Comments: Actor Heath Ledger Dead, Suicide Suspected
It's really hard for me to buy the accidental overdose theory when we're talking about pills. I mean, they come so conveniently packaged in the prescribed dose that there's little room for error unless you're completely incapable of counting to 10 or avoiding alcohol. I can't think of a doctor in my entire life - even the one who prescribed codeine cough syrup to treat bronchitis while I was on vicodin to treat pain from a car accident two days before - who ever told me to just take as many as needed. In fact, every prescription for a sleep aid that I've ever received was very specific in the instruction to take ONE before bedtime. The same goes for every other medication - it never says "gobble them like skittles, dude." It usually says "Take X every Y hours," or limits it to an amount per day.
And as we know, members of the family saying it couldn't have been suicide is not always the best indicator of whether it was.
What I do know from reading that article is that having been in situations in which I slept no more than two hours per night, I stayed up and reset my sleep schedule with no more than one tablet of 3 mg Lunesta. Considering the rest of the stuff I'm on, it's stupid on its face to take more than that.
In short, an "accidental overdose" with pills all around him? Doubtful.
Posted by Puckett at January 22, 2008 08:52 PM
One article I read today says other meds were found in his bathroom, or somewhere; giving me an idea it could be a drug-drug interaction. That is what killed my best friend. 2 prescribed anti depressants and a vicodin. Autopsy came back as a drug-drug interaction.
Posted by Stephany at January 23, 2008 06:02 AM
Actually I think it could have been accidental especially if he had pneumonia as they are now indicating. If he was on something new to treat the pneumonia symptoms the same dose of a hypnotic could wreak havoc and if he was on multiple meds, especially psych meds, anything could happen if yet another chemical was added to the mix, especially a cough or decongestant remedy. I say look for this to happen more and more as med cocktails become so common.
Posted by Sara at January 23, 2008 08:36 AM
So Heath Ledger and his "story" are all over People and Us etc. etc. Sounds like he had addiction issues with cocaine and alcohol. His story points out the disastrous consequences of treating one kind of substance addiction with the chemical dependency created by psych meds. Throw in pneumonia or some chest infection especially if treated with anything with a "phen" or an "ine" at the end of it and you've got a terrible accident waiting to happen and no one ever bothering to warn the victim. Treating drug or alcohol addiction with psych meds is without a doubt the stupidest thing known to man and yet it's the current standard protocol at most rehab centers. How many more stars, let alone your normal run of the mill young adults, are going to have to die before someone figures this out.
Posted by Sara at February 3, 2008 01:39 PM