The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

What's one of the first things a doc asks you?

Are you taking any medication?

Doc's know that certain pills don't mix so before they prescribe something they usually make sure they don't give you something that could be harmful.

I wonder how Heath was able to get that cocktail? If the same doc prescribed all those drugs, his family should consider suing for malpractise.
 

One report suggested that the scrips were all "legal" and were obtained from doctors in the states and the UK.

I laughed when they explicitly stated that there were no illegal drugs in his possession. Nobody could convince me that all of those drugs were medically necessary and didn't have a "recreational" component to them.

There was also a quote from the family saying that (and I'm paraphrasing here) hopefully this will shed light on the hidden dangers of drug interactions.

I don't think I'm any more educated on the subject compared to the regular Joe, but I think it's obvious that you should check with a professional before you add a new medication to your daily routine.
 

Oops, forgot to shamelessly promote my new blog post on the Leafs' woes.
 

I completely agree Stan, there is no way that some of those drugs, or most for that matter, were not used for recreational purposes. But there is a double standard when people hear they are ‘prescribed’ drugs they don’t really think much of it and results in “it must have been an accident unless there is a note then it was suicide.”

-Some people need prescribed drugs maybe a couple to fight depression or other illness’ but in our overmedicated society there is a belief that has become accepted to some, that someone in a ‘stressful’ life may need many pills.

The prescribed thing also allows them to say it was an ‘accident’ and that he wasn’t a drug addict. Come on give me a break, when Layne Staley O.D.ed, everyone said that he was another sad case of rock star dirt bag that overdosed on heroin and he was, RIP.

Well Heath is the exact same form of dirt bag but b/c they have different ‘dealers’ the more prestigious Dr. and the ‘prescribed’ drugs allows for everyone to remove the idea that this was an addict that overdosed on drugs. Unless you have a weird reaction to one or two pills that you normally take on a daily basis and don’t exceed the amount to be taken there is no difference between Oding on ‘prescribed’ pills vs. heroin, especially how many different pills he was taking and the total amount ingested.
 

This comment has been removed by the author.
 

Not that I need to back up my point but I happen to read this article and it goes into some detail about the misconceptions and beliefs of Americans believing that abusing prescribed medication is safer then illegal drugs. Come on people smarten up!

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/news/bal-to.hs.prescription07feb07,0,5243276.story

if the link isn't working go to www.baltimoresun.com
 

I see all your points... but sometimes people do not follow the prescribed amount and take one more etc, no realizing they shouldn't. A family memeber on my mother's side 'accidentially' and (I do mean it) took more pills than he should, he died in his sleep. People make mistakes, and sometime die as result (in a lot of circumstances)... but no means is anyone a dirt bag because of it.
Just my two cents.
 

I agree that aplpying the term "dirt bag" unnecessary, especially not knowing him personally. However, given the lifestyle that young Hollywood stars find themselves in, I think it's safe to say there were some poor choices made there that could have been avoided.

Probably because I'm a relatively new father, and regardless of the circumstances, I just feel so bad for Michelle Williams and Matilda.
 

Hey! It's another shameless plug for a hockey-related post on the Leafs and Sens results from last night.

-Stan
 

I am sorry to hear KKp that you had someone close to you die accidentally like that. Thanks for the rebuttal though I liked it. And maybe "dirt bag" was strong to some in the use of making my point.

Also like I said in the other comment I wrote when BP wrote about Heath’s death, it is said when someone dies at any age. I also agree and realize that people make mistakes or have an allergic reaction to something they never had before -like I stated in my comment- and so on.

But my real point here was that there is a problem with people abusing prescribed drugs and it will only get worse until the double standard is removed. That being if they were prescribed drugs it was ok or it was an accident.

But what happen to Heath ledger was only accidental in the fact that he didn’t want to die. But common sense tells all of us that we wouldn’t take;
-oxycodone
- hydrocodone
- diazepam
- temazepam
- alprazolam
- doxylamine
at the same time. But an addict would, be it as he may have thought it got him through the day and/or he liked the buzz just as an alcoholic, coke fiend or heroin addict.

What he was doing was lethal -obviously- and there can be only two reasons for it he was addicted and didn’t care or too stupid to realize it was a bad idea and I really don’t think that he was that stupid -although I didn’t know him personally so I making my point in generalities.

Stan your shameless plugs are making you come across as a bit of a whore two in one post. :)
 

Thanks buddy, I prefer "Shameless Whore" over "Dirt Bag".

Just think of it as targetted Internet marketing. :)
 

I would like to point out that you should have expanded on the business aspect of medicine in the States. You are correct, the guy was rich and had access to the best doctors period. He was prescribed/given too many medications, yes. He was warned about mixing them, yes. Did he commit suicide, likely yes. Now a medical examiner is also a doctor. Will that doctor go against his well connected and paid colleagues? Let's not forget that a doctor must subscribe to malpractice insurance. A medical examiner who causes financial woes to an insurance company may not be able to find coverage in the future or it may come at a huge cost or incovenience