Melbourne
(ANI):
Aussie
actor
Heath
Ledger,
who
died
at
the
age
of
28
on
Jan
22,
may
have
been
taking
the
'dangerous" sleeping
pills
Stlinox.
Called
Ambien
in
the
US,
the
pill
has
been
embroiled
in
a
controversy
in
Australia
where
hundreds
of
people
have
reported
bizarre
and
potentially
dangerous
reactions.
According
to
the
AAP,
around
500
people
last
year
described
that
described
strange
behaviours
that
ranged
from
walking,
crashing
cars,
having
sex
and
falling
from
balconies
after
taking
the
pill,
reports
News.com.au.
In
November
2007,
the
Therapeutic
Goods
Administration
(TGA)
was
worried
enough
to
reduce
pack
sizes
and
update
its
warnings
on
the
drug.
The
packets
stated
that
the
pill
had
"worrying
and
potentially
dangerous
adverse
effects",
the
most
serious
of
which
included
"rage
reactions,
worsened
insomnia,
confusion,
agitation,
hallucinations
and
other
forms
of
unwanted
behaviour".
A
spokeswoman
for
Australian
distributor
of
Stilnox,
Sanofi-Aventis,
refused
to
comment
on
speculation
about
the
drug's
involvement
in
the
actor"s
shock
death.
"We're
have
absolutely
no
comment
to
make
with
regard
to
speculation
that's
being
reported
in
the
media," the
AAP
quoted
the
spokeswoman,
as
saying.
The
Oscar
nominated
actor
was
declared
dead
after
being
found
in
his
apartment
in
New
York
by
a
housekeeper.