When I first saw this picture of Heath Ledger as the Joker in an upcoming Batman flick, it reminded me of the anti meth campaign that has run so successfully in Montana. After reading the results of his autopsy I wonder how he actually looked when found. Something like that? And what was left of his innards? Be sure his brain was fried.
The AP reported his death was due to an "accidental" overdose. A Doctor commenting on the report had this to say, "It defies imagination, at least mine, why the media in the usual lockstep are calling this “an accidental overdose”. There is no way an autopsy can make this call." Excellent point.
The list of drugs that contributed to his "acute intoxication" included painkillers OxyContin and hydrocodone, anti-anxiety drugs Valium and Xanax and sleep aids Restoril and Unisom. Who in their right mind would take these in combination? Fried brain?
Another commenter made this observation, "Okay, the list of drugs barely makes it into the grocery store’s express lane. What doctor is prescribing all this? What friends and family are letting him get to this level? If you are not in traction, don’t have cancer, and are suffering from zero terminal diseases, you should *never* have a medicine cabinet like that.
Accidental? Maybe by Ledger. Not by the people around him."
Then again maybe not by Ledger either. A third commenter said, "Oxycontin and Xanax are often stacked together by heroin addicts to achieve a similar high. No accident, this combo is taken on purpose to get the desired effect. Those who can get prescriptions use this method a lot. When they cant they usually turn to the street for heroin. Kind of lets them belive that they’re not really junkies; just taking pain meds. Should look into the scrip mills and dirty Docs that let this thing exist in the first place. Pretty much just shut down his resp. system just like a hot shot of heroin would."
To say that the ingestion of this many drugs was accidental defies conventional wisdom. Every prescription bottle has warnings about dosage and drug interactions on it and on fliers given along with it. If more than one Doctor is sought in order to obtain these drugs, it is not done by chance. It is intentional.
If these drugs are taken in conjunction with one another, that too would be intentional. One doesn't get to this point over night.
I've said it before. The death of anyone just beginning the adventure of life is tragic. To be so self indulgent one brings it upon oneself, however, is not behavior garnering my sympathy.
Crack down on the perscribling Doctors? Absolutely, if you can find them. Just how, though, do you crack down on the users? And, too, how many who really need those drugs can get them?
4 comments:
I think I did a blog a while back about this... one of the biggest junkies we have in the USA, is not the street junkie. It is the senior citizen who gets all kinds of meds... the person who has been injuried at least once and can't let go of the feeling of the pain meds. And the entertainment industry certain has abused it. Different doctors, different pharmacies. Remember Elvis? So what is the answer?
As much as I hate big brother/government getting into our lives more... but there should be a National list of meds and who gets them. If a police officer can go online and find out that the person he has stop has priors, then a pharmist should be able to go on line and find out if this person has gotten a recent prescription of that med, and any that might not be taken with the one they are asking for. That is the first step to stop all of these prescrition druggies.
Hi, Ms. Dogwalker...every night, I take one Ambien (sleep aid) and three Elavils (anti-anxiety aid), and have been doing so for about a year now. The combination of both help me to sleep, and my doctor determined the combination of those to not be harmful. All I know is, my little bit of medication puts me out like a light.
I do know that a lot of doctors aren't going to prescribe two different sleeping medications, such as Restoril and Unisom, side-by side. Or two different Anti-anxiety meds. I am more inclined to believe the "stacking together for a high" did take place in Ledger's case.
Elvis Presley repeatedly referred to the "Merck Manual", which is a listing of all drugs and what effect they have on the patient. So Elvis could choose whichever of his many meds to take to achieve the desired effect. Make no mistake, drug users are con men and as such, know exactly where they want to go mentally when they take various pill concoctions.
Elvis had many doctors prescribing many things, and that could be the case with Ledger, too. One doctor not knowing what the other doctor's prescribed, and so on, and so forth.
Finally...you are one of my most faithful blog-readers. I really appreciate you.
Well here I go again.
As long as a doctor gives 'informed consent' to his patient about a drug - the responsibility rests with the patient - if in fact this is an adult before he/she becomes a prescription addict. Drugs carry all sorts of warnings now.
I don't believe anyone is to 'blame' concerning this death unless the doctor(s) were/are negligent in their interview/documentaion. Maybe they did not know?
Then we can talk about addiction which is a choice as well -especially if you are over 18 years old and you have been fully informed of the side effects of particular drugs.
Addicted under 18 though prescription meds? Well, too bad the stock profiles of some doctors are not public - just what is their side income if they invest in certain pharmecueticals? Make that a nation wide monitoring system.
I don't want to see a monitoring system of individuals - then doctors will all be too scared to even give any of us relief and we will be controlled more so by government restrictions. We just need to take responsibility for our own actions as adults.
Really - do we have to BABY SIT everyone?
Thanks Escapee, you've always been one of my favorites. Mainly because I learn so much from you about music and agree with you on so many of your observations!
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