Heath Ledger

[MaO3]

Results for the Tox screening from Heath Ledger indicate an accidential overdose.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movi...ger/index.html

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Mr. Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine," the office said in a short statement.

"We have concluded that the manner of death is accident, resulting from the abuse of prescription medications."

Hydrocodone and oxycodone are painkillers. Diazepam is an anti-anxiety drug commonly sold under the brand name Valium; alprazolam is also an anti-anxiety drug, sold under such names as Xanax. Temazepam, sold under such names as Restoril and Euhypnos, is a sleeping agent, as is doxylamine.

In a statement released through Ledger's publicist, Ledger's father, Kim, said Wednesday: "While no medications were taken in excess, we learned today the combination of doctor-prescribed drugs proved lethal for our boy. Heath's accidental death serves as a caution to the hidden dangers of combining prescription medication, even at low dosage."



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[AngelOnHigh]

that sure is a lot of pills... doctors need to start really watching what they perscribe to patients. how much is too much?

[MaO3]

No kidding Angel. In an initial report I read it was indicated that some of his prescriptions were from a Doc in Europe and some from a doc in the US.
Makes you wonder if one knew what the other had prescribed.

Its just very sad to see someone as talented as he was die of something that is so preventable.

[J*B]

Accidental?? He was a walking pharmacy..

"Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine.

Who in their *right mind* would take all of these at once unless they had a substantial drug problem?

I don't buy the accidental thing for a second.

[kitty&mimi]

u go to one doc and tell him ur problems, he gives u something for it
u go to another doc in another country, tell him ur problems he gives you something for it
all diff drugs, all do basically the same thing....
so there's an OD

[adigirl]

None of them were at lethal levels. It was the combination of the drugs. So he followed directions and did not take them in excess.

[Chaotic Chick]

When I had kidney failure, I had taken 2 Percocets (prescribed by my family doctor) and two Gravols. When my husband got me to the ER, he told the nurse I had taken those meds and the doctor in the ER gave me Morphine in an IV. THEN, because I was still in excruciating pain, they gave me Demerol. I wound up being unconscious for a couple of hours. (Not to mention throwing up). When I mentioned to the nurse that I thought it was the combination of the Morphine, Demerol and Percocet, she asked, "What Percocet?" I guess, when they realized the severity of my condition, someone overlooked that I had already taken the Percocet. Accidents DO happen. I was lucky that it was not a serious error. But it happens when you are being treated by more than one doctor, or when there is a medical emergency. That's why it is important to ensure that people are aware of what meds you are taking, ESPECIALLY the doctors who are treating you. Certain combinations of drugs are dangerous and Heath Ledger was only following the doctors' instructions.

[AmdWolfman]

He said also he was severly intoxicated,,,alcohol will make it more affect becuzz of the booze. Hope had good intentions.

[adigirl]

"Mr. Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine," the office said in a short statement. "

[tippikitty]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JB</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Who in their *right mind* would take all of these at once unless they had a substantial drug problem?

</div></div>

I take 22 pills a day and one a pain patch (fentanyl)and usually at the same time. The key is to know if you CAN take them all at once. Apparently he couldn't.

I still have a hard time believing the "accidental" part, but that's just me. It's sad to see anyone die at such a young age.

[GRUMPY]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JB</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Accidental?? He was a walking pharmacy..

"Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine.

Who in their *right mind* would take all of these at once unless they had a substantial drug problem?

I don't buy the accidental thing for a second. </div></div>

His family will be hurt to find out you feel this way.

[GRUMPY]

When my Dad was in the hospital and he was being gotten ready to leave the nurse tried to get him to take all his daily pills at once that way "they" would know he took them. How brain dead can a nurse be to try and do this, there had to be an easy 20-30 pills? Some he was to take a certain times to spread out their affects and other were taken at different times because if they were taken at the same time there could be a reaction. Her only response when I put a run on her and her hair-brained ideas was "What difference does it make they're going to the same place?" So if a so-called health professional could be that stupid I guess anyone can.

[J*B]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Grumpy</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JB</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Accidental?? He was a walking pharmacy..

"Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine.

Who in their *right mind* would take all of these at once unless they had a substantial drug problem?

I don't buy the accidental thing for a second. </div></div>

His family will be hurt to find out you feel this way. </div></div>


If he was in any kind of contact with his family they would have known he had a problem seeking different doctors for more and more meds..
This just doesn't add up, something not right here at all, when you go to a doctor, before he prescribes you anything he asks what other meds you are currently on so stuff like this doesn't happen.
Anyone taking all of that crap has a serious problem imho.
It certainly is sad though that any lives are snuffed out by drugs, legal ones or not.

I don't understand how anyone who was not there could say it was or wasn't an accident. All they can technically report on is the cause of death.

They may have said this to comfort the family and all his fans, but to call it an accident goes way beyond the parameters of a lab report.

[kitty&mimi]

it was the combinations of the drugs, not how much he took, that is why it wasnt suicidal

[Maryms]

Well ppl always ask a Pharmacist about what is OK to use with what as some of the drugs he used can be bought off the shelf.

Basically he killed himself cause of lack of knowledge or ignorance in which many including myself never ask about drugs to use with what (unless its for my son) and this is a WAKE UP call for many ppl to make sure you ask.

[J*B]

Where is that, in a country with no regulations??
Those are all prescription drugs and anyone who would "just buy them off the shelf" and take them without direction doesn't have much sense.

Anyone who takes all of those meds together unless under the supervision of a *competent* doctor is not normal and has a serious problem that needs immediate attention.

Hopefully many will learn something from this senseless tragedy, although the average person is wiser than that anyways.

[Maryms]

That is very true as most of those drugs that he had taken can be bought at any drug store. Basically he was using a antihistamine drug for a cold and sleeping pills (doctored ordered) for his insomnia due to stress from his work and he was using some other drug as well for his back ache/muscle ache.

So the combination was a deadly one and we don't know how much he really took that day/night maybe he thought he never took one of them and proceeded to take more of it or he may have thought if he took more he would feel better quicker.

I am right now taking a antihistamine drug (bought off the shelf) for this dang cold (stuffed up nose/runny nose and cough) i have had for a few weeks off and on and i sure as heck won't take any sleeping pills to help me sleep at night cause of the hyperness of the antihistamine drug.

Lack of knowledge is what killed Heath Ledger and he was one of my favorite actors in the movies he played in he was a great actor and he will be missed by hollywood.

I look forward to watching his performance in the new Batman Movie as he played the Joker and it was this movie role that put his stress limit over the limit and he started to not sleep well and needed such pills to help him sleep at night, but there was a report he may also had a cold/pneumonia and he may have bought off the shelf drugs which there is the report of non prescribed drugs as well found at his bedside.

Just to add my son is heart broken as he loves the movie A Knights Tale staring Heath Ledger. I bought the movie when it first came out and my son has watched it many many times now and does not want to watch it right now cause of his sadness over Heath dying.

Here is a link to the movie:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0183790/


Heath played ... Sir William Thatcher / Sir Ulrich von Lichtenstein of Gelderland.

[MaO3]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> The lesson to be learned from Ledger's death is the danger of mixing prescription drug, experts said.

Taken appropriately, experts said, the six drugs found in Ledger's blood were medically safe.

Taken together, the mix killed him.

What stands out in the list are the two pain-relief narcotics: oxycodone and hydrocodone, said B. Joseph Guglielmo, chairman of the Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of California, San Francisco.

"People who are chronically on narcotics become tolerant of the benefit of taking pain away," he said. "But they don't become tolerant to the depression in respiratory drive."

That leads to central-nervous-system depression, said Sid Nelson, dean of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Washington. "You become unconscious and stop breathing."

Doctors not connected with the case said it's not unusual for people to be prescribed painkillers and sedatives, and overdoses are not uncommon.

"This is not rock-star wretched excess," said Cindy Kuhn, a pharmacology professor at Duke University. "This is a situation that could happen to plenty of people with prescriptions for these kind of drugs." </div></div>

I thought this was worth posting.

Material from The Associated Press, USA Today and the Los Angeles Times is included in this report.

[J*B]

Aren't a lot of the mentioned drugs' main purpose to treat anxiety and/or depression other than the first two which are synthetic narcotics?

oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine

All with exception of doxylamine are prescription drugs to my knowledge.

Nuff said I guess, it's a little late for words now [img]/ubbthreads/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif[/img]