Jackson's Nurse Claims the Singer Begged for Anesthesia Drug – DEA Now Joining the Investigation
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Photo Credit: Bernissimo
Jackson’s former nutritionist and nurse claims that Jackson asked her on many occasions for Diprivan, a medication used to induce anesthesia in surgical procedures.
Toxicology reports will very likely indicate the cause of death in a few weeks' time; until then, speculation remains rampant. Numerous sources have implicated medications such as OxyContin, Demerol and Xanax as likely culprits, and yesterday, one of Michael’s nurses stepped forward to add another dangerous medication to the list - the strong sedative, Diprivan (Propofol).
Cherilyn Lee, who is a nutritionist and registered nurse, has worked in the past with the singer through her nutritional consultation business. She claims that Jackson had called her and “pleaded” for Diprivan.
Lee says that she refused his request and that he asked for the medication to induce sleep as he had been suffering from severe insomnia.
Four days before his death, Lee says a Jackson staffer called her and reported that Michael was feeling hot on one side of his body and cold on the other. Lee indicated that Michael needed to get to a hospital.
She lamented, “At that point, I knew that somebody had given him something that hit the central nervous system.”
Jackson did not go to a hospital.
Diprivan is a sedative sometimes used in a hospital setting to induce or maintain a state of anesthesia. It is administered intravenously and according to the FDA:
- Should only be used by those trained in anesthesia
- That patients under the influence of the medication need continual monitoring
- That the drug should only be given in the presence of resuscitation machinery, such as ventilators, oxygen and CPR machines
The medication can induce a hypnotic state within 40 seconds.
With a national spotlight shining on Jackson’s use and misuse of prescription medications, LA Police have asked the DEA for assistance in their investigation.
The LA Times has reported on information from an unnamed law enforcement source in Washington who indicated that the LA Police Department sought assistance from the federal agency because of the DEA's expertise in prescription drug diversion.
LA Police Detectives have been interviewing doctors that prescribed various medications to the singer and DEA agents will now assist in this process, verifying that doctors prescribing medications to the singer were licensed to do so and that medications were legitimately needed.
The law enforcement source indicated that the DEA’s knowledge of illicit prescription medication manufacturers, also known as “pill mills” warranted their inclusion onto the high profile investigation.
