NEW YORK —Actor Heath Ledger died from an accidental overdose of six different drugs — painkillers and sedatives — the medical examiner said Wednesday, leading doctors to warn of the dangers of mixing prescription drugs.
The 28-year-old film star died of “acute intoxication” from the combination of two strong painkillers, two anti-anxiety medicines and two sleeping aids, according to the medical examiner’s office.
Among the drugs found in his body were oxycodone, a painkiller sold as OxyContin and used in other pain relievers such as Percodan and Percocet. Others included drugs sold as anti-anxiety pills Valium and Xanax, which are sedatives.
The medical examiner and police wouldn’t identify the medications Ledger had in his apartment when his body was discovered Jan. 22, nor would they discuss who had prescribed them.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating how Ledger obtained the medications and whether they were prescribed illegally.
Doctors not connected with the case said it would be unlikely for one doctor to prescribe all the drugs. However, they said it’s not unusual for people to be prescribed both painkillers and sedatives, and overdoses are not uncommon.
“This is not rock star wretched excess,” said Cindy Kuhn, a pharmacology professor at Duke University. “This is a situation that could happen to plenty of people with prescriptions for these kind of drugs.”
