Maybe he had some old meds lying around. Maybe he got them from different docs and/or different pharmacies?

When the initial announcement of his death was made, it was stated medication bottles from several different physicians some based in Europe. He had access to the medical community all over the world because of his work. He was desperate for sleep, he had stated he was sleeping less than two hours a night in an article written just before his death. He had been hurt on one of the sets. He had been treated for anxiety. Do I believe this was accidental? Yes I do. Who is responsible? I think Heath himself has some responsibility for not communicating prescriptions he had received from other physicians. Perhaps even researching combining those drugs. The medical community for not having the same standards of practice around the world. Pharmaceutical manufacturers for lack of education available. I think all of the above are responsible, don't you?

Ledger may or may not have had valid prescriptions. Many patient "doctor hop" to increase their supply of drugs, and physicians don't always catch on. Prescription drug abuse is rampant in this country, and many people do NOT understand how dangerous mixing these medications can be. It is likely Ledger took too much of these medications in an effort to cope with some issue, and unintenionally overdosed.

He had just finished a very stressful role playing the Joker for the new Batman movie. One report I heard was that he consulted with Jack Nicolson regarding the role, and that Nicolson warned Ledger that the character could be overwhelming. There's no way to know whether or not that had any effect. Since he didn't have a history of self destructive behavior that I know of, I'll settle for the accidental overdose.

I do know that it is extremely easy to get narcotic painkillers in Europe... in Ukraine, it's even possible to buy codeine+caffeine seltzer tablets over the counter. If he was spending time in Europe but living in Australia or USA, I'm just assuming that the doctors proscribing him OxyContin and hydrocodone (Vicodin) didn't have an extended and committed relationship with their patient.

Regardless, if it was an "accidental" overdose, Heath Ledger should have been smart enough not to mix multiple powerful opiate medications with sleeping pills.

CJRN said:

I too think it was accidental. Here in WV there is a computerized database for narcotics. Doctors, ER's and pharmacies can enter the patient's social security number and wham... whole list of meds rx'd by who and when and where filled. Many physicians are using this to check if patient is a "drug seeker". I thought this was to be nationwide soon.

Everyone is right, look at Elvis Presley, they say he was getting prescriptions from everybody. He was taking powerful sedatives, and painkillers, look at him, he was so impacted, that he died on the toilet. What a waste of a life.

It depends on the level of pain though. I can see a patient coming out of surgery, his pain is intolerable, but a person that has been out of post op for a week, come on. I have seen doctor's that are so obsessed over writing orders, that they don't realize half the time what they have writen, trust me I'm a Unit Clerk. Some of the stuff they write, the patient doesn't need, what's wrong with a PCA pump so the patient can have controlled dosages, if they are in so much pain, come on.

Like I said obsession with power. I see it all the time. The nurses are the doctors front lines man, we do all the leg work, and we are at more of risk for abuse, from the patients, families, and even doctors.

I know how you feel squirmals, my input as a hospital technician didn't have any bearing one time a patient was sent to ICU, because he started to desat in oxygen. I told the nurse that he was totally reliant on oxygen, you just can't move him, without the nasal canula. She took another nurse advice over mine, that wasn't part of the patients care. I told them both don't move the patient without his nasal canula. They move the patient anyway, and the patient, ended up in ICU. I know how you feel, you felt that your voice wasn't useful, because he is a doctor, and you are just a nurse. Patient safety is a nurse first priority, that's what we are trained in the hoilistic part of things. Trust me I know!!!!