Daily Archives: January 23, 2008

Ambien – did it kill Heath Ledger?

Posted by Wendy on January 23, 2008 No comments

Following the tragic death of actor Heath Ledger it has been revealed that he was taking the prescription drug  Ambien for his insomnia. A bottle of the medication was found near his body and it is being asked whether this drug had anything to do with his death. Now, some reports suggest he killed himself but at this stage these are only allegations. But there is no doubt that he was taking a drug that is quite controversial due to it’s side effects.

Ambien is a sedative, also called a hypnotic. It affects chemicals in your brain that may become unbalanced and cause sleep problems. Ambien is used to treat insomnia and causes relaxation to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. But it is known that becoming reliant on the drug can cause severe reactions, but can it cause death? It is known to cause these side effects though…

  • worsening sleep problems;
  • depressed mood, thoughts of hurting yourself;
  • unusual risk-taking behavior, decreased inhibitions, no fear of danger;
  • aggression, feeling agitated;
  • hallucinations, confusion, loss of personality.

It is also dangerous to be taken if one is also taking medication for depression; Heath Ledger was known to be suffering from a form of depression in recent times and was being treated for such.  Many people have reported problems whilst taking this drug but it seems that only now will there be any public focus on these…sadly it had to take the death of a young and talented actor for this to happen.

Copyright © 2007-2012 Cultured Views. All rights reserved.

Tragic death of Heath Ledger

Posted by Wendy on January 23, 2008 No comments

This is terrible news, so very tragic and untimely. Heath was only 28 years old and the Dad of a little two year old girl. He was also a great representative of what Australia can produce in the way of talent; a handsome, rugged dyed-in-the-wool Aussie. Right now it is not clear what happened in that apartment in New York, or why indeed his body rebelled in such a way and stopped shining so suddenly.

We Australians got to know Heath before the rest of the world did, but it did not take long for those in the international movie industry to sit up and take notice of not just his looks but his talent and the huge potential for developing that talent even further. Mel Gibson has stated that Heath was going to be the ‘banner carrier’ for the Australian film industry for the future; he is correct but Heath was too good and too rare a find to have remained exclusive to Australia for long. 

Whilst the film industry pays tribute after tribute to this young star and his fans everywhere mourn, spare a thought for two people who will mourn not an actor, but a son – his parents, Kim and Sally Ledger. And little Matilda, probably too young to understand at the age of two, but who will grow up without her Daddy.

Already Heath is being hailed a legend but I would be quick to disagree. To call him a legend would be saying he had reached his peak as an actor when in fact he had so much more to achieve, an Academy Award with his name on it was not too far away.

Copyright © 2007-2012 Cultured Views. All rights reserved.