Actor Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose of drugs, as he consumed a cocktail of prescription drugs that included an addictive painkiller. According to several reports, six medicines were found in Ledger’s system.
The drugs found in the ‘Brokeback Mountain’ actor’s body were: The painkillers oxycodone (in its long-acting form, OxyContin) and hydrocodone (Vicodin); the anti-anxiety and anti-insomnia drugs diazepam (Valium), temazepam (Restoril), and alprazolam (Xanax); and doxylamine (Unisom), an antihistamine used as a sleep aid.
According to sources, three of the drugs found had been prescribed in Europe, and the others locally.
The examiner said that Ledger died of “acute intoxication by the combined effects” of the drugs but it is yet to be confirmed why the death was termed ‘accidental.’
On Jan. 22, Ledger was found dead by his housekeeper and massage therapist in a bedroom in his in his Manhattan apartment. Sleeping pills and anti-anxiety drugs were also found at the site. There were no illegal drugs.
Police announced on Jan. 23, a day after the actor's body was discovered, that an initial autopsy proved unconvincing.
Taking many drugs at a time can slow their breakdown in the liver, thus raising the level of drug still in the body. That is probably what happened in Ledger’s case where the level of the drugs was not high but their combination proved lethal.
“For drugs in general, any combination you might take, there is always the potential for an interaction that might cause the drugs to work differently than if they were taken alone,” said Cynthia Kuhn, professor of pharmacology at Duke.
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