Michael Jackson the King of ‘Pill’ Pop wanted to take his sleep aid medication intravenously. His drug of choice was Propofol aka Diprivan which is administered intravenously as a general anesthetic used to sedate patients for surgery and is only available to medical personnel. Propofol’s purpose is to induce sleep as long as the patient is monitored with an IV drip. As soon as you turn the drip off the patient will quickly become awake.
Propofol is only meant for use as an anesthesia and not a sleep aid because this drug is so powerful your breathing could cease or some other critical failure could occur. For this reason alone it should be used in operating rooms and doctors offices where trained medical employees monitor the patient if something were to go wrong.
It has also been implicated in drug abuse, with people using it to “chill out” or to commit suicide. Accidental deaths linked to abuse have been reported. The powerful drug has a very narrow therapeutic window, meaning it doesn’t take doses much larger than the medically recommended amount to stop a person’s breathing.
An overdose that stops breathing can result in a buildup of carbon dioxide, causing the heart to beat erratically and leading to cardiac arrest
Jackson pressured a registered nurse Cherilyn Lee to help him with his insomnia by using Propofol and she refused his requests. According to Lee, a member of Jackson’s staff called her on June 21 begging her to help him after what seemed like an adverse drug reaction. She feared he used Propofol. The caller stated that Jackson complained half his body was hot and the other half cold which was a sign that something had messed up his central nervous system.
AAP Pharmaceutical’s spokesperson confirmed that Propofol is only available to medical professional and is widely used for outpatient surgical procedures because it is fast acting. Propofol has been known to create a painful burning sensation which is treated with the drug Lidocaine. According to a report Lidocaine was found near Jackson’s body. If a doctor supplied Jackson and helped him inject it causing the pop star’s death, he or she could be prosecuted for manslaughter.
Not only did Jackson have medical issues due to his insomnia he was struggling with an addiction to prescription drugs. The autopsy showed that his stomach only had partial digested pills. Over time it is likely that he built up a tolerance to those drugs which can mess up your sleep cycle and the need to feel completely out or in deep sleep caused him to abuse these medications. He had become desperate enough to research about Propofol and despite its warnings asked Lee if she could get and administer the drug so he could get some much needed sleep.
“I had an IV and when it hit my vein, I was sleeping. That’s what I want,” Lee said Jackson told her.
“I said, ‘Michael, the only problem with you taking this medication’ — and I had a chill in my body and tears in my eyes three months ago — ‘the only problem is you’re going to take it and you’re not going to wake up,” she recalled.
According to Lee, Jackson said it had been given to him before but he didn’t want to discuss the circumstances or identify the doctor involved.
Lee knew something was terribly wrong with Jackson and told him to go to the hospital. Jackson did not go and died June 25 after suffering cardiac arrest.
Lee said “I don’t know what happened there. The only thing I can say is he was adamant about this drug.”
Tortured by sleep deprivation, addicted to painkillers, sedatives, antidepressants and opposed to recreational drugs Lee said “This was a person who was not on drugs. This was a person who was seeking help, desperately, to get some sleep, to get some rest.”
Jackson was getting prepared for his big comeback, his “This Is It” tour with a series of performances that would have put a strain on his frail body. He had reoccurring pain due to 1984 Pepsi commercial where he severely burned part of his scalp and when he broke his leg and hurt his back when he fell off stage.
Lou Ferrigno best known for “The Incredible Hulk” had been working out with Jackson for the past few months to help him build up his stamina for the upcoming tour.
When he was with me, he wasn’t different. He wasn’t stoned. He wasn’t high. He wasn’t being aloof or speedy. Never talked about drugs,” Ferrigno said. “I’ve never seen him take drugs. He was always talking about nutrition.”
According to Lee, Jackson was also steadfast with her about taking drugs.
“He said, `I don’t like drugs. I don’t want any drugs. My doctor told me this is a safe medicine,’” Lee said. The next day, she said she brought a copy of the Physician’s Desk Reference to show him the section on Diprivan.
“He said, ‘No, my doctor said it’s safe. It works quick and it’s safe as long as somebody’s here to monitor me and wake me up. It’s going be OK,’” Lee said. She said he did not give the doctor’s name.
Lee said at one point, she spent the night with Jackson to monitor him while he slept. She said she gave him herbal remedies and stayed in a corner chair in his vast bedroom.
After he settled in bed, Lee told Jackson to turn down the lights and music — he had classical music playing in the house. “He also had a computer on the bed because he loved Walt Disney,” she said. “He was watching Donald Duck and it was ongoing. I said, `Maybe if we put on softer music,’ and he said, ‘No, this is how I go to sleep.’”
Three and a half hours later, Jackson jumped up and looked at Lee, eyes wide open, according to Lee. “This is what happens to me,” she quoted him as saying. “All I want is to be able to sleep. I want to be able to sleep eight hours. I know I’ll feel better the next day.”
Lee said she went to the house in January, the first of about 10 visits there through April, and treated the children with vitamins. Michael, intrigued, asked what else she did and took her up on her claim she could boost his energy.
After running blood tests, she devised protein shakes for him and gave him an intravenous vitamin and mineral mixture — known as a “Myers cocktail,” after Dr. John Myers — which Lee said she uses routinely in her practice.
“It wasn’t that he felt sick,” she said. “He just wanted more energy.”
Lee said she decided to speak out to protect Jackson’s reputation from what she considers unfounded allegations of drug abuse or shortcomings as a parent.
“I think it’s so wrong for people to say these things about him,” she said. “He was a wonderful, loving father who wanted the best for his children.”
What does Michael’s family plan to do for the pop star’s funeral?
Jackson’s body will not lie in state at his Neverland ranch. It was thought the singer would be placed in a glass coffin so fans could pay their respects before a family funeral.
‘Contrary to news reports, the Jackson family is officially stating that there will be no public or private viewing at Neverland,’ says a spokesman.
But the family is organising a tribute event. ‘Plans are underway regarding a public memorial for Michael Jackson and we will announced those plans shortly,’ says the spokesman.
It’s believed Michael, 50, will be laid to rest on Sunday.
‘He will be buried not cremated,’ says family lawyer Brian Oxman. ‘His mum Katherine is a Jehovah’s Witness and despite claims Michael had converted to Islam he was one too.’
The singer’s hometown of Gary, Ind., is reportedly seeking to have the body shipped there for another memorial service being planned for July 10. Amid all the competition to pay last respects to the King of Pop (including a memorial service attended by thousands at New York City’s Apollo Theater on June 30), one question still remains unanswered: Where will Michael Jackson be buried?
I have a couple suggestions:
Cremation: You can divide the ashes or
Division of Body Parts: The coroner will keep the brain to conduct neuropathology tests, which can’t happen until about two weeks after death, when the brain hardens. It’s also likely that the coroner is conducting further tests on the superstar’s heart. It’s up to the family. They can bury him and then bury the brain and heart later on. Some for LA, some for Gary, IN, everybody’s happy. I’m sure Michael would want it that way.
R.I.P, Michael.
Rose Sheepskill
