News news news of the world. Or something

[dangermousie]

So it seems that Heath Ledger's death was an accident, after all. And that it was a result of a bunch of prescribed drugs he took too much of and the combination/quantity wasn't a good thing. Somehow, that's sadder than if he killed himself or ODed on heroin or what not :( Though OxyContin? I thought it ceased to be a drug of choice for people some time ago.

Oh, and I am pleased that:
a. McCain is the Republican frontrunner
b. Hilary and Obama are neck-and-neck. Makes the race interesting.

Less pleased that more than one state went to Huckabee. WTF? I didn't know crazy people were allowed to vote.

Comments

[plazmah.livejournal.com]

I hear that with Huckabee winning W. Virginia, McCain knew he wouldn't win the state so encouraged people to vote for Huck instead of Rommney, who's more of a threat race-wise.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh, the W.Va made sense, but also Arkansas, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee? Yikes. It really freaks me out. I mean, I don't care for Romney, he is the prepackaged corporate/establishment candidate for 2008, but he doesn't freak me out, nor does the thought that people want to vote for him, bother me. But Huckabee and his supporters? Scary.

[plazmah.livejournal.com]

Yes, agreed. It scares me that there are people out there who actually want him to be president. *shiver*

[aliterati.livejournal.com]

Uh... Isn't there some gross medical negligence here, if all the perscriptions came from the same doctor?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Probably.

[fire-snake.livejournal.com]

OxyContin is a very popular post-surgery pain reliever. I don't know what kind of pain issues Ledger had, though. It is also a very popular street drug... Technically speaking, either he was drug shopping, going to different doctors and getting a lot of meds that he shouldn't have been given otherwise to take together, or his
doctor(s) were not very careful about informing him of potential drug interactions, or he himself became careless. Regardless, it is a sad, sad story.
I am glad that the political fun continues. I think it makes most of us more informed and thoughtful, which is a good thing:)
As to Huckabee, he is a charming guy, although I completely disagree with everything he stands for. While Romney comes across like any other CEO, i.e. you cannot trust what he is saying even when he is telling the truth.
I do have to read McCain's platform very carefully to make any kind of decision.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Romney comes across like any other CEO, i.e. you cannot trust what he is saying even when he is telling the truth.


LOL. Good description.

Re: Heath Ledger's death

[frostian.livejournal.com]

I dreaded posting anything b/c this topic seem to invite major wankage in all the comms I'm involved with. Anyway, I put my opinion behind the cut. If wanking starts, please feel free to delete. Wankage gives me hives. :9



The medical examiner finally issued a statement but it doesn't tell whether Heath Ledger was an addict or not. What it does reveal is that the late actor was poly-pharmacy. So:

1. Ledger was an addict.
Then what happened was pretty simple. He basically took too many drugs by combining different families of drugs and ended up taking one pill too many, and overdosed.

2. Ledger was not an addict.
OxyContin, Hydrocodone, Valium and Xanax, Restoril and Unisom. Any one of these in enough doses will kill a grown man, so either his doctor (if only one had prescribed all these) basically dug his grave for him, or he had few doctors over the course of time and they prescribed certain combinations of the above. Oxycodone (OxyContin) and Hydrocodone are very strong painkillers. So one would be enough to do the job, the same with Valium and Xanax, and Restoril and Unisom. If we're to go by the premise he wasn't an addict, then the doctors combined certain drugs like, Oxycodone with Unisom and Xanax (though even that combination is dangerous), or more likely Oxycodone with Unisom, and another doc did Xanax with Hydrocodone, and so forth.

So Ledger was on and off on the combinations and for reasons known only to him decided to do his own cocktail. This doesn't make him suicidal or an addict. We all do it. Combine ibuprofen and acetaminophen, not to mention aspirin. Then, maybe a sleep aid drug or a flu medicine because we're sick or have sleeping problems. This also holds true for those of us who take 'all natural supplements' such as ginko or anything else, because no matter what the advertisements say, alternative medicine is still medicine, and have lasting effects on our bodies. This is why when a patient is about to go under the knife they are TOLD to reveal all medications they're on, no matter how illegal. The reason? Because if you don't, there's a good chance you won't get off the OR table alive.

Anyway, Ledger took certain combinations continuously over time, and maybe they lost their efficacy. He remembered how other drugs worked and just substituted, thinking painkiller is a painkiller and sleep medicine all work the same way, not realizing that by doing so he put himself in danger. Again, something a lot of people do, especially if the drugs are right there. This is another reason why doctors plead with their patients to toss out old drugs. Not only do they lose their potency, but after their due date, they could start having negative effects, especially if combined with other drugs.

Or Ledger didn't do any of the above, stuck to the right course of medication but because his judgment was impaired due to lack of sleep, or anxiety attacks, or pain, he took one wrong pill, and that pushed him over the edge. Most of the pain medications listed have one very dangerous side effect: they can make people stop breathing, which is what I think happened.

Personally, I don't think he was an addict. I think #2 scenario was what occurred. That either Ledger made his own cocktail, not realizing it would be fatal, or he stuck to the right combination but made a single mistake and that killed him. Either way, it fucking hurts to know that he won't be acting anymore.

Re: Heath Ledger's death

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Thank you for that explanation. It makes sense.

Either way, it fucking hurts to know that he won't be acting anymore.

Agreed.

Re: Heath Ledger's death

[frostian.livejournal.com]

I apologize but my lj-cut isn't working...

Re: Heath Ledger's death

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Don't worry about it!

[autumn-yaar.livejournal.com]

Less pleased that more than one state went to Huckabee. WTF? I didn't know crazy people were allowed to vote.

I thought the same thing. :\

This election sucks balls, none of the people that are running really make me happy.. they all kind of suck.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

This election sucks balls, none of the people that are running really make me happy.. they all kind of suck.

Heh. That's true for most elections, unfortunately.