I agree with what your saying. If ive learned anything from the line of work im in, the media tend to get details very wrong, in this case they were very quick to state it was a possibly an accidental death caused by a prescription overdose? How could the media know that before even a post mortem? How do they know they really were prescription drugs? How do they know if it was accidental or not? Im guessing that its their best reasoned guess, and that maybe a member of staff said 'yeah there was an empty bottle of sleeping pills in his hand', to which the media will interperate that as they wish. On the otherhand it may be true what they say.
On the other hand, ive read that he's just finished filming the new batman film, which apparently was very difficult for him to get into character, and caused insomnia, hence the prescription drugs... but again, how reliable is this... interesting argument tho matey. Got to say, i think im with you...
i suppose to 'accidently' take an overdose of prescribed dugs, if your interlectually balanced, would take some doing, almost like 'accidently' swallowing a tub of painkillers. They seem to use the term accidently, very losely.
I'm with Winchwench on this - I believe that it often is exactly what they're saying it is. It's not only celebrities that become addicted to prescription painkillers; I know several totally non-famous people who are or have been. And lots of other people who just munch painkillers like they're smarties, whenever that have a slight headache or are just feeling a bit ropey.
Many, many people do die of paracetemol overdoses every year. Tens of thousands I think it is. Sometimes suicide, but often accidental as well - people just don't imagine that anything as apparently innocuous as paracetemol, which you don't even need a prescription for, can kill you. But it can, that's why the supermarket won't sell you two boxes of it at once. But given that they can't stop you going back for more...
...and then given that codeine is really addictive (isn't it an opiate, therefore related to heroin?) and you can see how that combination could be dangerous. Particularly if you then get a different brand which has a higher content of whatever it is, without realising.
Either way, I think it's REALLY sad. It's a shame when anyone dies, but particularly someone young. Even if it was something other than prescription drugs, I mean whatever's going on. Addiction is such a horrible blight, and can take so many different forms. Often the specific thing someone is addicted to is just the manifestation of a deeper need, so you might be addicted to smack or weed or videogames or porn and all because of the basic underlying need to blot out a certain part of your daily life or your self or whatever.
I personally think, as you say, death is a private thing. We will never know the circumstances that led to it, we don't necessarily have a right to either. I don't think anyone has the right to judge others. Particularly at this time, right now, there are all sorts of reasons why I'd support the media being vague about this - not least that right now they just don't know, so it's really better to avoid slandering someone whose grieving relatives already have enough to deal with. A report I saw said ten days before anyone knows definitively what happened. There's never been a whiff of anything suggesting Heath Ledger took recreational drugs. On the other hand, if/when Amy Winehouse snuffs it, I doubt that the press will pull their punches.
Don't really know what I'm saying here, and (Missy) I pretty much agree with many of your later points. In summary, I think it's perfectly possible he did actually die of an overdose of prescription drugs, and in any case I feel that all early deaths and lives otherwise wasted through depression or addiction of whatever kind are just as tragic. I think I'll stop.
Missy I don't think your narrow minded or blinkered - you have strong feelings and views and thats to be admired. A few years back I had a strangulated hernia (guys who have had the same you know the pain) I had surgery and was prescribed a huge box of Tramake (opiate based painkiller)and the doctor at the the time told me I could take them with brufen type drugs and paracetemol. I'll be honest, like you I am anti recreational drugs, but when I was taking this combination the effects were so gratifying that I was disappointed when I ran out. These were so called prescription drugs ! Now I have just googled Tramake only to find out it's a discontinued drug with a list of worrying side effects!!! Btw off topic I know but my signature quote under my avatar is a line from Heath's career defining movie Brokeback, one of the most important movies to come out of Hollywood in decades.
Also I'd just like to add my take on the "Kids look up to these people"/"They chose to be in the public eye" kind of arguments. I can really see it, particularly for the likes of Paris Hilton, who could perfectly well have been rich and not famous had she chosen to. But my personal opinion is that for people who become famous as a by-product of being really, really good at their job, like actors or sportspeople or whatever, it's legitimate for them to want to keep some degree of privacy, and for their lives (up to and including their deaths) to be treated with a certain amount of respect. EDIT: No more or less than the rest of us /EDIT. Otherwise you're saying that shy people, private people shouldn't play sport or act.
Keira Knightley gets stick (from the press) for speaking out against press intrusion; but I think she's right to point out that in any other circumstance, where a young woman is walking home at night and a pack of men chase her down the street and then prevent her from even closing her front door, nobody would consider it acceptable.
It's kind of nice to have something serious to talk about and interesting people to talk to.
I'd just like to say, this forum is a hell of a lot better for that than the Newcastle Utd forum I'm also on. Unsurprisingly.
Oh and we regularly use at work, but have a look at the side effects and warnings for that drug. It's lethally toxic, but for thousands of people it makes an absolute difference to their lives. The downside is that people have to have very intrusive tests carried out on a regular basis for the duration of the time they take the medication.
Are you thinking of Vicodin (Hydrocodone and paracetamol (acetaminophen))which is what most of the ammerican footballers are addicted to.
As for the codine the body breaks codine down into the same chemical bonds as morphine giveing you the same efforic feeling which is why you get the headaches.
The problem with all prescribtion drugs is that all have side effect from one degree to another, if you was to look at the British national Formulary(BNF) you would be amazed this contains all licened drugs for the uk market and the side effects
Take Dihydrocodeine Tartrate (DF 118) Which is a morphine salt and used alot in chronic pain relif one side affect is respotory depression so if you could image some one who is in a lot of pain take one too many they could quite easly depress there respotory rate and stop breathing and if there is no one there to keep an eye on them wind up dead
Even Sildenafil has a high risk of causing cardiac dysrhythmia
This is a wonderfully insightful and enlightening thread - thanks to Missy for posting it!
I just wanted to add this link to an article I remember reading recently about a woman who died after being addicted to ibuprofen (generic name for Nurofen).
I have just had a look at the like's of ibuprofen in the BNF and one thing that stikes me is in the side effects it never mentions addiction
Many suicide attempts involve an overdose of medication, medication often prescribed to alleviate the symptoms of depression. The media reports are simply cagey.
isn't there some sort of phrase about one mans wine is another mans poison ? anyway.. what I am getting at is that alcohol can be anything you want it to be. As can any other substance. Plenty of people become dependent on sugar. So much so they create their own diabetes.
Alcohol, like any other drug whether it be hard/soft, class 1/2/3 prescription/illicit is only a problem when the behaviour of the person consuming it interferes with their 'normal' life.
The classifications of drugs and whether one is 'worse' or 'better' than the other is purely subjective. If someone uses something to alter their state of mind for a specific reason and every time that reason occurs they have that substance they can and will become dependent. Sometimes it is manageable. Sometimes it isn't.
arghhh I am just going to be quiet now.
But to lead to suicide? You gotta be pretty bluddy fed up to contemplate that. Accidental? Possibly, I'm sure insomnia can seriously affect your mental awareness.
.... 
