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

[mvansand76]

And once again, it is important to note that none of the drugs found in his system were at a high enough level to indicate deliberate abuse. Take one of these, two of those, another one of those... curtains. I even read recently of a woman who died because she used a recommended numbing gel to prepare for hair removal treatment... she put it all over her legs and covered them with plastic wrap. It was too much for her system to ingest.

There are times when I have allergy problems and take an antihistamine. Then later on in the day, I get a bad headache, and unthinkingly take a few ibuprofen. I have epilepsy, so I take that at night, also unthinkingly. And then I feel awful and can't sleep, so I might take a couple of Tylenol PM.

So let's tally that up. Antihistamine. Ibuprofen. Anti-seizure drug. Tylenol. Sleep aid. All in one day, innocently taken at the proper dosage level, by one 108-lb woman. I'm probably lucky to be alive.

Did I already tell you that I love your posts and that I agree with you on everything you say? 

  I am going crazy right now, a lot of the media in Holland 'forget' to put "accidental" before "overdose" in the headlines on the internet. I want to kick something or even better, somebody.

[Meryl]

I am going crazy right now, a lot of the media in Holland 'forget' to put "accidental" before "overdose" in the headlines on the internet. I want to kick something or even better, somebody.

I'm sure we'll be seeing more of this as the coverage expands.  Even minutes after the announcement, I heard one commentator, it was either on CNN or MSNBC, say that "we still don't know whether he intentionally overdosed on the prescription drugs." 

[mvansand76]

        For those that think he may have been taking his pills irresponsibly and was throwing
caution to the wind.  I have this to say.  When you take pills every day for whatever reason.
You can sometimes just forget.  Did I take that already, or was that earlier, or some such
lapse of medicating period.  If you are taking those kinds of drugs they also contribute to
the inability to remember.  When, if or how long it has been since your last dose.  If you do
not just write down the times which few people do.  I can see him doing that totally unintentionally. I know from personal experience that any of those drugs taken in conjunction
with a muscle relaxant can be deadly.  I almost had it happen to me.  I was not overmedicating
and only taking the prescribed dosage.  The public at large has no idea how easily this can
happen.  The pharmaceuticals and doctors dont want you to really know i believe.

{{{{{Janice}}}}} Great post...

This can happen to anybody who takes multiple drugs each day. Each day, I take two types of anti-histamine, asthma-medication, and a codeine tablet. My sister is taking about 18 types of medicine each day during her chemo treatment. I think about 70% of the American population probably takes at least 5 different tablets each day. This really could have happened to anybody. I agree with Heath's father that we should learn from something like this happening.

[Verona]

Did I already tell you that I love your posts and that I agree with you on everything you say? 

  I am going crazy right now, a lot of the media in Holland 'forget' to put "accidental" before "overdose" in the headlines on the internet. I want to kick something or even better, somebody.

 

Geez, so you're getting just overdose and abuse over there? Good God.

I keep seeing speculation here that he may have gotten the painkillers on the street or deliberately abused them. To my understanding, all the drugs were legitimate prescriptions, all the bottles had pills remaining, and none were found in his system in a lethal dosage.  If the investigators did not look into every doctor named on those bottles, I'd be shocked.

I just wish they'd change "abuse" to "ingestion." 

[Lumière]

I'm sure we'll be seeing more of this as the coverage expands.  Even minutes after the announcement, I heard one commentator, it was either on CNN or MSNBC, say that "we still don't know whether he intentionally overdosed on the prescription drugs." 

What does all the speculation achieve? 
We could discuss and wonder about it for days.
At the end of it all, he is still gone and his family is still grieving.  People sometimes forget to stop and think how all of it feels to them.

[opinionista]

Did I already tell you that I love your posts and that I agree with you on everything you say? 

  I am going crazy right now, a lot of the media in Holland 'forget' to put "accidental" before "overdose" in the headlines on the internet. I want to kick something or even better, somebody.

Well, here in Spain they're saying he died from a lethal combination of different medications. The word overdose is nowhere in sight. They're calling it an intoxication.

[Verona]

I'm sure we'll be seeing more of this as the coverage expands.  Even minutes after the announcement, I heard one commentator, it was either on CNN or MSNBC, say that "we still don't know whether he intentionally overdosed on the prescription drugs." 

YES WE DO! 

[RossInIllinois]

I don't understand.  Accidental death and abuse of prescription medications???  What does that mean? 

Does it just mean that he wasn't using them as prescribed?

Yes Sandy, thats exactly what it means.  Not unlike Elvis.  What happens in many cases, Each production has a Set Dr. usually assigned to it. So the more films you do the more the chances of getting more drugs. These Dr's almost never know what the other has perscribed so within a year you could have a shoe box filled with so called legal drugs of your choice. I see this every day.

[Meryl]

Just heard a commentator interview Jonathan Dienst on MSNBC.  He was emphatic that the report found the combination of drugs was the cause of death and that they were not found in high doses.  He also made it very clear that no illegal drugs had been found on the scene.  When asked about the rolled up $20 bill, he repeated the finding that there was no residue found on it.

So yay, at least one media outlet got it right.

[mvansand76]

Just heard a commentator interview Jonathan Dienst on MSNBC.  He was emphatic that the report found the combination of drugs was the cause of death and that they were not found in high doses.  He also made it very clear that no illegal drugs had been found on the scene.  When asked about the rolled up $20 bill, he repeated the finding that there was no residue found on it.

So yay, at least one media outlet got it right.

Yeeeh for Dienst!