o rly? He told you this, did he?
Now it´s out and I was right:
Heath Ledgers Death Is Ruled an Accident
By Sewell Chan
Heath Ledger (Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)Updated, 12:43 p.m. | The New York City chief medical examiners office has ruled that the actor Heath Ledger, whose body was found in a SoHo apartment on Jan. 22, died of an accidental overdose of prescription medications that included painkillers, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety drugs.
Mr. Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, **********, and doxylamine, Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the chief medical examiner, Dr. Charles S. Hirsch, said in a brief statement on Wednesday morning. We have concluded that the manner of death is accident, resulting from the abuse of prescription medications.
An autopsy was conducted on Jan. 23, the day after Mr. Ledgers death, but the results were inconclusive pending toxicological and histological tests, which analyze blood samples and tissue for the presence of chemicals in the body.
The six drugs found in Mr. Ledgers system included two painkillers: Oxycodone, the active ingredient in the prescription drug OxyContin, and hydrocodone, which is often combined with acetaminophen, as in the prescription drug Vicodin.
Also in Mr. Ledgers system were three anti-anxiety medications, known as benzodiazepines, that are used to treat anxiety disorders and panic attacks by decreasing abnormal excitement in the brain: diazepam, sold under the commercial name Valium, which is used relieve anxiety, muscle spasms and seizures and to control agitation caused by alcohol withdrawal; **********, commonly known under the brand name Xanax; and Temazepam, brand name Restoril, which is most commonly prescribed as a sleep aid than as an anti-anxiety medication.
One nonprescription drug was found in Mr. Ledgers system: doxylamine, which is found in common nighttime sleep aids. It is an antihistamine that causes drowsiness as a side effect and is used in the short-term treatment of insomnia. (It is also used, in combination with decongestants, to relieve cough and cold symptoms.)
In response to the medical examiners findings, the actors father, Kim Ledger, who lives in Australia, released the following statement this morning through Mara Buxbaum, Heath Ledgers publicist:
We remain humble as parents and a family, among millions of people worldwide who may have suffered the tragic loss of a child. Few can understand the hollow, wrenching, and enduring agony parents silently suffer when a child predeceases them. Todays results put an end to speculation, but our sons beautiful spirit and enduring memory will forever remain in our hearts.
While no medications were taken in excess, we learned today the combination of doctor-prescribed drugs proved lethal for our boy. Heaths accidental death serves as a caution to the hidden dangers of combining prescription medication, even at low dosage.
Our family enjoyed an extremely happy two week visit with Heath just prior to the New Year. Those recent precious days will stay with us forever. We as a family feel privileged to have some of his amazing magic moments captured in film. To most of the world Heath was an actor of immeasurable talent and promise. To those who knew him personally, Heath was a consummate artist whose passions also included photography, music, chess and directing. We knew Heath as a loving father, as our devoted son, and as a loyal and generous brother and friend.
We treasure our beautiful granddaughter Matilda (to our dear Michelle) as well as an unbelievably wonderful network of close friends, forever, around the world. Families rarely experience the uplifting, warm and massive outpouring of grief and support as have we, from every corner of the planet. This has deeply and profoundly touched our hearts and lives. We are eternally grateful.
At this moment we respectfully request the worldwide media allow us time to grieve privately, without the intrusions associated with press and photography.
The body of Mr. Ledger, 28, was found undressed, in bed, in an apartment in SoHo that he had been renting, around 2:45 p.m. on Jan. 22. The police quickly ruled out foul play.
Told about the drugs found in Mr. Ledgers body, Dr. Vatsal G. Thakkar, a psychiatrist at N.Y.U. Medical Center and a clinical assistant professor at the N.Y.U. School of Medicine, said in a statement: Six different sedative drugs in Heath Ledgers system show something was amiss. Whether that was in taking combinations of drugs without proper medical guidance or sloppy prescribing, it was an unfortunate situation and with a tragic outcome.
In a phone interview, Dr. Thakkar added: Drug combinations are done and can be done safely, to an extent. In this situation, we have two painkillers, three anti-anxiety medications, at least one sleep aid. To have this many medications overlapping different mechanisms, different compounds I do not see an appropriate clinical situation where this should be acceptable. It is not known how Mr. Ledger obtained the medications.
Dr. Andrew J. Kolodny, the vice chairman of psychiatry at Maimonides Medical Center and an authority on deaths by accidental overdose, said that combining anti-anxiety medications with painkillers can be particularly lethal. Both types of medications can lead to addiction, he said, making it more challenging for someone using the two types of drugs to avoid combining them.
James Barron contributed reporting.
~source: New York Times
I like the guy
