Accidental Overdose
Filed under: Drugs > Australiastic > Heath Ledger
The toxicology results are in, and the NY Medical Examiner's Office ruled Heath Ledger's death an accident based on using and abusing too many prescription medications.
The actor died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine.
The drugs are the generic names for the OxyContin painkiller, the anti-anxiety drug Valium, Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug, and the sleep aids Restoril and Unisom. Hydrocodone is another name for Vicodin, a painkiller.
And, finally, we have resolution.
[Image via WENN.]
Posted: February 6, 2008 at 11:29 am
None of the drugs listed are OxyContin. You are incorrect.
Hydrocodone is another name for VICODIN, darling.
Hydrocodone is NOT another name for Ibuprofin, in fact it doesn't even contain ibuprofin. It is an opiod derived from two opiates - codiene and thebaine. Google Perez buddy, Google!!
hydrocodone is vicodin.
God, he is beautiful. I just love this man, his talent, ambition, and the way he cherished his daughter. I will never forget the comment he made about being so in love with the two ladies in his life. ACCIDENTAL OVERDOSE…..what a f*ckin shame. HE WENT TO SLEEP, NOT KNOWING HE WOULD NEVER EVER AGAIN AWAKE. NEVER AGAIN SEE HIS DAUGHTER, NEVER AGAIN SEE HIS FAMILY. AND NEVER AGAIN, BREATHE.
God, he is beautiful. I just love this man, his talent, ambition, and the way he cherished his daughter. I will never forget the comment he made about being so in love with the two ladies in his life. ACCIDENTAL OVERDOSE…..what a f*ckin shame. HE WENT TO SLEEP, NOT KNOWING HE WOULD NEVER EVER AGAIN AWAKE. NEVER AGAIN SEE HIS DAUGHTER, NEVER AGAIN SEE HIS FAMILY. AND NEVER AGAIN, BREATHE.
God, he is beautiful. I just love this man, his talent, ambition, and the way he cherished his daughter. I will never forget the comment he made about being so in love with the two ladies in his life. ACCIDENTAL OVERDOSE…..what a f*ckin shame. HE WENT TO SLEEP, NOT KNOWING HE WOULD NEVER EVER AGAIN AWAKE. NEVER AGAIN SEE HIS DAUGHTER, NEVER AGAIN SEE HIS FAMILY. AND NEVER AGAIN, BREATHE.
God, he is beautiful. I just love this man, his talent, ambition, and the way he cherished his daughter. I will never forget the comment he made about being so in love with the two ladies in his life. ACCIDENTAL OVERDOSE…..what a f*ckin shame. HE WENT TO SLEEP, NOT KNOWING HE WOULD NEVER EVER AGAIN AWAKE. NEVER AGAIN SEE HIS DAUGHTER, NEVER AGAIN SEE HIS FAMILY. AND NEVER AGAIN, BREATHE.
so het WAS a junkie……. NEXT!!!
Hydrocodone is NOT another name for Ibuprofen, it is generic for Lortab which is a pain medicine and Acetaminophen. which is tylenol.
Get your facts straight Perez.
All of those together are one lethal combo.
Perez-Ibuprofen is not another name for Hydrocodone. The brand name for Hydrocodone is Vicodin. Ibuprofen's brand name is Advil.
Hydrocodone is not another name for ibuprofen. Hydrocodone is a more powerful pain killer than codeine.
Re: Heather – Yes, Hydrocodone is a narcotic pain medication. It is very dangerous to mislead people on medications Perez!! I am also an RN.
HYDROCODONE IS ANOTHER NAME FOR VICODIN -
NOT IBUPROFEN! that would be motrin or advil
Hydrocodone is vicodin…not ibuprofen…and vicodin is a pain med
hate to correct here but hydrocodone is not ibuprofen… it is the generic term for vicodin. so, he had a couple of different pain meds along with anti-anxiety meds and 'sleepers'; deadly combination. very sad indeed.
I am a RN and HYDROCODONE is NOT another name for ibuprofen it is a narcotic and should be stated as such. What happened to Heath is SAD and TRAGIC but you need to state the facts and NOT sugar coat as well as his death may have been accidental but WHO in their right mind would take all those meds at once……..kind of unreal, NO?
Hydrocodone, is the generic name for Vicodin, not Ibp. that's Naproxin.
Hydrocordone is another name for VICODIN not IBUPROFIN
Hydrocodone is not ibuprofen, its Vicodin.
Re: Obama4prez –
right…and theirs big difference between the two. c'mon perez, it just takes a google search to not look stupid.
Re: april –
jeez. can't you post this crapola just once???
Hydrocodone is NOT the generic name for Ibuprofen Perez….it's the generic name for Lortab, Vicoden, etc.
hydrocodone is Vicodin, not ibuprofen
Hey Perez,
Get your PDR (aka Physicians' Desk Reference) out man. Hydrocone is VICODIN!!!!
hydrocodone is not ibufrofen. it's vicodin.
Hyrdocodone is NOT another name for ibuprofen IDIOT. It is vicodin
So sad ….
but thats what happens when you get high on Rx
I DON'T BUY IT. HEATH WAS A SEVERE COCAINE ABUSER. SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT HERE.
Im sorry to say this Perez (and Im not sure if someone already posted it) but Hydrocodone is NOT another name for ibuprofen…. But this kinda drug overdose is scary cause so many Drs just keep prescribing meds unaware or uncaring of the fact you are on something else. ALWAYS ALWAYS READ THE PAMPHLETS THEY GIVE YOU!!!! RIP Perez
Very sad. Don't know why you said hydrocodone was like ibuprofen??
Hydrocodone is NOT ibuprofen. It's a component in Lortab, Vicodin, etc. Advil or Motrin is ibuprofen. I'm a fan of your site, but really, get your facts correct before you post something to misinform an already generally misinformed public.
hydrocodone is NOT the same as ibuprofen. if you are going to post info about medicine really make sure you have it right. some people actually believe what they read from internet cources.
hydrocodone is vicodin, not ibuprofen
But he didn't have a script for oxycodone or oxycontin–did he?
oxycodone is not oxycotton, it's percacet
Re: Karina – PRESS?…ITS PEREZ WHO SCREWED UP?….UNLESS HE COPIED AND PASTED A WRONG STORY?…..HOW IS CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL DOING BTW? LOL….IS HE STILL DEAD PEREZ?
Re: cc – A single Dr didn't prescribe all these drugs - he was also seeing Dr's in Europe as well and we all know that Hollywood stars and get whatever drugs they want, whenever. Think Anna Nicole. Dr's love having celeb patients and don't want to tell them NO. Many of Health's problems could have been treated with natural remedies, but traditional medical Dr's just go for the quick fix.
Also - thanks to the smart Perex reader who clarified for me what these drugs are - like vicodin, etc - NOT Advil. Perez needs to do some better, factoral reporting & research. Really.
Rudolph Giuliani and his consulting company, Giuliani Partners, have served as key advisors for the last five years to the pharmaceutical company that pled guilty today to charges it misled doctors and patients about the addiction risks of the powerful narcotic painkiller OxyContin.
Re: jared – ur an asshole
heaths passing is incredibly sad. hopefully knowing the toxicology results will provide his family with some sort of closure. now the stupid fucking media can shut up and stop making him sound like some douchy drug addict. and that video that was supposed to be realeased…what a joke. It doesnt even show him doing drugs..and that point of it was? to show him drinking beer? people can be around others who are doing drugs and controll themselves…dumbasses…its a shame to try and taint someones memory like that
Oxycodone is Percocet, not Oxycontin.
hydrocodone is not another name for ibuprofen its generic VICODIN
HOW THE HELL CAN YOU CALL IT ACCIDENTAL???? ANYONE THAT CAN READ KNOWS YOU DONT COMBINE PILLS LIKE THAT, THATS WHAT ALL THOSE ORANGE/YELLOW LABELS ARE ALL OVER YOUR PILL BOTTLES…SOUNDS LIKE MORE HOLLYWOOD COVER UPS…THESE DOCTORS NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED BEFORE THEY KILL OFF ALL THESE YOUNG HOLLWOOD ACTORS THAT CAN'T HANDLE LIFE…
Re: Jamie – not oxycontin-percocet get your drugs right!!
What's not being said in all this is how SERIOUSLY MENTALLY ILL this person was. What was going on inside his head to need to be taking ALL of these prescription drugs in combination? HOW MUCH NOISE was he experiencing in his mind? And this is NO DIFFERENT than using illicit drugs. Users of illegal drugs use for precisely the SAME REASONS. Just because prescription drugs are used does not reflect any on Heath's morality. This is a refrlection on his mental illness.
A drug cocktail like this will supress the respiratory system. It's ridiculous to say that this was "accidental." I guess it's accidental as opposed to deliberately committing suicide since there was no note, but he clearly had a drug problem. And I'm hard pressed to believe any one doctor prescribed all these meds - since most of them are contraindicated when taken together. He most likely had multiple docs and multiple pharmacies - and I also suspect that the prescriptions were filled with different names so the pharmacies' computer programs wouldn't raise alarms.
Actually Oxycodone is a name of a generic percocet.
People…..abuse of perscription drugs is so common. My sister takes this mixture on a regular basis. Vicodin and oxy are only perscribed for folks who have serious medical issues involving pain, and are so widely abused. Also, their availability over the internet is a crime! We need to take this to heart as a great person has passed and so many do every day. My own sister who is 38 has been addicted for years and I fear for her every day. If someone you love has an addiction, try to help if you can before it's too late. Just because these are legal drugs doesn't mean Heath didn't have addiction problems. Pulling the wool over your eyes to this is wrong. It doesn't mean he was a bad person, but as a community we should recognize the dangers of painkillers and their highly addictive qualities. They ruin peoples lives.
Let this be a lesson to other celebs out there that may be abusing RX drugs. (yes, heath was abusing them accidental death or not) just because a Dr. hands you these drugs is NOT a ticket for a free for all candy land of pills. Everyone knows just how deadly illegal drugs can be…now it's time for some awareness that RX drugs can be just as deadly if not used properly. RIP Heath and hopefully your death will not be in vain.
hydrocodone is VICODIN tard!!!
People just trust their doctors and think that prescriptions are safe. Harmful drug interactions are very common, and if the drugs were prescribed by different doctors, they must not have been thorough about checking what else he was taking. So sad, and probably more the fault of his healthcare providers than him.
Oxycodone is not Oxycontin you jerkoff!!!!!!!
who ever jared is… ur a prick… hope u get herpies
Hydrocodone is vicodin and oxycodone is percocet…..there is nothing in the report that refers to oxycontin, please fix your blog….that's how rumors get started!
Oxycodone is NOT oxycontin, it is percocet. Oxycontin is a HIGHLY addictive, horribly abused drug. While percocet is also a narcotic, the effects are no where near those of oxycontin. When somebody hears somebody took oxycontin they think of a horrible drug addict. Percocet is a perfectly legal , perfectly safe drug when used correctly.
Oxycodone is NOT generic OxyContin, PH–it is generic Percocet. Big difference… xo
Perez got his bad info directly from the AP report, which states that "hydrocodone is another name for ibufrofen." WTF is wrong with the Associated Press in this country? It is possible that the drug in question was vicoprofen, which is hydrocodone + ibuprofen, as opposed to vicodin, which is hydrocodone + tylenol. Either way, it's a major error by the A.P. to refer to a controlled narcotic as an OTC drug.
"and finally we have resolution"
.
Well, not quite.
Heath was street-saavy. He knew (as is WELL LABELED on these drugs) that you don't take them all together
No other substances or alcohol were found, so one can ONLY WONDER what state of mind would cause someone to take THAT cocktail of pills.
.
No, there will remain many unanswered questions. There's no coroners test for STATE OF MIND or INTENT
Re: HELEN – And I'm sure you have first hand knowledge of this…..please don't make accusations that have no factual basis….it's just not fair.
Hydrocodone itself is actually a pain med… Vicodin is the combination of Hydrocodone and Acetaminophen, which is a pain killer and muscle relaxant. Not that it makes that big of a difference I suppose.
OXY's????
He was taking oxys?!?!?!
those are more addictive and harmfull than cocaine and heroin combined, and unless you're like dieing of cancer shouldnt be taking them….
so he might as well had od'd from cocaine…
Re: jared – It is ignorant assholes like you that make celebrities lives' a living hell. Goodbye Heath–you will truely be missed.
Age old story.. When will Hollywood's Dr.'s quit giving out meds like they are candy..
Too sad indeed.
And, as always.. RIP, Heath! Still can't believe you are gone…….
I think some of these doctors should get jail time for the insane amounts of drugs they prescribe one individual…on a regular basis. A network needs to be set up to keep one person's meds online in an organized fashion, with privacy, so that overprescribing can end…it's an epidemic.
how sad for everyone. especially his daughter. we never think it's going to happen to us do we???? i know what I'm doing !!! i don't believe it was intentional, just bad judgement. no one is imortal even though some think they are. what a waste of a god given talent. god bless the family and heath.
I was one of the people that said we needed to know the cause of death. And now that we do, I am happy to "eat crow" and say that his passing is an unfortunate tragedy and not the result of another Hollywood drug-fiend's own stupidity. But that is why it was important to know in the first place, so that we can clearly see that this was a sad accident. RIP.
um and now we have resolution? who the fuck are you in the scheme of things? you mean nothing to heath or any of his family members. dont act like you are any beter than any other tabliod, like you give a shit. its so fake. i love you perez, but dont try and connect yourself to his death.
what an idiot! anyone knows you shouldn't combine medications without asking a doctor…duh! stupidity kills, folks!
How can his death be ruled and "accident" when he was "using and abusing" to many pills? Wouldn't it just be an overdose rather than "accidential" overdose? I feel for his pitty and I'm not saying this to be mean, but what the heck? If someone like us past away from the same thing would be be considered as to having an "accidential" overdose or is the "accidential" given because he was a star?
Since when do you take oxycotin and vicodin for insomnia? That's two very powerful narcotics.
Hey Perez - get your facts straight! Hydrocodone is not ibuprofen, asshole. It's codeine!
Perez - glad to see ya correct the hydrocondone mistake. There would have been mass numbers of people running to their drugstores and buying all the ibuprofen they could get!
Re: Pharm – hydrocodone is generic vicodin!
Nobody..NOBODY takes that combination of drugs "accidentally". The young man was an addict without a sense of personal responsibility. His so-called
love for his daughter apparently wasn't that great, was it? Otherwise, he wouldn't have been deliberately abusing all those medications. Stop all the whining, especially YOU, Mister Hilton.
Re: Gretchen Weiners – he was obviosly abusing drugs, he died from them. That's abuse.
I know two peiple who died from Oxy's it's an opiate that is compared to a Heroine buzz!!!
Oxycodone is commercially made from thebaine, an opiate alkaloid and minor component of opium.[2] The 14' hydroxy group increases potency by about 50% over hydrocodone
Three of those drugs are different dose levels of the same benzodiazepine. Benzodiazepines come in and out of fashion because they are very effective at reducing anxiety, and they go out of fashion because they are extremely dependancy forming (physically addictive) and easy to overdose and die on.
His doctors should be sued for malpractice. Teach them a lesson about handing out powerful medications like chiclets.
Bull shit!!!!!!!! He was a user just like everyone else is. He was an addict and no matter how much spin they put on this is died of a drug overdose . Why not state some toxicology levels and let us really see what he died from. God dam Hollywood and their bigwig fags covering shit up starting to get worse that the government.
Re: Ronnie – He was taking two powerful narcotics, he probably was addicted. Just because they are prescribed doesn't mean they can't be addicted!
Re: Naomi – so…because he had prescriptions for the drugs he took that took his life makes it easier to swallow? naw…druggies are druggies…whether they score their "hit" on the street or in the doctor's office…they shoud investigate the sources of his scrits…and send those doctors to jail for overprescribing…if the Rxs were indeed his. i don't think this makes his death any more palitable…he wasted his young life, and there should be hell to pay by the people who helped him do it. sad…shamefull…waste of young life!
Oxycodone is the drug name for PERCOCET, Oxycontin is the time release formulation of Oxcodone,which would show up as OxyCONTIN. CONTIN is a suffix for time release, much like MSContin is Morphine sulfate CONTIN, a time release formulation of the drug.
Get your facts straing, I know oxycontin sounds worse, but it was actually PERCOCET!!!!!
Re: shutthefup – oxycodone is the is the active painkiller in both perks and oxycontin… perks have oxycodone and tylenol, oxycontin is name brand pure oxycodone
Also, these drugs work on the same receptors of the brain that do heroin and cocaine, they release endorphins. Heroin, methadone, morphine, vicodin percacet. All highly addictive and all should be used only if your in so much pain you can't function. Read up on vicodin. Some people got it so bad they take 10-20 a day. There are chats all over the internet about how it's ruined peoples lives, from rich and prominent to street folks. It doesn't discriminate, and since it's legal it that much more of a problem.
Hydrocodone is the generic name for Vicodin, not Ibuprofen.
One big OOPS! I hope Heath's death calls attention to the ease at which some can acquire rx ( I usually have to beg for 5 ambien to reset my internal clock when I suffer from insomnia that is debilitating approx once a year). It sounds like he was struggling a bit and some doctors were only too happy to oblige to prescribe a fix rather than help him tackle his anxiety, insomnia, and other issues with a balanced approach like stress relief ( yoga, acupuncture and maybe some good ol' couch time with a therapist)
We can't make these drugs go away, when needed and prescribed/taken the right way they can help a person bridge a short time while they make behavioral and lifestyle changes..but there is something in the american culture that says its easier to take the pill, and not deal….It's a relief to find out Heath's death wasn't intentional yet so sad that it was truly unnecessary… We will alway have Brokeback Mtn rip Heath
Do you accidentaly take 5 controlled substances at once including vicodin, oxycotin, etc? He intentionally took them to NUMB himself and it worked to well. So sad. He was a tortured soul.
All right Perez. Let's see you pull your foot out of your mouth and your thumb out of your ass. Correct the mistake. You may be a gossip whore, but you aren't a pharmacologist. Stick to your day job.
Oxycontin and Vicodin.
Come on people… that's an addiction right there.
Oxycodone doesn't indicate he was taking Oxycontin.
If they said Oxycodone, it was probably Percoset.
That sucks, but Heath was a good guy and I will definitetly go see his latest movie.
Rest In Peace, Heath Ledger. You were amazing, and no one can ever replace you. The world was lucky to have you, but Heaven is the lucky one now. God Bless you, your family and friends. We love you, and We will always love you.
this is so sad, to have lost such a beautiful brilliant mind at such a young age, everyone should leave the Ledger & Williams family alone!
Re: david-0-selznick – agreed! this is not about being a druggie, this is about the failure to manage mental illness ( anxiety, depression etc)
accidental - really, so the guy has 15 brands of pharms in his body, being popping pills and boozing for who knows how many years, and when he dies its by mistake - come on people, i know its really sad but dont be stupid - its called a high-risk life style and that is why he's dead - accident, what a load of crap, thats just legacy PR at work - dude had a death wish, dude is dead. Its called the law of average, his number came up.
Re: mike – they r the same. perks r lower mg and they add tylenol
Poor Heath! We'll miss you.
What the hell was he on so may meds for? Who in the hell was his dcotor to prescribe so many meds?
I think this brings closure for the family, but certainly not for an industry where doctors overprescribe and overmedicate. His doctors should be under serious review.
NORMAL PEOPLE WITH A BRAIN AND SOME COMMON SENSE ARE EVEN AFRAID OF COMBINING TUMS AND TYLENOL!!! COMBINING ALL THESE DRUGS AND CALLING IT ACCIDENTAL IS RETARDED AND EXTREMELLY NAIVE. HEATH WAS A DRUG ABUSER. END OF STORY. HIS ADDICTION WAS OBVIOUSLY MORE IMPORTANT THAN HIS DAUGHTER. HE KNEW VERY WELL THEY CAN KILL HIM. TYPICAL DRUGEE. RIP HEATH.
Okay, now we can move on and begin answering the more important questions like why didn't the housekeeper who heard him snoring (gasping for his last breath) make sure he kept breathing once he stopped making noise? I mean…"snoring" really doesn't sound like gasping for breath. He was trying to come out of it and she simply ignored him….It breaks my heart…it seems like it could have ended differently because the meds weren't really such a big deal although his body was worn out…We need to quit trying to explain everything by blaming his use of Rx drugs….if that were the real problem, millions of people would be dying daily…now, if a pillow was conveniently held over his face…well, that's a different story.