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The unfortunate demise of Heath Ledger should be a warning for us all. His death is not thought to be due to suicide but what seems the “accidental” ingestion of a combination of strong prescription medications. Certainly these drugs would have contributed to his untimely death.

Increasing use of strong morphine derivative medications – which are promoted widely by Big Pharma – poses a real risk to our community. It is well known that such medications can depress the respiratory system and are also very addictive, particularly so for depressed and susceptible patients.

There has been a strong marketing push for such medications over recent years and they are now in widespread use throughout the community. The Public Health Authorities have been slow to make it clear about the dangers posed by such wide spread use of strong Morphine derivatives for control of pain within the community.

“These drugs are not just very addictive” said Dr Con Costa, National Vice President of the Doctors’ Reform Society. “They are becoming the new designer drugs i.e. designer analgesics for the modern lifestyle, but they do come at a terrible cost – a cost which is often unnoticed until it affects someone rich or famous”.

These medications depress the respiratory system in even moderate doses and are highly addictive. Once you have been taking them for even several weeks it is very difficult to stop. The combination of strong morphine derivative analgesics eg OxyCodone, MS Contin etc when taken together with strong hypnotics such as Rohypnol becomes an even more lethal and deadly cocktail with effects much greater than when taken alone – and the combination of multiple of such medications will also lead to newer and more toxic side effects which are unpredictable and not present when using either drug alone,” said Dr Costa

“The bottom line is that Heath Ledger’s death was not just an unfortunate accidental overdose. Such deaths are unnecessary in that they could have been prevented – particularly with much stronger public health controls and public warning on the use of these medications – and restriction on the promotion on such prescription medications by pharmaceutical companies”.

“As stated by his father, Heath Ledger’s death should serve as a warning to us all. Heath Ledger’s death was a tragedy waiting to happen – but it would be an even greater tragedy should our Public Health Authorities now fail to act,” Dr Costa said.

Dr Con Costa
Vice President
Doctors Reform Society

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