A nurse who treated Michael Jackson several months ago has said that the late singer's people contacted her less than a week before he died, and that Jackson had asked her to get him the powerful sedative Deprival.
Interviewed on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 Tuesday night, nutritionist and registered nurse Cherilyn Lee said that in April Jackson had said he was unable to sleep well and had asked her to get him Diprivan (generic name propofol), a drug usually used as an anesthetic during surgery. Lee said that she strongly recommended Jackson against Diprivan, explaining that "If you take this you might not wake up."
Jackson said he had taken Diprivan before, which is apparently why he asked for it again.
Lee said that one of Jackson's staff contacted her four days before he died on a different matter, saying that he was feeling hot on one side and cold on the other. She said that she told the staffer to take him to a hospital, thinking the problem might be some kind of cardiovascular or nervous system problem.
Diprivan is given intravenously and is usually administered to start or maintain anesthesia during surgery. The drug is also used on patients in intensive care units (ICUs). CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon, confirmed Lee's warning about the seriousness of taking Diprivan, and noted that he had never heard of it being administered outside of a hospital.
A fact sheet from Astra-Zeneca, the maker of Diprivan, describes the drug as "an intravenous sedative-hypnotic agent for use in the induction and maintenance of anesthesia or sedation." It is a fast-acting drug: the fact sheet notes that it takes effect in about 40 seconds.
The product information from Astra-Zeneca also notes that for general anesthesia or sedation, Diprivan "should be administered only by persons trained in the administration of general anesthesia" and facilities for maintaining the patient's airway, as well as artificial ventilation, oxygen, and resuscitation, "must be immediately available."
The Web site RxList gives a detailed review of Diprivan effects, side effects, indication, warnings, and more.
