Heath Ledger's Accidental Overdose - Discussion Thread (Was: Breaking News)

[opinionista]

I am going to whip out some very high level, technical medical jargon here in the hopes that we can just stop all this speculation and hurtful discussion and move ahead.

It was an adverse drug event (ADE) with the tragic consequence that Heath died. That's it. No finger pointing, no blame.

Leslie, RN

From People

Hunter also said it is highly unlikely a doctor would have allowed Ledger to take all the different types of drugs in his system (though another doctor, Vatsal Thakkar, a psychiatrist at NYU Medical Center, tells PEOPLE that it could be "sloppy prescribing"). Either way, "This is a dangerous mixture of drugs," said Hunter. "We are seeing more and more people dying of poly-drug intoxication from prescription drugs and it usually a combination of the narcotic-type drugs seen here."

The entire article can be read here: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20176284,00.html

[louisev]

Another article I read cited a medical source that stated bluntly: the rate of death from accidental overdose of prescription drugs occurs in New York City at the rate of 3 deaths per day.  This is not an isolated problem but an epidemic - of overprescribing, and of overuse.

[mvansand76]

It was an adverse drug event (ADE) with the tragic consequence that Heath died. That's it. No finger pointing, no blame.

And unfortunately, every day, people die of adverse drug events all over the world. On January 22nd it was somebody we loved for what he gave us and for the unique person that he was. Our sadness is what unites us here, not the hurtful speculation.

[opinionista]

It was an adverse drug event (ADE) with the tragic consequence that Heath died. That's it. No finger pointing, no blame.
Leslie, RN

For those who didn't fully understand (like me!)

Definition of Adverse reaction

Adverse reaction: In pharmacology, any unexpected or dangerous reaction to a drug. An unwanted effect caused by the administration of a drug. The onset of the adverse reaction may be sudden or develop over time.
Also called an adverse drug event (ADE), adverse drug reaction (ADR), adverse effect or adverse event.

http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=26227

[MaineWriter]

And unfortunately, every day, people die of adverse drug events all over the world. On January 22nd it was somebody we loved for what he gave us and for the unique person that he was. Our sadness is what unites us here, not the hurtful speculation.

Exactly. Thanks, Mel.

L

[belbbmfan]

I am going to whip out some very high level, technical medical jargon here in the hopes that we can just stop all this speculation and hurtful discussion and move ahead.

It was an adverse drug event (ADE) with the tragic consequence that Heath died. That's it. No finger pointing, no blame.

Leslie, RN

Thank you for that Leslie.

  

[Mikaela]

I DON'T think it was deliberate, but it was [   ] ...not quite completely accidental.  

That's just such a heck of a combo to have in one's system at once.  I may be really naive, but I am stunned that anyone would take that many serious drugs in a short time span.  Most of them I have heard enough about that I would recoil from taking even one of them.  To have mixed that many is beyond imagining for me, I would be so paranoid of what they would do.

He was a very intelligent man, and he surely must have known some of the bare minimum info on those drugs.  

Elle, you have formulated exactly what I have been struggling with since I read that report. He *was* a very intelligent person, could hardly be oblivious to the controversies surrounding anti-depressants and their unpleasant effects and risks, the medical industry being accused of "pushing" medicaments at doctors and on to patients, the risk in general of combining types of medication and the need to ask one doctor prescribing you a drug what it'll do in combination with other drugs you're taking etc. etc. etc.

I just can't wrap my mind around taking so many different types of medication during a relatively short timespan....

Perhaps it's just my personal outlook. I'm always extremely cautious about any kind of medication and quiz the doctors trying to prescribe me anything whether it's truly necessary, what the exact effect is, what the possible risks are, and what it will do in combination with other drugs. And trust me - I've had my share of major medical crisis situations in my life so I've been there when it comes to taking medication (though not the types of drugs that Heath used). I've refused medication based on an overall evaluation of the pros and cons the doctors (and other medical information) have presented me with - though of course, never flying against expert opinions if the doctors insisted I *had* to take the drugs to avoid physical injury or worse.

At the end of the day, we are responsible for weighing the benefits and the risks of the drugs we take, make informed decisions.... and I just can't fathom someone as bright and gifted and knowledgable and intelligent and overall healthy as Heath downing all that crap that was in his system. Even if doctors prescribed them to him on various occasions. Even if he was having problems sleeping and feeling down. I simply honestly can't understand it. I'm not criticizing Heath here, I'm just totally baffled and confounded and very, very sad. What happened was a horrible tragedy. I just cant understand how that could happen.

[HerrKaiser]

High potency and proven dangerous drugs like painkillers obviously need to be reserved for the more serious cases, and not handed over to anyone who asks, which is too often how Oxy and Vicodin get prescribed (and often resold on the street).

One cannot get a prescription for oxycontin very easily at all. Only a few docs who are pain specialists are able to prescribe it and the presciptions are not able to be filled at the pharmacy. Retail pharmacies do not stock it. The patient needs to go to a hospital to get the pills.

[Verona]

He could have gone to the doctor and said "I feel [whatever], what can you give me for it?" Doc gives him Drug A. Heath tries Drug A, it either doesn't work or he doesn't like it. Goes back to Doc. "No go on that, what else ya got?" Doc gives him Drug B, assuming Drug A will be tossed away... but it's still in the medicine cabinet, now along with Drug B. He goes to doc for another condition, doc gives him Drug C. So now Drugs A, B and C are all in his possession. One night he figures maybe he'll give Drug A another try, but he still gets no results. Thinking Drug A has not had any effect on his system, he takes Drug B. The other condition is still bothering him, so he takes Drug C for that too.

The whole thing is a slippery slope. 

[louisev]

The drug cited in the report was Oxycodone.  Oxycontin is one of the compounds made of Oxycodone, so there is no information on whether the pills were from Oxycontin or Percocet, Percodan, or a generic.  And you do not need to go to a hospital for it: my best friend has diabetic neuropathy and chronic pain and does not go to a hospital for oxycontin prescriptions - he goes to a doctor.