Eagle-Tribune Blogs: Pop

Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose of painkillers, sleeping pills, anti-anxiety medication and other prescription drugs. That’s the findings of the New York City medical examiner, according to the Associated Press.

The cause of death was “acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine,” spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said in a statement.
The medical examiner’s office only provided generic names, so it is unknown whether he took generic or brand-name drugs. Police had said they found six types of prescription drugs, including sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication, in Ledger’s apartment.
Oxycodone is a painkiller marketed as OxyContin and used in other painkillers such as Percodan and Percocet; hydrocodone is used in a number of painkillers, including Vicodin.
Diazepam and alprazolam are the generic names for the anti-anxiety drugs Valium and Xanax, and the other two drugs are sleep aids commonly sold under the brands Restoril and Unisom.
Borakove wouldn’t say what concentrations of each drug were found in Ledger’s blood, or whether one drug played a greater part than another in causing his death.
“What you’re looking at here is the cumulative effects of these medications together,” she said.

Hopefully, this will put questions of suicide to rest. While it’s comforting that Ledger didn’t do this to himself on purpose, somehow this news makes his death even more tragic. An accident? That’s got to be tough for his family.

Still, it’s weird Ledger took all these drugs — and apparently took them together. Where were his doctors? His pharmacist?

I just don’t get it.

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