Michael Jackson: Diprivan Sedative Found In Jackson's Home

LOS ANGELES — The powerful sedative Diprivan was found in Michael Jackson's home, a law enforcement official said Friday as the city planned for a massive crowd at the singer's memorial service.

Diprivan is an anesthetic widely used in operating rooms to induce unconsciousness. Also known as Propofol, it's given intravenously and is very unusual to have in a private home.

The law enforcement official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak about the matter.

A Los Angeles Police spokesman, Lt. John Romero, declined to discuss the case. "It's an ongoing investigation," he said.

The cause of Jackson's death has not been determined. Autopsy results are not expected for several weeks.

At the downtown Staples Center, where Jackson's memorial will be held Tuesday morning, Assistant Police Chief Earl Paysinger said anywhere from 250,000 to 700,000 people could try to reach the arena, even though only 17,500 tickets will be available.

City Councilwoman Jan Perry urged people to stay home and watch the memorial on TV. There will not be a funeral procession through the city.

Tickets to Jackson's memorial service will be free. They can be obtained by registering at Staplescenter.com. There will be 11,000 tickets for seats inside Staples Center and 6,500 for seats in the adjacent Nokia Theatre, where fans can watch a simulcast. On Saturday night, 8,750 names will be randomly selected to receive two tickets each.

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No details about the memorial service itself were released.

Jackson was known to have suffered from severe insomnia. In the weeks before his death, Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse who was working with the singer, said Jackson pleaded for Diprivan amid the stress of preparing for a massive series of comeback concerts.

Lee said she repeatedly rejected his demands because the drug was unsafe.

Told Friday that Diprivan had been found at Jackson's house, she said, "I did everything I could to warn him against it."

Jackson had trouble sleeping as far back as 1989, said one of his former publicists, Rob Goldstone, who spent a month on the road with Jackson during the "Bad" tour.

"He had very bad nightmares, he found it very difficult to sleep," Goldstone said.

Diprivan, which has a milky appearance, is sometimes nicknamed "milk of amnesia." Last fall, doctors from the Mayo Clinic warned at a conference that in rare cases, Diprivan can trigger an irreversible chain of events leading to heart dysfunction and death.

They said three patients receiving Diprivan to treat severe seizures had suffered cardiac arrest, and two died. The doctors said the clinic stopped using Diprivan to treat such patients because of the danger.

The drug's manufacturer, AstraZeneca PLC, warns that patients using Diprivan should be continuously monitored, and in a tiny number of cases patients using it have suffered cardiac arrest, although it was not clear the drug was to blame.

Authorities are investigating allegations that the 50-year-old Jackson had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants. Any criminal charges would depend on whether Jackson had been overly prescribed medications, given drugs inappropriate for his needs, or if doctors knowingly prescribed Jackson medications under an assumed name.

Edward Chernoff, an attorney for Jackson's doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, said Friday through a spokeswoman that he had agreed with investigators not to comment until information is released through official channels. Murray was in Jackson's rented mansion when the singer went into cardiac arrest in his bedroom on June 25.

Murray has spoken to police and authorities say he is not a suspect. In an earlier interview, Chernoff said Murray never gave or prescribed Jackson the painkillers Demerol or OxyContin, and denied reports suggesting that the doctor gave the pop star drugs that contributed to his death.

Chernoff would not discuss what drugs the doctor administered to Jackson, but said they would have been prescribed in response to a specific complaint.

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AP Entertainment Writer Lynn Elber and AP Music Writer Nekesa Moody contributed to this report.

Comments

[tora]

You know, Michael did the best he could, the only way he knew how. And there is no denying he sacrificed most of his life for others.

[cyndeewi]

I agree

[instagladiator]

I agree also. It is such a shame that he had no childhood or normal life as a teenager. And what bothers me most is how others are eagerly "digging for dirt" to soil his accomplishments.
This particular paragraph irks me to no end:
"The law enforcement official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak about the matter."
Somebody "paid him/her" her to leak this?

[MrsOrtiz]

I agree. How could they let that kind of information get out? Whoever is responsible for providing it will get off scott-free because of this money-grubbing "official".

[sharonh]

REDRUM.

[HekmabaJuzimax]

Like I said before, shyster doctors are involved. Propofol is give when you're in the hospital about to be operated on. So whatever Jackson wanted, the doctors said "sure, I'll get it." I wonder how much they were being paid.

[sharonh]

His live-in MD says the promoters own him 300,000. The promoter, naturally, says they own him nothing, he was employed by MJ. They can say that now that he is not here to refute it.

[MrsOrtiz]

Kinda reminds me of Larry Flynt. When the doctor would make house calls and walk away with stacks of cash.

[Sportswoman]

I now believe Keith Richards is Superman...

[LeonBNJ]

One has to wonder about the leaks in this investigation, who is doing them and the motivation to do so. I would assume the Jackson family and many fans would love to blame anybody but Michael himself for his death. Many don't trust the police and proscutors due to fears of racism and in part as would love to nail MJ for something as they couldn't during the trials on allegations of sexual acts with children. The promoter would love to avoid lawsuits, collect on insurance policies and to make up their losses of revenues from the death of Michael, be able to blame MJ himself.

I wish the circus was over, that people involved with all the investigations as well as people around MJ would shut up to protect any possible criminal proscutions. Like how people get fired for looking at celebs medical records they have no need to look at, some people need to lose their jobs in this tough economy to make the point of the need of privacy and security of police investigations.

[CJWebber]

Why are they looking through his stuff? He can't be left alone even after death?

[sharonh]

The law is gathering evidence for criminal prosecution. His family removed items because it was a rented home and he would want them to have his possessions. With the exception of his father, he was very close to his family.

[Gmoney1]

you people believe anything you're told -

[escribacat]

Only the good stuff.

[Gmoney1]

try crossing your eyes -

[sharonh]

Boycott the Staples Center, owned by the promoter of his upcoming tour. They are embroiled in a battle with the MD who probably administered the anesthesia to MJ as to who he worked for--they say he worked for MJ, he says he worked for them.

[hulagirrrl]

AEG said that they took the doc on after MJ insisted, and they are paying for him. I still question the good dr's ethics, but then again, after octomom I do not question any us docs ethics anymore....

[sharonh]

Of course they said that. They must have specified he have round the clock monitoring of his medical care, and he picked this MD. It does not negate the fact that his role would be to keep MJ going at any and all costs at the behest of the promoters.

[chiara12]

AEG is already on the record as talking about paying for this Dr. that MJ wanted. They weren't happy to pay for all the extras that would entail (hotel, etc) but they said MJ wanted it so they acquiesced. It seems that they were paying for him.

Where are you getting this information that AEG is disputing this?

[sharonh]

LA Times, Washington Post, and others. Go back about 3 days.

[StillIRise]

Although I am older than Michael, his music literally shaped my life. I can look back at the many chapters of my life, and to each one, there is a Michael Jackson song to define it. He was an extraordinary entertainer and an extraordinary - but very troubled - human being.

It is very likely that Michael ingested or injected himself with the Diprivan, especially knowing that it was a drug that he was not supposed to have and that no legitimate medical caretaker would provide for him. Obviously someone did however. Nonetheless, I think it's irresponsible to make these kind of charges against people when none of us know the facts. And we may never know!

I believe that Michael was in great pain and under great stress, and it could very well have been Michael himself, out of sight of others, unknowingly took a drug that would relieve his pain and stress permanently.

[liberal54]

Unfortunately, and it's been said before, but no one who should have been speaking truth to MJ did (except for Chopra). He was their money train and they kept him happy with whatever drug he wanted.

Sad that he surrounded himself with sycophants who really were just helping themselves, not him (and yes, family members, I mean you too). This should be a lesson for us all. As someone who's had multiple (6) back operations, and cancer I can tell you there are Pain clinics that can manage all your medications (I also have a spinal cord stimulator device for pain) and keep you going - if pain control is really what you're after (not sure in MJ case). If someone of my means can find a good Pain clinic (believe me, I'm working class) why didn't anyone get MJ to one of these clinics for care? I'm sorry if this sounds cruel, I don't mean it to. I just hope people who are on the edge like MJ learn from his death (and Heath Ledger, etc.) and get help before they end this way too.

Very sad end to a very talented man.

[Ubikwity]

Thoughtful post. Thank you for it.

[realanswers]

To the Huffington Post:

Propofol (the generic of the trade name Diprivan) is not a sedative by the public's definition. We must be careful how we educate the public about this powerful drug. It is a safe drug used to promote unconsciousness in patients in ICU, patient having surgical procedures in hospitals, and in surgical centers if administered by qualified, trained health care professionals. You have to be qualified and trained to administer this drug. A patient must be monitored closely based on ASA protocol while this medicine is administered. An individual does not feel refreshed or well rested after its administration. This is the definition of a sedative to the population. Its effect is very quick and is removed from the body as quick, depending on the patient's organ functions. If it is administered by a person (health professional or not) that is not trained and qualified to deliver this drug can cause death, period. So please be careful how you categorize this drug. It is a general anesthetic.

[MrsOrtiz]

Thank you. That needed to be said. I think it needs to be said louder, though. There could be a lot of wary (paranoid?) people, like myself, you might refuse it thinking it's what killed MJ.

[eMJayy]

I'll just add that this drug typically causes apnea (patient stops breathing temporarily) less than a minute after the drug is administered via the IV access. That's why it's only given in a controlled setting with a functioning ventilator on standby, and that's one of the main reasons why it's so dangerous if used without expert medical supervision. As the poster above emphasized, it's NOT a sedative as defined by the general public. In medicine there are different degrees of sedation. It's used for the induction of anaesthesia (in other words, to initiate the artificial COMA needed to help prevent the perception of pain during the surgery). It has a very short half-life and provides only 2-3 minutes of unconciousness, but that's enough time to switch the patient over to an inhalational (gaseous) agent (eg. Sevoflurane, Desflurane) which can then maintain the state of unconciousness for the duration of the surgery.

[chevyval]

So sad. God Bless him.

[afgail]

The terrible drugs, morphine and heroin derivatives, is what he used to combat pain. They probably tirggered the need for uppers that resulted in insomnia and then the need for a strong sedative. Very dangerous vicious cycle. Poor guy. Truly do feel sorry for him.

[kgb999]

Unlikely analysis.

[techjockey]

From what I gather toxic pathwayas like this are common.

For example a kid that takes ADHD meds often has trouble sleeping, so is put on sleeping meds. The sleeping meds, if taken regularly over a few months time, often cause anxiety problems, so then the kid is put on antidepressants, etc. etc...

This is not an unlikely scenereo.

[amiri1]

We now know that Michael had Diprivan administered before on tour by a licensed anesthesiologist, Ratner. CNN's Sanjay Gupta tracked him down in Woodstock. Where there is medical smoke, Gutpna know there is a blazing fire. The nurse who made her debut on CNN this week could have weakened under Michael's influence & illegally obtained the drug since she was an ER nurse, Jackson knew this & he was hell bent on swaying her. He even called her once when she was working in an ER in Florida but she remained strong. Michael's influence, power and money could convince people to do what he said. If he said jump, they said how high. This time Dr. Murray jumped.

Did Michael plan his final curtain call? I have to question the possibility, since information is surfacing. He even named his 50 concerts tour, THIS IS IT". 50 concert/50 years old?
I don't find this all merely coincidental. Michael could not have fulfiled his 50 concert dates committment-- no matter how they were strategically planned & spaced out .

HIStorically his performance are strenuous;10 shows maybe? never 50. TMZ reported there is an "overdose" clause in the Lloyd's of London insurance policy AEG took out on Michael.He even was quoted as saying he wanted a huge funeral & he said it would be the" Greatest Show on Earth." Mike was also quoted as saying he wanted fireworks as a part of his final curtain call-- it is the 4th of July weekend.

[mothertheresa]

He was a beautiful mess.

[ButterFlyGirlFly]

Speaking of "The Greatest Show on Earth" it is ironic that the Ringling Brothers Circus is scheduled to be at the Staple Center next week. I believe they cancelled 2 show so that they can prepare for the memorial services for MJ

[DeAnnaClaudette]

This is just such a sad, sad story. This man was so broken. People become junkies from just a fraction of what he went through, in life. It's no surprise that he abused drugs in the way that he did.

[Ubikwity]

I agree, it is a sad, sad story. But many people go through so much MORE than what he did and don't end up as junkies. He made the decision to do the drugs and mutilate his body, while others who also had difficult childhoods made different choices.

He was incredibly talented, and I'm sorry he's gone. But to make him into a victim is in a way glorifying him and excuses him for the actions he took against his body which ultimately ended up killing him. He's no hero.

[klandish]

He was an artist, I never heard anyone call him a hero. He might have had some heroic qualities but he had that and everything and it's opposite functioning too. He was an amazing character. Sometimes beatific sometimes repugnant but most always strangely compelling.

[tora]

He's no hero, but he tried to give his gift to his fans and help the unfortunate, that was the only thing he knew how to do. Given that he never had a real childhood, he lived in a bubble and had to produce relentlessly in order to support thousands of people depending on him.

There was no escape for him. At the end, we need to ask who killed who?

[deedee08]

To all of Micheal Jackson's family, friends and fans please take this time to mourn, for Sarah Palin has afforded us this rare opportunity. She announced earlier today that she will not run for a second term of Gov. of Alaska. She also dropped the biggest bomb shell, which is she is stepping down (quitting) as Gov. at this time.

I wish she had made news with this info earlier this week, because it would have lighten up the M J's negative reporting.

[LesaLesa]

So true. It must've been a slow news week because the harping on Michael has been overwhelming. And now it's Sarah's time. If only she had come 5 days earlier with her news.

[cyndeewi]

Who cares about Sarah.