Heath Ledger's cause of death released

[Merlot-N-Bali]

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

Oxycodone/Percocet/Roxicet is a narcotic. Hydrocodone/Vicodin/Lortab is also a narcotic. Diazepam/Valium is a benzodiazepine used for anxiety. Temazepam is also a bezo as is Alprazolam/Xanax. Never heard of the last one.

Doxylamine is an antihistamine sold over-the-counter. It is often used as a sedative/sleep aid. It is the active ingredient in Unisom and other similar drugs.

[DitaPage*]

Maybe the Heath fantards will stop saying that he wasn't a junkie now and stop with all their retarded speculations. Hopefully this is enough proof for them, but I am sure they will come up with reasons why he wasn't a druggie even though he had enough drugs in his system to kill several people.

No, they'll say that it was only prescription medication - which is not as bad as illegal drugs. Story goes - Poor guy couldn't sleep, was sad about not being with his daughter, yada yada; and he was doing everything to get sleep. So it wasn't a bad overdose of anything.

Meanwhile there 1784 news stories on this currently, how many different ways can they write accidental overdose!

[Bellatheball]

Doxylamine is an antihistamine sold over-the-counter. It is often used as a sedative/sleep aid. It is the active ingredient in Unisom and other similar drugs.

Ah, thanks. Probably similar to Vistaril then. That stuff can cause problems when taken in large amounts too.

[Voodoo Child]

Ledger's father Kim, said he hoped the official toxicology results would end rumors surrounding his son's death and appealed for privacy.

"Today's results put an end to speculation, but our son's beautiful spirit and enduring memory will forever remain in our hearts," he said in a statement.

"While no medications were taken in excess, we learned today the combination of doctor-prescribed drugs proved lethal for our boy," he said, adding "we respectfully request the worldwide media allow us time to grieve privately."

Okay really. pulezzzzzzz
No excess? Great word smith.

[A*O]

Meanwhile, in the rest of the world......... erm, life goes on believe it or not.

[cynic]

...well, then...get out there and get to it.....

[Mariesoleil]

It is an opiate. It's not quite like heroin. In fact, good studies show that people who take them for the right reasons, for the right period of time, have little risk of addiction. They are often given for acute pain (after injury, after surgery etc) and people do quite well. People who use them for sleep alone or find they need them in increasing amounts tend to run in to trouble. Alternatively, if someone has had addiction issues in the past, they are at a high risk when taking these meds. Sometimes though, the benefits of taking pain meds outweight the risks.

Another thing to add is that you know what you're getting when you take Rx pills. The quanity you ingest and it's half life are known. When you take heroin or other street drugs, you have no idea what else might be mixed in.

It's derived from codeine I think. The thing with codeine is that they often prescribe it when people have bad coughs from the flu. Codeine helps stop the coughing. That's one of the properties of codeine that is less known.

As for the amount of medication I don't think it's a surprising amount. My mom had severe depression and I had one of her hospital slips with all the medication she was taking. I think it had at least 10 different pills that she had to take during the day on it (some of which she had to take 3 times at various intervals). I think there were like 3 kinds of benzos and a whole bunch of other shit.

Docs sometimes don't check out if some drugs interact with each other. I remember last year a doctor prescribed me an antibiotic knowing what medication I already was taking, anyways when I went to the pharmacy my pharmacist told me the antibiotic was not compatible with my medication. Told me it could cause a whole bunch of side effects.

Maybe (just a supposition here) he had some medication for his pneumonia prescribed in the UK and had some other medication prescribed here in the US therefore the pharmacist didn't know what he was already taking therefore causing a toxic mix? Just saying.

[cheray]

I still take valium as a taper method for getting off xanax. Both of which drugs were found in Heaths system. I took Xanax like lollies. I had no idea of the potency of them in comparism to valium. After my mother was killed I felt justified in looking for some relief, but I nearly ended up totalled just like Heath. Getting off them was harder than anything I have known.

[gas_chick]

Maybe (just a supposition here) he had some medication for his pneumonia prescribed in the UK and had some other medication prescribed here in the US therefore the pharmacist didn't know what he was already taking therefore causing a toxic mix? Just saying.

I think this is what happened and even if it was because he was a junkie I don't think him or any other "junkie" in the world deserves to die.

[cynic]

Xanax is the drug of choice for folks coming down off of cocaine.....errrr....I am still talking about Heath, not any of the folks here....didn't want to get my foot too far in my mouth.....

[Mariesoleil]

^^ Didn't know that. I know that Ativan is used for getting people off alcohol.

[heathersharon]

^^ Didn't know that. I know that Ativan is used for getting people off alcohol.

Its also used to attempt to stop seizures.

[Mariesoleil]

^^ Yeah quite a few benzos are used to stop seizures if I remember correctly.

[Elisa]

Two weeks have gone by and I still find his death hard to absorb. It just came out of left field. So much talent yet to be realized. I feel so badly for Michelle. I'm sure she's been second guessing herself....wondering if she did the right thing by letting him go. It's obvious she still loved him. And then there's Matilda.

I know someone who has averaged two-to-three hours of sleep a night for years. They're desperate for a good night's rest and it's unachievable. He was able to understand Heath's need for relief. I don't want to be judgemental. Heath seemed like a decent guy...someone who loved greatly and was greatly loved. Britney's passing would not have surprised me; this one did.

[Voodoo Child]

Oxycodone - Oxycodone is in a group of drugs called narcotic pain relievers. Prescribed for chronic pain. It is similar to morphine. - Habit forming Opiate

Hydrocodone - Marketed as Vicodin and used to relieve moderate to severe pain. It is an opiate and can be used as an anti-cough agent. It is about six times as strong as codeine and comparable to morphine in potency. Habit forming Opiate

Diazepam - (Valium) Diazepam is used to relieve anxiety, nervousness, and tension associated with anxiety disorders. - Habit forming. Benzo

Temazpam - Short term insomnia treatment . Helps you to fall asleep and stay asleep during the night. Habit forming Benzo

Alprazolam - (Xanax) Treats anxiety and panic attacks and depression. This medication can cause birth defects in unborn babies. Avoid using other medications to make you sleepy whilst on Alprazolam. Habit forming Benzo

Doxylamine - (hydrocodone)an antihistamine, causes drowsiness as a side effect and is used in the short-term treatment of insomnia. Is known to be habit forming.

Wow that is a lot of benzos being mixed and it appears that he was doubling up on most of them i.e the doxylamine which is the same as hydrocodone. There is so much info out there about these drugs/their effects and mixing them up etc. How he couldn't sleep on all of those downers is a bloody wonder? He had to have been doctor shopping because most of these drugs have exactly the same effect and doubling up is what most likely would of caused an overdose.
Also if he tried to stop any of them abruptly, that would of caused all sorts of unplesant withdrawals.

And I am sorry but his Father's statement saying that there was no excess is just rubbish. People are not silly. It was definately excess that killed him.