Heath Ledger: Rx for a tragic death
With the wild success of the new box-office smash film Dark Knight, people have been asking me again about the untimely death of Heath Ledger. While I’d rather talk about his greatness as an Oscar-nominated (and potential Oscar-winning) actor, I know as the “drug prevention guy” these are the questions I’ll receive. This amazingly talented and accomplished man was taken from us in a tragedy that has unfortunately occurred too many times and in too many families.
Here’s what we know. In February of this year, the New York City Chief Medical Examiner issued a report that says, “Mr. Heath Ledger died as a result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine. We have concluded that the manner of death is accident, resulting from the abuse of prescription medications.”
That day, I wanted to know more about these individual medications and especially their effects when abused. What I learned about those effects and the combination of effects, will speak volumes to you too:
- Oxycodone… Intended Use: long-acting narcotic pain reliever use to treat moderate to severe chronic pain. Effects if Abused: Slowed breathing and heartbeat, dizziness and fainting, tremors, muscle weakness, drowsiness or loss of consciousness.
- Hydrocodone… Intended Use: narcotic pain reliever used to treat moderate pain, also acts as a cough suppressant. Effects if Abused: vomiting, slow breathing, slow heartbeat, unusual sweating, chills, loss of consciousness.
- Diazepam… Intended Use: treat anxiety and seizures, relieve muscle spasms and as a sedative during certain medical procedures. Effects if Abused: severe drowsiness, slow reflexes, slow and shallow breathing, fainting.
- Temazepam… Intended Use:short-term treatment of insomnia. Effects if Abused: slow breathing, slurred speech, a deep sleep from which one cannot readily be awakened.
- Alprazolam… Intended Use: treat anxiety and panic attacks. Effects if Abused: severe drowsiness, loss of consciousness.
- Doxylamine… Intended use: over-the-counter antihistamine used to treat insomnia and relieve cough and cold symptoms. Effects if Abused: extreme drowsiness, loss of coordination, seizures, hallucinations.
Health Ledger’s death was indeed an enormous tragedy. This unfortunate combination of medications in anyone’s system could result in the same outcome. We all have medications in our lives and in our homes. That’s one of the reasons we at the Partnership have been advocating Education, Communication and Safeguarding.
Society needs to understand that these products, when abused, can lead to extraordinary damage. We must communicate to our teens that this is not a safe way to get high or manage life’s pressures. And, there are some medicines in our homes that simply don’t belong in the family medicine cabinet, rather under lock and key.
Have you taken inventory of the medicines in your home? What are your thoughts on all of this?
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It’s hard to believe someone could swallow all of those pills…..certainly he did not know what he was doing.
I guess anyone who wants to hurt themselves with drugs can do so without buying illegal drugs. For the rest of us and our kids we need to take seriously the phrase…use only as directed. Maybe drug makers should start making all the small print warning of drug interactions and abuse a little larger.
Great idea to break down the list of drugs Ledger used…really scary and telling when written out like that!
Great post - especially the reminder about taking an inventory of the medicines in our homes. Most people will hold on to prescription painkillers for a long time - thinking that they’d be good to have on hand in case of an accident or injury. As you said, if we are going to keep controlled substances, they should be under lock and key!
I have a dilemma regarding this sort of thing. I used to be addicted to hydrocodone for many years, then quit. Two years later, I was in a serious car accident where the air bag spun my head in such away (i am only 112 pounds and 5′1′) that it ruptured discs and I have a spinal cord injury affecting the nerves in my arms and hands. If I dont take pain relievers and neurontin, I am in extreme pain. How do I convince my friends and family that I only take my meds as prescribed. I quit alcohol after 10 years and another addiction after 18. I can handle this but they freak when I take a med or they have to drive me to the pharmacy and want to know what I am taking. What do I do? I still usually have pills left when it’s time for a refill so I am not abusing. How do I explain to my family that I am no longer an addict. BTW, I am 51 and was a legal assistant for 36 years before this accident so I am not irresponsible. Any advice would be helpful.
Silk
Everyone should know that sometimes it is not just getting perscriptions from a friend and passing it around. Also not only is there a problem with taking to many of these perscriptions, but the combination. Yes alot of deaths are sudden. But let me tell you there is a slow process sometimes that is causing damagthat alot are unaware of. Any type of medicine greats changes with in our bodies. Most of the antianxiety,antidpressants,pain medication, and sleep aids even tho they are central nervous system depressants but a stain on our organs and over time increase blood pressure, heart rate, which can cause something know as cardiomyopathy. You start having musle weakness, shortness of breath and other symptoms. which of course you just want to feel better so you medicate more.Always check what the Dr perscribes you. Always get a second opinion.If the medicine does not offer much of a release from your symptoms then I would suggest not taking it.This is especially true with all the antidepressants and antianixety medications out there. My son was placed on an enourmous amount of pyschotrphic meds. I was not aware of how many until I recieved a call that he had died.Finally got the cause of death severe obesity and cardiomyopathy. If the Dr’s were concerned with his weight they should not have perscribed so many medicines which only increased his weight gain. But I know my son never had heart issues before and yes obesity can inventually lead to enlarged heart from so much pumping to maintain that amt of weight. But lets face it if it was that alone there would not be so many obese people still functioning in the world. There is a cardiomyopathy which is drug induce.So beware. I understand there are medicines which are very beneficial to people but just remember. the general rule is if you have to take more than 3 you better check real good what you are taking,check for interactions,make sure you are medicateing your sysmptoms and not the symptoms caused by the drug.If the drug has little or no effect what would be the point of taking it.Do not be so ready to let a Dr keep adding one med on top of others,remember that with each med comes a point when taken long enough the effects are not as effective, increasing doses may be a sign of addiction to the drug.It may be physical addiction or pyschological addiction.We are our childrens teachers. there is no quick fix to feel better. Most drugs in these catagories on make them more tolerable.There is no real happy pill for lifes problems. We just have to learn to be strong and find better ways to deal with stress instead of trying to find a fix it pill. In the long run the problems of life are always there. Have you ever know anyone who has been diagnosed with any type of mental illness to have been cured. NO.this country has a mental illness for every bad feeling we have and they have a pill for everyone of them. We are slowly being lobotomized into non functioning non feeling individuals by the medical health care professionals.
I might also add that you check and see how much money a month your school recieves for a disabled child. By this I mean any child who is considered ADD ADHD falls into the disabled catagory.My school get $480 a month for each child. What 4 -6 yr old doesn’t have problems focusing or sitting still or being quiet. But I am telling you if a child exhibits this they will say the are ADD or ADHD. Most time they just have to grow and learn self disipline.alot of our kids are spoiled and have not been taught way before school starts to wait for thier wants and needs.Instant gratification.Yes wouldn’t we all love to have that.
This is my story and it is sad to say this is becoming a National Epidemic. My son was perscribed all these meds and the DEA did not look at all he was on which is what the Control Substance Act is suppose to be for . In order for me to make it know that I believe my son’s death was due to Polypharmacutical Perscribing practices of the Dr I have to find a lawyer and do malpractice or wongful death and it has to go to court and I have to win. Can’t be a settlement then the DA may see if substancial evidence to go to criminal court and prosecute. But anyone who sees this has said they too believe the meds cause all the organ damage and his death when you see the mass amts of meds they had him on.
Heart enlarged 1040 g with hypertrophic and dilated ventricles Hypertensive change in coronary arteries and myocardium. Aorta is free of atherosclerotic deposits. Coronary vessels contain mild to moderate hypertensive thickening of the muscular wall
Spleen enlarged 270 g
Liver enlarged 4,610 g smooth round edges moderate fatty changes but no increased lobularity or fibrosis
I received: The Autopsy and toxicology report.
My son had Organomegaly they say due to severe obesity.
Amitriptyline
Nortriptyline
Citalopram
hydrocodone
alprazolam
Valporic acid
Acetaminophen
Fluoxetine
Norfluoxetine
Trihexylphenidyl
Diazepam
Nordiazepam
Temazepam
Present confirmed
These are just what they found in system but list of meds prescribed below.
No street drug or alcohol noted. Cannabinoid,cocaine, cocaine metabolites
States several drugs found in system all at or below therapeutic levels and these did not contribute to his death
What do they consider several? All prescribed meds show severe interactions and possible liver & heart symptoms which can occur. Since he was not on one but 17 to 21 How can they not consider this drug induced Cardiomyopathy especially since liver was so enlarged and spleen also became increased in size? Why after seeing Dr’s for over a year did they not find any problems with lab test showing damage being done to organs?
18.Pantoprazole anxiety, arthralgia, asthenia, back pain, bronchitis, chest pain, constipation, cough increased, dizziness, dyspepsia, dyspnea, flu syndrome, gastroenteritis, gastrointestinal disorder, hyperlipemia, hypertonia, infection, liver function tests abnormal, migraine, nausea, neck pain, pain, pharyngitis, rectal disorder, rhinitis, SGPT increased, sinusitis, upper respiratory tract infection, urinary frequency, urinary tract infection, and vomiting.
19. Omeprazole Nervous System/Psychiatric
Psychic disturbances including depression, agitation, aggression, hallucinations, confusion, insomnia, nervousness, tremors, apathy, somnolence, anxiety, dream abnormalities; vertigo; paresthesia; and hemifacial dysesthesia
20. Diphenoxylate/ Atropine Since the chemical structure of diphenoxylate hydrochloride is similar to that of meperidine hydrochloride, the concurrent use of this product with monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors may, in
My son died June 21st 2009 at the age of 32. He was on disability starting in 2007 and in a short time of 1 1/2 years he was prescribed up to 21 prescriptions’ in one month. Over 1000 pills in a month. He declined in mental capabilities, living conditions, and then finally death. This is a list of all the prescriptions’ he was on by Dr’s and the so called Mental Health Clinic Dr.
This is a few months I pulled off the Pharmacy list for my son Jeramy D White. It shows the mass substances he was prescibed
Alprazolam (xanax) antianxiety
Zolpidem (ambient) hypnotic
Amitriptyline antidepressant
Atenolol (Tenormin)
side effect control
Clonidine (Catapress)
Anti ADD antianxiety
Depakote (Divalproex) Mood stabilizer
Diazepam (Valuim) antianxiety
Fluoxetine (Prozac) antidepressant antipanic
Gabapentin (Neurontin) Mood stabilizer
Levothyroxin Potentiates antidepressants
. Lexapro antidepressant
Metoprolol
side effect control
Oxazepam antianxiety perphenazine Antipsychotic
Risperidone Antipsychotic
Seroquel Antipsychotic
Trihexyphenidyl
Side effect control
This is the rest of the above list of oerscibed meds by just 2 Dr’s and Mental health clinc Dr and his primary Dr