Michael Jackson: Powerful sedative found in residence

Michael Jackson: Powerful sedative found in residence

The powerful sedative Diprivan was found in Michael Jackson's residence. On Friday a law enforcement official said this as the city planned for a massive crowd at the singer's memorial service.

Diprivan is an anesthetic widely used in operating rooms for inducing unconsciousness. Popularly known as Propofol, it is generally given intravenously and is very unusual to have in a private home.

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

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

The cause of Jackson's death is yet to be determined. Autopsy results are not expected for several weeks.

Michael 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 that Jackson pleaded for Diprivan amidst the stress of preparing for a massive series of comeback concerts.

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

Jackson had trouble sleeping since the year 1989. According to 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”.

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

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

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

The authorities are investigating on the allegations that the fifty 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.

On Friday Edward Chernoff, an attorney for Jackson's doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, said that 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 25th June.

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

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