Do We Need All Those Drugs?

Heath Ledger's death has been in the news this week. I did not see the movies he was in and knew only his name. I believe he must have been a tormented young man who suicided, but I don't know. I am more familiar with the prescribed medications that were found in his room, the scene of his death. We often think street drugs - some prescribed drugs are also sold on the street and are desired like heroin - are the "bad" ones. However, any prescription an MD writes, has the potential to be just as bad. Drug reactions are somewhere around the fifth leading cause of death in America today. Taking prescribed medications, especially several without being knowledgeable about them, is like playing with a loaded gun. Ambien, found in Ledger's room, is a widely prescribed drug for sleep and is also a hypnotic. It made the news last year for causing sleepwalking and other nighttime activities that the person did not remember the next day. I have personally witnessed patients hallucinate after taking a dose that was higher than they needed. How drugs work on the body and brain is an interesting study. They extend lives and provide comfort. But there is a definite dark side to them that is kept hidden in our pharmaceutical inspired culture.