about 90 milligrams to perform.
“It could have been fatal. I did not question the level because I don’t know medicine. 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 said.
“I did not understand that I could have gone to bed and stopped breathing. And you learn — you learn through your mistakes,” the singer added. She said that she is currently “very, very happy and fortunate” to be able to share her experiences with others.
“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 said.
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