Ledger's Death Ruled "Acute Intoxication"

Posted Feb 6th 2008 10:17AM by TMZ Staff

The NYC medical examiner has finished the toxicology report following the death of Heath Ledger, and has just ruled that the actor's death was caused by "acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine."

The NYPD found five medications in Ledger's apartment after his death, including anti-anxiety medications alprazolam (Xanax), diazepam (Valium) and Lorazepam (Ativan). The sleeping medication zopiclone (Imovane) and the sedative temazepam (Restoril) -- which is used by people with "debilitating insomnia" -- were also found. Doxylamine is an antihistamine used in the short-term treatment of insomnia.

Story developing ...

Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Heath Ledger

Comments [123]

Digg it Del.icio.us My Yahoo Sphere RSS MySpace Permalink Email

Reader Comments

(Page 9 of 9)Previous 15 Comments

121. As an insomniac myself (and without the added stresses, etc. that a celebrity deals with), I understand how utterly DESPERATE one can get while dealing with such a crippling disease. Health obviously became so desperate for sleep and given the available meds (no problem getting too many from doctors today even if you have to go to a couple at once) simply used bad judgement (which is compromised when you are sleep deprived) and took too many. Simple, sad, and heartbreaking for Matilda BUT doesn't make him suicidal. Anyone critical......go a few months without sleep.

Posted at 1:24PM on Feb 15th 2008 by sharon

122. Technically, this is not a large amount of drugs for one person to take... The problem is that the doctor that perscribed them could have perscribed them for someone who is antcy/high strung (like Heath apparently was.. Look at interview he did and you will see he is very jumpy, beyond the jitters from even a small amount of cocaine).. To top this off,, With the schedule he had been on, it is very difficult to get your mind to stop, even when your body is exhausted... A problem can occur just by his taking these drugs all at once instead of spreading the doses apart.. Another problem is that it was said that he had gone to a doctor in England who perscribed the same meds... Now if he was running out of his perscriptions and went to this doctor for refills (not knowing if he would have enough until he returned to the USA), the USA and England tend to have differant doeses on the drugs depending which country you go to, so if the medications of even one of the drugs was slightly differant in mg's, it makes a big differance even though a toxicology would not question it because even though mg's are differant, they are still on the "safe dosage" scale... Not only combining drugs (even perscriptions) for one person is fine, another person could be differant and need alternate medications or dosages... It was the total combination that is the culprit and it occurs every day...

Posted at 4:05AM on Mar 24th 2008 by AngeLsLuv

123. He had doctors in England and NY and who knows where else. Maybe he got them from a Tijuana pharmacy too? A lot of people do. Poor Matilda, she doesn't deserve to grow up without her daddy.

Posted at 1:04AM on May 22nd 2008 by moo

Previous 15 Comments