Wednesday, January 23, 2008

New York Post Mortem

The jury's still out on what caused Heath Ledger's death. However, I found this very interesting note on how Ambien, Ledger's sleeping pill of choice, has caused a lot of controversy in his native Australia. On the side effects brought on by this pill, the newspaper says:

Some 500 people described odd behaviours from walking, crashing cars, having sex and falling from balconies after popping a pill.

One patient gained 23 kilograms over seven months after unknowingly eating from the refrigerator while asleep. Another patient woke up with a paintbrush in her hand after painting the front door.

This seems to be a pretty popular drug in the US, but no one seems to be making a fuss about its side effects. Could it be a greater PR muscle form the drug companies, or are these side effects just particular to Australians?

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