Feds Want to Know How Heath Got His Meds

The feds are trying to figure out how Heath Ledger got all the prescriptions for the dangerous combination of painkillers and sedatives that led to his accidental overdose.

TV Guide reports that the Drug Enforcement Administration has launched an investigation into how Ledger got prescriptions, if in fact they were prescriptions. According to officials, the DEA has requested copies of Ledger's autopsy as well as the original police report from the crime scene. The NYC medical examiner said this morning that he found the cause of death to be a lethal array of opiates and benzodiazepines; oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine.

The NYPD has not indicated whether the bottles of medication found at Ledger's apartment, which include some of the drugs found in his body, were specifically prescribed to Ledger.

TMZ spoke to three clinical psychiatrists today, all of whom said it would be "highly unusual" and "reckless" for one physician to prescribe this combination of meds, and suggested that more than one doctor would have to have been involved, or that Ledger could have obtained them by other means.

Reader Comments

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256. Maybe they should investigate and ask Mary Kate

Posted at 10:25PM on Feb 7th 2008 by hirojay

257. YO! TERESA M .........WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THE JUNKIE/NUTJOB FROM S.F GOT ON HERE..........MAN WHAT A
SAD, ANGRY FREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!! NICE TO SEE YOU BACK, TAKE CARE.........

Posted at 12:49AM on Feb 8th 2008 by me in nyc

258. debwing u r so rite i was devastated wen i herd the news he was a talented man with gr8 ambition but his depresion got the better of him i read tht he wanted his friend to phn him in the mornin he made him promise he wld and he did but it was too l8. its so sad i feel the greatest sympathy for his family friends and his daughter . R.I.P Heath u wil be missed ....x

Posted at 8:46AM on Feb 8th 2008 by sammi

259. Take a look at the HARMD website. Unfortunately this happens every day! Most of the time the drugs are legally prescribed. The doctors will swear the rx combos are safe. NOT!

Posted at 10:52AM on Feb 8th 2008 by Happensallthetime

260. Some info on Heath http://needwhat.com/heathledger3/heathledger1.php?referer=tmz

Posted at 3:39PM on Feb 8th 2008 by ss80

261. R.I.P. Heath Ledger i dont think he knew wat he was doing i dont think he did this to himself on purpose but he will be missed he was such a great actor

Posted at 3:40PM on Feb 8th 2008 by *FRiDAY*

262. This is just a sad situation that is seen one to many times in hollywood. And if he was into drugs the way the tabloids are claiming he was maybe he took more than was perscribed thinking he could handle it. We miss you Heath either way!

Posted at 5:55PM on Feb 8th 2008 by AllyP03

263. To Heath...You wonderful man. Talented is so many ways, but still so "down to earth". I will miss you enormously. I will stoping crying soon....and yes I will meet you in Heaven!

Posted at 9:15PM on Feb 8th 2008 by Cindee in N.C.

264. Could Mary Kate Olsen be the one that gave him the drugs. Why else out of everyone that knew Heath Ledger was Mary Kate Olsen the first person to be called. Heath Ledger has been in the news with so many other friends. I haven't seen her name linked to his often. I haven't even seen any pictures of them together in all the pictures that have been on the internet. How good of friends were they really?

Posted at 9:23PM on Feb 8th 2008 by Dee

265. Good point, Tim. Those medications, along with many others, are very dangerous and far too few people know it. If your doctor gives you a prescription, make sure you know what it is and how it will interact with anything else you may be taking. You also need to tell your doctor everything you are already taking including OTC. It could even make a difference whether you take aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen.

Posted at 6:06PM on Feb 10th 2008 by Bipolarsufferer

266. What I want to know is whether the multiple prescriptions for similar drugs, for example the anti-anxiety, came from the same doctors or different ones? If one set came from US doctors and another came from English or Australian doctors it would explain a lot. The same explanation would work if they came from pharmacies that were in different countries. My doctors keep track of my meds (as do I) but I rarely travel so it's not a problem. On the other hand, the one time I left my meds behind when we went on vacation, I had a lot of trouble getting replacements even though I only wanted a week's worth.

Posted at 5:58PM on Feb 11th 2008 by Bipolarsufferer

267. DEA has no reason to investigate the source of these drugs. Heath is gone, he took the pills that killed him. Heath caused his own death.

Posted at 9:23PM on Feb 12th 2008 by toomanydoggies

268. The truth is, Knight, Heath Ledger is gone because of an accident, because he took a lethal combination of prescription medications, and I believe because of how much he loved his daughter, how much he loved sharing his art and talents with everyone, that if he could speak, he might want us to focus most on what happened to him so that the same thing won't happen to others, so that someone else is not robbed of life and sharing life with loved ones so abruptly, so painfully.

Rest in peace, Heath. And may your family and close friends soon be comforted by so many good memories you did leave behind. RIPHeath

Posted at 7:59PM on Feb 22nd 2008 by RIPHeath

269. Mark, I don't know many pharmacies that ask about OTCs. And most people don't think of OTCs as drugs unless they are specifically asked. I also know from experience that when I'm fuzzy-headed from a cold (I've had walking pneumonia more than once) or just lack of sleep, my memory suffers. You cannot assume malice if it could be simple forgetfullness.

Go Sox

Posted at 6:33PM on Feb 19th 2008 by Baseball Junkie

270. Oxycodone is generic for Oxycontin, same thing...Hydrocodone is like a mild precocet.I don't understand how someone could overdose on (these plus the sleep aids.) I have been on them all and am still alive.... Sure i abused, and got addicted. At times their is no telling how much of these meds were in my body. I remember doing 15, 40 milligrams of Oxycontin in one day. You lick off the color, then smash them up and snort them. Since they are supposed to be time released, you get all the medicine at one time. ,makes me wonder:how much was in his body?

Posted at 11:36AM on Feb 20th 2008 by KING

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