The Cause of Actress Ece İrtem’s Death Revealed: A Deadly Cocktail

Ece İrtem was found dead at her home at the age of just 35. According to the forensic report, the young actress died from alcohol poisoning. Experts are warning that consuming alcohol while taking antidepressants can create a “deadly cocktail” and stress that the two should never be used together.

According to a report prepared by the Forensic Medicine Institute, Ece İrtem had a blood alcohol level of 3.95 per mille, while the alcohol level detected in her vitreous fluid—the fluid inside the eye—was 4.70 per mille.

Levels above 2 per mille are considered potentially fatal within medical parameters. Although no precise calculation can be made—as factors such as a person’s weight, sex, liver function, how quickly the alcohol was consumed, whether they had eaten and any medication they were taking can all affect the result—a level of 3.95 per mille could correspond to approximately two large bottles of hard liquor, such as rakı, whisky or vodka.

Forensic medicine specialist Prof. Dr. Halis Dokgöz rejected claims that the result may have been measured incorrectly.

“The blood alcohol level of 3.95 per mille is confirmed by the 4.70 per mille detected in the vitreous fluid. In fact, the alcohol level in the fluid inside the eye is one of the parameters that more accurately reflects the true concentration,” he said.

Prof. Dokgöz explained that alcohol levels above 2 per mille can cause symptoms including confusion, impaired vision and balance, loss of coordination and difficulty speaking.

“Once the level rises above 3 per mille, the person begins to slip into a coma. The levels detected in this case were within the range of a lethal dose. The findings in the report are therefore very clear. There is no evidence suggesting a heart attack or an infection.

“When a person consumes a large amount of alcohol, their reflexes weaken. Nausea and vomiting may also occur. However, because alcohol suppresses consciousness, the person may be unable to vomit properly. In that situation, the contents of the stomach can enter the windpipe and lungs instead of passing through the esophagus.

“In this case, the death appears to have resulted from respiratory depression and aspiration caused by alcohol poisoning,” he said.

THEY SHOULD NEVER BE USED TOGETHER

Asked whether controlled prescription medications could increase a person’s alcohol level, Prof. Dokgöz replied:

“Antidepressants and diazepam-like sleeping medications intensify alcohol’s suppressive effect on the central nervous system. They do not increase the amount of alcohol in the blood, but they accelerate loss of consciousness, make it easier for the person to fall into a coma and increase the risk of death. They should never be used together.”

SHE COULD HAVE SURVIVED IF SHE HAD GONE TO THE HOSPITAL

Prof. Dokgöz also stressed that seeking medical assistance in such situations is a matter of life and death.

“In the final footage, we see her struggling to enter her home. Had she been taken to the hospital at that stage, she could have been saved. Doctors could have treated the toxic effects of the alcohol and prevented aspiration.

“It is extremely dangerous to leave someone who has consumed a large amount of alcohol alone under the assumption that they will ‘sleep it off and sober up.’ Anyone who loses consciousness, vomits or cannot be awakened must be taken to a medical facility.

“It is important to emphasize that alcohol can have a far more severe effect on people taking antidepressants or sleeping medication and may reach fatal levels.”